Any and all illusions Theodore might have entertained, about their stay being on the short kind, were destroyed at dinner when his parents expressed their desire for him to step up as the rightful king.
To say Emily was shocked wouldn’t cover the half of it. It showed in the way her mouth was gaping like a fish and her eyes bulged.
“She didn’t fully know what she was getting into by shagging you, did she?” His mother sneered.
“Mother,” he said in warning. “Emily is my mate. And I love her.” He made sure to put emphasis on the love part.
“Right,” she scoffed. “You’re Theos,” she said in a proud and yet mocking tone at the same time. “You have put an end to a raging war, alone. You have killed hundreds in cold blood. And yet, you claim now that you love someone? Are you even capable of feeling such strong emotions?”
He merely glared at her in response.
“Excuse me,” Emily positively glowered at his mother. “This is my mate you’re talking about.”
“I was talking to my son, young lady,” she was told briskly.
“And that gives you the right to insult him perhaps?” She retorted.
“You know naught, you impudent child,” his mother argued, her tone filled with all the disdain she could muster.
“I’m not a child, your highness,” Emily countered, adding the last two words because she, too, must have felt the chilliness in the atmosphere.
“Really now?” The queen retorted sarcastically. “How old are you? 20 years old perhaps?”
“I am eighteen,” Emily stated proudly.
“Wonderful! My son is a cradle robber,” the queen quipped.
“Mother,” Theodore warned her, barely managing to keep his anger at bay.
She turned to him, and then addressed him in perfect Russian, telling him to make his mate shut up before she got punished for multiple breaches of the protocol.
And it wasn’t long before his parents retired to their respective bed chambers.
Theodore released a tired sigh. Liam tried to lighten up the mood by telling him, “You should be happy to get the throne. I wish I were you.”
“And I wish I didn’t have to, brother,” Theodore retorted.
“Ah well, you know the protocol,” was Serena’s frown-accompanied input.
“Yeah, I do,” he nodded and sighed anew.
He had thought he had more time. How utterly foolish of him!
“It’ll be okay,” Emily told him softly as she squeezed his hand gently.
He smiled at her and then said, “I should teach you a thing or two about royal court etiquette, dorogaya. I don’t wish to see you beheaded.”
Her eyes bulged at that. “Me neither,” she touched her neck. “I would love to keep my head in place.”
“Let me do the honors,” Serena suggested joyfully. “That’ll give us, girls, time to bond. And you, boys, do whatever it is you do when you’re not trying to earn a woman’s favors.”
“Hey, I take offense in that,” Theodore said in a light tone. “I have never had to bother with women.”
“Yes, because you’re such a hunk, and they flock to you,” Emily said with a pout and threw a glare at him.
“He plays the aloof card, dear,” Liam told her softly. “It works. Every. Single. Time.”
She nodded at him in understanding.
“Are you trying to turn my mate against me or something?” Theodore all but growled the words out at his brother.
“It’s the or something part I’m interested in,” Liam answered back without missing a beat.
Emily giggled whereas Theodore’s eyes stung, no doubt changing from their usually warm gray shade into a fiery red.
And he threw a plate at his brother. Liam dodged easily, and a servant emerged from the shadows and caught the plate deftly.
“You, where were you hidden?” Emily was startled to say the least.
“She was here all along,” all three King siblings said in unison.
“Are you guys triplets or something?” Her eyes widened. “You’re so in sync,” she told them, in an awe-filled tone.
“It comes with the territory,” Liam told her with a shrug.
“We have been together for a long time,” Theodore explained as he drew meaningless patterns on the back of her hand.
“Before we went separate ways, we were attached to the hip, dearie,” Serena told her with a fond smile on her face.
“I see,” his beautiful mate nodded in understanding as she mirrored his sister’s smile.
No, sadly, you don’t, mate. He wanted to tell her. You have no idea the neglect we have been through, all because of this damned power and throne.
** ** ** ** ** ** **
Emily was almost startled by the amount of animosity she could feel coming from the queen. It put Mrs. Steams’s haughty demeanor to shame.
She missed the days back at the estate. She missed Cecilia and the cook and even the housekeeper.
Had she chosen to stay firm and pursue a relationship with Paul, she might have not had to endure all this. But had she chosen the safe bet, she wouldn’t be experiencing the best love story imaginable.
Chances were slim to find true love at such a young age. And yet, she was one of the lucky ones, it would seem.
She only wished Theodore was a commoner, and not a dragon prince with many responsibilities.
She was in the gardens with Serena, the dragon princess doing her best to teach her a few basic rules that ought to be respected at all times, when she spoke up, “What kind of mother says that to her own child?”
Serena’s smile disappeared and she sighed.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken my mind. It’s just…” she trailed off, not knowing how to explain herself.
“Don’t be sorry, dearie,” she told her softly as she patted her hand gently. “You are just loyal to my brother. And I am happy that he found you…”
“But?”
“But don’t speak up your mind so freely, dearie,” there was something akin to regret in the princess’ eyes before it disappeared, and she schooled her features back into an impassible mask, “We, royals, have killed for less.”
Emily’s eyes bulged at that, and she nodded in understanding.
Just what kind of family was the King’s? Sure, they were royalty, but did that give them the right to kill someone just because of a word that was deemed out of place?
She realized then and there that she had maybe – just maybe – bit more than she could chew.
If only her beloved Theodore was nothing but a businessman, things would have been so much easier.
But then again, maybe he wouldn’t have given her a second glance had she not been his fated mate… she needed to stop wishing for the impossible. What was done was done. And what was bound to happen shall happen.
No need to fret over an uncertain future when she had to enjoy the present. And enjoy it, she shall.