Page 96 of Prince in Disguise
Margot leans back in her chair. “This year has brought a number of surprises. First, the incident in Greenhaven.” She gestures to Julien and Whisper. “As well as more concerning signs of unrest. Silaise has more enemies than we were aware of, and therefore needs stronger alliances. Bellamy.”
Bellamy straightens in his seat. “Yes, Mother?”
Her smile is fond, but a little exasperated. “I had intended to arrange a marriage for you.”
Everyone except Claude freezes. Bellamy is too shocked to respond, and Rakos breaks the silence first with a tense, “Your Majesty.”
Heart pounding, Bellamy seizes Rakos’s hand beneath the table. “That’s not going to happen, Mother.”
Margot sighs and waves her hand. “Of course, that solution is off the table now. But the problem of alliances remains. Luckily, I have one son left.”
Her gaze arrows from Bellamy to Audric, whose eyes widen. A brief fracture of surprise before his expression smoothes out. Bellamy rarely sees his oldest brother caught off guard like that.
Margot continues. “I’ll do my best to arrange a match to your liking, and I’ll seek your input in the negotiations. But please try not to fall in love in the meantime. It’s terribly inconvenient for me.”
“Of course, Mother,” Audric says calmly. “I’m at your command.”
An arranged marriage should be easy enough for Audric, Bellamy reflects as they file from the room afterwards. Audric’s sense of duty has never wavered, and he places Silaise above all else.
Bellamy can’t say the same for himself. That isn’t a bad thing. They’re just different.
But just a few months ago, Bellamy would have gone along with Mother’s arrangement. He would have convinced himself he was fine with it, because when would he meet anyone else? When had he ever accomplished anything on his own?
He never would have known what he was missing.
Bellamy tugs Rakos to a halt in a corridor grove, surrounded by bowed trees and swirling orange leaves. “Hey, Rakos?”
Oathguards wait a respectful distance away, but Rakos looks at Bellamy like he’s the only person in the world. “What’s up, sweetheart?”
“Thank you,” Bellamy says simply. And by the softness in Rakos’s eyes, he knows what Bellamy means:Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for loving me.
Thank you for being mine.
***
