Royal Games

Chapter 50

"Are you alright?" Isaac pants.

"I'm unharmed, but... Phew... That was close."

I quickly dip a finger into my vial of water. Isaac looks me up and down, as if checking that I truly am unharmed. We slump down to the grassy ground, too worn out to care about the frost or the cold.

"Liam... He didn't come with us." I breathe out. The butterflies from earlier grow talons, scratching and scraping at my insides.

"He'll be alright... He probably ran somewhere else to... divert attention."

"Hopefully." The butterflies calm down, but their talons remain.

We sit for a few minutes in companionable silence, getting our breath back. It gives me time to think. About the palace. About my dad. About Marco. About the Untouched Power. The book!

I swear. "We forgot the book!"

"It's hidden, Alyssa. Don't worry about it."

"But..."

"No." Isaac cuts me off. "I know what you're thinking, and it's not worth it. Leave it be. Your brother might move it anyway."

The mention of Marco makes me think about something else. "We need to talk, Isaac. Not about this morning's craziness," It feels like much longer than a few hours ago that I woke up. "But about us. I called you my consort in front of Marco, but we haven't even discussed our relationship."

"I'd be proud to call you my girlfriend," The word 'girlfriend' makes me smile. "But what would it mean if I were your consort?"

"It..." I hesitate. "It's a term reserved for royal marriages. To use it outside of a marriage kind of implies an engagement." I look away from him. "I shouldn't have said it without discussing it with you first."

"Marco didn't seem to react as if it was a big deal."

"He was too caught up in the argument to think too hard about it."

Isaac gently turns my face back to meet his gaze. "Would you want me to be your consort?"

My breath catches in my throat. I never imagined this would be the outcome of this conversation. I'd thought Isaac would be confused, maybe even angry. It's madness to even consider his suggestion. Is this really what he wants? Maybe I'm hallucinating his words.

But what did I really mean when I made that comment to Marco? I'd been so caught up in the moment, I'd spoken without thinking. But for those words to be the ones that came out... Could they have come from a secret hope, buried deep inside me? Is this really what I want?

I lean forward to capture Isaac's lips in mine. When I pull away, I see only love and longing in his eyes.

"Ask me another time." I say. "Be my boyfriend for now, but ask me for something more in the future." My answer will likely be 'yes', but I need more time to process it all. It was only last week we shared our first kiss, although we've spent months together getting to know each other.

"As you wish," Isaac reaches for my left hand and presses a chaste kiss to my ring finger. It's a promise that sends my heart soaring. "Your Highness." He gives me a lazy grin, and I can't help but grin back.

"That could be your title too someday." I tease.

"I sure hope so." And I know he's not referring to the title itself. "We should get moving again." He springs up to his feet and helps me up too.

"I think we're safe for now, but I am kind of cold." I reply as we begin walking.

"Me too." He goes silent for a moment. "What's it like? Being a royal, I mean."

"It's complicated. There are some parts of it I like. All the balls, constantly meeting new people, never having to worry about money. But all the money and luxury can make a lot of people

into stuck-up snobs. They think they're better than everyone else, which isn't necessarily the best thing for a kingdom. I had few real friends as a child."

"I'm sorry to hear it."

"Don't be. You kind of just get used to how people act. And most of them act all nice in public anyway. To them, it's about having a good appearance. Putting on a show."

"I'm not sure I want a royal title anymore." Isaac jokes.

I slap his arm playfully. "It's not all bad. And I've renounced my royal status anyway. I still keep my title, but that's about it. No obligations. No responsibilities. No inheritance either, but I don't need it anyway."

"And authority?"

"I still have some, but not to the extent that people expect from royalty." I shoot him a saccharine grin. "If you offend me, I could have you carted off to prison for treason."

He grins back at me conspiratorially. "Only until I'm your consort, I gather." Until. Not an if, but a when.

"That's right." My voice comes out higher-pitched than I would have liked.

We walk in silence for another minute. I try to get used to the idea of having Isaac as my consort, but it's still a foreign thought.

Isaac is the one to break the silence.

"Tell me what happened with your dad."

"We spoke about... things." I pause. "I actually told him about you. He was so pleased that I've found love."

"I'm glad to hear it."

I sigh. "He's always been such a bright personality; able to light up any room. But today," I take a deep breath, once again trying to fight back tears. "He just looked so weak and breakable. Like the life has been drained out of him."

"Was he in pain?"

I think back to how he acted during our conversation. "No. I don't believe so."

"Then be grateful for that mercy."

I realise Isaac is right. It's not enough to cheer me up, but it is something to be grateful for. Things could be worse. But they also could be so much better, and I guess that's what we're striving for.