Page 53 of The Cinderella Prince

“Basically, I am here to see Cedric,” I said.

“It is my understanding that Cedric does not want to see you,” Alexander said coolly.

“And my understanding is that he isn’t allowed to,” I replied with just as little emotion, except that I could feel my eyes flaring with anger.

Alexander curled those perfect, pouty lips and cocked his head. “Why would he not be allowed to see anyone?”

“I’m pretty sure you have the correct answer to that. Your Highness.” I held my breath. This was a dangerous game I was playing. I didn’t think the odds were in my favor.

“Mr. Lawson,” he said, “I could have had you on the next plane to New York. Is this how you express gratitude for a private audience?”

A laugh rose from me and almost choked me as I tried to hold it back. “Your Highness, I come from a place thatcelebrates the day we divorced our monarch. You should visit. Nobody does a better barbecue than Mama Viv’s Neon Nights on the Fourth of July. And though I’m grateful for the ride from the airport, I’m not here for an audience with you. I’m here to see your brother.”

Alexander’s face seemed to get stiffer. Muscles in his cheeks knotted, and he poured all his strength into freezing me on the spot. It didn’t work. Rage burned far too hotly inside of me. I didn’t care if King Ferdinand himself stood in my way. I didn’t care if the entire Royal Guard surrounded me.

“Let me make something perfectly clear to you, Tristan,” he said, towering over me. “Cedric will not see you. He will not speak to you. He does not want you here or in his life. And we would all appreciate it if you left quietly. The gratitude of a Crown Prince is worth a lot, even in New York. I took the liberty of preparing a generous agreement for you to sign.”

“Let me return the favor, Alex,” I said casually, but I glared at him just as if I were shouting. “I wouldn’t take your gratitude if it came with millions of dollars. And I won’t accept your words, either. The only way I’ll ever be quiet is if I heard all this from Cedric’s lips.”

Alexander’s cheeks grew hotter, but so did mine.

I was, after all, a very stubborn mule when I was in love.

Cedric

Sophia’s summer dress fluttered in the wind she created when she ran into my quarters.

“Cedric,” she huffed, catching her breath. “You have to come.”

“What is it?” I asked. “What happened?”

She had a worried look on her face, but she was not devastated by a tragedy. I had been trying to think of a way to speak to Max without setting him off or insulting him. The tricky part was not to lift his hopes too high, either. Nothing any of us could do was guaranteed to succeed.

“You have to come. Now.” Sophia almost tripped over her own words. “It’s Tristan.”

My heart dropped into the deepest pit of my stomach. “What about him?” I whispered, too horrified to think. “What happened to Tristan?”

Had I misjudged my brother so poorly that I had just opened more risks for Tristan?

“He’s here. He’s in the yellow sitting room,” Sophia said, practically bubbling with excitement. “Alexander is with him. Go.”

I was on the move before she finished speaking. It didn’t feel like it was my body that carried me there. It felt like I was walking through the thickest mist with no direction. It felt like something lifted me off my feet and pushed me to float down the hallways of the palace until I reached a guarded door of the yellow sitting room. “Let us through,”I demanded. I realized that Sophia was not there when the guard frowned.

“Forgive me, Your Highness, but I cannot let this meeting be disturbed,” the man replied.

Where the hell was my sister? “This meeting concerns me greatly, Gaston.”

“I have direct orders, Your Highness,” he replied, his eyes regretful. He had known me since I was born. He was assigned as the head of Alexander’s personal security team just before I had had a chance to request him for mine. Gaston was loyal and smart and kind. I didn’t want him getting hurt because of this, but if Tristan was on the other side of the door, I would have no choice.

“Gaston, I swear to you, this meeting is for me to attend,” I said seriously.

It seemed to hurt him deeply. “Forgive me, Your Highness, but your name is at the top of the list. I cannot let you through.”

“Ah, then I’m very sorry about this,” I said and meant every word. In the next instant, I bellowed my brother’s name from the top of my lungs.

Gaston seemed stricken.

I yelled again, louder, and again, and again. I shouted Alexander’s name so loudly that the kitchen staff must have heard me. And at last, the door flew open. Gaston begged Alexander to forgive him, but my brother had a tired expression on his face. “Enough,” he said, and we all fell silent. “You might as well join me.” He shot Gaston a look of reprimand, then moved from the door to let me through.

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