Page 3 of A Ring to Claim Her Crown
‘We seem pretty good together in bed, is that what you want me to say?’ She forced a smile, hating the flippant words as they left her lips. ‘What else is there?’
Liro stiffened as though she’d struck him. His eyes drifted closed and Minerva instantly wished she could take it back. She felt a rush of foolish words threaten to climb up from her chest, needy phrases full of hope and longing that had no place in a safe, royal arrangement like theirs.
His hands gripped her shoulders, holding her away for a brief moment as he stared down at her. He seemed tortured, undone with a riot of unspoken emotions.
‘You deserve more, Min,’ he said softly.
‘It won’t be so bad,’ she murmured against his throat. ‘Not if this is how it can be.’
Giving in to her own weakness, she leaned in to kiss him. No more than a few seconds passed before he groaned and kissed her back. He held her close, his grip intense and purposeful, as if he was afraid she’d disappear at any moment. He was usually careful with her, almost reverent. But this time as they tore off their clothes and began to make love it felt different, more urgent. She was still a little tender—it was only her second time, after all. But she didn’t care, not if it meant they could stop arguing and just go back tothisfor a while. She loved how he made her feel. She loved being with him...so much.
Tears filled her eyes and she told herself to pause, to savour this moment before their relationship became public property, but his lips against her skin made her mind swim. Liro gripped her jaw, tilting her face up to claim her mouth in a hard kiss.
‘I’ll remember you like this, always,’ he whispered. ‘So wild and beautiful for me.’
Just for him.Yes.
She gloried in his words, in the way he held onto her so tightly. Shefeltwild as her body began to shake with the force of her orgasm. She felt it the moment he joined her, his entire body shattering in her arms. Afterwards, he held her close to his chest, not withdrawing or letting go until the chilled night air made her teeth chatter. They were silent as they walked back to the palace but she felt strangely light.
She’d never harboured fantasies of a grand wedding. But the idea of being Liro’s bride...of having him as her husband...made her feel excited and vulnerable all at once.
He walked her as far as the palace gates, as was their habit to avoid being discovered, not that it was necessary any longer. His stiff hug and murmur about needing to take a walk to clear his head set off alarm bells in her mind but she shook it off, telling herself that she was just being sensitive. That tomorrow everything would be figured out. Liro’s whispered goodbye against her lips felt cold and distant but she didn’t question it.
She didn’t question anything...until it was already too late.
CHAPTER ONE
Fourteen years later
MINERVAFOUGHTNOTto fidget with the heavy diamond tiara that had been secured artfully atop her head. Pins dug into her sensitive scalp, a scalp that had already endured three hours of glamorous torture with the royal stylist. Her waist-length curls had been washed, trimmed and tamed into the world’s most intricate chignon.
A mirror was brought in front of her to survey the final look and she made sure to show her gratitude. These people were premium artists in their fields; it wasn’t their fault that their princess would much rather be in jeans with her hair up in a messy bun. Doing away with the various dress codes she had been raised to adhere to for every event would be her first order of business once she became queen. Well, perhaps after she’d made a start on her kingdom’s myriad other pressing issues, but still, it was pretty high on her to-do list.
Before she had a moment to compose herself, a small army of liveried staff entered the antechamber, announcing the arrival of her mother. Everyone rose, even Minerva, as Her Majesty Queen Uberta of Arqaleta appeared in the doorway, looking effortlessly regal as always.
Her mother crooned softly as she took in the antique Arqaletan gold-and-emerald tiara and matching jewels that adorned Minerva’s ears and neck. ‘I haven’t seen these pieces in such a long time.’
‘Master Nasir decided to bring out some of the pieces from your original coronation events, in honour of your celebration.’ Minerva bowed her head towards their elderly curator, the man who single-handedly had preserved so much of her family’s proud history over the years, and took huge honour in holding such a position. Minerva felt the same sense of privilege about her own role in their country’s history, messy buns or not.
Queen Uberta was celebrating thirty years upon the throne on the same day as her sixtieth birthday. While Arqaleta was usually quite busy in the summer time, with tourists and their world-famous archery festival, this year they were holding a week-long celebration to honour their queen’s momentous double milestone. There were to be seven days of events, culminating in a grand ball.
She met her mother’s eyes and saw an echo of her own nervous excitement. Aside from a select few members of parliament and their royal administration, no one in the kingdom knew what was actually in store for them this week.
No one knew that the Queen had decided to change history by stepping down voluntarily. And not for any dramatic or sorrowful reason, simply because she wished to retire and pass on the crown. All of their late-night conversations, all of their detailed brainstorming sessions, were finally ready to be unveiled. Once the announcement was made on Sunday night, everything would change. A new era for their tiny island kingdom would begin.
‘You look beautiful.’ Her mother’s hand gently squeezed hers. ‘Nervous?’
‘A little,’ she said honestly, seeing no point in lying. Her mother could read her like a book anyway. She’d always been shocked to hear so many other royals describe deeply unhappy relationships with the people who had raised them.
But, then again, her mama had been a queen like the world had never known, changing traditions and forging progress even after the scandal of a messy public divorce and her refusal to remarry for the sake of propriety. The thought of having to fill such perfect shoes was a challenge Minerva knew she would not fully reach, but she would enjoy trying.
‘You will have to get used to these public speeches, my love; they will only become more frequent.’ Her mother sighed. ‘You’ve hit an Olympic archery target live on television. Surely that was more nerve-racking than a week of playing host?’
‘That’s different.’ Minerva smiled sadly, not entirely sad that her archery career had come to an end, but still not quite able to talk openly about the world she’d left behind. She’d had a good run, more than ten years of relative freedom to pursue her passion. When the time had come to return fully to her duty, she’d made the transition with ease.
‘If you are not nervous about the speeches, then it must be about our other plans for this week.’ Her mother stood by her side, brushing a non-existent fleck off the bead-encrusted shoulder of her gown. ‘I still think it’s a little unnecessary.’
Minerva shook out her shoulders and walked to the full-length windows that overlooked the crescent-shaped bay of Albo, their bustling capital city. Usually watching the steady movement of the ships coming in and out of port was one of her favourite calming techniques but not today. The harbour was in chaos, with hundreds of wealthy guests who had chosen to travel by yacht, and the harbour master was having quite a time trying to dock them all.
