“I didn’t tell her I planned to contact them in case they were no more interested in renewing their relationship with their daughter than they were five years ago.”
Nikolai snorted. “She’s marrying a prince. I’m pretty sure that changes things for them.”
“I didn’t tell them about the upcoming wedding. It would hurt Emma to find out they only agreed to see her and Mickey because she was going to be respectable again.” Konstantin hadn’t told the elderly couple that he was a prince either.
Just a friend of Emma’s who hoped to see the estrangement ended.
“And they still agreed to come?”
“They jumped at it. They miss their daughter so much. Her mother cried and begged me to promise I wasn’t tricking them.”
“If they missed her so much, why let the separation go on so long?”
“They couldn’t find her.” Apparently her parents had run into the same difficulty Konstantin had when they’d finally decided to look for their daughter.
They didn’t know the name of their grandson. Didn’t know she’d changed her last name. Didn’t know she’d moved out of state.
“How did you explain them needing to come to Mirrus to see her?” Nikolai asked.
“I told her that this is where she and Mikhail were living right now.”
“Technically, that is true.”
“If not the entire truth, yes. Mirrus will always be home for my family.”
“You just love saying that, don’t you?”
“What?” Konstantin asked, but he knew.
“Your family. I am truly sorry that five years ago you did not feel you could come to me and tell me that this woman was your family.”
“I didn’t recognize it then. I wouldn’t let myself. That is not on you, or our father. That is on me, but she’s forgiven me and the past is no longer a weight around my neck, choking me.”
“I know you. You still feel guilty.”
“I am trying not to.”
“Because she wants you to.”
Konstantin didn’t bother responding. His brother knew him well enough to know that was exactly it. For Emma’s sake, Konstantin was doing his best to let go of the guilt that his own ruthlessness had caused.
And maybe one day, when she loved him again and wasn’t just prepared to become a family for their son’s sake, he would.
Emma was enjoying a rare moment alone in their apartment in the palace.
Mickey was visiting with his grandfather and Lady Solomia. Kon was at work and for this moment, Emma had no classes on etiquette or meetings with wedding purveyors. How they were managing to keep a lid on her and Mickey’s existence while going forward with wedding plans was mind-boggling to Emma.
The loyalty of the palace staff had to be amazingly deep.
Or their NDAs were truly punitive in a way no one wanted to risk invoking.
Either way, Emma needed a moment to catch her breath.
So, when a knock sounded on her door, she grimaced, not really wanting to talk to anybody. Not even Nataliya.
Sighing, Emma got up to go to the door, only to have it open before she reached it.
Konstantin stood on the other side, two people behind him.