Page 82 of The Promised Prince
“Or marrying Seran?” Renna raised her eyebrow, reminding him of the obvious.
“Yes, or marrying Seran.” He said it in a respectful way.
“Aren’t there any loopholes in this arranged marriage thing?” Renna laughed, trying to cover up how vulnerable that question made her feel. “I mean, if you’re elected to royalty, and it’s not a bloodline thing, why does marrying a princess even matter?”
Trev rubbed the top of her skin with his thumb. “It’s more aboutwhoSeran is. Notwhat.She’s the daughter of the king of New Hope. She’s the link to a powerful alliance. The marriage isn’t about a prince marrying a princess. It’s about two powerful families and kingdoms coming togetherthroughmarriage. The marriage will secure my future as king. It will help me win the election. It will protect Albion from Tolsten.”
She nodded, already knowing why the arrangement had been made long ago. They sat in silence until she admitted, “I’ve thought about it too—how things would have been if we were just two regular people.”
The honesty about their situation felt good, natural even.
“What would’ve happened if we could’ve just continued what we started at Wellenbreck?” he said, his voice low.
“We probably would’ve gotten married and had a bunch of children,” Renna said, her voice playful, belying the serious mood. “They would run around, be too loud, and be covered in mud. I would yell at them—”
He cut into her make-believe story. “And then I would yell at you for yelling at our children.”
She laughed. “We’d fight all the time. You’d tell me I was acting crazy, and I’d throw a book at you.”
“No, I would never say that. I like you best when you’re crazy.” He leaned in closer, and Renna could feel the warmth of his breath against her hair. “I would tell you every day how beautiful you were and how much I loved being with you.”
It was all pretend, but she couldn’t help but notice how he had saidI loved being with you,and notI love you.
His words were quiet again, breaching her thoughts. “I would never take you for granted.”
With each word, her feelings got more tangled up in him, knotting so tightly, she feared they might never be undone. The boundaries she placed carefully around her heart were getting smaller and smaller. She released his hand, hugging her knees close to her chest as if that would stop the ache swirling inside of her. She didn’t care how unladylike the position made her look.
She dared a glance at him, the man who made her heart beat like it never had before. Everything with Trev had been red hot. The feelings came fast and forcefully. He was her friend. He was the man that constantly made her laugh. The man that said honest things to her.
“We would have been pretty amazing,” she mused with a longing she couldn’t hide.
“I think so.” Sadness hung on his words. “I guess we’ll never really know.”
They stood at a crossroad, with Trev choosing to honor a promise made long ago—choosing a future of duty and righteous intentions.
And Renna had to let him. He was never meant to be hers. He was meant to be king. Meant to be Seran’s. That had already been decided.
There was a new understanding between them. It was really over. Their relationship would no longer hide behind the guise of friendship.
“I guess I’ll let you get back to your conversation with your dad.” He scooted down to the ground. “Tell him I said hi.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
Renna watched until the darkness absorbed him, leaving her alone with her thoughts, her loneliness and the quiet aching of her desperate heart.
29
Trev
Trev lay awake, eyes wide as he stared up into the darkness of his room. He should be asleep, but he kept seeing Renna’s face—seeing their future, their happiness, their love.
Love.
It was true; Trev hadn’t felt loved since the day Queen Avina had died. His father had always shown him the opposite of love. Their entire relationship was based on how Trev could help him advance politically. His marriage to Seran would be based on the same thing.
Was it wrong to want love in his life? To want to love and be loved in return? He couldn’t lose the last person in his life that made him feel loved.
His own words kept running through his mind.The marriage isn’t about a prince marrying a princess. It’s about two powerful families and kingdoms coming together through marriage. The marriage will secure my future as king. It will help me win the election.That was the reasoning behind marrying Seran, but couldn’t all that be done with Renna too? Afterall, Renna’s mother was the Queen of New Hope. Renna was a part of the royal family.
New Hope hadtwoprincesses,tworoyal daughters. Seran was the only one with royal blood, of course, but did that really matter? The marriage was a physical representation of a political union. He just had to marry someone who represented New Hope. Couldn’t that someone be Renna?
