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“No, I am not taking responsibility for that mess. That is squarely on the shoulders of that Barney-obsessed toddler and her irresponsible parents. And I wasn’t arrested, just detained.”
“I’m not blaming you. I’m just saying I had other things on my mind at that point.”
“Is that why they let me go so easily? Did you go all royal on them?” The idea that he might have played the royal card to get me out of jail is kind of exciting. How many girls can claim to have been rescued by a real prince?
“No, I didn’t tell them who I am. They were reviewing the tape when Hans and I got to the office. You should have heard them laughing. They knew they had no reason to keep you there. You would have been released with or without us.”
We walk down the cold street, the beautiful stone sidewalks slippery under my high-heeled boots. I hold onto Teo’s arm, wanting to storm off in anger but positive I’ll end up on my backside—or with a broken arm like Lina—if I don’t have his arm to keep me steady.
Plus, I’m not sure I could find my way back to the hotel without him.
And really, do I want to storm away from this man who makes my heart sing? No, I do not.
He presses my wrist between his elbow and his side, pulling my attention back to him. “Are you angry with me?”
Am I? If I’m honest with myself, I’m angry because I don’t know what this means for us. I’ve been falling harder and harder for Teo, and now, knowing he’s a Royal with a capital R, everything is different. Teo loves his family and loves working in the Feltz business. I can’t take him away from that. But I’m not sure I could live with the rules that hem in a royal. And I don’t want to be Meghan to his Harry.
Okay, I am getting way ahead of myself. We aren’t even a couple, and I’m already worried about what will happen if we get married. Besides Tripl3Threat singing at the wedding, that is. I snort a little laugh.
“What?” Teo clamps his elbow against his side, squeezing my arm, then releasing it.
“Just something silly Hyunjae said. Why didn’t you tell me later? You had plenty of opportunities.”
“I was going to. That day I found you on the palace tour—I was going to whisk you away to the back terrace of the palace—it’s got a spectacular view of the grounds—and spill the beans. Then Eduard…”
“Eduard. And I was so excited to meet ‘real royalty,’ I went along with everything he suggested. You didn’t have a chance.” I frown. “Did he know that I didn’t know?”
“No. He called me cousin, remember? I thought you’d… Did you really think it was a cultural thing? No one else says that.”
I bite my lip and try to think of a diplomatic way to say it. Finally, I blurt it out. “I thought you were illegitimate.”
“What?!” He stops, swinging around to stare at me, his face a mask of shock. “You know my parents! And my siblings.”
I shrug. “You’re a couple years older than the other three, so I thought maybe your mom met the grand duke at some drunken party…”
He starts laughing. “My mom at a drunken party?” He mimes chugging a beverage and laughs harder. “Have you met my mom? I suggest you not tell her that.”
“I wasn’t going to! That’s why I didn’t—you can’t exactly ask someone, ‘Hey, was your mom fooling around with the king on the side?’ Besides, I wasn’t sure how far back it might have been. Your parents seem so happy together, and you kind of look like both of them, so I thought maybe she’s the… ‘unofficial’ descendant. Stop laughing!” I smack his chest with my free hand.
He turns his body, rotating me in the direction we’d been going, and starts walking again. “No. We’re all legitimate members of the family. In every sense of the word.” He breaks off with another chuckle, then shakes his head. “My mom is the current Grand Duchess’s youngest sister, but she fell in love with a commoner. My grandfather threatened to remove her from the succession when she said she was going to marry Vati, but he never did it. I think it was just bluster. Plus, before Victoriana was born, that would have meant his cousin August’s children would have taken the throne, and that would have been worse than a Feltz in the line. August is—” He looks around and his voice drops as if he’s about to say something shameful. “August is French.”
I snort a laugh. “Inconceivable! Wait. I understand ‘succession’ in a textbook way, but could you really become the grand duke?”
“No.” He wags his free hand side to side. “Well, technically, I’m number six. But that means both my aunts, and all my cousins, plus Mutti—would have to be dead. So, not something I like to think about.”
I cringe. “Sorry. And if Eduard gets married and has kids…” Based on my experience with Eduard’s dating skills, this is a questionable prospect.
He presses his lips together as if he can read my mind. “When Eduard gets married, any children will move ahead of us in the line. Right now, it’s Eduard, Aunt Franziska, my cousins Victoriana and Khristof, then Mutti, then me. Eduard’s kids will step between him and Aunt Franzi.” He jiggles my arm. “And it’s when, not if. The duchess has picked out a suitable wife for him. It’s not you.”
I stop again and stare up at him. “Why would you say that? There was never any chance it would be me. Ever.”
He snickers. “My aunt was worried that you’d wormed your way into his affections and would ruin him for a proper match.” He says this in a voice that sounds remarkably like the Grand Duchess I’ve heard on TV. At my open-mouthed stare, he chuckles again. “She made it my mission in life to make sure you never darken the palace door again.”
I laugh and quote one of my favorite memes. “Challenge accepted.”
“Well, since you put it that way—what are you doing next Friday?”
Chapter Twenty-Six
