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)
“Thank you for being here.”
“Of course.”
“My coronation is set for three days from today. Will you be there as well?”
“If I’m invited. I wasn’t planning on it.”
He pulled back, but my hand was still in his and I didn’t need anyone to tell me that this was definitely the longest handshake of the night or that I’d be on the news by tonight. My father would be livid, I wouldn’t know how to explain it, and this would set my relationship with him back once again. Did I care? I wasn’t sure. A part of me always would, but a bigger part of me just wanted Elias to never let go of my hand at all, tradition be damned.
“Have you thought about what we spoke about?” he asked. This time, I let go of his hand and smiled sadly.
“I can’t. You know I can’t.”
I felt a hand at my back and nearly jumped before realizing it was just Etienne. He shot me a look and then turned to Elias and shook his hand.
“You two are taking entirely too long and there’s a line,” Etienne said under his breath.
“There’s always a line,” Elias said. “I’m trying to catch up with an old friend.”
“An old friend that’s going to end up in the headlines if you two don’t stop flirting.”
“We’re not flirting,” I whisper-shouted. We weren’t.
“Well, half of the women are pregnant now just from the looks Elias has given you these last two minutes, so you’re welcome.”
My jaw dropped. Elias’s mouth moved, just barely, and I knew he was trying to fight a smile, which made me bite the inside of my cheek to not smile at all. It was a disaster.
“I need to leave,” I said.
“Yes. I’m taking you home after you say bye to Pilar and the queen,” Etienne said.
Elias and I shared one more look, filled with sadness and so much longing I wasn’t sure what to do with it, so I walked away.
Chapter 25
Elias
The word chaos wouldn’t suffice in describing the state of my life at the moment and somehow, I hadn’t stopped thinking about her. It could never happen. That was what I kept telling myself. I was set to marry Emily, and Adeline’s event company was planning the entire thing. The wedding itself was a scheme, a distraction, a way to get the people to take their minds off my father’s death and focus on a happily ever after. It was for that reason that Pierre wanted to schedule public events with Emily and me. It was because of Adeline that I continued canceling the events and setting others in their place.
Part of me felt like maybe if I could buy some time I could delay the wedding, delay everything and sneak off with Addie. But the date was looming and with it the burden I’d shoulder for the rest of my days. It was in times like these that I wished my father was alive, not only so that he could continue doing this job, but so he could give me advice on the matter. I didn’t know who else to turn to, and I found myself turning to the most unlikely person I ever expected to receive relationship advice from—Aramis.
“Just spit it out already,” Aramis said across from me. We were having scotch in the tea room of the palace. The expensive kind, meant to be savored with each sip. We’d been sipping for a long while. Long enough for me to gather the courage to admit this aloud.
“I think I’m in love with someone and it’s not Emily.”
“Not what I was expecting.” His brow raised as he lowered his glass slowly. “Who is she?”
“Adeline.”
“Bouchard?” He sat upright. “Are you insane?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.” I sighed, setting my glass down and bringing my hands to my face to shut my eyes behind.
Most days I wondered just that. Was I insane? I must have been to fall for a woman who not only could I not have because of traditional reasons, but could also be the one person people would blame for the demise of the Crown, should things go wrong if we made things public. It was the reason I didn’t argue when she demanded our date be in private and was glad she didn’t complain that we kept things behind closed doors.
“She could end you, you know?” Aramis waved a hand around. “End all of this.”
“She wouldn’t be to blame for that.” I looked up at him. “It wouldn’t come to that.”
“Eli. I know you.” He shot me a serious look. “If you’re even admitting this to yourself, and to me, it’s because you’ve reached the point where you can no longer hold this in and I’ll be honest, being that you’re the responsible one in this family, that terrifies me.”
I took in a breath and exhaled heavily. “I’m not saying anything will come of this.”