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Philippe nodded.
“Son of a bitch.” This was not what I’d expected of my life. I always knew it was a possibility if something happened to my brother. And I’d been trained my whole life how to be king—like any good spare. But I had no desire to rule, and I never expected to become king because my brother fell in love and stepped down. “Philippe…”
“I hate that I’m dumping this on your shoulders. It was never your ambition. But if you don’t step up, the Beauchenes will become the new royal line.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck. The Beauchenes were our father’s sister’s family. “They’re lazy, entitled, selfish assholes,” I snarled. “They have no sense of pride or duty, and they would bankrupt the country within five years.”
Philippe nodded. “I know you forbade me to do it, but I did a deep dive into Dani.”
“Qu'est-ce que c'est que cette merde?” I cursed in a low growl. I was shocked and angry that he’d invaded Dani’s privacy, especially when I’d explicitly told him not to.
“I knew you were hopelessly in love with her, and I needed to know if she could be queen. I know you’re pissed, but what I found was only positive. I know our people will love her.”
Taking a deep breath, I wandered to the balcony and yanked the door open, needing fresh air. I grasped the wrought-iron railing and leaned forward, looking up at the stars.
Philippe stepped out behind me and closed the door. “I’m sorry, Tristan. I don’t know what else to say. Except that I have no doubt you will be an excellent king.”
“I don’t want to be king,” I muttered. “And Dani…fuck, I don’t know if she would…I know she loves me, and I’m pretty sure she would agree if I asked. But she’d be fucking miserable.”
“There is no other option. You understand why I have to do this. I love her and will give up anything to be with her.”
Twisting my head in his direction, I scrutinized him as I asked, “Even if it means condemning me to a life I never wanted? Me and Dani. ”
Philippe put his hands in his pockets, and his head fell forward, then he looked up and met my gaze with a determined glint. “Even then. She will always be my priority.”
The bitch of it all was that I couldn’t even blame him.
I shifted to face him with my arms crossed over my chest and my hip leaning on the railing. “There’s a solution we aren’t seeing. There has to be.”
Philippe half smiled and chuckled. “We should call Céline. She’s always been the most logical of the three of us. She's practically the face of our family these days anyway.” He laughed ruefully. “We’ve pawned off everything we can on her, and I should feel guilty, but she’s so fucking good at it all. And she doesn’t seem to mind. But she could probably help because she knows the laws inside and…” Philippe trailed off.
I imagined the look on his face mirrored mine because I was pretty sure we were having the same thought. “Céline.”
Philippe frowned. “The law says the throne passes to the male heir.”
“There has to be some way around it,” I insisted. “Dad is the fucking king. He should be able to change an archaic law like that.”
“We need to go home. We’ll all figure this out together.”
I nodded. “I need to talk to Dani and pack. We’ll meet you at Teterboro in a few hours.”
“Bringing her to meet the family, huh?” Philippe’s tone was teasing.
“No time like the present.”
6
TRISTAN
Once Philippe was gone, Michel showed up before I could call him. I gave him the rundown on what would be happening.
“I’ll be ready whenever you are. Just knock,” he told me. Then he left, and I was finally alone with Dani.
I padded down the hall to the office and quietly pushed the door open so that I wouldn’t startle her if she was deep in her studies. However, she stood by the big picture window, staring at the city.
“I’ve lived here all my life, you know,” she said, startling me because I hadn’t realized she was aware of my presence. “My family has traveled all over the world, but New York City has always been my home.”
“I know, princesse. It will always be home.” I didn’t want to leave New York either. It had become home when I moved here for work, but when I met Dani, it just solidified the tether I felt to this place. My heart was here.
She turned around, and her blue eyes were dark and tumultuous. “I understand why you didn’t tell me. But it’s going to take some time for me to stop being really freaking mad about it.”
“As long as you still love me while you’re angry, I’ll pay whatever penance you ask of me.”
