AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And it taught me more about the world. The struggles most people face daily. It made me want to do more for those with less. Bring attention to their plight, whether it be clean water, reproductive rights, or gender equality in the workplace.
All causes I continued to champion once I went to Paris for university.
Again, I didn’t get to choose where I was to study. Or what I was to study, for that matter.
And like the trained puppet I was, I went along with it.
But I can’t go along with this.
I’m well aware I’ll eventually have to marry in order to provide the required heir and a spare. I hoped to figure out who I am as a person first.
“Your Highness.” My father’s receptionist, Lila, jumps to her feet and curtseys as I enter the reception area of my father’s office.
“Good morning, Lila. I’m here to see His Majesty.”
“I’ll let them know you’re here.”
“Them?” I arch a brow.
“Of course.” She smiles, spinning from me and scurrying into the conference room.
I curse under my breath. I should have known my grandmother would find a way to weasel her way into my meeting with my father. I thought by scheduling time with him, I’d be able to discuss this in private. Instead, it gave my grandmother an opportunity to insist on attending as well, considering she’s a senior member of his privy council.
When Lila returns, my father’s private secretary, Lieutenant Colonel Winters, is with her.
“Your Highness.” He bows. “This way please. They’re ready for you.”
As I follow him toward the conference room, I push down the nerves swimming in my stomach, reminding myself this is just an informal discussion between me and my family.
But as I pause at the threshold, I become fully aware this won’t be an informal discussion between family members.
Any lingering hope I held onto that my father would put a stop to this plan is dashed when I see he’d surrounded by my grandmother, a few other members of the privy council, as well as the head of palace public relations.
But that’s not all.
Also seated at the large conference table are none other than Jameson Gates and his father, Henry.
I’d been apprehensive about speaking with my father, so maybe this is just an anxiety-fueled hallucination. I’d only just scheduled this meeting yesterday. There’s no way they would have been able to arrange for all of these people to be here on such short notice.
Unless it was scheduled earlier without my knowledge and I’m the late-minute addition.
I didn’t pick the time or date. My father’s private secretary chose it for me. It didn’t seem odd at first. My father is a busy man. Now, I feel like I’m getting played, being pushed around the board like the pawn these people want me to be.
At the sound of a loud throat clearing, I snap out of my increasing irritated thoughts, my grandmother’s glare reminding me of the required protocol.
Turning toward my father, I do a small curtsey, briefly lowering my eyes. “Your Majesty.”
He stands, buttoning the jacket on his well-tailored suit. His dark hair has more flecks of gray than the last time I saw him, his face sporting a few more wrinkles now that he’s in his fifties. But he’s still quite handsome.
Approaching me, he wraps me in a hug that feels more forced than affectionate. “Esme, darling.” He kisses my cheek before dropping his hold on me. “Welcome home.”
“Thank you.”
He returns to his place at the head of the table and I look at my grandmother, greeting her with a curtsey. “Your Majesty.”
“Have a seat, Esme,” she instructs, gesturing to a chair situated between Jameson Gates and my father.
I walk toward it, everyone at the table muttering “Your Highness” as I pass.
