Page 74 of A Royal Disaster
“You will be a great king someday, Liam, but it’s not the title that makes the man. It’s the man who makes the title. It is my privilege to serve you, but forgive me for being frank when I say that you’re a bloody fool for letting her go.” The corner of Fin’s mouth twitched. “A forgivable offense, perhaps, as all men are fools in love.”
“Speaking from experience?” Liam asked, scrubbing a hand over his face.
“Bite your bloody tongue,” Fin said, pouring himself another drink. “I still can’t believe you let her go. Elena was a rose among nettles. You were more yourself around her. I dare say it was the most alive I’ve seen you in years.”
Liam stared at his friend. What the fuck? “And you’re just telling me now? When it’s too late?”
Fin sipped his whisky and leveled his gaze at Liam. “It’s never too late to do the right thing.”
…
Lena opened her eyes to find Jinx standing on her chest, staring at her with a look that suggested he was definitely judging her life choices.Join the club, buddy. Even more disturbing was the realization that he wasn’t alone. Nia stood in the bedroom door, hands on her hips, head tilted to the side.
Welcome to the judgment zone, party of two.
Nia shook her head and stepped into the room, navigating the mess on the floor the same way she’d approach a filthy alley in flip-flops. She gave Lena a sympathetic smile and leaned a hip against the dresser. “Oh, girl.”
“What?” Lena had just been dumped. By a prince. Streaming royal rom-coms and binging on Mint Moose Tracks was perfectly acceptable behavior as far as she was concerned. Still, she adjusted her comforter to hide the puddle of melted ice cream on her sheets. It was too late to do anything about the drool hanging out of her mouth, but she had her pride, so she swiped the back of her hand across her mouth.
“You’ve got it bad,” Nia said, eyeing the mountain of laundry piled on the floor. Lena was down to her last clean pair of underwear. If she didn’t wash clothes today, she’d be going commando. “Real bad.”
Lena shrugged. “I’ll get over it.”
Nia arched a perfectly shaped brow. “Really? Then I guess you’ll be glad to hear His Royal Hotness is returning to Valeria.”
Her heart stuttered. Liam was leaving?
She wanted to ask how Nia knew, but that was what her friend wanted. Nia was baiting her. Trying to get her to talk about her feelings. Which was pointless.
She felt like shit. The end.
“It’s just as well, since he’s a lying, manipulative ass,” Lena said with a shrug. “The worst part is that I fell for it hook, line, and sinker. Which is stupid, right? This is real life and we live in the real world. This isn’t some delightfully cheesy made-for-TV movie where the adorably klutzy heroine gets the handsome crown prince and they live happily ever after in a shiny pink palace.”
“You’re thinking of Barbie,” Nia said, the corners of her lips quivering. “I’m pretty sure the Valerian palace is made of stone.”
Lena glared at her friend and pulled the covers up to her chin. “You know what I mean.”
“No, I really don’t.” Nia shook her head, completely serious now. “The man said he loved you and you obviously feel the same, yet you broke up with him.” She threw up her hands. “In what world does that make a lick of sense?”
It didn’t. Not when Nia put it like that, anyway.
“I never said I loved him.” She didn’t need to say the words aloud. Nia could probably see it written all over her face and in the carton of ice cream she’d consumed and, fine, yes, in the dry shampoo she’d been using in lieu of a shower for the last three days. She loved Liam with every fiber of her being, and the idea of watching him marry some stuck-up duchess who only cared about his title made her want to throw up in her mouth. “Besides, our entire relationship was built on a lie. He only pretended to date me to stave off a political engagement. What kind of man does that?”
“The kind who feels trapped.”
Lena bolted upright and threw off the covers, indignation burning through her veins. “You’re seriously going to take his side in this?”
“Girl, you’re my ride or die. I’m always on your side. No questions asked,” Nia said, holding up a placating hand. “I’m just saying that the man has spent his entire life preparing for one job and one job only. Then he meets you and falls head over heels, crazy in love—as one does—and what could he do?”
“I don’t know,” Lena said, rolling her eyes. “Tell the truth, maybe?”
“It was an impossible choice. Seriously, what kind of monsters would make their own son choose between his crown and the woman he loves?” Nia shuddered and pushed off the dresser. “I will never look at King George and Queen Marguerite the same again.”
Much as it pained her to admit it, Nia had a point. Their Majesties were a lock for worst parents of the year.
And though she was angry Liam hadn’t told her about the Royal Marriages Act or his parents’ scheming, she couldn’t deny that a part of her—a tiny, traitorous one—understood. Like Nia said, he’d spent his whole life preparing to be king, putting his country and his people before his own needs and desires. It couldn’t be easy to turn off a lifetime of duty and sacrifice. She knew that. Cerebrally, anyway.
Emotionally? She wasn’t there yet.
