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I continued my pacing. “My father never went after her?”
Atticus scoffed, answering for Leo. “My informants have told me that Lord Geralt made a deal to help him with the Redview riots in exchange for Christine. King Frederick already got what he wanted from Geralt. He didn’t care if the bastard died before he was able to claim his end of the deal. And Christine was gone. My guess is, the king was too self-absorbed and arrogant to even question it, something I’m sure you can relate to, August.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” I asked, my jaw clenched tight as I waited for his answer.
“It means exactly that,” he replied, tilting his head to the side condescendingly. “You didn’t question things. You just let Christine disappear, and then you threw a pity party on your yacht.”
“Of course I questioned it,” I seethed.
“Did you, though? Because you didn’t go after her. You didn’t use every single resource at your disposal to get her. You sat around feeling sorry for yourself because it was easier than seeking the truth—”
“Watch how you speak to me; I am your future king!” I roared.
“No,” Atticus replied while looking down his nose at me. “You’re just a sad little brat with a title.”
I stumbled at his words but wanted to wound him just as badly as he did me. “And you’re a stalker! You followed her there without her even knowing!”
Leo snapped his attention to Atticus. “Is that true?”
He sneered at the guard. “It is. I know everything that has happened with Christine from the moment she left this kingdom. When she struggled to find an apartment in her new town, I bought a building by her favorite park and rented her a room with a view. When she had a bit of trouble getting into one of her classes, I made a sizable donation to the school in exchange for getting whatever schedule she desired. The doorman greeted her with coffee every fucking morning that I ordered for her.”
Leo shook his head in disbelief. “And her…extracurriculars? Did you have anything to do with that?”
“What extracurriculars?” I asked while eyeing them.
They seemed to have an unspoken conversation, and I watched them exchange knowing looks that I wanted to pick apart with a blade. Atticus answered. “I arranged for her to have self-defense classes. She was in a vulnerable state after everything, and I wanted her to be able to defend herself.”
I nodded. That seemed like a good idea. After hearing about Lord fucking Geralt, I wanted her to continue her lessons. But still, something wasn’t adding up. “Why didn’t you just make your presence known?”
A shadow crossed DuPont’s face. “She needed to heal.”
I sensed a hint of insecurity in his tone. “Really? Three years and you didn’t see her once? You didn’t talk to her? You sure do place a bunch of expectations on me, but when it comes down to it, you’re just as much of a disappointment.”
Atticus paused for a moment, letting the silence stretch between us while he chewed on his words. “My decisions are none of your business.”
“You didn’t go to her because you were afraid,” I noted. “You didn’t want her to reject you. Again.”
“Shut the fuck up, August. You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
I smirked. “You know that Christine will always choose me. It doesn’t matter how much you love her, how hard you fight for her. At the end of the day, it’ll always be me, and that destroys you.”
He lunged for me, his veins popping in his neck as he roared. Leo jumped between us at the last second, pushing Atticus away before he could swing his fist. “Enough!” Leo yelled. “Christine has been through a fucking trauma and is in more danger than ever before. Now is not the time for a dick-measuring contest.”
His statement seemed to gather both of our direct attention. “Explain,” Atticus demanded while taking a step back.
Leo shook his head. “The queen is threatening to tell everyone Christine murdered Lord Geralt if she doesn’t marry you, Augustus. She’s holding it over both of our heads.”
I clenched my jaw as Atticus continued to question him. “Why?”
Leo shrugged. “The king was assassinated. She thinks the royal family needs to put on a strong show.”
Atticus’s eyes widened in horror for a fraction of a second, and I wanted to examine the expression closer, but I was too stunned by Leo’s words. I cleared my throat before asking another question. “Assassinated? The autopsy said—”
“Your mother has already proven how proficient she is at doctoring reports,” Leo cut me off with his bitter words. “It’s a shit show, sir.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Why hasn’t anyone told me this? Everyone is keeping me out of the loop. Why don’t you trust me?”
Atticus tossed his head back and laughed. “Trust you? You’re high half the time and drunk the other half. You’d spill every secret you have to any pretty girl willing to suck your cock. No wonder Christine didn’t trust you. No wonder she ran away. She still is running by the looks of it.”
