Page 17 of Coral Prince Conundrum (Runaway Prince Hotel #1)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Seero

I sit patiently at the large wooden table on the first floor of the house.

It’s not the largest dining room in the kingdom―that honor naturally goes to the hall at the underwater palace―but I like it.

It’s spacious, with large windows looking out to the shore.

The rising sun glowing on our faces is one of the only advantages of spending time here in our surface house.

Of course, no one shines as much as the man seated next to me.

Daryl stares out at the waves while the servants bring our breakfast dishes.

His face bathed in sunlight is impeccable, a mixture of gold, yellow, and brown.

Donning the traditional Corali green tunic and waistcloth, he’s even more attractive than he was mere days ago.

As I gaze at him dressed in my people’s clothes, I cannot help but think that he belongs here.

I also want to rip them off altogether. It was so, so tempting to stay in bed with him last night. But that would not be courteous, because he is only here as a favor to me. I want him, but I do not own his heart.

“Can we come in?” I turn to Oroy’s voice and see my brother’s and sister’s heads poking out of the doorway.

I snicker and raise my hand. “Of course. This is your kitchen too.”

“We weren’t sure if you needed your privacy,” Oroy says. I can understand their reluctance, since until this past year or more, we only socialized on occasion as siblings. But now, with my duties increasing, their presence is needed for royal matters. And that includes being with me on the surface.

The pair strides forward, and Priya takes a seat next to me. Oroy, meanwhile, sits next to Daryl.

“Good morning,” Daryl says. He uncomfortably glances at my brother, then looks away. Glasses clink as the servants place dishes of hot oatmeal and smoked fish in front of my siblings.

“I can’t believe you found your soulmate,” Oroy murmurs in Corali.

Priya giggles as the servants place goblets of water in front of them. I frown, and my cheeks burn. While I want to spend more time with my siblings, I do not wish to be embarrassed.

Daryl looks around in confusion. I glare at Oroy. “I told you to speak English while my husband-to-be is present,” I declare.

He raises his hands in an innocent gesture as a bowl is placed before him. “Very well.” He looks Daryl up and down, then smirks. “How did you sleep, future brother-in-law? Was the sleep totally rad?”

“I slept well, thanks,” he replies with a perplexed grin. I still do not think my brother is using slang correctly. “And it’s Daryl.”

“Mhm.” Oroy grins and plays with his spoon. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say my brother is attracted to my fake fiancé. The sheer thought of that has me gripping my napkin with unnecessary strength.

Daryl clears his throat and says, “Um, this food is great. Oatmeal, seaweed, and um…smoked mackerel?”

“Does that please you? Would you like me to fetch for eggs?” I ask.

“You have eggs?” He smiles. “Like chicken eggs?”

Oroy snickers. “Do you not have chicken eggs in America?”

“We do.” Daryl stirs his oatmeal. “I just didn’t know what you had available here.”

“Wow,” Priya comments. She studies Daryl, like he’s a puzzle she needs to figure out. “You truly are an American. A surface-dweller. In our house, learning all sorts of things…”

Daryl looks at me, his brown eyes pleading for help. I sit up straighter. “Priya, be nice,” I grumble.

Her eyes flick to me, then she shakes out her shoulders and studies her food. “Of course. Anything for the Coral Prince.”

“Hey, I am the Coral Prince,” Oroy says in an indignant manner. His message is undercut by the crumbs flying out of his mouth. I forget that my siblings did not have nearly as much decorum training as I did. “The second Coral Prince.”

“Which means you do not deserve the respect,” Priya retorts.

She points at him with a challenging smirk.

Oroy rolls his eyes, and Priya sips her water.

“Or the responsibility,” she says, putting her goblet down.

She turns to me and adds, “You know Father is meeting with the Corali Court in three days?”

“Three days?” I frown. “I thought we had more time.”

“It’ll be fine,” Daryl says in a low tone. “We can do this.” His fingers twitch, and I can tell he’s abstaining from touching me, the physical affection we both crave.

I smile and place my hand over his. “Thank you,” I mouth to him.

“What do you mean, ‘we can do this’?” Priya asks.

Daryl nods. “I’m helping him draft a presentation for your Corali Court.”

“Really?” Priya asks.

“Daryl carries with him a vast amount of knowledge. Working together, I believe he and I can convince the governing body not to declare martial law on the sea.”

“You’ll be doing the talking. I’m just there for the media stuff to assist with the message.” Daryl gazes at me with fondness, and then turns to Priya. “Your brother here is an inspiration.”

“Media stuff? Like what?” Oroy asks while stuffing his face with oatmeal. “Those old dudes are like dinosaurs with parchment. It is so not cowabunga.”

“I have various digital presentations ready. Speaking of, Oroy?” My brother freezes mid-bite when Daryl turns to him. “Your brother told me you have access to underwater smart technology. Think you could assist me?”

Oroy’s eyes light up, and he coughs. After he breathes again, he says, “Yes. Yes, oh my gosh, so much so. This will be so cowabunga, so rad, and so ill.” My brother nearly hops up and down in his seat. “I would love to help you!”

Daryl chuckles. “Great.”

“Finally, someone interested in my underwater screen technology!” Oroy beams at all of us. Meanwhile, Priya seems dubious.

“You are both working on a presentation for the Corali Court?” my sister asks.

I take another spoonful and nod. “Yes. He is quite wise.”

Priya looks around, then stands up. “Brother, may I have a moment with you, please?” she murmurs in Corali. I hesitate, but when I spot Oroy showing Daryl a phone, I stand up. I follow her to the kitchen, where Imelda is eating.

Before Imelda can stand up, my sister raises her hand. “Clear the room, give us privacy for five minutes, please.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Our most loyal servant nods and dashes away, taking the chef with her.

I fix my sister with a serious look. “Yes?”

“Are you sure you should be telling this American all about our country?”

A defensive heat blooms in my chest. I cross my arms and look away. “Yes. He is, after all―”

“Your soulmate, yes, yes.” My sister rolls her eyes. “But are you sure he is not changing your mind about what you know to be true?”

I give her a stern look. “What we know to be true changes every day. The choices I make are my own. If you can prevent war, wouldn’t you?”

She looks away, mulling my words. “I suppose the duties of the Coral Prince are great. Millions of humans and marine animals hang in the balance.” She turns to me. “I only hope you know what you’re doing.”

I try to give my most confident smile. “I am, dear sister.” I walk her back to the dining area to finish my breakfast. Naturally, I don’t know for certain if I’m taking the right next step, or if our research will even be enough.

When I see Daryl laughing with my brother, my heart swells. His smile is as dazzling as a hundred bioluminescent krill. I will never regret growing closer to this surface-dweller. Now we just need to focus on the mission.

The next twenty-four hours have Daryl and me staying put in our chambers.

I wish it were for sexual activity, but instead, we get to work.

We pore over the sheets and slide deck scattered on the living room table.

Priya occasionally checks in on us, but leaves quickly every time.

Imelda provides us with food since we don’t leave the room.

Meanwhile, my brother supplies us with all the waterproof digital technology that he has on hand.

As part of the information technology, he and Daryl are apparently texting now.

Their chats tug on a concerned part of my heart.

Is Oroy interested in him? I do not even know if my own brother is gay.

This is my fault for being raised apart from my siblings.

I understand that isolation is the role of the Coral Prince, but still, after the past few years of getting to know them, I would hope Oroy would talk to me about personal life.

Gay or straight, my brother needs to recognize that Daryl is off-limits.

That afternoon, as Oroy chats with Daryl about something called Wi-Fi, I also hope he leaves the room promptly. Daryl may be a fake fiancé, but my brother doesn’t know that. And regardless, I want my alone time with Daryl.

When my brother dashes away, relief swells in my chest. Daryl continues typing away at the laptop with the intense scrutiny of a true researcher.

His thirst for knowledge is commendable and attractive.

He bites into a sugary plantain roll, and his eyes never leave the screen.

Powder gets on his lips, and I want to lick it off.

“You, uh, have something.” My words make him pause and look up. I point to my mouth. “On your lip.”

Instead of wiping it, his tongue darts out and he licks it away. Ocean god, that was sexy.

“Is it gone?”

“Yes,” I reply in a whisper. I’m so pent-up and aroused, and being with him alone on this floor is making my hormones spike.

He must notice I’m flustered because he asks, “Hey, you okay?”

I clear my throat and shake my head. “Just…tired, I guess.”

“We’re almost done.” He shuts off the laptop and approaches. “You had already made most of this progress before we left America. And you’ve been rehearsing so much, I bet your throat is sore.”

I snicker. I almost want to say, “I can make my throat sore in other ways,” but I bite back that remark.

“Yes, well, this is a high-pressure presentation. A defining moment in my early political career as future king.”

He frowns and places his hand on my shoulder. “You’re going to do great. Believe in yourself, Seero.” When I touch his hand, a cautious, almost hopeful smile grows on his lips. It would be so easy to lean over and kiss him.

Before I can do anything regrettable, my phone vibrates on the table. I find it curious since almost no one has my number. Daryl pulls back, and I pick up. “Hello?”

“My son. How would you like to take your soulmate and go to the water mystic theater show with your mother and me? It would give us all a better chance to meet him on the surface, since he was unable to speak the other night.”

Perfect . I grin at Daryl and nod, knowing he doesn’t understand what I’m saying to my father on the line. “That would be great. I’ll ask Imelda to send for a boat.”

I bid Father goodbye, then hang up. “Everything cool?” he asks.

“Yes,” I reply with a nod. “We are being invited to a water mystic show by my parents.”

“What’s that?”

I grin. “It takes place in an outdoor surface theater, so you will be fine. It…is glorious. A true marvel of the Coral Kingdom.” I casually lead him to the bedroom area.

“Get dressed. We will take a long tour of the outskirts of Port City, go to my favorite restaurant for dinner, then meet my parents there.”

“But what about―”

“We deserve a break,” I retort, lightly pushing him into the room. “You said it yourself, we are nearly done. And I have practiced over and over again so that my mouth is sore.”

He grins. “A show in the Coral Kingdom does sound fun.”

“Great. This will be, as Oroy says, so totally rad.”

Daryl rolls his eyes while smiling, a gesture he taught me was friendly. “Alright, alright. You’ve convinced me, Seero. Hopefully, your country can show me a good time.”

I beam as he closes the door. Tonight is going to be phenomenal for Daryl. I will make sure of it.