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The whole time, she’d expected someone to walk in the door and park themselves next to her.
But no one came.
Then the cops left, and Caleb told her to rest. And now she was on her own.
A knock on her door startled her. Was it one of them?
“Yes?”
She sat up straight as she saw who entered. She attempted to scramble off the bed. Why had no one warned her? Where was Jonathan?
“Stay where you are. Please. Don’t get up,” Prince Kassim urged.
She stared up at him, aware she probably looked like a deer caught in headlights.
“Y-your Majesty. Can I help you?”
“Actually, I came to ask you that same thing. Would you mind if I sat?”
She gaped at him. Prince Kassim was asking her if he could sit. In his own palace.
“No. Of course. I, um, I’m sorry for the mess.”
He looked around as he sat and gave her a curious stare. “Mess?”
“Oh, uh, I meant me.” She hadn’t fixed her hair or make-up and she was still dressed in the clothes she’d been wearing earlier. Why hadn’t she gotten up to take a shower and fix herself up?
Jonathan was going to be so mad.
“I’m the one invading your space,” he said as he sat on a chair next to the bed. “Please don’t apologize for your appearance. You are fine.”
Right. She wasn’t, but okay.
“I wanted to come here to apologize,” he said.
“Apologize? For what?”
“For what you went through today. That should never have happened. And I am gravely sorry that it did. Escana is generally a very peaceful place. For this to happen . . . I am sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize. It’s not your fault.”
“No?” he said cryptically.
She could see he was taking the blame on his shoulders anyway. She couldn’t imagine how stressful it was to be him. “No, really. And I’m fine. No harm.”
“Hmm. I’m not sure that’s true. Well, I just wanted to check on you myself. Jonathan has said that you’re taking a few days to rest. I’m glad. If you would like a different security team, I understand.”
“What? No! It wasn’t their fault.” Shoot. What was she doing? She should say yes.
Prince Kassim held up his hands. “I know. I am not blaming them. But if you’d feel safer with someone else, I can make that happen.”
“I, uh, I really don’t think I need anyone guarding me.”
“I’m afraid that isn’t an option.”
“While I’m on palace grounds, I’m safe, right?” she asked.
“Our security has been increased so I would like to think so. But I’d be happier if at least one guard was with you at all times.”
“Then maybe someone new would be best,” she whispered. It felt like a betrayal. But it was also the right thing to do. Because she needed to put some distance between them.
“I shall speak with Caleb. Someone will be outside the suite tonight. Jonathan has a dinner in town, I believe.”
“All right.” Shoot why did she feel like she was about to cry?
He gave her a moment, obviously waiting for her to say something more. “I believe that Pippa met you today.”
“She mentioned me? By name?”
A genuine smile crossed his mouth. His whole body seemed to relax at the mention of his intended.
“She did. She was quite taken with you. And she said she invited you to our evening at the fair?”
“Yes, is that okay if I go?” She’d told Hux that she wasn’t going to go before . . . but when would she ever get this chance again.
“Of course it is. Pippa would be disappointed if you didn’t.”
After he left, she lay back on the bed, feeling shocked.
Another knock had her sitting up again. A wave of dizziness hit her and she had to take a slow, deep breath.
It might help if she ate something. She hadn’t eaten since that ice cream and that hadn’t been much.
Jonathan stepped inside without waiting for her to call out. She guessed she should have expected that. He didn’t consider her someone that he had to use his manners with.
“I just spoke to Prince Kassim on his way out,” he said.
“Yes. He was here to see how I was doing.”
“That was a terrible thing to happen to you.” He stared down at her strangely.
“I’m all right. Did you need me for something?” she asked.
Lord, she hoped not. She really wasn’t up to anything right now.
“No, dear. You’ve been ordered to rest so that’s what you should do. I just wanted to say that I will be away from the palace for a bit, I’m going to stay the night in town after my dinner. You rest.”
This was . . . weird.
Once she had pneumonia and he’d insisted she keep working. She’d become so ill, she’d ended up in hospital for three days and all he’d cared about was the inconvenience.
He left and she breathed out a sigh of relief. She lay back down. She should sleep, she was exhausted. But it wasn’t her bedtime and her mind wouldn’t relax. She needed a shower, but she didn’t have the energy to get up. It’s like her limbs wouldn’t even move.
