Page 88 of Royally Rivalled

“Astrid, is everything alright?”

Voice quiet, I answered, “Depends on what you are about to say.”

“Oh, this is good news! Promise!”

Sighing in relief, I relaxed my shoulders.

“Astrid, your performance in the program is top-notch. The faculty are surprised by your progress. You are doing well across the board. While some worried about tasking you with such an important teaching assignment, I never was.”

“Why, Dr Briggs?”

“Because your transcript was maths, maths, maths, and I knew you and Parker would be a good match. He’s our best mentor, even if he’s a difficult nut to crack.”

“Parker is…”

Amazing, sometimes an asshole, sexy as hell, and my favourite person here. I couldn’t say any of it.

“Parker helped me figure out coursework, and our combined work is good.”

“It is, yes. I like to throw my students off the deep end. I chose you because your recommendations praised your utter dominance academically. I figured you could take the heat. However, I don’t think we ever anticipated how much of a dent you’d make here.”

“Really?”

“Yes. We always have a star student or two in a cohort who blows the competition away. That is why I’d like to invite you to join me on the doctoral course next academic year.”

I gaped. “Sir… I… um…”

“It would be a great waste to lose you. You’re a first-year postgrad who has one publication and another coming. Your future is bright. I anticipate your dissertation will generate another such publication, and you’ll thrive.”

“Must I… accept it, or can I think about it?”

“I seriously hope you consider it. The application for teaching and research placement will close at the end of January, so make sure to file before then. You do not need to worry about recommendations. They can give you the form in the office.”

“I will… give it thought,” I said. “Thank you.”

Briggs’s words were kind. Despite that, I sat back with Parker and burst into tears. The fear of change overwhelmed me. I promised to come home. Now, I wanted to stay. Briggs offered me an out from royal life, but I knew I’d never be able to take it. Freedom was so close but always so far.

“What is going on?” Parker ran around the table to sit by me.

“Briggs wants me to stay for my PhD.”

Parker threw out the rules momentarily, pulling me close. It was instinct. Neither of us could hold back.

“Why is that upsetting, Astrid?”

“Because… I want to,” I said. “And I cannot.”

“Why not?”

“Because… you know why. I’m trapped. I need to go home to help Alex and the little girls. And… I cannot shirk. It’s unfair, Parker. You know this.”

“I know, but I asked my Dad, and he told me to do it. I don’t regret it, Astrid. It would break my heart not to see you meet your potential as a scholar.”

I pulled back and looked at him. “You knew what he was up to, didn’t you?”

Parker chuckled, wiping the tears from my chin. “Yeah, I did. He asked my opinion. It was fucking awkward, but… I gave it to him. Honestly, you’re a gifted researcher, a patient instructor, and smart as a whip. You deserve to stay. You came in with a decent thesis idea—what they expect of a doctoral student—and you’ve earned this more than anyone, Astrid.”

His words hurt—in a good way. Aware Parker was honest to a fault—incapable of sparing my feelings—I trusted his words. If I deserved to be here, it was worse. I couldn’t. This was terminal. I had to go home, which meant leaving him.

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