Page 100 of Regally Binding

Liss counted to ten as she pressed the talisman heart against her own. Her breath regulated, and her body stopped shaking. Familiar faces caught her eye, including Strike, her grandma, and Isla. They gave smiles of encouragement as she opened her mouth.

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.” Silence descended, and once more, she met Bear’s gaze. He nodded and smiled hisencouragement. He said he didn’t do goodbyes. Why was he here? “Thank you for coming to meet me. I don’t see myself as anything that special, and I’ve never seen so many people in one room before, so excuse me if I stutter. I’ll try not to fall over like I did when I spoke at the party.”

Some of the group laughed at the memory. Bear beamed.

“As you know, it’s been an interesting couple of weeks.” Again, there was laughter in the crowd. “I guess that’s an understatement. It’s been a rollercoaster, but it’s had its joys, too, as I met my family and made friends that have changed my life forever.” At Bear’s grin, she swallowed slowly. Words threatened to rush from her mouth, but she had time. They were here for her, after all. “I came here today, certain that I would take my place as princess and one day as Queen of this country. I adore this country and have seen so many parts of it, from the inner streets of this city, where I’ve thrown several people out of the pub, to the beautiful countryside and beaches that my mum and I visited on our family holidays. My mum loved this country, too, and she would have been excited to meet her dad and all you lovely people. She would have been nervous, too, because, like me, this role wouldn’t have been right for her.”

There were gasps in the crowd. Liss looked at the King, who smiled in encouragement. There was no dismay or annoyance on his face. Liss continued slowly, allowing everyone to catch up with her decision. “You deserve rulers who adore publicly serving you. Some people have trained for it and long to do just that rather than hide in the background and focus on the operations side. I’m still looking for my role and purpose, but this role isn’t it.” She fixed Bear with her stare as if he was the only person in the room. “I know where my heart belongs, and these weeks have taught me that I have to follow my heart, whatever the cost.”

Bear inspected her, his face unreadable. Damn his ability to hide emotions.

“However.” She glanced around the room again. “I’ve met the people who adore this country and want to serve it with all they have. I won’t be your Queen in the future, but I have met your future King and Queen. The country is lucky to have them; they will rightly serve you. Gable and Beatrice are those people, and I’m lucky to call them and King Archibald my family, if they’ll still have me after today’s announcement.”

The King, Gable, and Beatrice stepped onto the stage and hugged her, full of the love she needed. “Thank you for allowing me to have this experience for a short time.”

“Felicity, you will always be my granddaughter; nothing can change that. Thank you for your honesty and respect for this country and the family.” The King’s eyes shone with tears. “And thank you for saving my life.”

Liss nodded and allowed King Archibald and the future rulers to field questions as the press went wild. She stepped off the stage and returned to the corridor, confident she might finally have the peace she craved.

Chapter Forty-Seven

Liss breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped into the corridor where she’d bumped into her grandma before the big speech. It was empty except for a suited palace bodyguard in the shadows at the end.

She sat on the floor against the wall and brought her knees to her chest, hugging them tightly. “What now?” she mumbled to herself. Alone again, the press would hound her, and she wouldn’t have a bodyguard to rescue her. She cradled the heart between her hands. “I want to make you proud, Mum. I need to work out how.”

“Your mum would be proud of you,” the bodyguard replied. Bear stepped out of the shadows.

Of course it was him. His face was unreadable as he stepped closer and stood before her.

“I thought you weren’t coming today.”

“I wanted to make sure you had your mum’s heart. But what now, Princess?” Her heart swelled. He was the most beautiful being she’d ever seen.

Liss’s hands trembled, but not from adrenaline, anxiety, or fear. It was from her joy at taking control of her future. “I was asking myself that same thing. I can’t return to the pub. It’s not mine anymore. Maybe I should go travelling. Others my age have, and I didn’t get the chance before. But with everything that has happened, the press won’t leave me alone, and others want a piece of me. I’ve seen what happens to royals in other countries who ask to have their titles removed. And that’s another point.You can’t keep calling me princess; I’m not a princess anymore. I don’t think anyway.”

“You’re still my princess.” Bear’s hulking form was out of place as he sat beside her. The sumptuous red carpet and brocade wallpaper suggested the corridor was too fancy for grown adults to sit on the floor, but she wasn’t moving except to face him. Their legs touched. They both appeared uncomfortable in their professional clothes. She preferred his T-shirt that she’d sneaked into her bag after he left. He was sexier in grey joggers. “If you want to travel, I can use my contacts to ensure your safety. I know bodyguards in most countries.”

She shook her head. “I don’t really want to go travelling. I’ve always been a homebody, and I’m happy here. But I don’t know what to do. I’ve searched for my forever career for years and never found it. I don’t have any skills.”

Bear reached for her hands and held them tightly. “Bloody hell, Liss. You’re clueless. You’ve transformed my company, made Luke feel like it’s okay to be himself, saved the team’s reputation from a lawsuit, and brought out Strike’s kind side, which Luke was adamant he didn’t have.” His smile was soft as he sighed long and hard. “In all seriousness, there’s a protection company that requires an operations manager with your skills and understanding. You’re incredible, and the business needs you. And there’s nowhere safer for you than with us.”

“But the guys won’t want that.”

“They’ve already voted you Employee of the Month. I disagreed, as I wanted the award, but they insisted you’d earned it.”

His hands were warm. “You don’t have an Employee of the Month award.”

“You’re the first. Honestly, it was their idea.”

Liss cocked her head and stared at him. He raised his eyebrows at her inspection. “Bear, I’m not sure I can work with you. I like you way too fucking much.”

“Did you swear in the palace?” he teased.

“That’s how much I like you,” she joked. “You heard what I said about where my heart belongs.”

His eyes sparkled, and suddenly, he kissed her hard. He tasted of mint and sunshine. Her lips zipped with electricity as they made out in the palace corridors. The current carried through every cell until it rose goosebumps on her arms and tingled each strand of her perfectly styled hair.

He pulled back, and air escaped from between his lips. His brow furrowed, and he looked down before catching her eye. “Liss, I’m not good at words. I’m not good at anything involving emotion, and yet, with you, I am. With you, I’m finally home. I grew up believing I didn’t deserve love and would never have that home. I thought life needed to be adrenaline and screwing around, and then I met you, and I found my safe space.” His cheeks flushed. “When I look at you, I get more adrenaline than when a guy comes at me with a knife, and the fucking is beyond my fantasies. But I got something else. It’s this feeling of being home and loved. And it’s like nothing I could have imagined.”

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