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I caught it in my hands. The heft of the coins meant they had to be gold. “Thank you.”
Wendel arched his eyebrows. “Speaking purely as the Prince of the Undying, I hope I’m worth at least a small fortune.”
“Not as much as you might expect,” I muttered.
“Pity.”
Margareta pursed her lips at our banter. “Wendel, we will cover your room and board at the Imperial Palace Hotel. It’s located across the street, and I believe even a disinherited prince should find it satisfactory.”
Wendel tilted his head. “She stays with me.”
“I hardly think you need a bodyguard, considering your reputation, and it would be rather improper?—”
“No,” he cut in. “I vowed to protect her.”
“Why?”
“She saved my life.”
Margareta shot a glance at me. “Is that true?”
I forgot how to breathe for a moment. “Yes. I did. But?—”
“I insist.” Wendel looked into my eyes without blinking. “I swore a vow of undying loyalty, Ardis, and I intend to keep it.”
Shivers rushed over my skin at the intensity of his words. “You don’t have to do this.”
“I do.”
“I survived without you before.”
“You won’t win this argument.” He had the supreme confidence of royalty.
What a bastard. But I couldn’t deny the flicker of excitement inside me, burning brighter with every heartbeat.
“Ardis?” Margareta cleared her throat. “Are you willing to accept?”
I swallowed hard. “Yes.”
I had never entered the Imperial Palace Hotel before.
And definitely never with a disinherited prince. Wendel walked into the hotel with vague disinterest, like he had seen grander luxury. He scarcely glanced at the marble underfoot or glittering crystal chandeliers overhead.
I wondered if he had spent his childhood in lavish castles in Prussia.
Wendel opened the door to our room. “After you.”
My boots sank into the plush carpet inside. I ran my fingers over the gilded wood and crimson silk of the couch nearest to me. Even the air had the scent of wealth: freshly washed linens and a citrus blossom cologne.
Wendel shut the door behind us. The lock clicked.
I stopped dead in my tracks. “There’s only one bed.”
“Of course.”
After shrugging off his jacket, he tossed it onto the couch. His fingers made quick work of the buttons on his shirt.
My heartbeat pounded so hard my hands were shaking. “What are you doing?”
