AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her words rip through me.
"I know it isn't fair to ask you to do this," she continues. "But Iamasking. You're all I have. You are the person I love the most in the world, but I have never had a full heart. I need to go there and find the missing pieces. Don't do it to help him. That’s fine. Do it to help me."
I look into Lily's pleading eyes and swallow hard. "Alright," I whisper. "I'll do it. For you."
She squeezes me so tightly for so long, she might have left an imprint. When we re-enter the living room, Alex looks up, a questioning expression on his face.
"Okay,” I tell him, staring him up and down with skepticism. “I'm in."
He practically jumps. He starts to say something, but I cut him off.
"But only if you agree to a few things first. Lily is going to be treated with respect. If I hear any of your puffy-shirted relatives talking down to her or gossiping, there will be a big problem."
He nods. "You have my word."
I wouldn't trust the word of a royal, especially one looking out for his self-interest, for two seconds, but I keep that to myself.
"As for us, we can be a couple in public. Holding hands, using cute names, being sweet, and all that. As soon as we’re alone, that stops."
I think back to the porch wistfully before it all got interrupted.
"And no kissing. Or anything else, for that matter. It is out of the question. If that's going to be an issue, you’d better start looking for another girl."
"Of course. I can’t even begin to thank you enough for this."
“That’s a start, I guess.” I turn to Lily with a smile and shrug. "Looks like we're heading to Solvaria."
Within the hour, with fully packed bags in hand, we’re preparing to board the plane that will whisk us away to Solvaria. As we prepare for takeoff, Lily reaches over and pats my hand. The plane starts down the runway, and with a final jolt, I say goodbye to the world I've known.
23
ALEXIS
“Do you want my window seat?”
Bella shakes her head. Lily is leaning over, looking out the window. I’d like Bella to see Solvaria from the air. My homeland is as beautiful from the air as it is from the ground.
The crystal-clear water gently laps against long, white beaches, which stretch out to small coastal villages. In the interior are dense forests, carpets of green broken up by small towns. Then the mountains, with verdant foothills that give rise to steep crags.
The view doesn’t disappoint, but my heart is heavy. I wonder whether my uncle will ever see the view of our country from above again.
Once we land, the plane does not taxi to the main terminal. The door opens, and my secretary, Nicolai, steps on. I get up, and we confer quickly.
“We’ll get off here,” I tell Lily and Bella when I board again. They look confused but get up. I grab my carry-on bag and Lily’s. “Nicolai can take yours.”
Isabella nods. A number of porters are along to take the bags out while we’re walking down near the royal hangar.
Bella walks off the plane first. At the bottom of the stairs, Nicolai rushes ahead. He leads us to an inconspicuous, unmarked limousine, one that does not have any royal insignias or signs of notable passengers.
Nicolai opens the back door of the vehicle for us. Lily starts to get in and stops. “What about our luggage?”
“We’re taking some in the limousine, but the rest will come within the hour,” I tell her.
“Your mother doesn’t even know,” Nicolai says proudly.
“You’re the soul of discretion. Thank you, Nicolai.”
Normally there would be at least one photographer greeting the plane, but Nicolai pulled out all the stops to ensure that Christian scheduled a photo op at the exact same time.
