Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 78844 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78844 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
I was sure I’d scared him away, but it didn’t matter. The prince wasn’t mine to keep. Scaring him away wasn’t a deal-breaker. Thinking of it that way, it felt kind of freeing, and a little sad, but I wouldn’t focus on that. I couldn’t have him, and that was final. The sooner I accepted that, the better it would be. But then, he grabbed my hand and held it in his as we walked together down the stairs and onto the sand, and I couldn’t help the butterflies that came alive in my stomach. A large covered area came into view and it took me a moment to understand what I was seeing. It was as if they’d covered a part of the sand with a king-sized blanket and placed candles all around it. Two of his security guards stood on either side of it.
“You really thought of everything.”
“It’s my first real date, remember?” He shot me a half-smile that made a warm sensation travel through me.
The security guys walked toward us as we reached the blanket. One of them was Pierre. I felt a twinge of panic, riddled with guilt, as our eyes met, but he seemed unfazed by the entire thing and smiled widely at me as if he knew this would happen. It made the guilt inside my chest expand. Elias said nothing. He simply nodded at them as we passed and let go of my hand once we kicked off our shoes and settled over the plush blanket. I wiggled my toes over it as I sat down. He sat beside me, close enough that our sides were touching, and poured us both another glass of wine. I’d had enough that I was feeling it for sure, my brain hazy, thoughts swaying, the warmth in my veins comforting. I felt great. Better than great.
“I guess you really haven’t thought about it at all,” I said, after a moment. “Marriage, I mean. Does that mean you’re going to let your mother pick a bride for you?”
“If it comes to that.” He glanced at me. His face was incredibly close to mine. “I don’t expect you to understand. You have the freedom to do what you want. You choose who you go on dates with, who you’re surrounded by, who you marry. I grew up with the world at my fingertips but no freedom to make my own choices. Everything from what I wore to who I became friends with was meticulously planned out for me. Even if I was interested in a woman, she had to be on the list of approval.” He shot me a pointed look. “All of the women who surround me, with the exception of my sister, want me because I’m the future king, because they see power, and sure, maybe they find me attractive, but the power is what attracts them most.”
“That’s really sad,” I whispered. “I’ve never really thought about it like that.”
“Most people don’t. They see us in our ivory castles and think we live wonderfully perfect lives.”
“Would you give it up?”
“No.” He scoffed, shaking his head and looking at the ocean. “I wouldn’t know what to do if I gave it up. I was groomed for this role.”
“What would you change?”
“This is starting to sound like an interview.” He smiled as he met my gaze.
“A first date is an interview.” I raised an eyebrow. “Not that I expect you to know that.”
“Ah. In that case, I’ll need to ask more questions.”
“After you answer that one.” I smiled. He chuckled. I pushed him softly with the side of my right arm. “Come on, you promised you would and a good king keeps his promises.”
“A good king.” He laughed again, taking another sip of wine. “Okay. I would work with the cabinet and take steps to create a Parliament and make this a commonwealth country.”
My jaw dropped. “You would?”
“I want to.”
“Your father would not be pleased with that.”
“He’ll be dead.” He paused as if processing those words. “But no, he wouldn’t like that.”
“It goes against tradition.”
“My siblings and I aren’t much for tradition. My sister, Pilar, probably won’t marry the suitor my parents picked out for her, despite the fact that they’ve technically been engaged for two years. She sees him like a brother. My brother, Aramis, does anything he can to act out. I think he thinks his actions will break the palace apart from the inside.” He shrugged. “So, I need to be the one to make changes so that our children and their children won’t grow to hate everything our ancestors worked so hard to build. I have the power to change history.”
“You don’t have to be a king to change history.”
“No, I suppose not.” He smiled. “You can be a queen.”
“I meant, you can be a regular person.” I pushed him playfully again with my shoulder. “My father is a commoner, and he’s changed a lot already.”