AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ava stayed on my mind, specifically the idea of our future. There was no way in hell we could be an item, I knew the mere thought of it was ridiculous. Princesses didn’t associate with men like myself in that way, and that was setting aside the little details of her age and her relationship to my king.
Still, I couldn’t help but imagine it, couldn’t help but let the fantasy play out. I pictured us in the library, both seated in chairs next to each other, a fire roaring, our hands joined on the table between us as we read in silence. I imagined us walking together in the garden in springtime, when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, when the air was warm with the first pleasant weather of the year.
It was strange to imagine us together in that way, in the open. Likely because it was impossible. If anything, we needed to put a final stop to what we were doing. We’d been physically intimate more than once. If we were to keep it up, it’d only be a matter of time before we were caught.
As much as I hated to admit it, I knew that ending things with Ava was the right call. Too much was at risk to keep up what we were doing. If we were to be found out it would be one of the biggest scandals not just in Edoria, but in Europe. Everyone would be talking about the king’s aide who slept with the young, beautiful princess.
“Luc.” The deep voice that spoke behind me was enough to give me pause. I didn’t need to turn to know who it was.
“Your Majesty.”
I glanced over my shoulder to see the king. He was dressed in a navy-blue double-breasted suit and black loafers, his bearing as regal as ever. His expression impassive, he stepped over to my side.
“Trees are looking especially lovely this year.” His hands clasped behind his back, he glanced up at the branches above us. “Shaping up to be an especially beautiful fall.”
“I agree, Alaric.” Already I could sense that something was on his mind.
“Which means that the Harvest Ball will be even more in the public eye than it already is.”
And there it was.
“You’re right.” I decided to cut right to the chase. “And that means every set of eyes in Europe will be on our new princess.”
He pursed his lips, nodding. With a flick of his chin, he gestured for us to continue forward.
“I want to thank you for keeping your distance from her. A small request, but one I was pleased to see executed. That is, aside from your little excursion with the Jaguar.”
My heart skipped a beat at the mention of the trip. Did he know? I glanced at him as we walked, spotting the faintest hint of a smile on his face. No way that’d be his reaction if he knew what Ava and I had gotten up to that evening.
“I was torn between loyalty to my king and my princess,” I said, a wry smile on my face. “What could I have done?”
He chuckled. “The order was to give her space, not to avoid her completely. You’ve done that. And I know how you feel about that Jaguar.”
“It better be next to my name in the royal will when you finally kick the bucket, old man.”
Alaric and I were within a year’s age and loved to bust one another up over the perils of getting older.
“It just might be, you old codger.”
More light laughter followed, a silence descending after that.
“I’d be remiss,” I said, “if I didn’t tell you part of the reason she’d been so eager to get away that evening. She wanted to stick it to you a bit for being so frequently absent from dinner.”
He nodded in understanding. “Been a busy month. Never any shortage of work to do. All the same, I ought to be setting a good example when it comes to the routine of being royalty.”
“Not to mention the idea of getting to know your daughter.”
His eyes narrowed a bit. “Careful, Luc.”
“I don’t mean it in such a sharp way,” I said. “But all the same, I can’t help but feel that her difficulties in becoming acclimated to her new life here might be alleviated if you were to take a more active role in her life.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, it occurred to me, as it so often did, that I was the only person in Edoria that could speak to the king that way.
He furrowed his brow in confusion. “But that is precisely what I’m doing. I am seeing to it personally that she has all the training needed to become a proper princess. Too bad it doesn’t seem to be taking.”
“There’s more to it than just sending her to lessons,” I countered. “She needs to feel like this is her home.”
“The more she tries to be a princess, the more she will feel at home. It is a two-way street, after all. And so far, she is failing quite miserably in her responsibilities. More and more I find myself wondering if sending her back to America wouldn’t be the more prudent decision.”
