Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 78844 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78844 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Shortly after, we all stood from the table, and Prince Elias excused himself for the night. He gave Emily, the Austrian princess, a kiss on the cheek and waved at the rest of us as he left the room. The chatter continued. Joss and Pilar were talking to a group of women, while Thomas and I spoke to a group of investors. I felt a light touch on my elbow and turned to find the queen.
“I wasn’t able to say hello to you earlier,” she said.
“Oh.” I turned and curtsied softly, smiling when I straightened. “Thank you so much for inviting me.”
“Thank you for accepting.” She smiled. “Will you take a walk with me?”
“Of course.” I looked back and excused myself from the group, turning to the queen once more as she led the way.
As we reached the door, the man standing before it, opened it and closed it behind us. I wondered when the last time any of them opened their own doors was, if ever. She stopped just outside of the doors and turned to me.
“I wanted to ask you if you’d do the honor of planning the wedding. It would take place next month, and I know it’s extremely short notice, but I’m willing to pay anything and provide you with the necessary staff. I just need this done,” she said.
Footsteps rang out somewhere in the hall, but I didn’t bother to look knowing it would be just another door holder or employee here to check on their queen and her guests. She was still looking at me, waiting for me to answer, and I was still trying to process everything that had taken place this last hour. After she made her announcement, I did my best to bottle it up and ignore it and pretend it was a joke. Now that she was asking me to do this and saying she was willing to throw money at me, I wasn’t sure what to say. Yes, obviously. If my mother was here she’d have pinched my arm. If Joss was out here and not inside chitchatting, she’d have agreed for me. Yes was the only answer.
“Mother. You need to go to Father’s chambers.” The voice was Elias’s.
I whipped my head and looked at him as he closed to distance between us, then I looked away, back to his mother, who was still watching me. I wanted to cry. The emotion hit me seemingly out of nowhere, but that’s the only thing I felt like doing right now. Finally, I nodded at her.
“You can count on us.”
“Thank you so much, dear.” She placed a hand over my arm. “It won’t be romantic or magical, we just have to make it appear to be so.” She offered me a small smile and I could swear she saw everything written all over my face as she squeezed my arm and let go. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. Please enjoy yourself. Thank you again for coming.”
I nodded, swallowing back tears, not really able to speak. When she walked away, it was just Elias and me left in the room and still, I couldn’t bear to look at him.
“You agreed to plan my wedding?” he asked. His tone was clipped. I didn’t have to face him to know he was upset.
“What was I supposed to say? No?” I wiped my face, grateful we weren’t facing each other, though he must know I was crying, and I hated that.
“You could have made up an excuse. Said you had another event that day.”
“She didn’t even tell me the date.” I wiped my face again, took a breath, and dared to face him. “Do you have a date?”
“It’ll be in two weeks.”
A laugh escaped me. “Two weeks. Of course.”
“Please don’t do this. Don’t plan this, don’t go.”
“Why shouldn’t I? To save myself the heartache? It’s a little too late for that.”
“I can’t go through with it if you’re there.”
“You just went through an engagement just fine. You agreed to it around the time that we slept together. I’d say you’ll be just fine. Anything for the Crown, right?” I turned around and pulled the door open to the room leaving him behind. I walked right up to Thomas and told him I was leaving. He shot me a confused but understanding look.
“I’ll walk you out. I should probably leave too. I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow.”
“So do I.”
I’d have to call my mother and Joss and let them know we were now planning the prince’s wedding.
Chapter 21
“Well, I can’t say this isn’t a surprise,” Tio Antonio said. “I’m just not sure if it’s a good one or a bad one yet.”
He’d finally gotten back from his trip and was standing in front of the bookstore. I’d been wringing my hands together the entire ride over here and now I felt like I was going to be sick. It was fine because worse case I’d blame my mother. It wasn’t like she was here to argue with him about it. I bit my lip as he looked at the structure that looked completely unrecognizable to how he’d left it.