Page 4 of The Most Unsuitable Prince (Another Arranged Marriage #8)

Winter could tell the moment he was ushered in to meet the king of Simigile why it was that the king had been pressuring his only son and heir to get married. The king was old, very old. Winter quickly scanned what he could see, looking for possible causes of what was an obvious decline.

There wasn’t much – a droop in one eyelid, a slight drop in the mouth on the same side of the face, and Winter could see a tremor in the king’s hand, as it rested on the arm of his chair.

The king still managed to incline his head slightly as Winter introduced himself, and he had a generous smile as he invited Winter to sit down.

“So you're the man whom my son decided to rope into his scheme.” The king had a pleasant, deep voice and managed to chuckle, although Winter noticed that his aide stood close by, a cup of water in his hand.

“You have old eyes, or perhaps I should say wise eyes, for such a young face,” the king continued.

“Are you truly sure you know what it is you're getting into, marrying my son?”

Winter eased back into his chair, not enough to be disrespectful, but he wanted to show his new father-in-law he was as comfortable as the king appeared to be with him.

“Would you be shocked if I confessed I don't know your son at all?” he asked with a smile.

“I was informed Crown Prince Rupert had offered a marriage contract for me personally, but your son had left the event we were attending before I had a chance to speak with him.”

“That sounds like Rupert,” the king observed.

“It is common for royal marriage partners to be strangers to each other on the day they exchange their vows. That doesn’t concern me.

Seeing as you’ve been so honest with me, sire, could I also mention that I’ve heard tell that your son will likely be too busy to spend much time with me after the ceremony, but I accept that is often the plight of a royal spouse as well.

For myself, I’ve never been in this area of the world before, and my father assures me that Crown Prince Rupert is a good match.

Like most sons, I trust in my father's decision.”

The king banged his hand on his chair and burst out laughing. “Oh, you have such a polite turn of phrase,” he said, although it wasn’t long before his chuckles turned into coughing.

Winter respectfully averted his eyes while the king's aide helped the man sip some water, gently dabbing at his face before stepping back.

“Such a nuisance,” the king said, once he’d recovered himself.

“As you can see, I am not long for this world, and please don’t offer any platitudes toward the contrary.

I’m deathly tired of hearing people lie to me.

I am afraid that all I had hoped when I pushed my son into marrying was that he would choose somebody who had a brain on their head. ”

“I like to believe I can fulfill that category for you, sir,” Winter said quietly.

“I’m just a little unsure what it is you hope I can do for your son.

If I may speak bluntly, once you have departed this world, your son is unlikely to pay any heed to any advice I might offer him.

He appears…” Winter hesitated for a moment, and then added, “A little headstrong, and from what I gather, your son is a man intent on getting his own way in all things.”

“You would be right about that,” the king said, nodding.

“Like many fathers, I had a lot of hopes for my son when he was younger. However, being an only child, Rupert was indulged in many ways. I was of advanced years when he was born, and his dear mother didn’t last long enough to see his fifth birthday. ”

Winter mentally winced, the memory of his own mother’s death still fresh in his mind. “I’m sorry for your loss, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you, although that was over thirty years ago. I have done my best through the years, promoting Rupert’s image, suggesting to others that he works hard for his country, especially when he’s traveling.

However, I fear, for all my efforts, it is evident to many that my son has always only been concerned with his own pleasures – hunting and spending time with his friends.

He’s never shown an interest in running this country, and I will admit, as I ready myself to meet my end, that does pain me. ”

The king paused for a moment, and then smiled. “Did you know I had to banish him from coming home to get him to sign a marriage contract at all?”

Winter smiled and nodded. “Yes, sire. My father heard about that and informed me of it when he discussed the contract with me.”

The lies tripped easily off Winter’s tongue. The king of Simigile didn’t need to know who he truly was – only who he appeared to be. Winter had even dressed soberly for his meeting.

“You will likely know, as a father yourself,” he continued, “that issue did give my father some concern. But I am one of many sons, and I believe my father fancied to have someone in the position of consort in a neighboring castle. I’m so low down the list of heirs in Martingale, I was never likely to see the throne there, except from a distance. ”

“I like your candor, boy,” the king said.

“And I hope you don’t take offense at my calling you that.

As I said before, I believe you have a very wise head on those shoulders of yours, and that will be handy in the years to come.

But tell me, how did you attract my son's eye? I confess I've never heard of you before, and I assume that you’re not part of the circle of friends he usually hangs about with.”

Leaning forward, Winter rested his elbows on his knees.

“I will confess, sire, that I believe it's because of a rather loud and very colorful robe I was wearing on the night of the coronation ball for King Serron with his consorts Jaq and Patin. I was not inclined to dress discreetly for such an unusual event. Perhaps I was the only person who stood out.”

“Ah, yes, the threesome!” The king's eyes gleamed. “Tell me, in your opinion, are they as close as rumor implies?”

I do believe this king is a bit of a gossip. Winter grinned and nodded again. “Yes, sire. From what I understand, the three of them are all very happy, and to put it politely, they appear equally comfortable with each other.”

“That fascinates me, it truly does,” the king said, leaning back in his chair. “Honestly, I could not get my son to pay attention to anybody in that way at all - male, female, in between, it didn't matter. He was so determined not to marry, and I could never understand why.”

“I'm afraid I can't comment on that, sire,” Winter said, because he hadn't heard anything about that either. “I have simply heard that he was a man who is resistant to change, perhaps. Could that be true?”

“It’s possible, I suppose, although it could just as easily be that when a man is raised to believe he’s the center of the known universe, he simply refuses to share the spotlight with anyone else.”

The king’s sigh was heartfelt, and Winter realized how much it had cost the older man to admit the faults of his only son. That idea was reinforced when the king continued.

“At the core of everything, I have to believe my son is a good man. But he is so insistent on playing up to the crowd of people that he surrounds himself with, I despair of him ever making a sensible decision. And with the time looming for him to have to step up and run this country, you can understand why I was so concerned.”

Actually, Winter didn’t know. But he would before he was married.

August and Pippin were good at sourcing information even in a foreign land.

“I do understand, sire. Tell me, if you don't mind, because as I pointed out, I’m unfamiliar with this area, but are there issues in Simigile that I need to be aware of?”

“No, not particularly,” the king said. “For all my aides fluffing around as though I don’t have a thought left in my head, I do still have full control of my faculties.

For how long, I've got no idea. But everything here is peaceful and calm, the way you would expect any country under the World Council rule to be.”

“You’ve ruled a long time, sire,” Winter said, because that was something he did know. “That peace and stability are a true credit to you as king.”

“I appreciate the flattery, boy, although there’s no need.

The issue, as I see it, is that even in good times, people need to see their royal family doing something positive for them.

Hunting boar and attending every social event for miles around is not a full time job, but for Rupert, that’s all he’s interested in doing.

“You’ll forgive my bluntness, but there are countless rumors about how many women Rupert has slept with, and yet he never commits to any of them.

I am not suggesting for a second that he behaves improperly – his attentions are always welcome.

But he refuses to settle on one person. That was why I needed to see him married, in the hopes that the people would start to see him as someone who could act more responsibly. ”

Another sigh escaped the king’s lips. “I trust my deception in not communicating this issue to you or your father before you traveled hasn’t concerned you, or made you question your decision to marry in any way. However, since meeting you, I do believe you have a right to know.”

Winter always appreciated the honesty in others, and he could see how badly the king wished his situation were different.

“Our paperwork is already filed with the World Council,” he said.

“Your son and I are technically already married, whether he wants to be or not. But tell me, what is it that I can do for you to help set your mind at ease? I know my father would insist that the Martingale royal family should assist you in any way we can in this difficult time.”

“Hmm, you have a heart, too,” the king said. “That concerns me a little, because I fear you’ll need to be a little bit heartless to deal with my boy.”