Page 26 of The King's Fake Bride

“Are you sure about that?” I move closer to him, leaning into him as people start to glance our way. “I think people are suspicious, at the very least. Given that you flaunt women.”

“I used to.” He tucks a crooked finger beneath my chin, tilting my head back. His lips brush against mine in the ghost of a kiss. “Until I met you.”

“Damn,” I say, slightly flustered as I take a step back and finish my drink. “That was almost believable.”

He laughs and takes my empty glass. “Go out to the gardens, and do your best to stop and talk to a few people on your way there. I’ll meet you outside in twenty minutes.”

I look at him, one eyebrow raised. “And why are we slipping out like you’ve got some mission in mind?”

“Because the only way we’re going to get through this party is if we have a good time. Now, mingle and then meet me by the fountain at the entrance to the rose garden.”

I stand there for a moment before leaving the alcove and going out to meet some of the guests. Butterflies in my stomach are relentless, making me nervous as I smile at several people I pass before Daphne waves me over.

Daphne smiles and nods to the woman beside her. “Amy, this is my aunt Cora.”

Cora opens her arms, pulling me into a tight hug. I’m stunned for a moment, not sure what to think of what’s happening right now.

She looks too young to be an aunt to people in their late twenties. I would’ve thought that she was one of their friends, maybe another cousin.

“It’s so nice to meet you!” Cora smiles and holds me a bit away from her, gaze running over my dress before she reaches out and lets the silk of the skirt run through her fingers. “I must say, you have good taste. It’s going to be so nice having younger people on the throne for once.”

A man nearby snorts, shifting over to join us. “Cora, you know that the young people are only going to cause too much uproar.”

“Davis, you’ve never given much thought to the future of Katastinia, and it’s showing again.” Cora gives me a wink before turning to Davis. “You know that we need fresh ideas, and younger people are the only ones with the confidence to bring that forward. Now, you need to tell me about this arts program you’re proposing.”

He turns his full attention to her with a bright smile, looking happy to bask in her attention.

I don’t blame him either. Cora has hair the color of milk chocolate and bright blue eyes that would make any man melt for her. She’s the kind of woman who shines when she walks into a room.

It’s clear that she was born for this, and I’m just another person playing pretend.

Daphne nudges me. “Don’t look so scared. She’s much easier to get along with than my parents.”

“She’s young.” The words come out without me thinking, my cheeks immediately on fire. “I didn’t mean it like that, but your parents are older, and Xander’s parents would’ve obviously been older than us.”

“Cora was an affair baby just before Grandpa died. It was the scandal of the castle for a while, but my grandmother took her in like she was her own. She raised her out at the country estate without the influence of the castle weighing her down.”

“And I’m guessing the rest of you weren’t so lucky?”

She chuckles. “Yeah, you’ve got that right. I wish that I could’ve grown up the way Cora did. It would’ve been better than spending countless hours in etiquette and politics classes, but Ilike where I am now. I’ll never see the crown, but at least there isn’t pressure on me to produce an heir.”

“Wait a second, why would you never wear the crown? If Xander, your father, and brother all died, wouldn’t that make you next in line?” My stomach ties itself into a tight knot as I glance around the room. “And also, produce an heir?!”

“They don’t allow the crown to pass to female relatives. It’s an outdated rule, and Yorgos was going to overturn it, but he died before he could get it passed.” Daphne shrugs and smiles at a couple people who pass us. “As for producing an heir, the advisors are already talking about when they’re going to pressure you and Xander into having a child.”

I feel like I’m going to be sick. “Excuse me.”

Before she answers, I hurry to the doors that lead outside, pushing them open and taking a gasping breath when the chilly air greets me.

I didn’t think that having a child was going to be part of the deal. I read through those documents over and over again, and there was nothing there about having to have a child with Xander.

Though I want children one day, I want to have them with someone I plan on being with for the rest of my life. I don’t want to have a child and be forced to leave it in a foreign country for someone else to raise.

Hiking up my dress, I walk down the steps, trying not to trip over my heels. I head straight for the fountain and sit on the edge. My chest feels tight, and my breath comes in short bursts.

Xander appears in front of me with a bottle of champagne in his hand. “You look like you’re going to be sick.”

“You didn’t tell me that the advisors were going to be pressuring us to have a kid.”

---