Page 77 of Mercenary Princess

“Mother is expecting you.” The dismissal was punctuated by a sweep of his hand as he set to righting papers on his desk, tossing hers in the waste bin at his side without even glancing at them.

She was grateful for the fury, because her last shred of hope that he wasn’t just like her mother and father had truly been crushed in that moment.

With nerves roiling in her stomach, she turned on her heel. Let him believe she was on her way to her mother.

Her instincts screamed that she needed to leave.

Antony, smug and proper Antony, gave her a withering look as she exited her brother’s study. Why was he there? Had he retained his position? William only mentioned Jen being fired. She hoped the firing was quick, and they could get to their escape route before her brother sought to block it.

“I’ve been instructed to take you to your mother,” Antony said. The bite in his tone was far above his station.

She stood her ground with a chilling glare. “I know the way. You are dismissed.”

His body tensed, and two more guards, not any of hers, came to his side. “The dowager queen said we were to escort you immediately after your audience with His Majesty.”

The tension was thick. The other guards weren’t as furious as Antony was. They’d been professional, but would they physically restrain her and carry her to her mother?

She wasn’t sure it was wise to find out. “By all means, then,” she said before turning on her heel to go in the direction of her mother’s suite. Her anxiety increased with every step, and the second she smelled the cloying scent of her mother’s roses, the urge to vomit became nearly impossible to wrench back.

With each step, Sophia felt as if she were heading to her own inquisition. Her heart rate sped up. They couldn’t keep her against her will, but William ruled everything in Porenza. If her family wanted to, they could instruct the police to take her in for some perceived wrong. Breathing was getting more difficult.

When she’d returned to Porenza, she had counted on her brother’s belief that he had full control over her, on his disregard for her actually leaving. That wasn’t how things were playing out.

When she neared her mother’s suite, the doors swung open. Her escorts remained outside. They hadn’t actually left. What would their next plan be? Panic was definitely starting to pose a problem.

She saw her mother. The dark look in her eye meant that the second the door clicked shut, the woman would rage. The resounding snick of the doors came with exactly that. “I cannot believe you would disgrace this family after all you’ve been given. All the freedom. All the jewels and designer clothing. You had everything, and you threw it away for some dirty Russian. Now you get to marry the man you didn’t want.”

Arguing would do nothing. Her mother believed her words and was void of the capacity for empathy.

“How could you do this to me? To Porenza? A British connection would have been perfect. You are an utter disappointment.”

Over the years she’d imagined every scenario for her abdication, all the things she wanted to say to her brother and mother, but now she felt nothing. Defending herself wouldn’t help her in any way; it would only ensure the rant continued. Maintaining a calm veneer, she said, “I’m sorry you feel that way, Mother.”

Her mind had shifted at some point, and she’d stopped listening to her mother and calmed. She would get out of there and be free for the first time ever.

Her mother seemed to be winding down, disgusted at not getting a reaction from Sophia. “Leave me. Go to your rooms and stay there until you feel some kind of remorse.”

Her mother hit a button on the wall, and the doors opened wide. The guards were still there. That was a potential problem, especially when her mother ordered, “Escort the princess to her rooms immediately. She is not to leave.”

They truly thought to imprison her there. This was extreme. William’s taunts about Viktor coming to marry her came to mind. He didn’t want to lose the leverage he could get by marrying her off to Jean Luc. So he was keeping her away from a man he thought would take her in. She wondered what lucrative arrangements her brother had made when essentially selling her to a damned monster.

There was no way she would allow that to happen. But she was too far from any exit and surrounded by guards, and that was just to stop her from leaving the palace itself. She would need to get out of the country after that.

She stalked to her room, noting that the guards stayed put just outside. Once inside, she saw things that kicked up her heart rate. All the wall touch screens had been removed. Even her landline was missing.

After taking a breath, she rushed to her closet, finding all her things had been put away. The handbag she’d been carrying, the one Mary had taken from her as she’d exited the car, had been settled on its shelf.

Without looking, she knew what she’d find. The cell phone was gone. She hadn’t planned to take it with her, but it would have been handy now. Taking her purse had been a strategic move by Mary; she saw that now. At least her identification and passport had been safely ensconced inside the blouse she was wearing.

The walls seemed to be closing in around her. She breathed deeply for long minutes until she got herself together.

She’d left her climbing gear in London because she’d planned to walk out of the palace with nothing but the clothes on her back.

That original exit plan was out since her mother and brother had lost their minds. She couldn’t climb out without potentially breaking her neck, and then there was the distance she would have to travel just to leave the palace grounds. She lifted the heavy weight of her hair off her overheated neck as she assessed her options.

She couldn’t assault the guards and hope to win when she was so highly outnumbered.

After taking a deep breath, she calmed her features, smoothed down her simple pencil skirt, stalked to the door, and opened it wide.

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