Page 46 of The Royal Art of Revenge

I wiggle my toes inside my shoes. It sounds crazy, I know, but how can I not? Even if we disregard our childhood and the pact made between our families, I can’t deny that I haven’t stopped thinking about Hattie since the moment I laid eyes on her in the park.

There’s a magic to her, and I fear I’m already under her spell.

Plus, her honesty is wildly refreshing. It’s a far cry from the bullshit I hear on a regular basis from those trying to get into my good graces. I actually respect the fact she doesn’t want to marry me. I wouldn’t want to marry me if I were her, so that’s just fine as far as I’m concerned.

As for her revenge… Well, that’s none of my business. I don’t have enough information on what she’s been through or why she’s so determined to destroy her family. I can’t form an opinion without it, but she doesn’t strike me as the kind of person who’d rip someone’s life apart for nothing.

I trust that she has a good reason, whatever it may be.

“When’s Alec getting here?” I ask, swiftly ignoring his question.

“Five minutes ago.” Alec nods to the maid at the door and strolls in lazily, dressed head-to-toe in his customary black. He lowers himself onto the sofa opposite me and sits back, resting his hand on the back of the sofa. “It’s not like you to be so eager to see me, Your Royal Highness.”

“Drop the act,” I say dryly. “There’s something I want you to look into for me.”

He raises his chin, peering at me with his indigo eyes. “What do you want to know?”

I tell him what’s happened with Harriet, and for the first time in a long time, his usually stoic, expressionless mask cracks.

“Fuck.” He rubs his hand across his jaw. “And you’re going to marry her?”

I nod sharply.

“Sounds like she’s got balls.” He chuckles, echoing Oscar’s earlier sentiment. “Shame you’re going to take her up on her offer. If you weren’t—”

“Don’t finish that sentence if you want to keep your tongue,” I say darkly. “Find out what’s been happening in the Sinclair household over the last two years. If you cross paths with Harriet, keep your hands and your eyes to yourself.”

He smirks, tilting his head to the side. “As you wish, Your Royal Highness. Do you think the lady is aware of your devilish possessive streak?”

“Alec,” Oscar groans.

He laughs in response. “I’m only asking.”

“She’ll find out soon enough,” I reply. “Not that she has any room to talk with how boldly she declared I belong to her.”

“What a woman. She’s wasted on you and your gilded cage.” He shakes his head. “All right, I’ll see what I can find out. Anything specific?”

“When she came back and how the secrecy came about. I want to know what her life has been like for the last two years. Leave no stone unturned.”

Oscar’s gaze snaps to me. “What her life has been like?”

I nod. “The first time I saw her, she was taking photographs in the park. She’s a freelance photographer. Why is the legitimate eldest daughter of the Sinclair family with access to a trust fund working? And if she insists on working, why is it not in the family business?”

“Maybe she’s a rebel,” Alec says dryly.

If only he knew.

“We all know why she was kept secret,” he continues. “Jasmine Sinclair is obsessed with you. There’s no way she’d allow her cousin or sister or whatever they are to come in and take what she believes to be hers.”

“Mm. Even if she is of Sinclair blood, she’s still adopted, and the Royal House’s preference will always be Harriet. Even without the element of deceit.” I run my hand through my hair and sigh. “I don’t know. Something tells me we’re missing information. Harriet has too much hatred towards her family—there’s something going on.”

Alec pulls out his phone. “All right, I’ll get onto it now.” His thumbs fly across the screen, and he puts it down a second later. “If the Sinclairs are hiding something, I’ll find it. They can’t keep anything from me.”

Oscar eyes him. “Are you telling me you have someone on the inside in the Sinclair household?”

Alec’s smile is as chilling as his next words. “The palace is the only place I don’t have eyes, my friend. I know what you had for breakfast this morning.”

“I’d be scared of you if I didn’t know that already.”