Page 14 of A Ring to Claim Her Crown
Automatic lights clicked on above her head as her heels clicked on the floors, the musty scent of wood polish reminding her of childhood visits here with her father. He had been an amateur archer himself, one of the only things they’d ever had in common. Her natural skill at the sport had never been enough to capture his attention, but still, she had him to thank for the introduction. It was woven into the very history of their country, in the talented bow-makers and fletchers for which Arqaleta had long been world renowned.
She came to a stop in front of a vast case filled with wooden longbows and bronze-tipped arrows, blinking at the faint reflection of herself in the glass. Another tiara adorned her head today, a small piece that had been designed to commemorate her Olympic gold medal. It was an accomplishment that many members of parliament had initially been against her seeking, deeming it unroyal and too time consuming. Robart had been one of the loudest voices against her suitability as future queen, so it stung to see Liro shaking the man’s hand.
She didn’t know how long she stood there in silence. When the sound of heavy footsteps approached slowly from the hallway, she didn’t need to look up. Just as when they’d been young and she’d tried to avoid him, Liro always found her.
‘Hiding from your duty, Min...?’ He tutted, his hands deep in his pockets as he came to a stop by her side. ‘Your handsome bachelors will grow restless.’
‘I’m surprised you noticed, with how cosy you seemed with Robart.’ She laced her tone with saccharine sweetness, her words echoing off the high glass ceiling above them. ‘Tell me...you’re not trying to push your way into the harbour rezoning proposals by any chance, are you? The ones that my mother refused to sign? Would that be the reason you’ve refused to leave my kingdom for the past three days?’
Liro looked down at her, his stern expression breaking slightly. ‘You already know about the harbour project?’
‘People assume that, because I have stopped pushing the boundaries and chosen to step into my role fully, I have somehow stopped being the most focused person in the room.’ She met his eyes, anger masking the strange sadness in her chest at the confirmation that she was right. That he had been toying with her these past couple of days, biding his time as he tried to close a deal.
Liro hadn’t noticed Minerva leave the museum’s function area at first, having been waylaid in conversation by that insufferable politician. Once he’d realised she’d gone, and noticed the distinct absence of the tall, dark and handsome Prince Lorenz, he’d made quick work of stalking down every exhibit hall until he found her.
Now here they were, arguing again. But this time about something he honestly had not intended to keep from her. They’d just been rather busy kissing, arguing and avoiding death by cliff-fall thus far. He took in the molten bronze ire in her gaze and shook off an inappropriate thrum of desire. Now was certainly not the time, not when he had myriad things to explain to her about his intentions with the development plans.
She raised a hand to stop him before he could say a single word. ‘Save it. I knew about that project from the moment whispers began to circulate. I haven’t raised my concerns because I don’t have any.’
‘You...don’t intend to stop it?’
‘My mother and I have very different views on what progress looks like. I believe that rigid control breeds secrecy and corruption, whereas compromise and fairness lead to more balanced results. I want Arqaleta to grow, and growth hurts sometimes, to lead to better things.’
He stared at her for a long moment, before he heard himself murmur. ‘You’re going to make an amazing queen.’
She turned from him, hiding her face. ‘There is no need for you to continue attending events and stalking me for pretence, Liro. Finish your deal and go.’
He took in the rigid pose and the guarded look in her eyes and realised she believed he’d been using their past as a cover, to hide his dealings. If only that were the truth. He took a step towards her, irritation flaring as she took an equal step back. She wanted to keep herself at a distance while they had this conversation but...oh...that just wasn’t going to work for him. He kept moving forward until she looked up at him with some of that glorious fury. He wanted her anger; he needed it, all of a sudden.
‘That deal may be why I accepted the invitation, Minerva...but I think it’s damned obvious to both of us that it is not why I stayed.’ He stepped closer again, crowding her against the smooth glass of a display case.
‘If you truly considered yourself a friend to me, Liro, you’d leave.’
‘If I was your friend, I would tell you that you don’t actually want to marry any of them. They won’t make you happy.’
‘That’s rich, coming from you.’ She stiffened, holding herself at a distance. ‘I don’t want a happy-ever-after, just a husband. The kingdom’s tradition has always included a king consort and I won’t be the one to break that.’
‘Tell me what you need, Min,’ he urged, moving close enough that their chests almost touched. ‘When is the last time anyone bothered to ask?’
‘Right now? I need to go back to the party.’
‘Stay,’ he said, softly enough for it to seem like a request. But the very idea of allowing her to run back to those preening fools, of continuing to watch from afar as they salivated and fought over her attentions like pups... His fists clenched involuntarily. She needed to be cared for in a way that no one else seemed able to see. She was so wound up, so tense and close to breaking point, he feared she might shatter. She put everyone else’s expectations ahead of her own, living each day for her precious duty. Had she ever known a single day of true freedom?
‘I should reveal your identity right here and now in front of everyone,’ she whispered, her breath close enough to fan against his lips. ‘I should have done it the moment I first recognised you.’
‘You didn’t, though. You were far too busy kissing me.’ He tilted his head closer, caging her body in softly with his arms. Despite her threats, she hadn’t made a single move to leave. A fact that made all of the blood in his body rush below his belt. ‘I think you know what you need, Minerva. I think that’s part of the reason why you’re so determined to tear strips off me every time we get too close. We both have a lot of pent-up emotions that we didn’t get the chance to work out.’
‘Are you about to suggest that I hop into bed with you one more time for closure? Bang it out of our systems?’ She scoffed, but he could see the way her honey-brown eyes tried to hide flickers of desire.
‘I’ve wondered if one night of having you back in my bed would be enough. Wondered if it would make this burning need go away...or would it only stoke us back into a full-blown forest fire?’
He leaned forward, lifting her hand to press the ghost of a kiss against the inside of her wrist. She sighed and he felt it like a punch to the gut. He was so hard, he could barely think, but she needed to come to him the rest of the way. She needed to admit that what he was saying was the truth and that there was only one logical way for them to work this tension out and move on.
Because he knew that was all it could be—they both did.
‘Tell me you haven’t thought about it, Min,’ he murmured softly, inching a second kiss upon her palm. ‘Tell me that you haven’t fantasised about me when your day is done and you’re all alone in that big bed of yours. Tell me to leave you alone...and I’ll go.’
His own needy words shocked him, an uncomfortable echo of his younger self that took him by surprise. He wasn’t usually so unguarded with a woman. On the occasions he bothered to seek out company at port, he kept things brief. He treated his sex life much the same as his appearances in the board room—calm, rare and to the point.
