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“This is how I figure it,” I said, going on. “There’s the ball, and then there’s the naming ceremony. The ceremony’s when they officially name me as the princess and the heir to the kingdom. The ball sounds like hell, but I can manage. As long as I leave before the ceremony, though, I’ll be fine! I won’t be the official heir, and they’ll have to figure out someone else to step in after my father dies. There’s got to be a million second cousins or third aunts or whatever who’d be up to the task. Oryou.”
Hailey busted up, laughing her head off at the idea of being the next Queen of Edoria.
“Not a chance. I mean, even if your fatherdiddecide to legitimize me as Mom’s daughter, there’s no way I’d go for something like that. I’ve got two goals in life right now—to run the food truck and to see as much of the world as I can. Being the queen isn’t going to allow either of those things to happen.”
She leaned in. “But you’re serious? You’re really going to just walk out and leave all of this? Plenty of people would kill to live in a palace and be a freaking princess.”
“Leave all ofthisbehind?” I asked. “You mean a big, lonely palace? A father who’s as cold as the stones that this place is made of? Yeah, I’ll be able to leave all of this behind. And I won’t feel too bad about doing it, either.”
Hailey shook her head. “The king is only part of it. I’m talking about Luc, you know, thefather of your child.”
“I’ll leave without telling him that I’m pregnant. I mean, can you imagine what would happen if my father learned that not only am I pregnant, but I’m carrying the kid of his best friend? He’d blow the top off this freaking place and probably dismantle Luc’s life. No, I leave without telling him, go back to Seattle and raise the baby the same way Mom raised me when she left Edoria. Following in the family footsteps, you know?”
Hailey took another bite of her pizza, regarding me with an incredulous expression.
“I’m going to leave it alone for now,” she said, swallowing her bite. “But this conversation isn’t over.”
I nodded and looked away. She was right—not a chance in hell it would be that easy. Nothing ever was.
Chapter 32
Luc
The surprise had been as much of a hit as I’d hoped. There was only one hitch—I needed to make sure that Alaric didn’t find out. I’d fibbed when I told Ava that he’d known. The king wasn’t big on guests at the palace unless they were on some sort of official duty. Fortunately, he rarely ventured out of his wing aside from when he had dinner in the main dining hall.
The plan was for Hailey to visit for a few days in the palace, hopefully enough time for her to talk Ava into staying and not giving up her future as a princess. If Hailey wanted to remain in Edoria beyond that, it’d be no issue to arrange accommodations for her to stay in a hotel up through the Harvest Ball. For the time being, however, I was certain that having her close at hand for Ava was essential for putting the princess in better spirits.
A small smile formed on my lips as I made my way to dinner with Alaric. Disobeying the king, keeping a secret from him like that, had never been in my nature. Then again, I was already keeping the mother of all secrets from him these days.
Dinner was to be in his office. I approached the door and knocked.
“Come in, Luc.”
I opened the door and stepped in. One of the members of the kitchen staff, a young woman by the name of Diana, was in the process of finishing setting up a small table near the window. It was still raining outside, and a fire was crackling in the fireplace, mellow piano jazz playing on the stereo.
“Thank you, Diana,” Alaric said as she finished, the young woman giving her king a respectful bow before leaving the room. Alaric turned to me and right away I could tell that there was something different about him.
Namely, that he washappy.
“Come, come,” Alaric said, sweeping his hand toward the table. “I had something special brought up from the wine cellar—a thirty-four Cabernet Franc from Bordeaux.”
I raised my eyebrow as I approached the table, the king pouring each of us a small taste.
“You broke into the pre-war stock?” I asked. “What’s the occasion?”
The king smiled again, as if pleased that the significance of the wine choice hadn’t been lost on me. Without answering the question, he offered me one of the glasses.
“Cheers,” he said. “To… overcoming obstacles, whatever they might be.”
“I’ll drink to that. Cheers.”
We tapped glasses and sipped. Despite all that was weighing on my mind, I couldn’t help but notice how damned good the wine was. The flavor was rich with tinges of tobacco and cherry.
“Simply marvelous,” I said.
“Glad you agree.” He gestured to the table, where two place settings topped with ornate silver covers waited for us. We both sat at the same time. “Please.” He swept his hand toward the plate in front of me.
I lifted the cover to find a delicious-looking cut of steak, French fries on the side. The steak was cut longways, the insides a deep pink.
