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Bridget
We spentthe rest of the day and night in my room, only surfacing for food, but the next morning, reality intruded, and I was forced to extricate myself from Rhys’s arms.
As high as I was riding from our victory, I had one big issue left to deal with. I’d waited until after the vote because I couldn’t afford to be distracted before then, but it was time to face it once and for all.
Rhys stayed in the bedroom while I waited for my guest in the sitting room.
I heard a knock before Mikaela poked her head in. “You wanted to see me?”
“Yes. Please, sit.”
She walked in and plopped into the seat next to me. “I’ve been dying to talk to you, but you didn’t answer my calls yesterday. I assume you were…busy, but oh my god, the vote! We have to celebrate! That’s ama—”
“Why did you leak the photos of me to the press?” I skipped the buildup and got straight to the point. I couldn’t stomach small talk with the proverbial black cloud hanging over us.
I kept my voice neutral, but I dug my nails so deep into the couch cushion they left tiny indentations.
I hadn’t wanted to believe it when Rhys told me. Part of me still hoped he was wrong. But Mikaela’s pale face and panicked eyes told me all I needed to know.
It was true.
Betrayal stabbed at me with sharp talons, puncturing my previously cold calm.
I didn’t have a lot of friends in Eldorra. I had acquaintances and people who sucked up to me because of my title, but no real friends. Mikaela had been the one constant by my side, and I’d trusted her.
“I…I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Mikaela said, avoiding my eyes.
“Rhys’s old company traced the photos back to your IP address.” Rhys’s old boss Christian was apparently a computer genius, and Rhys had asked him to help find the leaker’s identity. I’d known for weeks Mikaela could be the culprit, and I’d had to pretend nothing was wrong until I confronted her.
If the royal thing didn’t work out, I might have a second calling as an actress.
Mikaela opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. “I thought I was helping you,” she said weakly. “She told me it would help.”
“I know.”
The talons of betrayal dug deeper.
Christian had found some…interesting text messages when he’d looked into Mikaela’s correspondence with The Daily Tea, and they had thrown me for as much of a loop as the discovery Mikaela was technically the leaker.
The fact it hadn’t been Mikaela’s idea didn’t lessen the sting. She should’ve known better.
I heard another knock.
“Come in.” I didn’t take my eyes off Mikaela, who looked like she wanted to sink into the couch and never come back up.
Elin walked in, sleek and polished in her white Escada suit and three-inch pumps. Her eyes flicked over Mikaela before settling on me. “You requested to see me, Your Highness.”
“Yes. We were discussing the leaked photos of Rhys and me.” I finally tore my gaze away from my friend—ex-friend—and met Elin’s cool blue one. “Might you know anything about that?”
Elin wasn’t dumb. She picked up on my insinuation immediately, but to her credit, she didn’t feign ignorance or make excuses.
“I did it to help you, Your Highness,” she said after only one missed beat.
“By leaking private photos of me? How was that supposed to help?”
“They were not private photos.” Annoyance crept into her tone. “They were perfectly innocent photos framed in a suggestive manner. I would’ve never leaked truly incriminating images. But if I hadn’t done that, you and Mr. Larsen would’ve continued carrying on your reckless actions, and something more scandalous would’ve popped up. It was only a matter of time. Don’t think I didn’t notice what you two tried to hide beneath my nose. I didn’t hold this job for so long by being oblivious.”
Dammit. I should’ve known Elin would catch onto our affair.
She was right. We had been reckless, too caught up in our honeymoon phase to take the usual precautions. But that didn’t make what she did right.
“And the video?”
I’d finally told Rhys about the video from Nikolai’s reception a few weeks ago. He’d been upset I kept it a secret for so long, but since nothing had come of it, he’d calmed down after, oh, five days. He had, however, also asked Christian to look into who’d sent it, and when I learned Elin was behind the video as well, I’d nearly fallen out of my seat.
The surprises never stopped coming.
Mikaela’s eyes bounced between me and Elin. “What video?”
We ignored her, too locked in our stare down.
“It’s a crime to plant cameras in a private residence,” I said. “Especially a private royal residence.”
“Prince Nikolai knew about the cameras.” Elin didn’t so much as blink. “The security chief convinced him to install secret surveillance while the house was under renovation. Too many contractors going in and out. It was a precautionary measure.”
I paused, absorbing the information, before I said, “Blackmail is also illegal.”
