Page 118 of Throne Off Course

Harper stared at him, searching for the angle, the trick, the inevitable Sebastian-ness of it all. “What’s in it for you?”

Sebastian smirked, but it was slower this time, more deliberate. Calculated. A quiet warning that, for all his charm, there were things even he wasn’t joking about. “There are still things my so-called father wants handled. And frankly, I’m sick of cleaning up his messes.”

Something in her chest tightened. She knew what that meant—Sebastian had spent his entire life being the perfect aristocratic son, the charming, untouchable heir to a family with far too many secrets. But Lord Hawthorne didn’t own him. Not anymore.

And Harper? Harper lived to expose men like his father.

She leaned back, considering. “You really think you can stomach working with me?”

Sebastian grinned. “Oh, I fully expect you to try to betray me at least once.”

She smirked. “At least once.”

Sebastian clinked his glass against hers. “Then we have an understanding.”

Harper looked at him with amusement, shaking her head. “This is a terrible idea.”

Sebastian downed the rest of his drink, then shot her a wink. “All the best ones are.”

Harper let out a reluctant laugh, shaking her head. For all his faults, Sebastian Hawthorne had his moments.

51

When An Entire Country Is Shipping You

The morning after Sebastian’s victory party, Emilia awoke to find her face splashed across every newspaper in the kingdom.

ROYAL ENGAGEMENT: PRINCE ALEXANDER TO WED HISTORIAN EMILIA CARTER.The headline glared up from the tablet Alexander had left on the bedside table, alongside a note that simply read:Don’t panic. I’ll be back soon.

Too late for that, she thought, scrolling through article after article with growing disbelief.

In the span of twenty-four hours, Parliament had officially abolished the Royal Marriage Act, Queen Eleanor had announced a “strategic step back” from certain duties, and Emilia had apparently become the nation’s newest obsession—all sparked by the moment Alexander had slipped Caroline’s sapphire ring onto her finger.

The Royal Gazettecalled it “nothing short of a modern revolution within our monarchy,” whileThe Caledonian Standard, a paper favored by the old guard, countered with a sterner take: “A Reckless Precedent: Prince Alexander’s Engagement Threatens Centuries of Royal Stability”—Critics argue that abolishing the Royal Marriage Act undermines the monarchy’s foundational traditions, with one senior peer warning, ‘Love is a luxury kings cannot afford.’The Daily Chroniclehad somehow unearthed her academic credentials, publishing a detailed profile that described her as “brilliant,” “principled,” and “entirely unimpressed by titles.”

Most unsettling were the photographs—Alexander presenting her with the historic sapphire ring on Sebastian’s dance floor, their dance afterward, and that kiss… captured from multiple angles, already being shared across social media with the rapidly trending hashtag #RoyalEngagement.

Her phone buzzed with what felt like the hundredth notification of the morning. A message from Harper:

“I know I screamed loud enough to burst your eardrums last night when you showed me the ring, but seeing you two EVERYWHERE this morning is surreal. Three different news outlets have called me for quotes about ‘my best friend, the future queen.’ You owe me a lifetime supply of wine for deflecting their questions.”

Emilia smiled despite herself. Thank god for Harper, who had pulled her into a corner after the proposal, demanded to see the ring up close, and then proceeded to interrogate Alexander about his intentions while completely ignoring his royal status.

Before she could reply, another message came through—this one from Sebastian:

“Congratulations on single-handedly breaking my party’s attendance record, stealing my political thunder, and giving the palace press office a mild cardiac event. If Alexander thinks he’s living this down anytime soon, he’s sorely mistaken. P.S. I’m expecting to be best man, or at minimum, the person who gets to write the most embarrassing speech.”

Emilia was still smiling when her mother’s message appeared:

“Ma chérie, there are reporters camped outside our house. Your father is threatening them with his old university bullhorn—especially the ones shouting about ‘preserving royal dignity.’ He says they’re justmad their dusty rulebook’s obsolete. So much for that ‘strictly professional relationship,’ yes? We are so happy for you, darling. That ring is beautiful. Call us when you can escape the royal bubble. Love you.”

Emilia groaned, tossing the phone aside. The coverage was overwhelming in its thoroughness:

Royal Watchers Weeklyclaimed their relationship had been “the catalyst for his unprecedented stand against tradition,” suggesting that Alexander had risked “everything—his reputation, his position, potentially even his crown” for her. They’d dedicated three pages to the history of Caroline’s sapphire ring, calling it “a pointed rejection of modern royal conventions” and “a symbol of genuine royal love over political expedience.”

The Metropolitananalyzed how Queen Eleanor had been “outmaneuvered by love,” suggesting that her attempts to arrange a match with Lady Genevieve had “backfired spectacularly” and commenting on Alexander’s choice of “Por Una Cabeza” for their dance: “The famous tango, with its lyrics about gambling on love despite the odds, sent an unmistakable message. Prince Alexander wasn’t just dancing—he was publicly declaring his willingness to risk everything for love, in direct defiance of royal tradition. No diplomatic waltz or courtly minuet for this heir.”

There were body language experts dissecting every photograph from Sebastian’s party, claiming that “the way she leaned into him” and “his hand placement on her lower back” revealed months of hidden intimacy, and speculating on how long their engagement had been planned.