Page 35 of Royal Player
“Are you making some kind of side deal with him for the business?” he asks sharply.
“No! Nothing like that.”
“Then what?”
I turn my head away. “I can’t tell you, okay? But there’s nothing underhanded going on business-wise.”
His warm hand cups my jaw, turning me back to him, his gaze intent. “You will not have dinner or anything more with Charles again, understand? I don’t like the way he treats you.”
My lower lip wobbles.
“Pol?”
I pull away and stand, crossing my arms tightly across my middle. I really don’t want to break down in front of him. “You should go.”
He stands in front of me, his voice low. “Tell me what happened with Charles.”
“I can’t,” I choke out. “It’s shameful. My family.”
I cross the room blindly, my chest tight, my eyes hot.
His voice is close behind me. “If you don’t tell me, I’m going to track him down and ask him. I’ll beat it out of him if I have to.”
I turn. “Oscar, don’t.” Tears leak out despite my valiant effort to hold them back.
He pulls me into his arms, and I bury my face against his warm chest. All this time I’ve kept all this horror inside, and I just can’t any longer. It’s too much.
“Peter is a sleaze,” I tell his chest. “And Charles is a sleaze, and I’m caught in the middle. Blackmail and worse.”
He strokes my hair back. “Start from the beginning with the first sleaze.”
It’s easier somehow tucked against his chest, not looking at him. I tell him everything from my parents’ debt to Peter’s blackmail to his plans for my palace and Charles’s evil idea. I fill him in on my traditional kingdom, too, including all the patriarchal restrictions placed on me in order to be queen. He asks no questions, and when I’m finished with the sordid tale, he’s absolutely silent.
I risk a glance up at him and find no judgment in his eyes. A muscle ticks in his jaw like he’s angry on my behalf. A surge of affection rushes through me, and I hug him tight for that wonderful response.
He hugs me back. Finally, he says, “Let me see if I understand this. You agreed to the engagement to a man you know is a sleaze in order to save your family and your kingdom.”
“Yes. That is the role of a queen. Duty to my kingdom above myself.”
He cups my jaw, tilting my face up to his. “You’re everything a queen should be, but you will not sacrifice yourself to take your rightful place. And I’m going to make sure Charles doesn’t breathe a word about any of this. Forget all about that virginity auction because that is never going to happen.” His lips press tightly together. “I’ll find another way to pay your parents’ debt. You willnotmarry Peter.”
I nearly sag with relief because he sounds so confident, but then doubt sets in. “How? Where will you get the money?” It’s not a small sum.
His thumb strokes my cheek. “Just give me some time. Can you trust me on this?”
“I’m running out of time,” I say softly. “My father will step down as king very soon.”
His lips curve in a small smile. “They invented princes to rescue princesses.”
A laugh escapes. “I want to rescue myself.”
“Let me help. You don’t have to do everything by yourself.”
Tears sting my eyes. I’ve been reluctant to share the burden, not wanting to expose my family. I don’t know how he thinks he can get me out of this mess, but I haven’t come up with a good solution, and I’m desperate enough to take a leap of faith.
I hug him tight. “I trust you.”
His voice rumbles in his chest. “Good.”
