The Proper Princess

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER TWO

Crown Prince Enrique Cierzo de Amanecer stood in the king’s office. He was set to depart the palace in fifteen minutes, but his father had asked to see him, so here he was.

Enrique flicked a piece of lint from his sleeve. His tailored suit fit perfectly, but the silk tie around his neck seemed to tighten like a noose. Even though he wanted to loosen the knot, he kept his arms pressed against his sides. Appearing weak or nervous would only make matters worse.

“Do you understand what's at stake, my son?” His father’s voice was firm yet filled with compassion. An odd mixture, but not an unexpected one. Over the past two years, King Dario of La Isla de la Aurora had strived to be a better father to his two sons, which was why Enrique hated the position they found themselves in.

“I do, sir.” He only hoped his princess bride was willing to say “I do” to him.

“I’m sorry, Enrique.”

His father’s heartfelt apologies for the way he’d treated both his sons had helped them become a family again. But this time, the words were unnecessary. “You don’t owe me or anyone else an apology, sir.”

“I feel as if I do.” As his father paced the length of his office, his shoulders hunched in a not-so-kingly manner. The man could no longer carry the weight of his country’s demands, which was why his doctors suggested he retire. “I had no idea when I announced my abdication date, the Parliament would change the succession law. I still can’t believe they are requiring the crown prince to be married before he can ascend the throne. It’s ridiculous and unheard of. I have asked—demanded—they relent, to no avail. I may still wear the crown, but my hands are tied.”

The remorse in his father’s voice matched his expression. Each passing month aged his father more. He needed to be on the golf course enjoying his golden years, not battling politicians with agendas.

“I don’t blame you for anything, sir.” Enrique didn’t. He’d been trying not to take Parliament’s declaration personally. Yes, he’d exploded in private but not in public. That was…progress. “I disagree with Parliament’s change, but I see why they did so.”

His younger brother, Alejandro, was married to Jules, AKA Princess Julianna of Aliestle, an obscenely wealthy albeit tiny European country. They’d recently celebrated their one-year anniversary. She was to have been Enrique’s bride—and, if she’d married him as planned, none of this would be an issue—but she’d fallen for his brother. Even if Enrique might lose the one thing he’d ever wanted, he was happy for the deliriously in-love couple.

“Parliament wants what they believe will be best for our kingdom—to strengthen our alliance with Jules’s father,” Enrique continued. “King Alaric wants nothing more than for his only daughter to be queen. If that happens, our island will reap the rewards and prosper.”

“True, but I believe more is behind the change,” his father admitted. “Before you were born, Parliament tried to kill the monarchy so they could control everything. I fear the same mentality has taken hold of those robed fools. But I must give them credit. Setting ridiculous ascension laws is less messy than a coup would be.”

Heat rushed through Enrique’s body. Muscles tensed. He gritted his teeth.

“The monarchy will not end.” The words came out short and clipped. Just the thought made Enrique’s gut clench. “That will never happen.”

His father’s gaze narrowed. “You sound certain.”

“I am.” Enrique’s plan was foolproof.

If they had to use it…

“Your brother doesn’t want to be king.” Regret filled his father’s voice.

“That is true, but Alejandro has reconsidered thanks to his lovely wife. He understands what his royal duty is and has embraced it.”

His father clutched the back of a chair. “Are you serious?”

Enrique nodded once, sending a s***h of pain ripping through him. His father needed to know the plan, even if Enrique hoped not to need it. “If I…fail in Gaullia, I will relinquish my title as crown prince, and Alejandro will ascend the throne instead.”

The lines on his father’s forehead deepened. “Did you or Alejandro come up with this plan?”

“I did, but he agreed. As did Jules.”

The actual discussion hadn’t been as simple as it sounded. Even though his father had threatened to bypass Enrique in the line of succession if he didn’t follow orders, he had spent his life preparing to be king. He’d turned himself into a clone of the king, much to the dismay of Alejandro. Enrique had finally realized that wasn’t good for any of them. Still, it wasn’t in his nature—though he’d been trying to change that—to be selfless. But the continuation of his family’s rule was the most important thing. If worse came to worst, he would ensure that happening.

“Who else knows of your plan?” his father asked.

“Only the four of us.” Enrique hadn’t wanted to tell his father until Alejandro had committed himself one hundred percent to the plan. That happened last night. “No matter whether a royal wedding occurs in Gaullia, our family’s rule over La Isla de la Aurora will continue.”

Even if Enrique wouldn’t be the one with the title and the crown.

As his stomach roiled, he forced himself to breathe.

Don’t think about that.

His father’s expression remained tense. “What about you?”

Enrique would have laughed, except he would likely appear a madman. Which he was. The quest to find a royal bride had been pure madness. His many failures to secure a match…

Pathetic.

But the blame was his. And his alone.

“I will be…fine.” A lie, but what else could he say? His father’s health had become a serious concern. “Don’t worry about me.”

“You are my son. I will worry, especially since you were raised to be—”

“King,” Enrique finished for him. “Which is why I’ll do everything in my power to see the monarchy remains.”

Even without me.

Affection filled his father’s eyes. “You have changed so much these past two years.”

“I’ve been trying.” With Alejandro and Jules’s help.

“You’re succeeding.”

In some ways, yes. But not where it mattered most now.

Enrique’s future rested in the hands of an unknown princess from an obscure country. He had been asked to go to Gaullia when protocol dictated she should come to him. Yet, he was going and agreed to be married there because she was his last chance to be king.

He prayed Princess Madeleine was more open to an arranged marriage than the other single princesses he’d met. A few hadn’t allowed discussions about a match to occur. Others had met him once before rejecting him. Some spent a few days with him. One had banished him from her country when he’d unknowingly offended her.

Note to self: never mention a woman’s calves.

He swallowed a sigh. “Let’s hope I have one more success in me.”

His father touched his shoulder. “No matter what happens, I am proud of the man you have become, my son.”

A lump burned in Enrique’s throat. He was thirty-five, but he wasn’t used to such compliments from his father. That might be the last one he received, in person. Hearing “man” not “prince” or “ruler” was not lost on Enrique. No one believed he would return to the island with a bride.

Not even him.

Although Jules begged to differ, Enrique’s mother had been correct when she’d left the island—and him—twenty-seven years ago. He might have been only eight, but he remembered what she’d told his father. Enrique’s heart wasn’t capable of loving. He was flawed when it came to personal relationships.

Broken.

His recent failures magnified his past ones and reaffirmed he was broken in a way that couldn’t be fixed. But duty required him to try, no matter the odds, before he gave up everything that mattered to him.

“Thank you, sir.” Enrique forced a smile. “I’ll do my best not to disappoint you or our kingdom.”

“I know you will.” His father’s gaze softened. “We shall see you at the final rehearsal.”

Enrique wasn’t the only one lying. Given his past record, he doubted he would make it as far as the day before the wedding, but he would play along. “I look forward to seeing you, Alejandro, and Jules in Gaullia.”

“I love you.” His father hugged him. “Safe travels, my son.”

Until Jules entered their lives two years ago, hugs, compliments, and affection had been scarce at the palace, but his father had done a turnaround after seeing how poorly King Alaric treated Jules and her brother Brandt.

Enrique fought the unfamiliar urge to cling to his father. But he couldn’t stand here forever. “I need to go to the airport.”

As he left his father’s office, Enrique didn’t dare look back. If he did, he might want to stay. Instead, he kept his shoulders back and his chin up.

His footsteps echoed through the hallway. The limousine was waiting, but he was in no rush to leave the palace.

His…home.

In the foyer, uniformed attendants stood on either side of the heavy wooden doors. He acknowledged them with a nod before focusing on the marble statue of Eos, the Goddess of the Dawn and the Greek counterpart to the Roman Aurora, looming large in the palace’s entryway.

Growing up, he’d believed Eos was there to watch over him because he was to be king. But he’d made too many mistakes to have had any kind of otherworldly guidance. Still, his hand touched the cold stone—a way to ground himself and to say…goodbye.

Because Enrique hadn’t mentioned if he didn’t wed, he wouldn’t be returning to the island. The kingdom needed to embrace Alejandro, who would be their new crown prince, not have the former one hanging around like a specter of what might have been.

He’d packed three suitcases—two with clothes he would need for his trip to Gaullia and a third with those items he didn’t want to leave behind. Unfortunately, one thing he would have to live without was the palace garden. Nurturing the plants had been his escape since he was a child, and under his guidance, the garden flourished. More had been added over the years. The groundskeeper assured him the staff would tend the plants while he was away.

The thought of never working in his beloved garden or having the sweet fragrance of the blossoms tickle his nose again cut Enrique to the core. He’d grown up believing he was irreplaceable, but the garden would survive without him and so would the island. He didn’t know if the realization left him humbled or devastated. But he had no time to dwell on it.

For better or for worse, he had a plane to catch.