Page 17 of A Valiant Prince

She pulls my head down to hers. “I’ll teach you,” she says with a smirk.

“Oh, will you?” I reply. I won’t lie, images of Susanna dressed like a naughty school teacher with a ruler in hand, dance through my mind. I must be transparent in my thoughts because she slaps my chest.

“Get your mind out of the gutter, Logan,” she says.

I grin at her. “But it’s so fun in the gutter,” I say. She rolls her eyes and grabs my hand.

“Come on,” she says as she leads me toward the study.

Chapter Five

The room is packed with our families. It looks like we’ve been to war. Everyone has bandages, bumps, bruises, casts, and those without look like they’ve seen war. Anna and I are the last two to enter. We walk in and sit down on the edge of a sofa next to Mia, Chris, and Auggie. The furniture here looks more formal than the summer palace. I note the silk fabrics covering all the sofas and chairs, the rich leathers and the two-tone wallpaper that I can only imagine is also silk. On the stone-tiled floor, there is an area rug that looks to be an antique oriental number. I almost lift my feet up so as not to touch it with my shoes.

I know Hans is wealthy, but this is some real Versailles shit.

“I hope everyone was able to get some rest last night,” King Michael says, looking at each of us.

“We’ve all suffered a terrible trauma. I know it will take some time for us to recover, both physically and mentally,” he continues as he looks at Anna.

“I have our best experts at the palace now, going through the scene and confirming what caused the blast. Initial reports are that it was a bomb. Fortunately, the individual who placed the bomb did not foresee that there was a former internal blast wall installed during World War II. If it wasn’t for that…well, it would have been significantly worse. I don’t have any news on Lara. She’s still sedated post-surgery. The doctors say they will continue to keep her sedated for a few more days as her body works to heal. It’s a critical time for her,” King Michael poses, clearly finding it difficult to speak of his sister’s condition.

“What’s the game plan?” Auggie asks.

The king looks at him and then over to my father.

“What?” Auggie, Chris, and Anna all say simultaneously.

“It’s clearly not safe here,” the king states. “I’m sending everyone away the day after tomorrow. Your whereabouts will be kept top secret for the next week, as we try to figure out the source of the threat. Your immediate security team will go with you. I don’t want you to contact one another until I know it’s safe. Logan, your father and I have spoken, and you will be assigned a bodyguard.”

My eyebrows rise at this statement.

“Dad, I don’t think that’s necessary,” Chris starts.

King Michael raises a hand. “Christian, that decision is not up to you. You will do as you’re told,” he says. I see Chris grip Mia’s hand and the king’s eyes follow the movement before looking over at my father.

“Do you have anything to add?” he asks him.

My father shakes his head. “I think you’ve covered it, Michael,” he says.

“Very good then. I have to prepare to address the country,” King Michael says. And that’s our cue to leave. “I’ll be in touch with each of you separately regarding your travel arrangements.”

Everyone files out of the room. Chris, Auggie, and Anna stand in the corner of the hallway, deep in conversation with each other. I feel a bit like a voyeur and an outcast all at the same time, as though I don’t belong and should leave them to their sibling discussion.

“Logan,” Chris says. I walk over to them.

“Yes?” I say as I approach.

“You’re taking Anna away from here,” he says quietly, looking around to make sure no one else is in earshot.

“What?” I ask.

“We are entrusting you with Anna. You two will leave tomorrow with your security detail,” Chris says.

“But your father—” I start.

Chris rolls his eyes. “My father has already agreed to this,” he states.

“I don’t understand,” I say.

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