“So your grandmother and your father’s most trusted advisor are against us.” I glance at Anderson. “Isn’t it the king’s decision to grant us permission to marry?”
“Technically, yes. But in all matters relating to the monarchy, the king listens to his Privy Council’s advice, as well as the advice of certain members of the royal household.”
“Like your grandmother?”
“Yes, although she’s more accurately a member of the royal family.”
I dig my fingers through my hair, pulling at it. “You do realize how confusing this all sounds, right? Especially to an outsider?”
“I’m sorry I didn’t bring you up to speed on this ahead of time. I still occasionally get confused about how everything works, so I can only imagine how you must feel. Simplest explanation… The royal family includes the people in the line of succession, as well as certain people who were formerly married to a deceased monarch, like my grandmother. The royal household includes everyone who works behind the scenes to make the royal family look good — Privy Council members, private secretaries, publicists. In reality, they’re the ones who keep the monarchy alive and going. The ones who make a lot of the decisions. Imagine this life is a chess board… The members of the royal family are the game pieces, the royal household are the chess masters.”
“I see…” I stare forward, the last bit of daylight slowly disappearing beyond the horizon. “And these so-called chess masters would prefer if I weren’t part of the game.”
“I’m not going to keep anything from you, Nora.”
His firm tone forces my gaze back to his. I survey his appearance…muscles taut, jaw clenched.
“You may not like some of the things I’m about to tell you. I didn’t like hearing them earlier. But there are quite a few people in the royal household and royal family who do not support us as a couple. Who think I should marry someone more ‘appropriate’. Someone who’s been around this life, who grew up in it.”
“So this is your way of letting me down easy,” I reply in a shaky voice, running my clammy hands along my dress. “Tell me your father won’t give his approval.”
“Actually, no.”
I tilt my head. “No?”
“Getting the monarch’s permission is more of a formality. Not to mention, it would look bad if he were to publicly denounce our engagement after it made headlines.”
“If he approves, then—”
“I told them about the pregnancy.”
“Oh.” I shrink into myself, hugging my arms around my body as a sudden chill overtakes me.
He blows out a frustrated laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. “It wasn’t my intention. But Dalton and my grandmother kept going on and on about Caroline being able to conceive a child and not knowing whether you were able to—”
“What a second.” I furrow my brow, recalling a few reporters shouting that name earlier. “Who’s Caroline?”
He smiles sadly. “Caroline DeVries. After Kendall died, we had a…thing. Nothing emotional. Purely physical. She was someone who could help me forget.” He turns his gaze in my direction, mouth quirking into a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry.”
I rest my hand over his and squeeze. “I did the same thing after Hunter. It’s how I ended up marrying Jeremy. He helped me forget.”
“We tried to keep whatever we had going on under wraps, but the paparazzi found us together on the French Riviera and the photos went viral. Since then, the entire country assumed we’d eventually get married. Saw her as someone who helped heal my broken heart, even though neither of us were interested in anything serious. We had an arrangement we’d hoped to keep quiet.
“As a royal, if you go public with a relationship — hell, if you’re frequently seen in public together with the same person — you’d better be ready to announce your wedding date. We went our separate ways roughly three years ago, right after the photos were leaked. But that didn’t stop the rumors from circulating, especially whenever we were photographed together at an event we both just happened to be at.” He brings his gaze back to mine as he clutches my hands in his. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about her sooner. I just—”
“I do know you’ve been with women before me, Anders. You have nothing to apologize for. As long as you haven’t been with anyone since we got together, that’s all I care about.”
“And I haven’t.” He cups my cheek. “How could I be with someone when you’re the only woman who possesses my heart?”
On a sigh, I angle toward him, my lips seeking his. He tugs me closer, his fingers digging into my hair. A part of me wants to crawl on top of him so we can continue what we started earlier. But we need to finish this conversation. Not remain blissfully ignorant of it, like we’ve spent the past several months of our relationship.
When Anderson brings our kiss to an end, I straighten, smiling sadly at him. “I imagine nobody bent over backwards to offer their congratulations when they heard about the pregnancy.”
“That may be the understatement of the century,” he scoffs with a roll of his eyes. “They brought up a few things I absolutely will not repeat to you because their suggestions aren’t even an option to me.”
“What did they propose?”
He gives me a grave look, and I know precisely what he’s referring to. A chill washes down my spine.
“Oh.”
“I refused. Told them that to even suggest such a thing was an insult to me and the child who would eventually become their king or queen.” He places his hand over my stomach.
I grit out a smile, pretending to have the same enthusiasm over the pregnancy as Anderson seems to. I’m trying so hard to be excited, but I still live with the fear of something going wrong.
Still remember enduring over twenty hours of labor, knowing full well I wouldn’t be greeted with a crying baby.
Wouldn’t peer into her vibrant eyes and marvel at this human I created.
Wouldn’t bask in her tiny hands wrapping around my finger.
Instead, all I had was mere minutes to hold her lifeless body before she was taken from me.
I am absolutely petrified of going through that again.
“Which was when I was reminded about the laws of succession. And illegitimacy.”
“Illegitimacy?”
He slowly nods. “If our child is born outside of wedlock, he or she won’t be considered an heir. Won’t be considered part of the royal family. Won’t ascend to the crown.”
“So we’ll need to marry before he or she is born.”
“Not just before the birth. They want us to marry before, well… Before it’s obvious. My father suggested within the next eight weeks.”
“Eight weeks? It won’t take a genius to figure it out. Especially once the baby is born. All it will take is some simple math.”
“I said the same thing. But he believes people will be so distracted by the wedding, then the pregnancy announcement, that they’ll be too excited to do the math. By the time the baby’s born and anyone does stop to do the math, the referendum vote will be behind us.”