Being the crowned princess of Dahlia, Emmeline is all too aware that politics and love don't go together.
She's never had trouble keeping her heart locked up, but now things are changing.
Her best friends: the rugged guard, Ajax, and her charming a...
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"That bastard, that mother fucking old wrinkle dick..."
"Ajax." My father snaps. "That is enough."
I glance up, the first time in what feels like hours. My red eyes burn from the bright light. "Personally, I'd like to hear more."
Ajax's lips quirk up, but it's Damien who says, "Huxley is a pretious, selfish, conniving...fuckface."
I can't help but laugh, and Ajax mirrors me. "You fucking said it, I'm proud of you man." He slings his arm around Damien, who's lips tilt into a barely lit smile.
"Emmeline." My dad stresses. "I can't stop them all. Wyatt and I have discussed the possibility of using the army to force them out but Huxley has power, greater than we assumed, and with this current threat. I can't risk it, we can't. As a public servant, we have a duty to the people, even at the expense of our own principles."
"I know." I try to express a sense of clarity. "I know," I admit dejectedly.
"I will try and persuade them to increase the timeline." Of my inevitable marriage.
My dad kisses my forehead, squeezing my shoulders, before taking his leave. I love the way he simply trusts Ajax and Damien. Knowing that I need them now more than ever, as though they're a part of me, not simply detachable.
I wonder how my future husband would view our dynamic? Dante was obviously threatened and jealous, even though back then, I was utterly consumed by Dante. Okay, maybe I still fantasised about making out with them both, but I would never have acted on it.
Faith and loyalty is one thing I will always stand by. So when the time comes, my husband will have all of me but the only way to do that would be to...
"What are you thinking Princess?" I glance up at them both, concerned flares out of both their strong gazes pinned on me.
No, I couldn't give them up. Not so soon, but it's inevitable.
With that ticking clock looming over my head, I feel trapped. Forced into a corner that I can't escape.
"God, I am stupid. So stupid. I should have just kept quiet and obedient like a good little princess. To be seen and never heard. That's what he wants. Huxley. He wants my subservience so when the time comes for me to sit on the throne, he'll be the one pulling all the strings through my husband."
"We're not gonna let that happen." I let out a soft bitter laugh, angry tears stinging my skin.
Ajax kneels besides me. "Damien is right. There will be another way, there always is."
"Not this time. Not without causing the devastation of an entire kingdom. I can't. I can't fight anymore for it, not at the risk of losing."
"Emmeline," Damien breathes out, as though he's watching a stranger collapse before him and not the girl he has known for over two decades.
