Page 36 of Back to Claim His Crown
‘It’s taken them more than a week to remember my existence.’ She’d deliberately not reached out to them. She’d wanted to see how long it would be until they tried to contact her. And yes, that was a little petty, perhaps, but she’d been deeply hurt.
‘I’ll scare her off if you want me to.’
She smiled but shook her head. She couldn’t hide from her family for ever. Lucian had said she was courageous and right this second she believed him. After all, she’d stood up to him multiple times and he was the biggest, most intimidating person she’d ever met.
‘Of course I’ll take the call,’ she said softly. ‘Let’s do it now.’
It took only moments for him to set up the link. Then he turned and shot her a bracing look. ‘Don’t let her get you down, Zara. Don’t let her hurt you.’
‘Even though she already has?’ she challenged him. ‘I’mdesperatelyhurt, Lucian. Not by Anders, but by them. Absolutely. So why shouldn’t I be honest? Why shouldn’t I let her know how they’ve made me feel?’
He frowned as he stepped away.
‘Will you stay in here?’ she asked quickly.
He stopped, his eyebrow quirked. ‘You would like that?’
She wasn’t completely brave. She would like his support some more.
‘To ensure your own reputation is protected, don’t you think you should?’
He immediately took the seat diagonal from hers. ‘The only thing I’m interested in protecting right now is you.’
Just like that, he stole her heart completely.
‘Where are you?’ her sister Ana asked as soon as Zara took her off mute.
‘Still in Monrayne, as you obviously suspected.’
Ana’s eyes rounded. ‘Is he keeping you captive there?’
‘Oh, no. If anything, it’s the opposite,’ Zara said. ‘I forced him to let me stay.’
‘I don’t think anyone can make King Lucian do anything he doesn’t want to,’ Ana said.
Zara stiffened at the patronising tone. ‘Did you know about Anders?’
Had her family been willing to allow her to marry a monster just for the money and prestige? Why had they abandoned her when she’d already been jilted? Their excuse that there might be unrest and therefore they might’ve been endangered was simply pitiful. Surely they could have cared abouthersafety—not just their own?
‘Of course not,’ Ana said impatiently.
Were they afraid that the truth now emerging about Anders somehow tarnished them too? Or that Lucian would somehow step in?
‘You need to hurry up and come home,’ Ana said. ‘You know you’re better off here. Mum and Dad miss you.’
They missed her so much they’d not bothered to get in touch. The fact was, her family simply didn’t care enough about her. She’d tried to work out an escape route that would please them at the same time. She’d hoped to finally be of value to themsomehow.But she obviously wasn’t. At least now she knew for sure.
‘I’m not coming back,’ Zara said firmly. ‘I’m renouncing my title.’
‘What?’ Ana almost screeched.
But Zara’s attention flicked to the side. She caught Lucian’s expression before it became stony again, but she knew she’d startled him.
‘I don’t want to be a princess any more,’ she said more confidently. ‘I’m going to be an ordinary citizen and live somewhere else entirely.’
‘But—’
‘I don’t want to live in Dolrovia. I’ll be back to visit, of course. Quite soon.’ Her parents were old and her father an invalid and, despite everything, she still loved them. She always would. But she was going to live her own life. ‘You don’t have to worry about me. I just want a quiet existence. I’m going to keep my head down. I’ll be fine.’
