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“Xander?” An expression of fury crossed the queen’s face. “You can’t be serious. After all the trouble we went through to fix this, you and your brother decided to… what? Play a prank?!”
“This isn’t a prank, Mother. Niko and I knew that you wouldn’t listen to us unless we did something big. That’s why we switched places, one last time. I love Maisy. And I hope that, someday, she might love me, too.”
“That’s all very sweet.” Queen Karina sounded more annoyed than touched. “But Maisy is meant to marry Niko. That’s what we’ve arranged. And we’ve had this arrangement for years. If someone had a problem with it, there were plenty of times to speak up.”
“No, there weren’t.” This time, Niko stepped forward. He was holding Agnes’s hand. “An arranged royal marriage isn’t what I wanted. It never was. But every time I tried to bring it up, you reminded me of my duties. I understand that I have duties to Aenicea and to our family, but I have a duty to myself and to the woman I love, too.”
“The woman you love?”
“This is Agnes.” Niko put her arm around the woman, who was blushing. “She’s the love of my life. She’s the person I want to marry, and she’s the only person I will marry.”
“And I want to stay married to Maisy.” Xander kept his arm around Maisy’s shoulders as he turned to his mother. “We understand that there may be fallout, but surely our citizens will understand true love when they see it.”
There was a moment of silence in which all of the parents looked flabbergasted.
Then, Maisy’s mother stepped forward. “Honey, I’m so happy that you’ve found someone you love. And I’m sorry if we pushed you into marrying Niko.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Maisy looked slightly teary. “I wanted to do the right thing for our family.”
“I know you did. But I can see that you and Xander care for each other, and that’s more important than any family obligation.”
“Mom?” Niko turned to Queen Karina. “Can’t you agree?”
The queen wavered for a moment, then seemed to soften. She looked back and forth between Xander and Maisy, and Niko and Agnes. Then she sighed.
“Of course. I’m sorry, too. I didn’t realize that you both felt this strongly. I thought you were just resistant to growing up and taking your roles in the government, but I realize now that you’re more grown-up than I knew. And I see that you’re in love. I won’t stand in the way of that.”
Xander turned to Maisy and, suddenly, it felt like it was just the two of them in that crowded room. Maisy looked up at him with those big green eyes.
“Maisy,” Xander said, his voice low, “I’m sorry that I didn’t fight for you back on Kanalea. But I’m asking you to give me another chance, and I promise I won’t let you down. Our parents approve. Do you think you can trust me again? Will you stay married to me?”
The moment stretched as he and Maisy looked at each other. Maisy bit her lip. Then, ever so slowly, her pink lips curved into a smile.
CHAPTER 20
MAISY
Maisy could hardly believe that this was happening.
She’d dreamed of Xander admitting his feelings for her. She’d dreamed of her family giving her permission to chase her own future. She’d dreamed of saying that she loved Xander.
And now, finally, it was all happening. Her parents and Xander’s had given them permission to be together. Xander had told her that he wanted to fight for her. He was looking down at her with those deep brown eyes that always made her cheeks flush and her knees go weak.
“Xander,” she said. “You love me?”
“I do.” He took her hands. “I love you, Maisy. And nothing would make me happier than to stay married to you. I want to go on adventures with you. I want to watch you embrace how wonderful you are and how much you’re capable of. I want to prove to you, every day, that you are my first priority.”
“I love you, too.” The words came out in a rush. “I think I always have. I had such a big crush on you when we were younger and, despite everything, it only grew. This last week with you on Kanalea was the best of my life. I was so sad when it ended.”
“So was I.” Xander leaned closer, and Maisy felt herself stretch onto her toes, like a flower reaching for the sun. “I can’t imagine my life without you anymore. For years, I had meaningless relationships, just trying to fill a gap in my life that I couldn’t quite define. But now I know, it was you who was missing.”
“You were missing for me, too.” Maisy stretched closer until their lips were about to touch. “I love you, Xander.”
“I love you, too.”
And then they were kissing. It was as much fireworks and electricity and homecoming as it had been on Kanalea, but there was a new element, too. They loved each other now. Their relationship was no longer something secret and forbidden. Now, it was something that they were free to explore.
Xander deepened the kiss, his arms wrapping around Maisy’s waist. She tangled her hands into his hair, eager to be as close to him as she could, eager to explore the love she’d only just acknowledged.
