ROME
The Prince looked at me. “Carlott did not mention she led the Polo Team, did she?”
“I’m afraid she did not, Prince Thayer.” I smiled. I should have known.
“Oh, she’s good at it. She’s very natural.”
“Last month, she went to Haiti to help plant trees with the volunteers.”
And I didn’t know that. Hence, the trees and flowers.
The first course was served, then another followed. We had a pleasant dinner, sharing a light conversation about the Caprean.
I learned more about who Carly was before she came to the U. S. She was molded to fit into that shoe. I wouldn’t wonder why she was so heartbroken. She’d been working her ass off since she was very young, yet when she made a mistake, people judged her in a blink of an eye and forgot the things she did to make a difference.
They dubbed her Rebellious Princess on social media, which was not even the worse. She called her names, a charlatan, a Rogue Princess.
A lot of things came to my mind. I wondered what my life would be like in the next few months, with or without Carly. I knew it wouldn’t be the same, but she had a duty to those who still believed in her.
After dinner, Mr. Tan and Homms left. When Carly and her brother started a conversation, I went to Mykel and Cenric.
“How was it?” Cenric asked.
“How was what?”
“To find out your assistant and girlfriend is a princess? Did you give her a hard time at the office?”
I chuckled. I couldn’t believe I ordered here around. In my defense, she applied for that job, and I was also doing my job.
“Adley might have figured out before you did. She’d been telling me that Carly looked familiar, but she can’t put her finger on where she saw her,” Mykel said.
“Let me guess, on social media.”
“Nope. iStyle Magazine. The Prince’s marriage to Kennedy Gilby.”
“Oh.” I was slightly surprised.
When Cenric and Mykel left, I went out to the poolside, and Stellan joined me.
“Are you going to punch me?”
“No, Mr. Langston.” Stellan slipped his hands into his pocket. This guy is actually big. My mind went instantly sideways-I had pushed that thought away, or it would drive me insane. I reminded myself that he was her ex, and I was her boyfriend.
I still couldn’t think of any man touching Carly or my horns spurting out.
“Easy,” he said.
I might have clenched my jaw so hard it ached. And I eased my hands that I didn’t know I formed them into fists.
“I always have known the Princess and I didn’t belong together. I loved her, don’t get me wrong, and I respected her like how I respected her brother. But I’m not the right guy for her. She deserves better. If I am being honest, you don’t deserve her-”
My blood started simmering in my veins. I drew a deep breath because maybe he wouldn’t just stand there this time, and we could brawl on the ground, and Carly would still fly with her brother.
“No one deserves her,” he added. “She has a good heart, a big heart. And people treated her like dirt. They didn’t deserve her compassion. They deserve to rot in hell. Whomever she ends with, I will always protect her. And my loyalty will always lie to the Prince and the Princess. If she’s happy, so do I, whatever choices she makes. If she chooses you, I will be happy for her. But if you break her heart, I will find you wherever hell you may hide your American ass.”
“Are you done?” It was Prince Thayer.
My back stiffened.
“Sorry, T. Just saying the words left unsaid.” He didn’t even look at the Prince. His glare remained pinned on me. “Mr. Langston. You actually punched like a kid.”
The Prince chuckled when he left. “He needed to say that.”
“I understand.”
“He actually punched me once when I did something terrible to my wife cry, my fiancée at that time. So, he deserved to be punched back anyway.” He released a breath as we stood in front of the pool. “Are you and my sister just fooling around?”
“Excuse me?” My head snapped at him. Prince or royal or not, he was intrusive.
“Don’t say it’s none of my business. I watched my sister fall to her knees and cry for days. I can’t let her go through that again, and she can’t handle another heartbreak because you can’t decide whether you deserve her heart or your business.”
I swallowed hard because this would be the second most challenging part. “I want you to take her with you, even by force.”
“Why the fuck do you want that?” The Prince just cursed me. Great. This was getting intense.
“I don’t want her to regret not fixing her relationship with her family. I’ve been there, done that. I wish I had talked to my father, even if I was his disappointment. Even though I had time to tell him how much I regretted not being a good son, my two years and two months were not enough. And I don’t want our relationship to be the reason why she doesn’t want to go. I don’t want to be the reason for choosing to stay when she can do something that impacts your people. She can make a difference, Prince Thayer. I need her-” I looked away. I couldn’t face the Prince anymore as my emotions were in turmoil.
“God knows I need her, but her people need her too. She doesn’t need to prove something to them-I know who she is. They just need to know who she really is, not the princess they judged and treated as a fraud. And I’m not going anywhere. I will always be here waiting if I am the one for her.”
The Prince laughed. “Well, that was sweet.” He then pulled me into a hug. “The first time I saw your picture, I knew you’re a good man, and I knew I was going to like you, Rome.”
“What picture?” I stared at him.
“Seth sent me your picture.”
“Of course.” I scoffed.
“She’s never been out of my sight, Rome. Can I call you Rome?”
I shrugged. “Sure, I guess.”
“She just made me promise not to see her until she figures out her life. And I think she does.”
“May I ask why the King wants to see her?”
“Actually, my father does. But she cannot know it until she’s in the country. And you can’t ever tell her that.”
“So you are putting me in a tough position by lying to my girlfriend?”