Leo wasn’t the man she had thought he was. He had depth and layers, he was complicated, with a past not nearly as easy and entitled as she had assumed. He had struggled with his place in the world, just as she had. In fact, he’d struggled more.
She had been dismissed by her father because she was never going to be Queen, and King Andreas had considered his responsibilities to the Crown more important than his responsibilities to his daughters. But Leo had been abused by his own father; if King Constantin had believed that maintaining a dignified front at a funeral mattered more than comforting a grieving child she very much doubted it was the only time he had hit his son.
Their shared pain had given them a connection—but they had dealt with that pain in very different ways. While she had rejected her royal heritage and reacted to her father’s neglect b
y being more rebellious, more reckless, more irresponsible, Leo had done the opposite. He didn’t even seem to acknowledge the extent of his father’s abuse, nor did he resent his duty to the Crown. And while a week ago she would have thought less of him for that, now she felt more. She’d watched Leo in the last week taking on his responsibilities, refusing to shirk them, even though she now knew how hard some of that was for him. And that had made her think of Jade too, and how Jade had done the same.
While Juno had always taken the easy route, the selfish route, the path of least resistance and done precisely what she chose.
If this week with Leo had done one thing, it had given her a maturity she hadn’t realised she lacked. Made her realise there was more to life than personal freedom, that some things were bigger than yourself. Leo had taught her that. And she hoped in return she’d helped Leo to lighten up a little, to not take every element of his job so seriously, and to forgive that little boy for crying at his mother’s funeral.
‘Are you sure there’s nothing more between you?’ Jade said, sounding wistful. ‘From the press reports I’ve seen, he looks at you in a way he’s never looked at any of the other women he’s dated.’
Juno’s heart galloped into her throat at the softly spoken question. She swallowed heavily, trying to push down the foolish bubble of hope.
That’s because he thinks I’m a real queen.
‘No, there’s nothing more,’ she said.
Don’t go getting even more delusional than you are already, Ju.
As much as she had come to care for Leo, anything more than satisfying the chemistry that had been driving them both nuts for seven days was not going to happen. Because she would always be a fake... And he was the real deal.
‘Jade, I just...’ Juno began again. Just get to the point. ‘What I need to know, the reason I called, is...’ Juno swallowed—could this actually get any more awkward? ‘If Leo and I jump each other tonight. I mean, he’s asked me and I... I really want to go for it. Because, you know, chemistry,’ she said, trying to sound pragmatic when she was struggling to breathe. ‘We’ve agreed it won’t mean anything beyond the physical. That it won’t have any political implications. That the marriage is a whole separate issue. But if you’d rather we didn’t... I mean, I don’t want to mess things up for you... With Leo.’
‘Juno, you’re not serious—what possible claim would I have on Leonardo?’
‘Well, you know, you were considering marrying him a week ago,’ Juno said.
Jade laughed, interrupting Juno’s guilt trip.
‘The marriage was always just about securing a trade relationship and uniting our two kingdoms,’ Jade said easily enough. ‘I can’t believe I ever thought that would be okay.’
‘Jade, you don’t sound like yourself,’ Juno said, noticing the strange tone in her sister’s voice for the first time, a tone she’d never heard before. Jade had always been so certain about her role in life, her duties and responsibilities. Juno had wanted to shake things up with this swap, but now she wondered if she’d shaken them up too much. ‘Are you sure everything is going okay in New York?’
As usual she’d made this call about her. Why hadn’t she asked Jade for details about what was happening Stateside?
‘It’s... Yes, it’s been really transformative in a lot of ways,’ Jade said, but Juno couldn’t tell from her sister’s tone whether that was a good thing, or not.
Juno’s concern increased.
‘I’m discovering things about myself I didn’t realise,’ Jade added. ‘Not all of which I like.’
‘What things?’ Juno asked, getting more concerned by the second. ‘There’s nothing about you not to like.’
‘I used to think the same thing.’ Jade laughed again, but the brittle note jarred.
‘If something’s happened, Jade, you can tell me, or we could swap back. Now.’
‘No. I don’t want to swap back, not yet. I’d really like to stay until New Year’s Eve, like we agreed,’ Jade added. ‘Unless you want to...’
‘No, I don’t want to swap back yet either,’ Juno admitted, glad that Jade at least seemed very sure about staying in New York as long as they’d originally agreed.
‘Listen, Ju, I’ve got to go,’ her sister said. ‘I’ve got a busy day ahead of me. But whatever you and Leo do, or don’t do, you have my blessing. Okay?’
‘Okay,’ she said, knowing she should be pleased her sister had given her carte blanche to do whatever she wanted with Leo tonight.
‘But do me a favour, don’t underestimate your feelings for him,’ Jade added. ‘They might be stronger than you think.’