Page 35 of The Royally Broke Billionaire
“It has everything to do with it!” Piper jumped, startled by the old man’s booming voice. “It proves that he is irresponsible and immoral. We can’t have such a man-child ruling our kingdom. Monarchs are expected to be above such sleazy things as meaningless one-night stands.”
“So, you prefer to have a baby as the monarch instead?” Queen Tess glared right back at the intimidating man, not backing down in the slightest.
“Liam will become the king once he reaches maturity. A tribunal-approved representative will stand in, until that time.”
Piper cringed as she realized that it sounded like they had already made the decision for King Sebastian to be stripped of the crown.
Proving that point, the man said in a grave voice, “Having a child out of wedlock is grounds for being dethroned.”
A collective gasp sounded from the room. Piper couldn’t believe this was truly happening.
King Sebastian said, “If it pleases the Council, I would like to officially request that my brother, Prince Pierce, be crowned as king, until such time as Liam is ready to rule.”
“It doesnotplease the Council,” the bitter, old man responded. “Prince Pierce is not of royal lineage. There isn’t a single drop of royal blood flowing through his veins.”
Piper quickly scanned the room, but she didn’t see any sign of the prince. He must have still been consoling Mo. It was unfair that he was missing this vital discussion. He deserved to be here to defend his right to claim the throne.
The room was eerily silent as the king and High Council leader glared at each other. Finally, the angry, white-bearded man spoke. “Your father, the previous king, has been determined unfit to rule. That being the case, the crown rightfully belongs to the next-in-line member of the royal family.”
Piper wracked her brain trying to think who that would be. King Sebastian’s father didn’t have any siblings. The king’s only sibling was Prince Pierce, but the tribunal was disputing his right to rule. The king didn’t have any cousins. Queen Tess was carrying the king’s child, but that baby would be in line after Liam for the throne.
There wasn’t anyone else with royal blood that could be anointed as interim king. The tribunal leader unrolled and pretended to consult an aged parchment scroll. “According to the ancient by-laws, if a member of the royal family is not suitable to rule, the crown goes to the leader of the High Council, until such time as a fit member of the royal family takes the throne.”
They all openly gawked at the man. He intended to become king, until Liam was old enough for a coronation. Piper was fairly certain that the power-hungry man would find some loophole to keep her son from ever taking the throne from him.
This turn of events was a disaster for all involved. Piper felt like there was a burning volleyball churning in her stomach as she realized that none of this would have happened if she hadn’t brought Liam to the palace. In that moment, she wished she could take it back. As much as she wanted her son to have what was rightfully his, she knew having the harsh, insensitive Council leader as king was not in Isle de Monsail’s best interest.
Piper swallowed audibly after the self-appointed king-to-be ordered the current king to kneel. She sensed this was the moment of truth––King Sebastian was about to be officially impeached as monarch––but she couldn’t quite bring herself to believe it.
Her eyes travelled of their own accord to Finn’s, but she quickly looked away, overwhelmed by guilt, when she saw the devastated look in the royal steward’s gaze.
She watched in horror as her ruling monarch obediently took a knee before his panel of accusers. Her mind scrambled for any way to stop this travesty, but she came up empty. The most beloved king in Isle de Monsail’s recent history was about to be humiliated beyond measure, and it was––to a large degree––her fault.
The grumpy Council leader’s voice took on an almost giddy tone as he announced loudly, “King Sebastian Savoy Astor, the First, you have been found guilty of lewd and unsavory acts unbefitting a monarch. You are hereby stripped of your crow––“
“Stop!” Prince Pierce shouted as he ran into the room with Mo following close on his heels.
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“What is the meaning of this?” The tribunal leader practically spat with anger. It was obvious he enjoyed having the kingdom’s throne within his greedy grasp, and he did not appreciate anything that might stand in the way of his rise to power.
Queen Tess turned a hopeful gaze in her brother-in-law’s direction. He was their last glimmer of a chance of retaining the monarchy. As much as Tess enjoyed being the queen, she truly wasn’t worried about the fallout or personal shame she would face for being ousted. Her concerns were solely focused on her husband.
Sebastian was the most amazing, kind, and hardworking man she had ever known. He deserved to be king. It was devastating to watch him be wrongfully accused and forced to forfeit his rightful place as ruler of their kingdom––especially for something that happened long before he learned he would be king.
There was no denying that discovering Liam’s existence had come as a shock that rocked her to her core, but she refused to call the baby a mistake––even in her own mind. If anyone had the right to be upset about the king’s illegitimate heir, it was her, as his wife; but she didn’t blame her husband for his singular lack of sound judgment, so the High Council certainly had no right to do so.
All eyes were on Prince Pierce as he strode confidently to the front of the room to stand by his brother’s side. The entire room waited with bated breath to see what the prince had to say.
Mo joined her husband, taking his hand within her own and leaning around the men to wink at Tess. For the first time, since receiving the startling news that the tribunal was questioning her husband’s right to rule, Tess felt a true surge of hope tentatively rising within her.
“May I have the floor?” Prince Pierce asked formally, even though he already had their full attention.
“You may,” the council’s leader responded grudgingly. Tess surmised that if he’d had any other choice the man would have refused Pierce’s right to speak, but the rest of the council members wouldn’t have stood for that. The reigning royals at least had the right to be heard before being kicked out on their rear ends.
Tess’s eyelashes fluttered as she tried to visualize what their lives would look like if Pierce’s last-ditch effort to save their positions didn’t work. Sebastian had gone from acting as the royal steward to being king of their tiny island. Those royal positions didn’t translate well into real-life skills that could be utilized to get a job outside the castle’s walls.
The bitterness bubbling between the king and his self-appointed successor would make it impossible for them to stay on the palace grounds, or likely even anywhere on their picturesque island. They could always go to the States, but Tess had sold her condo and quit her waitressing job to move to Isle de Monsail. She had a college degree, so she would likely be able to find a decent position, but it would take some time––time that they wouldn’t have.
