Page 17 of Her Royal Rebellion

They met us and Henri looked a bit flushed. Was he nervous?

“Prince Aiden. You’re here.”

I looked between them, not understanding the underlying tension. Charlie looked just as curious.

“I don’t know why you’re so surprised. This is my home.”

Henri took a small step back. “I should leave.”

Aiden sneered. “No need to leave on my behalf. I’m willing to let bygones be bygones. Afterall, I’m a forgiving person.”

I narrowed my eyes at my brother. “What happened between you two?”

“We had a run-in in London last year. Didn’t we, Henri?”

I glanced over my shoulder to the man looking around like he was searching for the nearest escape route.

“What happened?” I asked him. His eyes flashed to mine for a moment before studying the carpet with fascination.

“It was just a misunderstanding,” he mumbled and Aiden’s eyebrows rose.

“A fifteen thousand Euro misunderstanding.” Aiden clenched his jaw. “Why don’t you explain yourself, Henri.”

Charlie looked between the men before smirking at me. She was enjoying this as much as I was.

“Well?” I prodded.

Henri sighed. “I heard Aiden was at a club with some of his university mates and I went down to say hello.”

Aiden laughed, but didn’t say anything.

“I was there with a few friends, but I couldn’t find Aiden. I ordered some drinks while I searched. Then there was a scuffle with some bloke and me and my friends were asked to leave before we could close our tab.”

I watched Aiden’s expression change from amused to furious in a flash. “Is that really the delusion you’re telling yourself?” He watched Henri for a moment. “No, tell my sister the truth.”

Henri glanced up at me as his face paled. “Fine. When I got to the club, I let them know who I was and told them I was with Aiden and his lot. Me and my mates drank and then got into a tiff with some locals. We were kicked out and Aiden got the bill for our drinks.”

“And the damage you did,” Aiden added.

Henri nodded.

“And it wasn’t just you and a few friends. It was close to twenty people. You didn’t make it past the VIP section. I didn’t even know you were there until a server arrived with my bill.”

“I’ve apologized.” Henri sounded like a petulant child.

“Yet, I’ve never received the reimbursement you promise.”

“I... I…” Henri stuttered.

“I’ve got a deal for you.” Henri lifted his head enough to meet Aiden’s eyes. “I’ll forgive your debt and forget about that night if you leave.”

Henri froze. He blinked and looked at me.

“Now,” Aiden barked. “And you will tell the king and queen that the moment you met the princess you knew you were not worthy.”

Henri didn’t even pause to think about it. “Of course.”

He turned and walked back toward the entry without a single look back at us. I nearly applauded. I caught Logan covering his mouth, but I could see in his eyes he was laughing. Check one off the list. If they all went this poorly this quickly, I might be back to normal life within a week.