Page 8 of A Ring to Claim Her Crown
He had no idea what she would do, now that she had discovered his return. He’d have no control over her if she desired to punish him by publicising his true identity. He had come to rely far too much on his new anonymity anyway; he had always known the day would come when somebody joined the dots. But he had not expected his reputation to lie in the hands of the Crown Princess of Arqaleta.
It was quite poetic, really; he laughed to himself as he took long strides across the palace grounds in the direction of the old town where he had a meeting. It was comedic, really, that the woman who had broken his heart and given him the purpose to reinvent himself and finally walk away from his toxic father and their corrupt family might be the one to try to break him.
She wouldn’t, of course—he had worked for too long and too hard to build his empire to the point where very little could take it away. If anything, the public discovering that he was actually a former prince would only elevate Magnabest’s global status. Not that it mattered. He had already ordered his yacht to be readied to set sail. He would be long gone from Arqaleta before night fell. Once he had completed the true purpose of his visit, of course.
He shook off the riot of feelings coursing through him as he walked through the old cobbled streets that he had spent so many summers traversing with Minerva by his side. The capital city, Albo, was busy tonight. The tourist season was in full swing and there was the added excitement of the Queen’s celebration and all of the wealthy guests. He would bet there wasn’t a free bed in the whole of the kingdom.
He did not begrudge them their success, nor did he blame them for the downfall of Cisneros. But still, seeing the obvious health and happiness of the people here felt a little raw. Once the marriage alliance had fallen through, and Liro had walked away from royal life, his father had continued to destroy their kingdom’s economy to the point of revolt. His two older brothers had been instrumental in navigating a path for Cisneros to return to Spain, dismantling their historic monarchy piece by piece, but Liro had made the conscious choice not to return to help. He had invested in Cisnerosi companies and created jobs, but nothing more.
It had long been known that Queen Uberta was the main reason why Arqaleta did not make use of the shipping lanes that were so popular with most countries around the Mediterranean. Their enviable position in the Alboran Sea midway between Spain and Algeria made them an untapped resource that he was determined to get for himself.
If anyone was going to take advantage of this deal, it would be him. From the moment he had first heard whispers of plans to redevelop and rezone the land around the small harbour, he had been thinking of a way to try to claim it. So, when the invitation had arrived from Queen Uberta herself, he had laughed aloud at his own good fortune. Getting a meeting with one of the top politicians in charge of the rezoning project had been child’s play after that.
The meeting was held in a private conference room at the top of Albo’s iconic parliament building, a beautiful white marble-and-stone structure that had once housed army battalions in times long past. Arqaleta was rich in history like this: most of its streets were lined with the plaques of UNESCO historically preserved buildings and the people worked hard with government infrastructure to keep their culture preserved. Arqaletan people were proud and welcoming to the tourists who provided most of their annual income. They might not take well to the lengthy development and disruption that would come from his redevelopment plans, but they would come round to it once they realised the benefits. He was sure of it.
As the government officials talked through the details of the harbour project, he wondered how much they had even considered the balance between old and new, but that was not something for him to consider. He was here to invest, not preserve the kingdom which had done nothing but reject him and remind him that he was not worthy. He might no longer be the young, naive prince who had been sent here to carry out his father’s bidding, but he’d still felt the sting of the reminder of his banishment with every step he had taken through the palace.
One politician in particular, an elderly man named Robart, seemed particularly eager to get him to name his price and cement his offer. As a lifelong silent observer, Liro considered himself to be a particularly good judge of character, and something about this guy instantly put him on guard.
‘What does Queen Uberta think of this deal?’ he asked.
As expected, the men and women around the table exchanged not so subtle glances, most of them directed towards Robart, who then took the lead in responding.
‘Her Majesty has much to worry about, what with the unrest surrounding the Crown Princess’s negative standing in public opinion at present. She is more concerned with ensuring that the royal line carries on. So we have taken the initiative in creating some new projects that ensure our kingdom is at the forefront of economic progress.’
‘What is the nature of this negative public opinion?’ Liro asked, using every ounce of his energy to keep his body relaxed and his expression slightly uninterested.
‘There has been some unrest.’ The old man smirked. ‘She spent much time travelling as an Olympian—an admirable adventure, but not really one that instils confidence in the people.’
‘A gold-medal-winning Olympian as queen makes them lack confidence?’ Liro raised one brow.
‘Her athletic prowess is impressive, but we are still a country of tradition. Her mother gave her life to this country from a young age. She married well and she carried on the royal line. Minerva’s duty is to do the same, and yet she has not shown any interest in marriage or family. It’s a bad look.’
‘A bad look that the Queen is very occupied with trying to fix, it seems...’ Liro mused, finally seeing the full picture. Minerva was being forced to marry to appease her people. The very thing that Liro had almost made her do a lifetime ago. He had walked away from her, from this kingdom, to ensure that she was not trapped into a loveless marriage of convenience.
‘Congratulations to you, on being invited as a potential suitor. You have your work cut out for you with the others. I believe the Frenchman, Jean-Claude, is a firm favourite with the public.’
Liro thought of the suave aristocrat he’d spied monopolising Minerva’s attention over dinner and felt his fingers grip his wine glass to the point of risking shattering it into a million pieces. Was this truly why the Queen had issued Liro San Nicolau, a man she had never met, a personal invitation? Did she believe a mysterious shipping magnate to be a potential future king of her kingdom?
‘I’m here to do business,’ he snapped, pushing away a sudden vision of any of the other men he’d met this evening taking Minerva as their bride. The very idea of her being pressured to choose from her mother’s selection brought a sour taste to his mouth, but he brushed it off, bringing the conversation back to the final points he needed to know about the deal before leaving without another word.
It was only once he had returned to the solitude of his yacht in the harbour that he allowed himself to sit and think upon what he had just discovered.
Señor Robart was clearly pushing the agenda of Minerva being unsuitable to mask his own dealings behind the scenes. He would bet good money that Robart was also the reason why the royal family had been kept out of earshot of this deal until it was far enough along that they could not refuse the cash injection that it would provide.
It was none of his business and yet, when his captain came to ask if they should leave, he found himself pausing the order. It was not his duty to care for Minerva or shield her from the consequences of her own life. He was not her fiancé any longer and, judging by the events of today, she would have a new fiancé by the end of the week.
If Queen Uberta had not discovered the truth behind shipping magnate Liro San Nicolau, what on earth had she neglected to find out about the others? Thoughts crowded his peace, agitating him as he stared out across the sea towards the palace.
CHAPTER THREE
MINERVATOOKAdeep breath and stared bleakly at her reflection in the mirror. Even with twice the amount of make-up she would normally wear, the result of her sleepless night was still starkly visible. She had returned to her room the evening before in a haze of quiet shock, excusing her maid in favour of spending some time undoing the tiny buttons of her dress one by one. But, even after undressing and taking a long freezing-cold shower, she had still lain awake for the entire night staring at the canopy above her bed and trying not to think of the feeling of having Liro’s lips consuming hers.
The thought of seeing anyone today while she was still so shaken up was unbearable. She’d half-toyed with the idea of faking an illness just so she could lie in bed. But that would only encourage her mother and Bea to come investigating, and she would already struggle not to tell them everything as it was. There was no need to tell them anything, not so long as their unwanted guest disappeared, as she’d told him to. Once he was gone again, she would relax. She was sure of it.
She’d hoped that her memories of their chemistry were exaggerated, that perhaps her nineteen-year-old self had simply been overwhelmed with her first experience of lust. But, of the small handful of other people she’d kissed in the past fourteen years, none had ever made her feel close to what Liro had. Closing her eyes, she tried to focus on the items in her wardrobe, but her mind kept going back to his words.
I didn’t come back here to hurt you again, Min.
