Page 44 of The Billionaire's Royal Challenge

“Uh-oh, this doesn’t look good.”

He pressed his lips together, his heart pounding with a mix of upset and regret. “I…wanted to talk about what happened yesterday.”

“Yesterday? Do you mean with the horse? I have already warned the grooms not to give you Phoenix again, though we likely won’t ride here again before we return home to greet the Corinthianroyal family.”

He shook his head, his emotions heightening. “No, it’s…the other thing that happened.”

“Other thing? Did I miss something?” Her features blanched as she stiffened. “Did Isabelle do something else?”

“No, I did,” he answered.

Her eyes widened as she waited for him to speak.

“Ellie…I feel awful about our misunderstanding yesterday. I…didn’t mean to suggest that you should leave your life behind. I just…it was stupid. And it just slipped out.”

She sucked in a breath as she crinkled her forehead. “Thank you for saying that, though…”

“Yes?” he asked.

She flicked her emerald eyes to him, her gaze questioning. “I have a suspicion that you…meant it.”

He shifted his weight. While he’d love to skip all the vetting and protocols and just live a simple life, it wasn’t fair. And she could have demanded the same when he’d told her about his station in life.

When he’d admitted he was the son of Charles Kingsley, it automatically meant their lives would be dictated by social expectations. Galas, benefits, client dinners, all of it came with the territory.

He’d expected her to rise to the occasion, even insisted she attend a gala so he could ask her to marry him there. He hadn’t thought twice about expecting her to participate in his life.

Now that the shoe was on the other foot, he wanted her to bail on every aspect of her life to make his easier.

“I didn’t,” he said with a shake of his head.

Silence stretched between them for a moment before she nodded.

“Really, Ellie. I didn’t mean it. I just…it was stupid to say and unfair. Completely unfair.”

“Darling, I do understand the pressures of royal life. Iunderstand them quite well. I have been living with them for decades. I even went to Sterling City to escape some of them.”

She crossed to him, sliding her arms around his neck. “And there I met the loveliest man.”

Nate rolled his eyes at his own behavior. “And he was a complete idiot who called the king the wrong title, asked the princess to leave her life behind for him, and nearly fell off his horse.”

She laughed before she planted a kiss on him. “And he very sweetly told me how sorry he was.”

“He is very, very sorry,” Nate assured her, pressing his forehead against hers.

“And he is very, very foolish for underestimating himself. He is a smart, capable man who is going to do just fine once he relaxes.”

“Well, he…” Nate’s features cracked into a smile. “I can’t…I can’t keep talking about myself in the third person. It’s getting weird.”

Elena joined in the laughter. “Sorry. I thought it was quite fun. And so will your dance lessons be. Relax, Nathan. You’re not meant to be perfect on the first round. Try to see it as a new experience and have a good time.”

He shifted his weight again, sucking in a breath. “Okay, I’ll try. I just…don’t want to disappoint you.”

“It could never happen,” she said with a grin.

“All right. I’ll try to be as excited about it as Maddie. She hasn’t stopped talking about this waltz since she heard about it.”

Elena offered him a coy smile. “I’m certain she is hoping Alexander will ask her to dance.”

---