Page 60 of Desperately Yours

I yelped as she passed behind me and seized the moment to grab a handful of my royalassets. Crazy what people would do when they thought they wouldn't be caught.

"Leonidas." Mother's terse whisper grated on my nerves as she slipped in beside me. "The people aren’t here to watch you dance with every maiden in the kingdom. They want to see you with your bride.”

“My bride?" I forced a smile into place. "Pardon my ignorance, but I wasn't aware I'd made my decision."

"By my count, there is only one woman here. I assumed—"

“You assumed incorrectly." My tone slipped until I took a moment to recover. "Until Michaela arrives, there is no decision."

"She better hurry. Your father's doctor is worried he won't be here much longer. I prefer to finalize this issue and be at his side until the end."

"This issue?" Was she referring to the small task of succession? She spoke as though she was assigning a chairperson to lead an event committee, not the next ruler of Nolcovia.

"And if I don't choose?" I'd dropped the smile. No longer willing to play her game. “What then? Will the world collapse? The country implode? What good are we doing anyway? Do weeven matter? Is this monarchy relevant any longer? Would the people notice if we vanished or is this—"

"Hold your tongue." She’d put up with enough. "It is the law and tradition. One king succeeds the next before they pass on,” she drew closer, "and if you had listened to your parents months ago, none of this would have been necessary."

"None of what, Mother?” I dared speak back. “The competition or Michaela's disappearance?" I watched for her reaction, needing to know her part in it. The slightest dilation of her irises was the only indication, but it was enough for me to keep pushing. “Where is she? What have you done with her?"

"Leonidas, you've seen me all day, at what point would I have had time to abduct and stow some American trollop?"

"That's not a denial.” I ignored her slight to Michaela’s character and focused on the matter at hand. “You have servants, a security team,stars,you havemysecurity team and all of the country at your disposal." I lowered my volume, careful not to make a scene. "You don't have to get your hands dirty, not when everyone else is obligated to fulfill your demands."

"I do not appreciate your tone."

"But the content, that's acceptable?"

Where was Bishop? Why hadn’t they found her?

"That's enough." Mother motioned to someone. "We had an agreement, Son. You will marry by midnight. Tradition will be upheld. You will rule Nolcovia."

I was so invested in proving my mother wrong, I hardly noticed her petite frame as she moved in close, as I was too busy fashioning the perfect retort.

"Your Majesty." Sadira's soft voice felt out of place in our argument. I turned to face her, and she quickly dropped her head and body out of devotion and respect. "I was requested, Your Highness."

"Yes, thank you Lady Sadira." I was surprised Mother didn't choke on the title. Even more bewildering was the familiarity in her tone. “Please, the prince is in need of a decent partner for the next dance.”

“Mother..." I wasn’t even close to finished with this conversation.

"Not another word, Leonidas."

Sadira spoke up bravely, offering me a way out. "If he doesn't want to, I'd rather not force him, Your Majesty."

My heart clenched. This gentle creature didn’t deserve my spite. "It's not that I don't want to but rather, I wasn’t finished speaking to my mother."

"Oh, I assure you,” Mother hardly held back her snicker, “we arequitedone.”

I clenched my teeth, frustrated at the way she refused to speak to me as more than a child. But lashing out at Sadira would feel akin to kicking a kitten. She didn't have a cruel bone in her body. Not like the woman who’d birthed me.

"Lady Sadira," the first strains of the song started to fill the room, "may I have the honor of this dance?”

Her delicate nature turned cold as she set her hand in my extended palm. I pushed my feelings aside, determined not to let the poison from my anger with Mother influence my interactions with Sadira.

Still, as I led the maiden from Eshein Province to the dance floor, I couldn't help but bristle as I overheard my mother's parting words.

"Good boy."

Bishop

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