Chapter 3
Leopoldo wore his royal blue sash for formal occasions as the Crown Prince and straightened his gold shoulder tassels. His mother had sent him files on Anna that he’d skimmed but Francesca was due to arrive any minute. In his royal suite, he sat in the adjoining breakfast nook he now used for his office and closed his laptop, his mind buzzing with the medical report that said Anna Camila was in peak shape for children.
Francesca entered his office. His mother had also included reports of Francesca’s drinking and her late night social life.
Black mascara dripped down her cheeks from a torrent of tears. He wished his guards hadn’t let her in.
He fastened his medals on the sash as she cried and fell to her knees. “You can’t marry her, Leo. You can’t.”
He shouldn’t have skipped the bride-finding ball to have sex with anyone who would sneak into the castle during the festivities. He ignored the tension in his neck that her being here caused as he took her hands that didn’t spark at all. “Francesca, Anna Camila agreed to be my wife. My parents have announced it. If I don’t follow through at this point, she can sue me and get every dime I have that’s not intended for the throne.”
She pulled his hands to her breasts as she trembled before him. “So what? You’d still have your kingdom.”
No. He would never touch her again. He took his hands back and found his white wedding gloves and the ceremonial sword for his hip. “I’m not going to bankrupt myself and run away with you, Francesca. We were a mistake and you knew what we had was never heading toward marriage.”
More tears raced down her face and she covered her lips. He fastened the sword as she dropped her hands. “Don’t say that, Leo.”
The truth was all he had, and their couple of nights in bed was no romance. One day he intended to be a great king, like his father before him, though it had taken some time to see his path. “Don’t romanticize our few nights into more than it was. We never got together outside of bed and even that shouldn’t have happened.”
“I’m pregnant.” She clutched her slender belly.
Leo’s blood ran cold. How? He’d used protection every time as he never intended to father a child outside of his station. This was impossible. Condoms were effective, so he lifted his chin and met Francesca’s blue eyes that had tears still flowing down her high cheekbones. “Don’t lie. The trumpets you hear outside mean I’m getting married.”
She grabbed his arm and pulled him closer. “I’m not lying. I’m pregnant and the baby is yours.”
Technology was a blessing and a curse. He took his hand back and listened to the wedding choir that sung outside the castle. Soon he’d be expected at the church.
Anna waited for him.
His heart beat faster. She’d have known what to do to get him out of this awkward situation, but for now he needed to act without her. He stepped back like Francesca might give him some disease while he said, “You can’t know that.”
“I never slept with anyone else.” She followed like a spider. “Condoms aren’t fail-safe. It says so on the package.”
The warning was for men who didn’t know how to use them. He’d used Francesca’s when he’d gone to her house—she must have done something to the package to create this mess.
His mind screamed, “what if?” and he paused by the stand that held fresh flowers near the door below the portrait of his great-grandfather. “We’ll get a test. If it is true, then I’ll pay for our child but our conversation is over now.”
Francesca pressed her cold fingers onto his cheek as she said, “I don’t want this baby if I don’t get you.”
“I’m not for you.” He knew this wasn’t about him, Leopoldo, but about being the future queen. He stepped away from her touch. “Francesca, I’m marrying Anna Camila.”
She wiped her face and for a flash of a second he saw red streaks of anger inside her pupils. “Why? You don’t love her.”
Everyone had been right. He’d known it himself on a deeper level—Francesca wanted cash, and a title. Modeling made her think she was somehow noble. Anna might not have a royal pedigree but she’d perform her duties beautifully in a way Francesca never could. Greed ruined people. He fixed his collar as more trumpets blared. “I love my kingdom and my parents. Anna Camila… she makes my parents happy, so I’ll marry her and live with the consequences.”
He turned and strode out of the office toward the door where invited guests would see him. Whoever’d snuck Francesca in here now needed to sneak her out, so he summoned his servant while he said, “I’m marrying for duty and country, Francesca. You should go and find someone you might love.”
Immediately a man in a blue uniform came toward them, and Leo pointed to Francesca. “Goodbye.”
Once she was out of sight, he clicked his heels and two servants opened his gold encrusted bedroom doors. Leo stepped onto the blue carpet while crowds cheered.
Today was his wedding. Because it had happened so fast, there were fewer foreign dignitaries lining the walls, but he kept his confident stroll and waved like the well-trained prince he was.
Outside, the cheers of the common people overshadowed the drums and trumpets.
He continued to walk on the blue carpet that was set over the cobblestone road from the palace to the church two kilometers away while he waved at the crowd, clearly on display.
Women fainted as he passed and emergency personnel took care of them—despite it being against the rules, he stopped twice to ensure no one had broken their skulls.
