Page 61 of Redemption of a Prince

“What do we do?” Gideon asked quietly. “I’ve never known exactly what happened or why you’re not eligible to be king. If Papa does manage to pull through, it won’t matter. You’ll act on his behalf until he recovers enough to do it on his own, then you rescind your claim. But if he doesn’t, you’re the king. We’ll have to figure that out.”

Gideon sighed before going on. “Or, we all know you’re the one better suited for the job in the first place. I’d do it. It would be my honor. But you were born for this. If it’s true that no one knows about it, whateveritis, then why do we have to tell them?”

Zeke tightened his hold on Nikki’s shoulder. “Because it’s the right thing, the honorable thing, to do. I’m ineligible to be king, whether anyone else knows or not.”

His mother wiped her eyes. “Your father has always been very proud of you for coming to us from the beginning, instead of trying to cover up the mistakes you made.”

“There was never any thought of covering it up from him.”

He felt Nikki tense next to him. Zeke didn’t like talking about her like this, but unless he wanted his brother and Kari to know what happened, they had to be circumspect.

His mother stood and turned to the other couple in the room. “Gideon, Kari, can you please excuse us for a few moments? There’s something I need to discuss with Ezekiel.”

Gideon nodded, but looked sideways at Nikki. He didn’t say anything as he bowed and Kari curtsied, but Zeke suspected his brother might begin to put the pieces together.

Once the room was vacant except for the three of them and the two security guards Zeke would seldom be without again, his mother turned to Zeke and Nikki and took a deep breath.

“King Ezekiel the First has quite a ring to it.” She stared more at the ground than at them. “And it’s a title you are eligible to hold. I don’t know the details or how it’s possible or anything like that, but I do know one thing beyond the shadow of a doubt.”

The wheels in Zeke’s mind turned quickly as he struggled to absorb what his mother was saying. “I’m eligible to be king? But that would mean...”

He turned to see tears streaking down Nikki’s face as silent sobs began to shake her shoulders.

Zeke stepped away from her and glanced at his mother, who still wasn’t looking at him. “There’s only one way I can be eligible to be king. I’m not Lydia’s father.”

17

Of all the ways Nikki imagined telling the crown prince she’d had a one-night stand while they were separated all those years earlier, this was probably the last on her list.

His father dying - or perhaps already gone - and Ezekiel struggling with the fact his brother should be king instead of himself.

She wanted to wither under his cold stare, but Nikki managed to stop the shaking of her shoulders and straighten them.

“There was someone else, once,” she told him. “After you broke up with me. Before we got back together. But I swear on the life of my child, at the time, it never truly occurred to me you wouldn’t be her father.”

The hot tears streaked down her cheeks as she bore up under his hard look.

“And since then?”

She closed her eyes. “As I learned more about biology, about how pregnancy works, I wondered, but I never knew for certain. My doctor at the time, before I even told you, gave me a range of dates when conception most likely took place. He was the day before. You were the day after.”

“And you chose me.”

She’d never heard his voice so emotionless.

His face hardened into a mask. “Who better than the crown prince to be your baby’s father, even if you couldn’t be completely certain. What better way to make sure you and the baby were taken care of for the rest of your lives?”

The jab landed where it was intended. “I will forever be grateful that your family took my daughter in and raised her as though she was your own. But to accuse me of taking advantage for myself is inexcusable, and you know it. Your family helped me get on my feet, and I’m grateful. I will give every bit of it back as soon as I get to the bank.”

She tucked one leg behind the other and dipped into the lowest curtsy she could without falling over.

“You will make an excellent king, Your Majesty. I’ll be praying for your family in this difficult time.”

Nikki turned and tried not to run out of the room, attempting to maintain some dignity while hoping against hope that he would call out and talk about it with her.

But nothing happened.

Instead, she found herself in the deserted hallway. No one stopped her. Not the security team members guarding the ends of the corridor. Not the chairman of the council exiting another waiting room.

---