A Muse Her

Chapter 23

"What are you talking about?"

Willem took a drink from his glass before topping it up again. "There's a divide amongst the council. Those loyal to your father and loyal to your brother. Prince Jorien and his loyalists have been making deals with a few questionable business conglomerates to use the kingdom of Oost den Burg as a tax haven for the wealthy and a weapons dealer for any military who needs them."

Mateo jaw clenched as he curled his hand into a fist. "And my father wants me to challenge Jorien for the crown to stop this?"

"Precisely."

"No. I won't do that," Mateo said, shaking his head as he leaned back in his seat. "The only reason I'm coming back is because my father forced me to with that bullshit announcement. I'm assuming he lied about the people despising Jorien too."

"No, he didn't lie about that. Since the rumors started, the people's approval of Prince Jorien has been dismal. They want you to come back."

"I don't want to be king and Jorien's new vision for Oost den Burg is none of my business. My father created this problem for himself. I shouldn't be the one to fix it or drag Maia into this mess either."

Willem's brown eyes grew dark as he slammed his glass on the table. "It is your business." He seethed. "The people will suffer under this new vision. They won't be able to afford to live in Oost den Burg if Jorien gets his way. Don't tell me being away from home has changed you this much. That you don't care about the people anymore."

"I do care about them, but that doesn't mean I want to be king or be dragged into something my father should've stopped a long time ago," Mateo said, crossing his arms over his chest. "He groomed Jorien for this all his life. I don't see why it's my responsibility to fix the monster he created."

"Because whether you like it or not, you're the rightful heir to the throne and the only one who can challenge Prince Jorien and stop what he's doing."

Mateo sighed, hanging his head in defeat. Willem was right. He could never leave his people to suffer under Jorien's rule. All the work he's done to ensure the taxes the residents paid to the monarchy was fed directly back to them in public services to enrich their livelihoods.

But battling Jorien for the crown was going to be difficult and messy. He was sure to always keep himself from getting pulled into the politics of the council and he didn't want Maia embroiled in it either. "I want to discuss this with Maia before I make any decisions. If I agree to be king, that changes everything we've talked about and I want her to have a choice if she still wants to be with me."

Willem's eyes grew wide. "I didn't realize it was that serious between you two. I thought this engagement was a farce."

"It is, but our relationship isn't," Mateo said, twisting his glass on the table. "And I promised her I wouldn't hide anything from her even if that means letting her go."

"Then I hope that's not the case," Willem said, reaching across the table to grasp his shoulder. "You deserve the love you thought you had with Miss Everdene especially with the woman who made you believe in it in the first place."

Mateo choked out a laugh as a blush burned up to his ears. "How do you know about that?"

"I've been your security guard for a long time. I'm paid to notice everything about you and you didn't start looking for someone to truly share your life with until you started reading Miss Jefferies' novels. I'm happy you found her," Willem said, leaning back in his seat. "Is she the reason you chose Colorado?"

"No, I didn't know she'd be out here," he said, shaking his head. "Meeting her and being her neighbor was pure luck."

Willem grinned. "Sounds like one of her novels and from what I've read of her dossier, it seems to me like you both deserve a happy ending," he said, finishing the bourbon in his glass. "You should try to get some sleep."