I made my way over to the bed, sitting down next to her and putting my arm around her shoulder.
“You know that you’re the princess, that’s the first step. When it comes to everything else, you just have to give it time. It’ll all fall into place.”
“What about you?” she asked, her eyes glistening with tears. “I can’t be without you! Not to mention our baby!”
I chuckled. “Ava, I’m not being shot out of a cannon, though Alaric might be fantasizing about that. If my career at the palace is over, then so be it. I’ll find something else to do, something where I can be close to both of you.”
She sniffled, one of the tears breaking loose and trickling down her cheek. I placed my hand on her face, wiping the tear away. More tears followed, and Ava pressed her face against my shoulder as she let the stress out in sobs. I held her, wanting her to take all the time she needed.
After several minutes, she lifted her head. I rose, retrieving a box of tissues from the bathroom and bringing them over to her. Ava wiped her eyes and shook her head.
“God, I’m going to need to toughen up if I’m going to stay here and rule one day.”
I laughed. “You have plenty of time. But you know what I think you need right now?”
She looked up at me, her eyes still brimming with tears.
“What’s that?”
“A vacation.”
Thirty minutes later, we were on our way to the airport, destination—Paris. Ava had never been, and I’d decided that a week or two in the city of lights would be just the thing to turn her mood around. I had plenty of money saved up as I’d done little with my salary over the years.
As we made our way into the terminal, however, I spotted a small group of men in suits and sunglasses gathered near security, a group I recognized right away as the king’s private security team.
“What’s going on, Luc?” Worry was heavy in Ava’s voice.
Before I had a chance to answer, the group spotted the two of us, wasting no time making their way over.
“Yes?” I asked.
“King Alaric requests your immediate presence.”
Chapter 47
Ava
Something about the palace seemed so damn ominous as Luc and I made our way up the front steps. Maybe it was the gray clouds gathering in the sky above. Maybe it was the guards lined up along both sides of the stairs. Or maybe it was the fact that neither of us had any idea what my father wanted.
“The king is waiting in his office,” one of the guards spoke as we ascended the stairs.
No doubt it wasn’t anything good if he’d gone to the length of preventing us from leaving the country.
Sharing a glance of mutual apprehension, Luc and I entered the palace. The place seemed cold and empty—not a soul around, nor a trace of the party from the previous night. Nothing was out of place, not a single member of the staff to be found.
As if sensing my anxiety, Luc took my hand. His touch calmed me right away. As he held my hand, I suddenly realized what he was doing, where he was doing it, and who he was about to be doing it in front of.
“You sure about that?” I asked, flicking my eyes down at our hands.
He shrugged, a casual smile on his face. “We’re doing the time; might as well do the crime. Isn’t that what you Americans say?”
His easy confidence went a long way toward calming me.
We arrived at the throne room, sunlight pouring into the space through the spotty cloud cover above. The door to the king’s office was open.
“Ready?” he asked.
“As ready as I’m going to be.”