Page 1 of Royally Theirs (Risqué Royals)

Chapter One

Chambers

Stifling a yawn at your cousin’s coronation is poor form.

Grinning at my cousin Archie, I shake it off. He deserves his moment, and we owe him our loyalty. The very least I can do ispretendto be interested. I could not be less interested in the grand ceremonies our royal heritage insists upon.

Archie was always going to take over the throne of Gainsborough once his ailing father gave up the ghost. His late father hated knowing that Archie was the next in line for the crown. He hated it as much as he hated Archie’s mother, Camile. Their marriage was a farce just as much as these ceremonies are.

Most marriages in our world are arranged with little choice for us. My other cousins and I would never take the throne, so we thought we might avoid being forced into such a mess. However, we were just given a final order from Archie’s father: all heirs must be married by the year’s end. If we refuse or cannot find a bride, there will be consequences. They will strip our titles, our positions in the monarchy revoked, and our families will cut us off.

My mother, the King’s sister, is all too happy to get me married. Her dream has always been for me to be King of Cambridge, a small township without monarch reign. My mother and father were named Duke and Duchess of Cambridge after they wed. When father passed away, mother relinquished her title, making me the new Duke of Cambridge.

It is a title I never wanted nor am particularly good at upholding.

While we may not love life as a royal, we know how privileged we truly are. We never worried about the struggles many others have. We received the best schooling, the best training, and were as pampered as we were sheltered. It might not be the life we would have chosen, butit isour life.

One king rules our small country, but there are several territories. Think of us as a less sleazy and shrewd Game of Thrones. My cousins and I all oversee our own territories, but Archie will be our king. Good thing too, since he is the one of us worthy enough to carry the crown.

We grew up more like brothers, our fathers before us close as well. While we were growing up, watching the monarchies, they would expect us to overtake one day, we rebelled. None of us wanted to be stuffed old dodgers following centuries old expectations. To avoid becoming our fathers, we made vows to one another.

Nothing ever comes before one another. Not a woman, not an outsider, and not even our royal lineage. We stick together no matter what. If one of us is facing trouble, that means we all face trouble. If one of us triumphs, we all celebrate that triumph.

Even as one of us takes a step we never wanted to take, we all come together to support him.

“Poor prick,” Dexter mutters beside me as we watch them place the crown atop Archie’s head. “Another one bites the dust,” he sings off-key, chortling when Tobe chuckles beside him.

“Shut up,” I bite out at them, sending them a glare, “we came here for him. Same thing he’d do for all of us.”

They make some irritated murmurs but fall quiet. We do not have to like these formalities, but we must support one another through them. None of us love being in the limelight or being forced to live up to grand expectations. With no choice about either, we swore to always stick together through it.

“Who falls next?” Greyson questions after the ceremonies finish.

All of us retreat to the edges of the room, keeping our distance from the socialites and royalty that love these lavish events. While we don’t love being royalty, we don’t hate the rewards of parties and pampering. We have an enjoyable time at some of these events, while staying on our best behavior.

Anything less could tarnish the monarchy.

“Chambers is up next. Katharine wants grandbabies post haste,” Dexter teases me with a smirk.

“You might be right,” I agree with a resigned sigh. “Mother has talked about nothing but weddings since they confirmed Archie to take the crown. I thought him becoming King would give me a reprieve. ” I mutter with a chuckle as I recall how excited mother was last I saw her.

Mother married into royalty. Katharine Ashe loves all the pomp and circumstance of it. There is never a function too long or a ritual too boring. Mother attends them all, chatting with the others, greeting the commoners, and loving every minute. I always told her she was meant to be royalty.

“Do they have someone in mind for you?” Tobe wonders, as he sips at his champagne.

“Mother always has someone in mind. But yes.” I tell them as I recall having this same talk with her. “Her heart is set on a woman who comes from a royal heritage herself. I know very little about her. Not from this province. Completely clueless that our parents want a royal wedding in two months.”

“Jesus, two months? So soon without you knowing a thing about this woman?”

“Greyson, how often do we get a choice in our lives? I will be married in two months because they told me I will be. I know we all need brides, we need heirs, but I had hoped Archie’s coronation might appease them for a bit longer. I was wrong.”

“When I get married, I will know the woman,” Greyson argues before he empties his scotch and calls for another.

“Only if your mother knows her first,” Tobe taunts him, Dexter laughing right along.

“No, not me gents,” he scoffs, shaking the ice in his glass. “I will get married towhoI want. When Iwant,” he declares.

All of us laugh at his naivete. We make the rounds of the vast ballroom, as they expect us to. This ballroom has seen hundreds of events such as this. Wedding parties, coronation parties, funeral receptions, if we hosted an event in this castle, there was a celebration right here after.

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