Page 5 of The Billionaire's Royal Challenge

She flicked her gaze between the two before she tossed one on the bed and folded the other. “Nate, I think you’re tying yourself into knots for nothing.”

“Yeah, you should be excited to see Ellie again, and that she’s a princess. You’re going to be a prince, Nate.”

“If I’m approved. Remember that. This is…a fact-finding mission.”

Victoria pressed her lips together, offering him a consoling glance. “I don’t think it’s that…clinical.”

“I do. What did he say? We could discuss an engagement after we’d met and they’d seen if I could handle the royal protocol, duties, and life.”

Victoria heaved a sigh as she shot her daughter a glance. “Maddie, can you give us a few minutes?”

“Don’t forget to ask,” she warned her mother with a wag of her finger.

“I won’t,” Victoria said, sliding a lock of hair behind her daughter’s ear. “I’ll meet you back in your bedroom.”

Maddie squeezed his arm. “Don’t sweat it, Nate. You two are perfect together. It’ll all work out.”

“I wish I had her enthusiasm,” Nate said as his sister left the room, pulling the door closed behind her.

Victoria slid her arm around Nate’s shoulders and led him to his chair, easing him into it. “Nate, if you don’t want to do this–”

“No,” he said with a shake of his head. “No, I love Ellie. I just…want things to go back to the way they were. Things were so easy, and now I’m just…worried they won’t be.”

“Because of all the pressure from the royal family and their lifestyle?”

“Yeah. I mean…when Ellie and I met…” He sank his forehead into his palm with a shake of his head. “We just…did simple things. Hot dogs in the park. Pizza. The museum.”

Victoria sucked in a breath, offering him a tight-lipped smile. “Have you thought about this from her perspective?”

“I know. This royal stuff is all normal to her. She’s not going to understand.”

“I don’t think that at all. And that’s not what I meant.”

He pinched his eyebrows together as he studied his mother’s face. What did she mean?

Victoria leaned closer to him, narrowing her eyes. “Let’s pretend Ellie is just a normal girl. The girl you thought she was when you met her. Now…how do you think she felt when she found out you weren’t who you said you were?”

“But I was still the same person. I only lied about my name…and bank account.”

“Maybe so, but once you told her you were a Kingsley, everything changed, whether you want to admit it or not.”

“No, that’s not true,” he said with a shake of his head.

“Isn’t it? Do we have no commitments? You have no social constraints as a Vice President at GenoTech?”

His shoulders slumped as his eyes rose to the ceiling. She had a point.

“Imagine Ellie…not a princess…she’s met this average Joe.He’s taken her for hot dogs, pizza, low-key, average dates. And then, suddenly, she’s thrust into a billionaire’s world. Now, it’s not hot dogs anymore, it’s dinners with investors. Replace the pizza with a charity gala.”

“But we still could have hot dogs in the park.”

“And I imagine royals can have average moments, too. But your life isn’t ordinary, either, Nate. You were raised to live a public life. You would have expected her to host dinner parties, contribute to charity events, make small talk with your clients.”

“It just feels…different.”

“Because you’re not used to it. But she wants you to succeed. She believes in you.”

He rubbed his chin, slumping in his chair. “I just don’t want it to be misplaced.”

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