Page 77 of The Reluctant Heir

I sigh and lean into his touch. “In that case, I have to admit something to you. Something that might make you angry.”

“I doubt that,” he says.

“I kissed another guy.” I carefully watch his face for his reaction, but he just looks at me.

“That’s it?” he asks.

I nod. “I just… I thought you should know. When my dad told me that I had to choose by the end of the month, I kind of freaked out a little bit.”

“I already knew you were dating other guys. This isn’t just about me, but it’s about you. This is your life, too. And you should make sure that this is the right decision. If you had to kiss another guy to know how you felt then that’s okay.” Damek sweetly kisses me on the cheek.

“Thank you.” My shoulders slump with relief. “I was worried that you would hate me for what I did.”

“Well, I don’t hate you. I appreciate your honesty.” His brown eyes seem to glow brighter as he watches me. “I am so glad my father was patient with me and didn’t make me marry sooner. If he had, I would’ve missed out on the perfect woman.”

I shake my head at him. “Damek, I am far from perfect.”

“You just confessed to kissing another man even though you didn’t have to. We’ve never been in a committed relationship with one another. I know that you are going to make a faithful wife one day. I can only hope that I will be your husband.”

I chew on my bottom lip to stop the smile.

Damek is such a good guy. It only makes me feel guiltier for what happened with Kaine earlier.

“I really am sorry. About kissing another guy,” I repeat, just to make sure that he knows.

“Maddie, it’s okay.” He leans forward and presses a soft kiss against my lips. “I trust you.”

“It won’t happen again,” I promise him.

He grins. “I said I trust you and I meant it.”

22

WHY HIM?

Early the next night, I am called into Dad’s office. When I arrive, I find Damek sitting next to King Rune. Dad motions me to his side when I come into the room.

“Madeline, King Rune, and Prince Damek have come with a proposal. Seeing as these alliances are about your future, I thought you should have a say in what our answer will be,” Dad says.

My heart thumps a little faster as I turn to face Damek, but his father is the one to speak.

“I, of all people, know how hard a political marriage can be,” King Rune says. “I didn’t have a choice with my first wife. My father, who was king at the time, ordered me to marry her and that was that. I didn’t even have time to get to know her before we were suddenly married. It put a lot of strain on the marriage and things didn’t work out between us.”

I did know that. Damek explained that his father fell in love with a human, but was forced to marry another monarch. That’s why Damek is the only eligible heir to take his father’s throne. Because all of Damek’s younger siblings are illegitimate according to vampire succession law.

Uh, those stupid law books that Kaine has been making me study have come in handy.

“That is why I want to offer the two of you a better solution than what I had,” King Rune continues. “I am proposing for our alliance that there is a six month betrothal period between Damek and Princess Madeline. Six months would give you both time to get to know one another and hopefully, time to fall in love.”

Six months. It’s more than I thought I’d get. And while I’m not exactly ready to be engaged, it is a very good solution. Damek and I could date. And I would be free from all the expectations of dating other royals.

While it’s not exactly what I wanted, it’s probably the best offer I’m going to get. Especially since, according to what I’ve learned while being here, most monarchs get a couple of weeks at best to prepare for a wedding.

Dad looks at me. “Madeline, I will leave this decision up to you. The Rune Clan have offered up a very good alliance proposal, but Prince Damek isn’t your only option.”

I chew on my bottom lip as I look at my dad, trying to gauge his feelings on the matter. His face remains passive and completely neutral.

He really is leaving this up to me. Ugg.

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