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The giggles turn to full-on laughter, and even as I’m shushing her, Serafina pokes her head in the room with a deep sigh, one hand grazing the swell of her pregnant belly.
Ava rests her hand on her mother’s belly, already protective of the little one who will be joining us in a few months.
Happily-ever-afters, the real kind, almost never happen easily or without a few dragons getting in the way.”
“Never mind. The point is, without a journey, without some struggle, a few challenges, and some metaphorical dragons—which Mummy will explain to you later—the happily-ever-after wouldn’t be so sweet.”
Hey! It’s me, Fi! Did you figure that out yet? I’m
Besides fan mail to His Royal Highness Prince Callum of Elsinore. That doesn’t count.
I know you’re thankful to be the spare not the heir, as much as you joke about it.
But in a little over a year’s time, I’ll be the flipping QUEEN. Viore isn’t as large as Elsinore, but it’s still a lot to manage. A whole country!
From beside me, the incredibly irritating and decidedly devilish Duke of Weldon swipes a fingertip across my lower lip. I
“Keep your hands to yourself,” I hiss to Rafe. “I don’t want to even know where they’ve been.”
His grin is pure wickedness. It makes me shudder. Not in a good way.
One might think that there would be more sympathy and compassion for Rafe. After all, he was orphaned when he was only eight, losing both his parents in a car accident. Tragic, really. He was left in the care of his uncle, the Baron de Silva, a smarmy snake of a man who always seems to be plotting something with a too-wide
“But he’s so pretty,” she whines, smoothing a hand over her short, dark bob. “And you know how I feel about bad boys.”
Despite our different personalities, Kat is my best—and other than Callum, only—friend. She acts as my sole source of personal information about men as she tends to enjoy them. A lot. It’s not my style, but after watching her parents divorce bitterly after surviving twenty-seven years of marriage, three kids,
and emigrating from Korea, I think it’s Kat’s way of guarding herself against feeling anything too deeply.
Five feet two inches of Kat fury is surprisingly effective at keeping people at bay. Kat all but adopted me my first year in uni when she was the resident assistant.
I adopted her right back, and hope when she finishes law school, she’ll join me in Elsinore as part of our legal team.
I return my focus to Callum down below, who is exactly and only my type: golden hair, a crooked smile complete with dimple, and eyes the blue of the Mediterranean. My childhood best friend.
glance at Rafe, but some pretty socialite-type further down the row seems to have caught his eye with a flirty wave. It’s no wonder he’s known as the Royal Rogue.
Ever since our parents made this arrangement when Callum and I were just children, it’s been very hush-hush. The kind of thing where I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.
It’s hard to date around when I knew one day, I would be Callum’s. I’ve always felt like his.
Callum bounces the ball a few times before his serve and then pauses to glance at the crowd. My heart swells as his gaze finds mine. A wide grin takes over his handsome face, making the dimple appear in his right cheek.
For years, I’ve been fascinated with that dimple. One more thing I’ve been waiting for—to trace it with my finger, to kiss it. Maybe lick it?
“The rumor is your princess is getting engaged this week to Prince Callum.” My princess. I wish.
Because I am holding on to the hope that by some miraculous chance, I could convince Seraf to consider me instead.
I’m a duke; he’s a prince. I have land and money; he has more. I’ve loved her from afar; he’s been her best friend since childhood.
As for our reputations … I’m known as the Royal Rogue. He’s the Golden Boy.
“Did you really think you could compete with him?” I say the words out loud, needing to hear them.
Because the selfish part of me wants Serafina any way I can get her.
I can’t do what Uncle is asking, as tempting as it is.
I would finally wrest his control from my life, once and for all.
More than that, I want what he’s ask...
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So badly I feel the burn rising in my throat, stinging in my ey...
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But because this is coming from him, I’m now in an impossible position. I stare down at my phone, wishing I could chuck it out the wind...
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Uncle: Here’s part one of my favor. I need you to steal Princess Serafina from Callum. Have fun.
“I don’t understand what’s happening,” I say, addressing the King and Queen of Elsinore. Better known as James and Suzette, aka Callum’s parents.
“What’s happening is that our son is being careless with his future and the future of his nation.”
Right. Because beyond emotions, this arrangement is about strengthening the ties between our kingdoms. Elsinore is often referred to as the Silicon Valley of Europe. They invested early and heavily in tech. Viore’s copper mines produce about eighty percent of the resources needed for everything from circuit boards to sockets, and a relationship was forged.
Right. Just not in the way I’d thought. I can sense the desperation in both of them, the need for reassurance that whatever Callum’s doing, it won’t affect the official trade relationship between us. I hate that they’re even entertaining the thought.
We’ve known of this arrangement our whole lives.”
Haven’t we? I’m suddenly struck by the realization that I always assumed we both knew. What if … My stomach ties itself into a tiny, painful knot. “Wait—Callum did know of the arrangement, didn’t he?” The king and queen exchange a look, and the knot in my stomach tightens into a noose.
With a groan, I slump back on the sofa and cover my f...
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Callum needed to be eased into hearing that he’d have to marry me. I drop my hands and look at Queen Suzette.
“What happened? How long has he known?” They exchange a glance again. “Since last fall,” Suzette says.
I try to wrap my head around all of this information. According to my parents, they have been discussing this arrangement with Callum’s parents for years. Literally, twenty-one of them.
“And now he’s dating this American,” I say flatly. “It’s all very new.” The queen blinks and then bursts into tears. Loud, ugly, un-queen-like tears. Wrapping her arms around me, she sobs loudly, sounding like a barking seal. I’ve always been close with Suzette and James, but not this kind of close. I pat her back, because what else do you do when a queen wants to cry on your shoulder? And I do mean on my shoulder. I can feel the tears—oh, please let those be tears and not snot—on my neck.
American Abroad Absconds with Crown Prince Callum! They also love their alliteration.
The king mutters a curse under his breath and grabs the whole bottle of whiskey, filling his glass to the top. So this is how the King and Queen of Elsinore fall apart behind closed doors—swimming in a sea of liquor. My parents are more the door-slamming, silent-treatment variety.
Princess Serafina Settles as Callum’s Sloppy Seconds. Secret Baby? Sudden Royal Engagement Begs the Question. Catfight! Serafina Sends American Packing in a Royal Love Triangle.
If Callum and I get engaged now, on the original schedule, it would only look fake. And that’s the one thing I’ve never wanted or never felt. Arrangement or no, it’s always been real between us.
