Page 43

Ava

T he ticking of the clock in the room suddenly seemed so loud. My father stood still as a statue. I had no idea what he was going to say or do next. It was just the two of us, Luc likely in his room quickly packing his things before preparing to leave.

The king took a deep, slow breath before turning toward me.

“Here’s what you’re going to do.”

“But—”

His eyes flashed with anger. “There is no but , young lady. I am your father and your king, and unless you want to be kicked out on your royal behind, I don’t want to hear another word. Understand?”

My first instinct was to tell my father, king or not, to get fucked. However, there was still the matter of Luc. Not a chance in hell I was going to let my father boot him out of the palace like that. I had to do something and screaming in the king’s face didn’t seem like the best idea.

“Here’s what you’re going to do,” he repeated. “You are going to go back downstairs to the party. You are going to spend thirty minutes making the rounds with a big, happy smile on your face. When that is done, you are going to come to my office and we are going to talk.”

“I…”

His eyes flashed again. “If I hear so much as a single word out of your mouth that isn’t, ‘yes, Father,’ so help me God I will devote my life to making sure that you never see that man again. Understand me?”

Once more, I bristled at his tone. I knew that there was a time and a place for arguing, and I could sense that wasn’t it.

“Yes, Father.”

“Very good. Now go. And run a brush through your hair before you do.”

Without another word, he strode from the room. I wanted to cry, to lie face down on the bed and sob like I never had before. It wasn’t the right moment for that, either. I didn’t even have time to call Hailey and get her take on everything that had just happened. I needed to act fast if I wanted to catch Luc before he was sent packing.

Thunder rumbled in the distance. I hurried over to the window to see that a storm was in the process of rolling in, lightning flashing through the night sky. After a quick stop in the bathroom to smooth my hair, I composed myself and left the room.

The thirty minutes I was instructed to spend at the ball was so damn hard. Despite everything going on, I kept a happy disposition, meeting and greeting and trying not to let my mind linger on what had just happened with Luc and my father.

Speaking of the king, he was there at the ball, as well. He made the rounds himself, shaking hands with the various guests and, like me, doing his best to conceal his feelings. I had to hand it to the guy—he was good at keeping himself composed.

I watched the clock constantly, waiting for the thirty minutes to end. When it finally did, I said my goodbyes to the guests I was with at that moment, once more leaving the ballroom. Relief washed over me at being alone, but I knew it wouldn’t last. The conversation with my father was no doubt going to be a rough one.

I made my way to the throne room, the space low lit, the big windows behind the throne looking out over the storm clouds rolling in. Lightning flashed again. I turned my attention to the office door at the side of the room, preparing myself for what was shaping up to be the most difficult conversation of my life.

When I was ready, I stepped over to the door and knocked.

“Come in.”

I opened the door and entered. The room itself was beautiful, a study much smaller and cozier than the cavernous library. A fire crackled in the fireplace, my father standing before it with a glass of wine in his hands.

I shut the door, not taking a step forward.

Finally, he looked over at me and shook his head.

“That dress… what a damned embarrassment.”

I cleared my throat, ready to defend myself.

“Seemed like a hit, actually.”

“Because taste seems to be in short supply these days. Anyone with a working brain in his or her head would take one look at a princess in a dress like that and know she is a woman of ill morals.”

“Ill morals?”

“How else would you describe the disgusting behavior that you exhibited with Luc? God, I cannot even bear to speak his name.” He shook his head, letting out a sigh. “I should have known that this would end up being a disaster. I actually believed that you might be able to shape up and become a halfway decent princess, one more like your mother was. I had this vision of you coming here, and realizing that your destiny lay in this nation, in this palace. I imagined that the sheer weight of this world would cause something to change in you. I imagined that you would take it seriously, that you would be a princess your mother would be proud of.”

He scoffed, shaking his head.

“Instead, you embarrassed me at every turn, going behind my back and screwing my right-hand man. You should be ashamed.”

It was all I could take.

“Who the hell do you think you are?”

My father cocked his head to the side, as if he’d heard me wrong.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Who the hell do you think you are?”

He laughed. “I am your father. And your king.”

“Well you’re pretty shitty at both roles.”

His expression flattened. I could tell he hadn’t been expecting a comment like that.

“I’ve had enough. Ever since I showed up here you’ve been comparing me to a fictional daughter that’s only existed in your head. I’ve never had a chance to live up to that, and everything I do that isn’t what this pretend, perfect little princess does only makes you more upset with me.”

He said nothing, and I decided to press my attack. The rain began outside, coming down so loudly that it drowned out the crackle of the fire.

“Luc was right. You’ve had all this time to get to know me, to find out who your real daughter is. But you chose instead to keep trying to cram me into this stupid little mold. I thought I was going to come here and get to know you, to learn more about my mother, my roots. But instead, I learned just what kind of man you are.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“And most importantly, I learned how grateful I am that Mom took me and ran.”

My father’s expression fell. He said nothing, his mouth dropping open but no words coming out.

“I had always wondered what could make a woman run like that, leave her old life behind. You know, sometimes I thought that maybe Mom had made a selfish decision. After all, what kind of woman took her daughter away from her father, from whatever place she’d come from? Now I get it. Now, I know the truth. You were lucky that all she did was run.”

I raised my finger to him. “I don’t owe you anything. No one does. Did it ever occur to you that maybe, instead of trying to control everyone around you, you might try understanding them, caring for them? That’s what Luc did.”

“Do not speak his name.”

“I’ll speak whatever I want. I love him, and you can either accept that, or throw him and me away and wallow in your little study all alone, drinking your wine and wondering why the hell you don’t have anybody.”

He said nothing, anger once more on his face. I could tell that being spoken to like that was something he wasn’t used to.

“You know, I might be offended or hurt by your lack of care if it wasn’t so damn predictable. I’ll start packing my things. I refuse to stay here a second longer.”