Page 48 of His Hidden Royal Heirs

Cristhian normally would have left nothing. Not for anyone.

But withloverattling around inside him, some unwieldy thing, he could only nod and let Beaugonia go.

Zia had needed a nap before she was to start getting ready for the wedding. She hadn’t slept well last night due to stress, and the aches and pains of pregnancy were really announcing themselves because of it.

It was just the stress of everything. The doubts. The fear she was making a mistake. The fear she was doing what was right, what needed to be done, and it would still somehow turn out all wrong.

The loop of wondering if thinking you knew what the right thing to do was an endless generational curse on your children.

And worse, so much worse, silly little fantasies about somehow...somehow creating a real marriage with Cristhian. Something with chemistry and trust and partnership and...love.

Oh, honestly. Could she be more foolish?

She maneuvered her way up and out of bed. She had to pause once she was standing, breathe deeply a few times through all the anxiety making breathing feel harder than it should. That and two babies squishing up against her lungs making it impossible to take a full breath. Every day it seemed a little bit more impossible that this could go on forweeks.

And still she wasn’t eager for the alternative. She took a step, a sharp pain lodging itself in her side. Sort of like a cramp after running too hard and long. And certainly too far to the side to be anything involving the children. She’d probably pulled a muscle or something while she was sleeping, or maybe when she’d struggled to get up off the bed.

She took another step and the pain loosened a little, so she went in search of Beau. But as she went from room to room in their suites, she was nowhere to be found. She couldn’t find her mother, either, which was odd since they had said they would be ready to help her get ready once she woke up.

She searched the entire upstairs to no avail. The pain in her side pretty much disappeared, until she started going down the stairs. Then it started up again. She stretched her arm up above her head, moved around a bit, and it went away.

Once downstairs, she decided to find Cristhian, see if he knew what was going on. Staff members were scarce. Alejandra had said most of them were in the main ballroom getting it ready for the ceremony. So she went to the rooms Cristhian favored, starting with his office.

He sat behind his desk, frowning over a stack of papers. Zia stood in the entrance, simply watching him for a silent moment.

In a few short hours, she would agree to marry this man. She would commit herself to a life of...controlling behavior. He would do everythinghethought was right, and she would have no say.

But did it matter if he was doing it to love and protect their children? He had been kind to Beau, when so many people had not been—including their own parents. Should their children struggle with something, he would be kind to them, too.

What more could she really ask for? Love? When the only love she had ever witnessed was the kind that sacrificed self over all else?

She shook her head. She had to find Beau. She had to go through with this, so Beau could escape. She would find a way to make sure Beau got out. With Cristhian’s help, she could do it.

He glanced up, as if he’d sensed her there. He got to his feet, something like concern flitting over his face. “Is everything all right?” he asked when she didn’t speak.

She moved a little farther into the office, trying to focus on the task at hand. “Have you seen my sister?”

Cristhian looked at her and frowned. “Are you quite all right? You’re looking pale.”

“Fine. Just tired. But I can’t find my mother or Beau. I asked Alejandra to search for them, but it’s been quite a while now and she hasn’t returned either.” The pain seized her side again, and she rubbed at it, taking a few more steps into his office in hopes of soothing it out.

“You couldn’t find any of them?”

Zia shook her head. “Mother and Beau are supposed to help me get ready for the ceremony. I don’t know where they could be.”

Cristhian skirted his desk, but before he moved fully to her or said anything else, one of his staff members entered the room. The man cleared his throat.

“Sir, I am to inform you that the king and queen and the princess have left.”

“Left?” Cristhian and Zia echoed at the same time.

“Yes, sir. Just now. I was just told of this and came to relay it immediately.”

“Why was I not informed of their plan?” Cristhian demanded, and he seemedveryconvincing in his surprise, so Zia didn’t think he was acting.

“I’m very sorry, sir. Apparently they made all of the arrangements themselves. The princess even carried their bags out to the waiting vehicle. No one knew about it until just now, when they were seen driving away.”

Zia was utterly speechless, but the man turned to her. Held out an envelope.

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