Roman
“I’m glad my dearest son, Roman, could make it to lunch for once, which shouldn’t be too hard.” Queen Mary spoke with a sarcastic smile on her lips.“He doesn’t have a wife or an heir, so he has all the time in the world.” She whispered the last part. I took a breath and ignored her words. Being the crown prince of Penevia was not easy and especially with Queen Mary as my mother.“If I may, your highness.” Lord Crawford cleared his throat. He was my uncle, the king’s younger brother, and a close friend of the queen. He had named himself prime minister, and it was all because he would never get to the throne. “Of course, uncle.” I smiled politely, placing down my fork. “Please, speak.”My father, King Edward, who was just as curious to hear what his younger brother had to say, placed his hands on the table and followed the conversation. “As you know, your father’s fourth cousin, King Abel of Soliste, has been trying to put a claim on this throne, and seeing as you are twenty-six and have yet to produce an heir—““Because I’m not a machine, and the heir is right here.” I interrupted my uncle and kissed my six-year-old brother, Prince Oliver on his cheek. “You mean the king’s bastard?” Mother muttered under her breath while the king let out a defeated sigh. Oliver wasn’t her biological son and belonged to the king’s longtime mistress, Lady Pia. Even if I wanted to hand over my position to Leo, it would still be illegitimate unless there was really no other way.I would’ve mentioned my twenty-one-year-old sister, Joan, but everyone knew the kingdom would go to shreds if she were to take the throne. Worse than her absence was her relationship with her criminal boyfriend. Of course, I was aware that I was the kingdom’s last hope, and it wasn’t like I didn’t love the power, but I was in no hurry to settle down.The king of Soliste had always been jealous of Penevia, which was about three times bigger than his own kingdom. He had been bothering us for years, and there were rumors that he was slowly collecting political strength to push us off the throne.Unlike me, his eldest son, who happened to be my distant cousin, had an heir and a wife. Although Soliste did not have much power, they had a clear future. One which could possibly bring Penevia in danger. I loved my kingdom, and I loved my people, but even then,I would not marry some stuck-up noble. I would not end up like my father, King Edward, who only got married to protect the throne.“King Abel can keep dreaming because the throne is in good hands, and if I decide to marry, it’ll be out of love, and that’s final.”“Did you love the girl you married in Las Vegas?” Father spoke up for the first time. He laughed at his own joke while Lord Crawford joined him. It was an unfortunate event that I had to be reminded of for the past six years.Yes, I got married, and yes, it was a mistake. It was a short marriage that had gotten annulled as fast as it had happened. It was completely erased from existence, so there was no need to discuss it.At times I could still see her in front of me. Audrey.How could I ever forget her mesmerizing dark eyes, which had almost seemed black, or her dark curls, which I was not allowed to touch? With her bold and confident personality, she had definitely left an impression, that was for sure.“What happened in Las Vegas?” Little Leo asked.I frowned. “Nothing, eat your food!”The people loved King Edward, but I viewed my father as an immature man who loved making fun of me.“Roman, I found you some suitable marriage candidates. They’re all from well-off families, and they have good qualities to one day become queen—““Do you also have a marriage candidate for me, Aunt Mary?” My cousin, Brandon, entered the room. He was my best friend and my father’s relative. “Brandon, it’s good to see you!” Father stood up and kissed his forehead.“I see you’re here, Brandon...as always.” Mother rolled her eyes. The queen and Lord Crawford were not fond of Brandon, most likely because he was one of the few sane people in this palace.“Uncle.” Brandon bowed. “Prince Brandon.” Lord Crawford forced himself to smile at his younger nephew. The alliance between my mother and my uncle was probably put together by satan. They were both cold-hearted, stiff and boring.“Lunch was nice, now please, if you’ll excuse me.” I rushed from the dining table. The king gave me a nod, while the dismayed looks on my mother and uncle’s eyes were enough to make me run out of the room.“Come on, Brandon!”Brandon followed me to the hallway and could finally take a breath. No one had to tell him that he was not wanted here because he already knew that. Even then, he had still decided to remain at my side.“Brandon, did you hear that nonsense?”“I sure did.” Brandon snorted. He did not have much to worry about, so the idea of me having to get married probably sounded hilarious to him.“Wouldn’t it just be great if your royal heir would just fall from the sky?” Brandon said. “Just like that.”Even though it was a joke, it would probably be for the best. It meant that I did not have to carry this annoying burden of an entire kingdom depending on me. “Your highness, there you are!” A familiar voice nearly yelled in my ear.It was Lenny, my personal butler and a real pain in the ass. He was in his late fifties and had been working for the royals before I was even born. That man practically raised me to the point he knew me even better than my parents did. Perhaps that was why he was starting to get on my nerves.“Please tell me I don’t have a schedule for today, Lenny.” I faced him. “Brandon, Dalton, and I have plans.”Dalton was my personal guard and my best friend. Brandon, Dalton, and I were inseparable—which was mainly due to them being the only two in the palace who saw me as a human being instead of a product.“Well.” Lenny sighed. “Then I’m afraid you have to cancel them, there are tourists about to make their way over to the palace, and you need to greet them from the balcony.”“Oh sure, I’ll also go to the gates to give them a handshake and a cookie for visiting the palace,” I spoke sarcastically. Lenny looked at me with hopeful eyes and squeezed my hands. “Really, your highness?”“No, of course not.” Brandon chuckled. “You know how he is, always so rude, sarcastic, uncaring—““That’s not true!” I defended my pride. I loved Penevia, and I loved my people. I was just not willing to go that extra mile, which was completely fine. I lived by my own rules.“You know what, if it’s really that necessary—I’ll stand on the balcony or whatever and greet those tourists.”Lenny clapped his hands and gave me a bow. “Thank you, your highness. We’ll start in three hours.”Audrey“Look!” Mars pointed out the horses. We were on a tour bus on our way to the palace. The streets were filled with royal guards, who were walking their horses, and it indeed seemed like a scene from a fairytale movie.“One of the biggest sports in Penevia is sword fighting!” Tony called out through the microphone. I tried my best to listen to his words, but it was hard to do so with Mars pulling my sleeves.“Mars, stop it!” I hissed. He followed my instructions and looked at me with his big innocent eyes. “I’m sorry, what is it?” I changed my original approach.“Mommy, can I go sword fighting?”“No, absolutely not.” I laughed at his crazy suggestion while Ashley laughed along. Mars had a cute and confused look on his face. “Who even does sword fighting? We have guns nowadays.” Ashley snickered just loud enough for Tony to hear.“You’d be surprised at how much damage a sword can do, but yes—it’s the 21st century, so we
AudreyI had to get out of here.“Ash, come on!” I pulled her hand, waking from my trance. Roman turned around and tapped a man’s shoulder before pointing his finger towards my sister and me.“Ash, come on!” I spoke one more time, but Ashley held me by my arm to stop me from walking. “We won’t move, we’ll stay here, and we’ll see what he does.” She decided. I looked down at Mars, who was still in my arms and seemed completely unfazed.“Ash, let’s g—““Audrey Sinclair?”Ashley and I stared at the man who called out my name from a distance. It was the same man Roman had spoken to. I moved my eyes to the balcony, but Roman had already disappeared. Vanishing into thin air seemed to be his talent. What was his game? What was he up to?The mysterious man made his way through the crowd and made eye contact. “Audrey Sinclair, that’s you, right?”“Yes?” Ashley spoke. “I’m her sister. Can we help you?”The man sm
Audrey“So, who is that little boy?” Roman asked in a demanding tone. He looked at me as if I owed him an answer.“What? What little boy?” I glared at him. That was definitely some way to start a conversation. He had a lot to explain, and the last person he should be asking about was Mars.Roman sighed. “We both know it wasn’t a ghost, I meant the little boy who just went with your sister.”“Oh, that’s my little brother.” I couldn’t help but smile at his remark. The way he carried himself hadn’t changed much. He sounded just as demanding, but back then in Vegas, I had found it to be attractive. He had a doubtful expression and looked me up and down, judging me. Maybe it was my T-shirt, perhaps my ripped jeans or the sneakers underneath? Who knew?“Y-your brother?” Roman spoke, relieved. By his reaction, I could tell the idea of Mars being his son would be like a nightmare to the prince. “He looks so much like…for a second I-I thought
RomanThis must be the best fucking day of my life.Quite frankly, that was all which was going through my mind as I paced back and forth with a succeeded smile on my lips. It felt like I had just won the lottery, and no one could take that away.“Are you really my daddy?” The young boy who would be the answer to all of my problems asked. I knelt, reaching for his hand.Thirty minutes had passed, and in those minutes, Mars’ had shown me how confident and brave he could be. The right qualities for a crown prince. Mother would like this.“I sure am.” I nodded. “Which makes you a prince as well.”He was a prince, no doubt. I would make him my crown prince. I would use him as a pawn and shape him into the young heir my family always wanted.As for Audrey? I would have to make her my crown princess, at least until I had Mars and all the officials under control.“When is mommy coming back?” Mars asked. I was at a loss
AudreyThis is not my bed.I rubbed my eyes and yawned before scanning the large bedroom. That’s right. I was at the palace.After Mars insisted on staying here, I could not decline his request. I would not take away the opportunity for him to have a relationship with his dad, no matter how much I despised the so-called crown prince.With a smile on my lips, I turned to wake my son, but I couldn’t find him beside me.“Mars!”I sat up straight and panicked as I looked around the room, but I could not find my son. “Mars!”In a hurry, I jumped from the bed and opened the large door leading to the hallway. “Mars!”My worst nightmare became a reality.A young maid ran over and bowed. “Excuse me, miss.” She spoke. “Are you looking for the boy?”Desperate, I grabbed her hands. “Yes, do you know where he is?”“Yes, miss.” The maid nodded. “He’s having breakfast with the royal family. The crown
AudreyMarry him?Is this man insane?My jaw dropped. “Roman—““No, listen!” Roman grabbed my hands, shocking me even more than he already had. “I haven’t been able to do a lot for you or Mars, and for that, I’m so sorry.” He apologized. “I talked with your sister, and she told me that your financial situation isn’t the best at the moment—so please let me help you…both of you.”Did he talk with Ashley? How did my sister even find out about my financial situation, and more importantly, why was she telling the crown prince of Penevia my business?Embarrassed, I turned my head. “I don’t need your money, and you can look after your son from a distance,” I sneered. “Despite that, I’m not cut out to be a princess, and we don’t even love each other.”“I think you’ll make a great princess,” Roman said. “And we can learn to love each other.”Learn to love each other?Just hearing him speak was enough to get me to puke. Was I really talking to the same man who had an ego larger than the palace?
Audrey“Oh my god, sister!” Ashley squealed, pacing back and forth. “Do you even realize you’re marrying the prince?”“Do you even know what this means?”I repeatedly bumped my head against the closet, hoping for all of this to be nothing more than a stupid dream.What the hell was I actually doing here?After returning to my room, the first thing I grabbed was a notebook to write down my terms. Being a princess for a year under my conditions didn’t sound bad.How difficult could it be?I bet all the royals did was sit down and do nothing.I took another look at my notes, doubting my decision. Was I really that desperate for money? I hadn’t even asked Mars about how he truly felt about all of this. What if he ended up changing his mind?“Ashley, I’ll call the prince and tell him all of this was nothing more than a stupid mistake—““Shut it!” Ashley slammed her hand over my mouth and held me in a chokehold. “You’re lucky we aren’t twins—don’t you dare ruin this for us!”“Us?” I managed
Roman“Cousin, I still believe you have officially lost it.” Brandon raised his glass as a mocking grin appeared on his lips. “I mean, marrying a commoner?”“I guess so.” I clicked our glasses. Yes, I had lost it—but I was running out of options, and Audrey and that little boy both came as a blessing. They were exactly what I needed not only to save the kingdom but also to get Soliste and King Abel off our backs.I grabbed the liquor bottle and waved at my bodyguard, beckoning him to come over. “Come on, another glass for you—Dalton!”As politely as ever, Dalton bowed his head. “Your highness—““Ah!” I shook my head. “Roman.”Dalton sighed. “Roman, I have to refuse—““As your future king, I order you!”Startled, Dalton had once again bowed his head before stepping closer to fill his glass. Although we had known each other for a long time, he had been hypnotized by his father’s ways. His father, Lotus, had been the head of the royal security for years—so it was only a given that he wou