Page 71 of The Billionaire's Royal Crown

“Shouldn’t we…like consult with an attorney first or something?” Nate glanced between Alexander and the king as the assistant raced from the room.

“Mr. Kingsley, sometimes battles are lost no matter how hard we try,” King Frederick answered.

“No, but…no!” Nate shouted before he slid his eyes closed. “No, you can’t do this.”

The king flicked his eyebrows up. “Mr. Kingsley, control your temper.”

“I’m not…” He ran a shaky hand through his hair. “I meant to help Ellie, not hurt her.”

“We all did, Nathan,” Alexander said, his voice tempered as he patted his shoulder.

The king rose with a nod. “At times, things do not go the way we planned.”

“But…” Nate groaned, imagining the legislature voting against the decree in droves and his actions leading directly to Elena losing her crown.

“It’s all right, Mr. Kingsley,” King Frederick said, “if you are to be a royal, you must learn to measure your outbursts, no matter the outcome.”

He pressed his lips together, his fingers curling into fists. He’d wanted to surprise Elena with the news that they’d secured her future, but instead he’d doomed her.

What kind of spouse would he be when all he did was make her life worse with every move he made?

“Your Majesty, the assembly is ready,” a winded Reuben said as he pushed into the room again.

King Frederick nodded as he rose from his seat again, buttoning his jacket as he strode toward the door.

Alexander guided Nate forward, though his legs did not want to move. He shot a worried glance at the man.

“Remember, you are entering the legislature. Remain quiet despite what you hear,” Alexander whispered as they followed the king down the stairs and into a large, stadium-like room filled with men and women engaged in hushed conversations.

Alexander pointed to a few seats on the side. Nate swallowed hard as he crossed to them and slid into one. He scanned the faces in the crowd, wondering which of them would agree with him and which wouldn’t.

A gavel banged, startling him and calling his attention to the front. A suited man greeted them. “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. This session has been called to order with the express intent of securing a vote on a royal decree that has recently been found.”

“Found from where?” someone called.

“I shall leave the details to His Majesty.”

The man offered the king a nod before stepping aside.

“Good morning,” King Frederick said, his tone even. “As many of you know, we have been discussing changes to a long-standing tradition concerning royal marriages. While I appreciate the candor of all the arguments, the time for voting has come, not because I have written a decree, but because my father has days prior to his death.”

Gasps rang out in the chambers as the king continued. “I have here a decree dated the fifteenth of June, 1993. This decree rescinds the requirement for royals to marry royals. I shall ask that it be read and recorded now.”

The king handed it to another man who read the text aloud to the entire group. Nate shifted in his seat, a lump forming in his throat as he scanned the legislators again.

The king returned to the podium. “Given that this decree was made decades ago and clearly reflect the intention of the monarchy to grant freedom in choice to the royals for their marriages. I would ask that this legislature follow the wishes of the past king in voting to support this decree and overturn the previous one.”

The king stepped away from the podium, giving a nod to the other man. He rose and approached the microphone. “I know this has been debated in the past several days informally, but I would like to open the floor to formal comments now.”

He pointed a finger at one of the hands that raised, and the man rose to speak. “As I have said many times before, ifwe cannot hold the monarchy to a higher standard, who can we? They govern us. They are a symbol of this country. Decorum is not too much to ask.”

Nate frowned at him. He hardly displayed a lack of decorum. It wasn’t like they’d be holding keg parties at the royal palace.

Another member rose, stating her piece. “I disagree entirely. We all know the vetting process for a spouse. Being of royal blood does not simply make one the epitome of etiquette and decorum. We have seen countless examples of royals behaving badly.”

“And we will see countless more if this turns into a free-for-all with marriages,” another man retorted.

Nate shifted again, concerned that the vote was about to go very badly. The man called on another legislator who rose. “I have less to say about the decree itself and more to say on the sudden appearance of a decree dating to 1993 that has never been brought forth before this assembly.”

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