Page 21 of The Backup Princess

“This is insane,” I say.

“It's also all yours,” Vladimir says. “These rooms were decorated for your late mother, and she lived here before she made the decision to leave royal life for America.”

My heart clenches. “This was my mom’s?” My eyes flick to Dad’s and I can see he's struggling to hold it together.

“It was,” he says.

Picking up on the mood in the room, Vladimir says, “We'll leave you now. Alice will be back in approximately an hour to ready you to meet with your grandparents.”

Not waiting for an answer, he ushers Alice from the closet, closing the doors behind him, leaving Dad and me and the ghost of my mom.

“This was mom’s,” I repeat, my throat tightening.

Dad collects me in a hug. “I know, honey.”

I pull back from him. “You do?”

“We used to stay here when we visited. You might not remember. The last time you were here you were only eight.”

I look around the room at all its luxurious plushness and privilege. “I don't remember. I wish I did. I wish—” My voice catches.

“I know. Me too,” Dad replies softly. “I miss her just as much as you do.”

“Being here must feel so weird to you.”

“It's bringing back a bunch of memories, that's for sure. But they're good memories.”

“She must have loved you so much to give this all up.”

“She did. And I loved her with all my heart, just as we both love you.”

Tears prick my eyes. “Dad, this is a lot.”

“You’ve got this, honey. It might not feel like you do right now, but I have faith in you.”

I think of the way I climbed out of the car and hit my head, how I had no idea what to say to the staff, how these rooms feel way too good for me in an almost overwhelming way.

“Remember, you don't have to do this if you don't want to.”

I snap my attention back to him. “What do you mean? The way Vladimir put it, I don't have a choice. Uncle Nicolas has taken off and I'm the next in line.”

He sits down on the pink chaise lounge and pats the seat beside him. I sink down into the pink velvet.

“That's what the royal family wants. But it doesn't need to be that way. You have a choice in this matter, too, just the way Nicolas did. Just the way your mom did all those years ago. You’re a princess no matter what, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have a choice of how you want to live the rest of your life.”

Tears prick my eyes. “But I'm the heir to the throne now.”

“That doesn't mean you have to do this if it doesn't feel right.” He pushes some hair from my face and tucks it behind my ear. “The only thing your mom and I ever wanted was for you to be happy. If it turns out being here is the thing that makes you happy, then I’ll support you a hundred percent. If it’s living back in Houston, working at the glazing place, hanging out with Chloe? I'll support you a hundred percent in that, too.”

My throat heats and the tears that threatened my eyes before spill over. “I love you, Dad,” I tell him as I bury my face in his shirt.

He rubs my back. “I'm just trying to do my best, princess. This is all new for me, too.”

I squeeze him knowing his best is way more than enough. I've been totally blessed with the parents I've had, and although Mom has been gone for many years now, she gave me so much in the short time we had together, and her love lives on in me.

But now I have this new life up for grabs, a royal life in a beautiful land, and I can't help but wonder whether this is the life I was always meant to have.

Chapter 6

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