Page 45 of The King's Fake Bride

Meanwhile, Daphne made it clear that her father is waiting for this relationship to fail.

And then there’s the way Meri has been looking at me recently. It’s like she can see that the relationship — if I can even call it that — is on the rocks and headed for disaster.

I have to do something fast, and this is the best option I have.

I won’t allow Xander’s family to steal the throne. Not when it means so much to him.

With that in mind, I push past the last of the insecurities holding me back, heading through the chambers to one of the secret passages Daphne showed me the other day.

The door slides open after a press of a stone just beside the mantel. I step into it and flick on the lights, following the path she told me about to get to the room where Xander has allegedly been hiding from me.

My heart hammers in my chest as I walk across the cold stone, down a flight of stairs, and down another passage before finally reaching the door marked with a green stone.

Something about this feels like it could be right out of a fantasy novel, and the thought steadies me a little.

I’m not just a woman trying to get her future husband back on the right track for his sake. I’m a queen escaping the villains who linger in the dark, circling like vultures and waiting for their chance to strike.

With a deep breath, I push open the door, only to be met with the smell of old books and baked goods.

I spy the plate of chocolate chip cookies I made earlier in the day sitting on the corner of Xander’s desk as he bends over a paper with a magnifying glass.

“Seems like you’re busy,” I say, tone soft as I step into the room and shut the door behind me.

He jumps to his feet, spinning and looking at me, black ink smeared on his cheek. “What are you doing?”

“I thought it would be better to come find you and see if you’re going to be coming to bed one of these nights instead of hiding out here.” I brush past him, looking at the bookshelves that line one wall.

Most of the spines are gilded and leather covered. I don’t want to think about the fortune he or someone else in his family must have spent on this room.

Xander sits down, turning back to the papers in front of him. “You didn’t have to do that. I’m just going to be going over documents.”

“Until you get tired and fall asleep on the couch,” I say, nodding to a beige suede couch in front of the window. “And then you pretend that working late was the reason you avoid coming to your chambers even though you sleep on the couch in there too.”

“I thought we agreed that it was best that we were just friends.” He looks up, the stern expression falling as his gaze rakes up and down my body.

There’s a flash of interest there. It’s on his face for a fraction of a second before it’s gone.

I tug at the tie around my waist, letting the robe fall open. “We are just friends, but friends talk to each other, and you haven’t been talking to me at all.”

“And that means that you come into my office and decide to try seduction as a technique to get me to listen to you?” He scoffs and grabs his pen, underlining something in the document he’s going through.

“I’m not trying anything.” I sit down in one of the armchairs across the desk from him, crossing one leg over the other. “This is just what I wear to bed.”

He gives me a flat look. “It’s not a good time, Amy. I have a lot of work to do. Changing the line of succession is taking longer than I ever imagined. Instating free lunches in schools is an uphill battle, even though the policy already passed, and there are about a thousand other things I’m trying to push through.”

“And none of them are going to go anywhere if we can’t convince everyone that this is a real relationship.”

“You saw the stories that broke after the night at the club,” he says, his tone bitter as he leans back in the chair and crosses his arms. “The public thinks we’re a couple who are happily in love with each other. They thought it was a joy getting to spend time with royals who were just trying to have a good time.”

“What’s so wrong about that?” I can’t keep the hurt out of my voice as I look away from him, focusing on the stars dancing in the sky outside the window.

“There are a dozen things wrong with that. The first being the chewing out I got from Jorge. He thinks that you’re going to drag me back into the party lifestyle and that I’m going to ruin this for myself.”

“Xander, I’m here precisely because Idon’twant you to ruin this. Daphne told me that Stavros is putting more pressure on the council to assess whether you’re going to be a good leader or not. Do you think the housekeepers don’t talk to each other?”

“What are you talking about?” Xander pinches the bridge of his nose before shaking his head. “You know what, I don’t have time to deal with this tonight.”

“No.” I lean forward, taking the papers from in front of him and shuffling them to the side. “You’re not going to write me off because you’ve got something going on in your head that I’m not privy to. I agreed to do this with you.”

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