Page 47

Ava

S omething about the palace seemed so damn ominous as Luc and I made our way up the front steps. Maybe it was the gray clouds gathering in the sky above. Maybe it was the guards lined up along both sides of the stairs. Or maybe it was the fact that neither of us had any idea what my father wanted.

“The king is waiting in his office,” one of the guards spoke as we ascended the stairs.

No doubt it wasn’t anything good if he’d gone to the length of preventing us from leaving the country.

Sharing a glance of mutual apprehension, Luc and I entered the palace. The place seemed cold and empty—not a soul around, nor a trace of the party from the previous night. Nothing was out of place, not a single member of the staff to be found.

As if sensing my anxiety, Luc took my hand. His touch calmed me right away. As he held my hand, I suddenly realized what he was doing, where he was doing it, and who he was about to be doing it in front of.

“You sure about that?” I asked, flicking my eyes down at our hands.

He shrugged, a casual smile on his face. “We’re doing the time; might as well do the crime. Isn’t that what you Americans say?”

His easy confidence went a long way toward calming me.

We arrived at the throne room, sunlight pouring into the space through the spotty cloud cover above. The door to the king’s office was open.

“Ready?” he asked.

“As ready as I’m going to be.”

My hand in his, we made our way to the office. There was no music, only the crackle of a fire and the tick-tock of a grandfather clock. We stepped inside. My father was there, seated at his desk, a golden pen in his hand as he scribbled something on a piece of paper.

“Sit.” He flicked his eyes up at us, then down to our clasped hands. If he was bothered by our sign of affection, he didn’t show it.

Luc and I went over to the small meeting area, sitting down on the plush, red couch. My father continued to write, Luc and I sharing another tense look. Finally, the king set down the pen and stood.

“Something to drink?” he asked, a bottle of wine in his hands that he’d plucked from the office wet bar on the way over to where we sat. “A little after noon, the perfect time for a crisp, delicious white, if you ask me.”

“I’m fine,” Luc said.

“Same here.”

“Suit yourselves.” He poured himself a glass and sat down across from us.

“Alaric,” Luc began, “I wanted to say—”

My father raised his palm, cutting him off. “What you have to say can wait. If you two don’t mind, I’d like to start.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Sure.”

My father slowly sipped his wine, giving himself a moment to figure out just where to begin.

“First of all, I want to apologize for the way I brought you both here. When I heard you two were planning a trip out of the country, I suppose I panicked. I was not sure if you two were leaving for good.”

“We weren’t sure of that either,” Luc supplied.

“And I understand that,” my father said. “After everything that happened.”

Was this a good sign? I didn’t want to get too ahead of myself. My father took another sip, giving himself another few moments.

“I’ll get right to it,” he finally continued. “I want to say that I am sorry. To both of you.”

That was a surprise.

“You’re sorry?” I asked.

He nodded. “I was up all night thinking about how I was going to approach you this morning. It is what I was working on when you two entered. But nothing I wrote seemed to sound right or to quite express what I had on my mind, and in my heart. So, I am just going to speak. Hopefully, it will all come out somewhat close to right.”

“I’ve… never been a good man. When I was a child, I was spoiled. When I became a king, I was debaucherous. I have been rich in prestige and money my whole life. But morals? Not so much. Even when I was lucky enough to meet a woman like your mother, Ava, I was too immature to appreciate what I had been so fortunate to get.”

“I didn’t deserve your mother, and she didn’t deserve my cruelty. She left, and when it finally dawned on me that not only was she gone for good, but why she was gone, I didn’t know what to do. So, I focused on the kingdom, tried to make Edoria the best she could be. My work helped the kingdom, I am pleased to say. But it did not help me. For there was a hole in my heart, Ava—one shaped like you.”

Tears formed in my eyes, and I quickly wiped them way. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“When it came time to bring you back here, to teach you of your destiny, I realize now that I pinned far too much on your return. I thought that you might come back and fill your mother’s shoes and make me feel a little less lonely. But God, what a fool I was! Instead of cramming you into your mother’s shoes, I should have gotten to know who you were, not what I hoped you would be.”

I sniffed, unable to keep the tears back. Luc put his arm around me, not giving a damn what my father thought of it. The king didn’t react or say a word in response to his long-time friend being so openly affectionate to his daughter.

“Maybe this is the time to do right by someone else, not what’s best for me , but what’s best for my own child. It is no longer about what I want. It’s about you; it’s about Edoria. This country deserves a woman who is fair, who knows who she is, who isn’t afraid to show up to a ball in a purple gown and matching hair.”

I laughed through my tears, Luc joining me.

My father smiled, sitting up straight. “I can only hope it is not too late. If you wish to go back to Seattle after everything I’ve done, after how I’ve treated you, I will understand. But if you wish to stay, I will do everything I can to try to be the father you deserve, to show you that I love you.”

He paused to compose himself. I could tell that it wasn’t easy for him to make himself this vulnerable.

“I am still a young ruler, relatively speaking. If you were to stay, there would be plenty of time for you to live here and in Seattle. You would be a princess for a long time before you became a queen, if that’s what you want, of course. Either way, I respect your choice.”

He turned to Luc.

“Lucas, you have been my faithful friend for as long as I can remember. Selflessly, you’ve given your heart and soul to Edoria. And here I am, standing in the way of the first real love you have ever truly known. How could any man be more fit for my daughter than you? And how could I so carelessly toss you aside when you stand poised to give my Ava the greatest gift of all?” My father cleared his throat. “If you’d be so kind as to return to the palace, you are welcome here. And if you wish to be with my daughter, I am sure I can find a more suitable role for you than merely my right hand.”

It was everything I had hoped my father would say to me since I’d arrived.

“Yes,” I said, tears in my eyes. “I’ll stay.”

The king’s eyes glistened, and he quickly wiped them.

“Wonderful. Just wonderful.”

Luc cleared his throat. “And I’d be honored to return, Your Grace.”

“That’s Alaric to you, old friend,” my father said with a smile.

Luc and I turned to one another, the look on his face making it obvious he had the same thing on his mind as me.

“While we are sharing so openly and honestly, there’s one more thing we need to talk about…”