Page 19 of The Prince and the Double Shot (Runaway Prince Hotel #2)

PHIL

I walked into Chateau Tomlin and felt utterly out of place.

I was drenched in sweat from walking here, and it was further away than I had realized.

I really should have called an Uber. I saw my lunch date sitting at a table in the center of the room.

It was the kind of table that you got when you wanted to be seen.

A move that we made back home when we wanted to be in the papers.

I wasn’t surprised. She stood as I approached.

“Your Highness,” she whispered and curtseyed quickly, knowing that I would not want people to notice.

“Seraphina,” I nodded and sat down at the table quickly. “I hope your trip was lovely.”

“It was. This town is quite charming. The plants are thriving with all the moisture in the air. I can see why Quee… your mother chose it.” She giggled. “Sorry. I’m not used to hiding who you are.”

“No worries. Is this it?” I looked at the black leather satchel that sat on the table.

“Yes. Inside, you will find the first round of… the lucky people that your mother has chosen with the help of a friend ,” she said carefully.

“I think you are too worried, Sera. The matchmaker moved fast. It makes me assume that my mother had already put this plan in place well before I left.”

“It has been a couple of months, your… Phil.”

“Has it? It feels like only a couple of weeks.”

“Time is strange when you're in a strange land, even if it is a beautiful place. It’s not home.”

“It’s not. But I have grown to love it here.”

“I was told that when they arrive in a couple of weeks, you should let her know if any of these particular people interest you. These arrangements take time.”

“I’m sure. I promise I will look,” I sighed, glancing down at the small menu in front of me. “I suppose we should order, and you can tell me everything that’s going on back home.”

Her face instantly flushed.

“Ah… There is something that you’re not supposed to tell me, isn’t there?”

“I… I told her that I was the wrong person to come. We practically grew up together in the palace, and you knew me too well. She should have sent Marcus. He is your servant, after all. But… She thought a friendly face would…”

“Tell me.” I reached over and took her small hand in mine. Her large green eyes misted. “I promise that I will not tell her, Sera. I’m also glad it was you. You were the closest thing I had to a sibling.”

“Growing up in the palace was amazing, and your family has always treated me as their own, even if I was just a servant’s daughter.”

“Your father was a Royal Vizier, Sera. He was hardly a servant, and my family always respected his guidance and care. Just as we now do you. You know that he would be very proud of you.”

“I hope so. It’s nice to have a holiday, even if it is a very quick one. I’ll be attending the ball with the king and queen,” she whispered their titles. “Phil? Are you ok?”

“You are giving me whiplash. What is it that you’re not supposed to tell me?”

“Your father has started having fainting spells. The doctor believes that it’s a side effect he’s experiencing whenever he uses his magic.

Apparently, your grandmother also had this problem when she got older.

The body doesn’t… It gives more than it can take in.

It depletes the user when they have this condition and can cause them to pass out, or… ”

“Die?” I gasped. I had never heard of this.

“Not quite. But it can lead to a coma if too much energy is expelled. Death is always a possibility with what you can do, you know. If you tried to grow a forest overnight, the energy you would have to expend could leave you a shell, Phil. Even for one such as you, there are limitations.”

“I understand that, but… Father?”

“He’s coping and being careful, but his time of…

He will need to stop if he is to live. We need you back home, Phil.

Not right now. Your mother is taking care of everything that needs to be done while he rests, but sometime soon, you will need to rise.

The Tranquilles, the people of Grandir, need you. ”

“That’s… I don’t have to stay. I can get on an overnight flight if I… Well, I would need a day to… I couldn’t just leave without explaining. I need to…”

“You need to stay where you are and finish what you started. Are you ok?”

“I’m… better?” I laughed. “I… Do not tell my mother this, or I will kill you. But I met someone that… I mean, she knows I met him and…”

“You’ve grown to care for someone again?”

“I have.”

“A commoner. You have fallen for a commoner. I wish that you could…”

“I can’t help who I… care for, Sera.”

“That was not what I was saying. You should know better, Phillipe of Grandir ,” she whispered my name.

“Laws should change with the times, and I’ve always…

If you tell your family this, I will murder you, understand?

It’s stupid to think that marrying a non-royal would hurt the throne.

It should be one of the first things you change when you ascend. ”

“It would be too late for me.”

“But what about your son or daughter?”

“You would be a much better leader to our people than I could ever be.”

“Well, I do expect that you will keep me on as your advisor. Now, who is the boy? Is he an American?”

“No. He’s from… Europe.”

“Well, that really narrows it down. You don’t know? What do you know about him?”

“He’s… Not that much. He doesn’t really talk about himself that way. He also doesn’t know who I actually am, either. I mean, he knows that I’m a… But not where and who.”

“I’m flummoxed. You do realize that he could be a spy.”

“He’s worked here at the café for years. He’s not. But there’s something that… It’s uncanny, actually. He looks so much like Petra. I mean, they could be brothers.”

“Isn’t that weird?”

“Comforting, I guess. Of course, it was weird, but I’ve… gotten over it, I suppose. He’s beautiful and strong.”

“Like Petra.”

“But in a different way. Petra’s strength was… He had surgical precision. I think Zane might be more of a wrecking ball, if you know what I mean. But their hair and eyes, even the shape of their face, are… Petra was leaner than Zane. Zane looks more like an action hero.”

“He sounds dreamy. I just want you to be happy, Phillipe. But I also want you to be careful to whom you give your heart, and the way you speak, I can tell it’s already been given. What will you do?”

“I accept that I have a duty, and I will fulfill it. But if Zane were interested, I wouldn’t be the first royal to have a consort that shared their life.”

“Is that fair to him or yourself? To always be split between duty and your heart?”

“It’s not what I…” I slumped in my chair. “No. It’s probably not. It would have destroyed Petra.”

“I suppose then that you have a choice you have to make.”

“No. My choice has to be for my people. I understand that. I have come to terms with that. I have to put them and the country first above all else, even myself.”

“Then I think you have to… Well, you know what it is you have to do.”

“I do. But I think I might just be selfish for a while. He already knows that I’m… He understood the law. But I can’t leave him, yet. Before I marry into whatever this is… I want to be happy. It’s been so long since I…”

“I know. Oh, here comes the waiter, finally.” She grinned. “At least we got to do this.”

“Are you seriously flying back tonight?”

“Phil, you know the answer. Besides, I wouldn’t want to cramp your style.” She winked.

The waiter walked up and we gave him our orders. Lunch was quick, and thankfully, Seraphina dropped me off at the hotel so I didn’t have to walk back. But her words rang loudly in my ears. ‘My heart had already been given.’ She was right. Now what could I do about it?