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“Off you go.” Frederick gave me a swift light kick to the butt and shoved me toward the door and, for whatever reason, I kept walking toward Zautland’s room until I stopped in front of it, ready to knock. Everyone was at the castle for the holidays, but he currently occupied the late King’s room and it was daunting to even walk by it knowing that the one next door would one day, possibly be mine if I went through with this sham of an arranged marriage.
The minute I lifted my hand to knock on the door after taking a few deep breaths, he jerked it open wearing a grey wool coat, black leather gloves, and a black scarf that somehow made him more insanely attractive, he had tall black boots on like he was ready to go riding, took one long look at me, shook his head and kept walking.
Out of all the kings, he had the most power. He had the biggest castle, the most money, he was the heir to the three Kingdoms, the king of Kings between all of them. He was basically looked at as the ruler over not only his Kingdom but all three joint Kingdoms.
Women and men alike fainted when they saw him.
People adored him despite his ability to follow any rules.
People wanted him, needed his leadership, and yet I just couldn’t get over the way he held himself. While he was educated, he just didn’t care about royal rules and since I’d been living that way my entire life, hating it by the way, it bothered me that he couldn’t at least make the same sacrifices.
Part of me felt stupid, he didn’t care about me, he didn’t smile back at me when I smiled at him, he looked at me like I was a puzzle or something to fix when I was trained in every way to be the perfect wife.
I scrambled after him, reaching for an arm that kept pumping in such a fast walk I nearly face planted. “Hey, I have to talk to you.”
“So talk.” He kept walking until he was down the stairs in the foyer, then out the door getting into a waiting black Maserati.
I ran on my heels to my side of the car and got in. I didn’t even have my cell phone on me, money, my purse, or a coat. I just jumped in like an idiot.
He said nothing, he just took off and started driving, sending my body sailing back into the leather seat, giving me whiplash. “So?”
“So.” I took a calming breath and clasped my hands together, shivering in my seat. He quickly turned the seat warmers on and kept driving at alarming speeds, he shifted, and kept going. I scrambled for my seatbelt and put it on. “Where are you going?”
“Out.” I would have preferred he snapped at me, instead he said it calmly.
I was barely able to stop rolling my eyes. “Yes, I see that.”
“Let me be more specific, away from you, and the castle, and the pressure, and probably to the cabin in the woods that you never even knew existed but belonged to my father. I have thoughts, feelings, things that need to be done, so it’s the place I go to sometimes grab an axe and passionately chop firewood.”
I wasn’t ready for that sort of answer. Without any clothes, or toothbrush, or my cell phone, I strapped in and said, “Okay. Off we go.”
His leather gloves twisted on the steering wheel, his smile was almost mean. “Brave of you.”
“Gonna kill me in the woods?”
“Forgot my special Christmas axe, wouldn’t want to waste it on the old one, especially for the death of a princess, the handle might come clean off, then where would we be?”
“How depressing for your axe.”
“Indeed.”
I gulped and stared out the window as it started to snow. “I don’t like you.”
“You’ve made that.” He increased his speed. “Abundantly clear. Sometimes I don’t like me, do we even ever at all times like ourselves? No. The point is, we have a job to do so even if you have to stare at me the rest of your life, is it not worth the extreme sacrifice for those you do love, for your people, for the Kingdoms? Maybe start thinking about that. I’m crass. I’m rude. I’m all the things you hate. But at the end of the day, my only focus is the three kingdoms, at the very least. Respect that.”
I was quiet the entire time.
It was only an hour away
Christmas music was played, but no more conversation was had, and I had to admit that deep shame washed over me. He may not have been trained the way I was or grown up with the privilege I did.
But he understood the job.
Even if we had to sacrifice it all, it wasn’t about us. This is what we were born into.
Fight for your country. Lead them right. And most importantly, think of them first.
Snow started to come down in sheets. I tried not to focus on it through the windshield because it was making me dizzy. Maybe I sighed too many times.
