The way Alexa remembered it, Rafe had been horrified to see her walk down the aisle, and she’d been similarly placed—or rather displaced—so she had no idea what Nasrin was talking about.
It had taken half an hour of convincing, but finally Nasrin had gone quiet on the subject, or perhaps she’d gone quiet because she’d had no choice. Either way, Alexa had been relieved to not have to talk about Rafe.
Her father had naturally asked where her husband was and when he planned to move to Berenia, but Alexa had put him off too, turning the topic of the conversation to business to distract him, all the while knowing that she really needed to come clean about her marriage sooner rather than later.
And she would. She’d just needed another week or so to mourn in private before she closed the ‘Rafe’ chapter of her life. She supposed it had been cowardly to sneak out of his apartment while he’d been asleep, but at the time she hadn’t cared. She’d just wanted it to be easy. And she’d left him a note. Thanks for everything. Call if you need me.
Of course he hadn’t called; she hadn’t expected that he would. And that was okay, because that was easier too.
‘Are you ready, Your Highness?’
Alexa glanced at Nasrin and gave a silent groan. She was still on page twenty, the illness she’d been fighting since her return to Berenia making her feel dizzy at times. ‘I haven’t quite finished the notes you made. Is there anything in particular I should be aware of? Any topics of conversation I need to avoid?’
Nasrin rattled off a couple of things for her to consider but Alexa had to force herself to concentrate. Don’t mention climate change to the Minister of the Russian Interior, and remember to congratulate the Ambassador of France on their latest election results, and absolutely steer clear of the Prince of Tongase because he would bend her ear back about export deals given half a chance.
Logging the details in her memory, Alexa gave her reflection a quick once-over. She’d opted for a simple navy blue sheath tonight and pinned her hair back into a tightly coiled bun.
Her image said that she meant business and she did. The time she’d spent with Rafe lazing around in bed or exploring the countryside was like a distant dream that had happened to someone else.
‘The King and Queen of Santara sent a thank you card for Princess Jana’s gift. They won’t be attending tonight, but that was to be expected. The King hasn’t left his wife’s side since the birth.’
Alexa gave Nasrin a small smile. The last thing she wanted to hear about was how much the King of Santara cared about his Queen. ‘And my father?’
‘He’s waiting for you in the south parlour. Are you sure you’re up to this, Your Highness? You look a little pale.’
‘I’m fine.’
She wasn’t fine. She want
ed to lie down in her bed and go to sleep. Maybe for one hundred years. Smiling at the irony of how her mind had turned to a fairy tale, she shook her head. She’d been awakened by her very own Prince Charming—literally—but he still hadn’t wanted her in the end. He hadn’t even attempted to contact her since she’d left. Not that she’d wanted him to. A clean break was much better.
Heading to the south parlour, she knocked quietly before entering and found her father leaning against the fireplace. His eyes scanned her and he scowled. ‘You don’t look well.’
Alexa grimaced. ‘Thank you, Father. The same goes for you.’ Her father had been fighting a head cold since she’d returned, probably what she was struggling with herself, and should have been in bed. ‘I’m more than happy to attend tonight’s dinner without you if you’d rather rest.’
‘I can rest when I’m dead,’ her father argued. ‘And you should have support tonight. That husband of yours should be here.’
Alexa had been hoping he wouldn’t bring up Rafe’s absence again but...so be it.
She gave a faint smile at the memory of the last time Rafe had muttered those words. Sealing his fate in agreeing to marry her.
But she couldn’t think about Rafe right now, not in that way; she’d probably start leaking tears all over the place and her father would guess how devastated she was. But maybe now was the time to mention the true nature of her relationship with Rafe. That way, her father wouldn’t have a lot of time to grill her about it, and it would give him time to process the details before they met up next.
Taking the bull by the horns, Alexa perched on the chair opposite the fireplace. ‘Before we head down the stairs there’s something I need to tell you about Prince Rafaele and myself. And I want you to know from the outset that the whole idea was mine so any complaints or issues you have should be solely directed at me.’
To give him his due, her father listened patiently as she gave him the CliffsNotes version as to what had happened, leaving out the part where she had fallen hopelessly in love with her husband and how he didn’t love her back. That he would never love her back. Her father didn’t need to know everything.
But she told him the rest. She told him about her proposal, and Rafe turning her down; she told him how they had never meant to actually go through with the wedding, and the marriage bargain they’d worked out between them. She also told him that Rafe had turned out to be nothing like she’d expected, and that he was actually a decent, hard-working man who cared deeply about those he loved. ‘And now I’m back,’ she said, struggling to remain composed. ‘And, as you can see, ready to resume my duties.’
‘I see. So what happens now?’ he asked, his frown revealing how unimpressed he was with her actions.
‘Now we stay married for five more months, and then quietly go our separate ways.’
‘You should have told me this earlier.’
‘Would you have listened?’
Previously, Alexa would never have asked her father such an impertinent question, but he needed to know that she wasn’t the same person she had been before she’d married Rafe. She’d grown up in Rafe’s arms and she didn’t want to go back to the way things had been before. With her ostensibly being a yes person to please her father.