Page 28 of The Accidental Prince (Accidentally in Love #3)

The idea of bringing food and supplies to the needy struck her as a more enjoyable way to pass the afternoon. Though there might be some danger, she supposed Karl’s guards could keep her safe enough.

Her ladies helped her change into a gown more appropriate for paying calls within the village. When Bernard returned to load up the wagons, Serena informed him of her intent. “Your Highness, that would not be wise. Some of the places we’ve visited are…not fitting for a lady of your station.”

“I’ll escort you,” came a baritone voice.

She turned and saw Karl standing beside the gate. He rode a black horse, and he held out his hand. “I think I can protect my own wife.” He spoke the words with a hint of mockery. “Unless you’d rather burrow inside the house?”

She bristled at the implication of her cowardice. “I’m not afraid to go out. The guards will keep us safe.”

She gave an order for Bernard to prepare a horse, as she faced Karl.

“Afraid to ride with me?” he dared her. She only sent him a chilled look. “No. But there might not be enough room for me with your arrogance in the way.” After straightening the ribbon beneath her chin, she awaited her own horse.

It was backbreaking work, hauling sacks of grain. Princess Serena had attempted to speak with the wives and children, offering words of comfort while Karl helped Bernard to unload the wagon.

is footman had protested, saying that it wasn’t right for him to join in on the labor. Karl had ignored the man, needing the physical relief from being around Serena. The scent of her hair and her delicate beauty only reminded him of her bare skin and the way she’d responded to him.

He wanted her in a way that went beyond the desire to join their bodies. If he could entice her, unravel her until she craved no other man but him…it still wouldn’t be enough.

They reached the last house, and it was growing dark. The sun grazed the edges of the sea, casting shades of purple and red across the sky.

Karl led his horse up to the pathway, but there were no lights inside the tiny hut. He suspected it was one of the abandoned cottages and when they entered, the dwelling was dusty and barren.

His first instinct was to leave, but when he spied a tiny cupboard against the wall, a sudden memory swept through him.

Darkness surrounded him, the air thick and heavy. His small hands had pressed against the door, while the suffocating fear consumed him. He’d sobbed for hours without any understanding of why he was there. Only the knowledge that if he dared to push the door open, a worse punishment awaited him.

It was a recurring dream he’d had. And now, Karl recognized it for what it was—a faded memory from his past.

“We should go,” Serena said, starting to leave. “No one has lived here for years.”

Karl ignored her and walked over to the cupboard, opening it slowly. It was just large enough for a small boy to fit inside. The stifling dusty air of the house evoked pieces of the past he’d forgotten—until three weeks ago when he’d seen the woman who was his real mother.

Serena’s footsteps came up behind him, and she stared at the cupboard, not understanding. “What is it?”

He was about to say “Nothing,” when another memory flooded through him.

He remembered a sharp pain, slicing through the back of his leg. Revulsion shuddered through him, and his scar held a phantom itch.

Serena returned to the front door, closing it. When they were alone, she took his hand. “Tell me.”

He shrugged, not knowing how to answer. The visions were blurred, and he hardly knew what was real and what was not.

“The cupboard reminded me of a dream I had once,” he said quietly. “I was locked inside, and though I cried for hours, I couldn’t get out.” Karl drew in another breath, and the musty odor of the abandoned house seemed to push back the years. “It was a nightmare I had often.”

“Many children are afraid of the dark,” she said softly.

“No. It was a memory of my past.” He let go of her hand and went to close the cupboard door. “I saw her a few weeks ago. My real mother.”

The madness in the woman’s eyes bothered him still. Though she was hardly more than a stranger to him, her face had haunted those nightmares. “She locked me up when I was little. And she did this to me.”

Karl raised the leg of his trousers, revealing the reddened scar. “I remember screaming from the pain. She must have done it with a knife when I was two or three. To make it possible to switch Michael and me.”

Serena’s face paled. “How terrible. I can’t believe any mother would do such a thing to her son.”

His jaw tightened at the memory of her. “She never regretted what she did. I was never any son to her— just a means of getting closer to the king.”

“In a way, I suppose she did you a favor,” Serena said, returning to his side. “She sent you to a better place to live, where no one would hurt you.”

“Perhaps.”

It was true that he’d been safer there. But he’d never felt part of the palace life. He hardly remembered his early days there—only the feeling that he’d never really belonged.

“But others were suspicious. They called me the Changeling Prince, when I was younger. I never understood why until a fortnight ago.”

“Do you think the king suspected?”

“No. He accepted me as his son, but it made the queen furious. She wanted nothing to do with me.” Karl let out a bitter laugh.

“All those years, I was so confused, not knowing why she despised me. I thought, if I followed their rules and became the perfect son, it would be enough. But as soon as Michael came to Lohenberg, they couldn’t get rid of me fast enough. ”

He steeled himself and shut the cupboard. “It doesn’t matter any more.”

She was watching him with eyes filled with sympathy. “Don’t you want to go home?”

“To a place where the people believe I was responsible for the deception?” He shook his head.

“I was three when it happened, Serena. I don’t remember a damned thing about the switch.

But they blame me for it.” His expression hardened into a tight shield.

“You’re not the only one who wants an escape. ”

Beneath Karl’s coldness, Serena saw the pain of a young boy who had never been loved. She was grateful that she’d had her own mother and sister, despite her father’s abuse. But Karl had no one.

He strode toward the door, but she blocked his way. A tension knotted in his stance, a physical manifestation of his frustration. “We’re leaving, Serena.”

“Not yet,” she whispered.

She clenched her hands together, her emotions tangled in a maelstrom of uncertainty. “You said that you were using me to gain a throne. Was that all there was between us?”

She wanted to believe that there was more, after all the time they’d spent together. Her throat closed up as Karl’s face remained impassive.

His hazel eyes gave nothing away, and his face resembled stone. “You’re better off without a man like me, Princess.”