I’ve never seen Liam so unsure. He holds the crown in his lap as a frown knits his eyebrows together. I slide my hand into his, squeezing it.
“I know what I have to do, but I don’t want to do it.”
“You can’t just do nothing, especially now the whole world has seen that.”
His eyes cut at me. “Take us to the Royal Chapel.”
“Yes, sir.”
The rest of the ride happens like an odd dream sequence. Suddenly, we’re there, staring at this massive gothic church. Liam holds my hand, squeezing hard as the weight of it all suddenly bears down on his shoulders. The crown is in his other hand. The crown he never really wanted.
The royal advisors stand in front of the church in a state of slight disarray. Liam walks toward them, looking at stunned as everyone else.
“We arrested the king,” a man keeps saying over and over.
“He had no love from the people. You could put a crown on him tomorrow. It doesn’t mean shit if the whole country refuses to follow his commands.”
“But he was coronated. We can’t just take it back.”
Liam smirks at the old man. “Sure you can. Game of Thrones does it all the time. Also, I have this.”
He digs into his pocket, unfolding the piece of paper, the will signed by the late king. Then he tears it in half. Several shocked gasps follow. He folds it into halves and tears it again and keeps ripping until the squares are too small to rip up again. Then he throws them on the steps of the church.
“If you believe Lucian would make a better king than I, please feel free to stop me.”
And he marches up the steps of the church, holding my hand.
The church is largely empty, except for a priest waiting at the altar, his lips stretched in a grim smile. Liam waves off the priest’s aides as they approach him with ceremonial robes.
“I don’t want any fuss. Let’s just get this over with so I can unfuck what my brother has done. Please excuse my language, Father.” He hands the crown to the dumbfounded priest.
“I have sworn in many members of your family, but never twice in the same day,” the priest says.
“The prince has our full support,” one of the advisors calls out from the back of the church.
The priest’s liver-spotted hands turn the crown over. “So be it. On your knees, Prince.” He turns toward an altar boy. “Fetch the queen’s crown.”
I watch as Liam swears oath upon oath to the priest to protect the realm, to uphold its laws. It’s very similar to what they had me swear. The gravity of becoming king settles on his face as the priest sets the crown on his head. The altar boy returns with another, smaller crown. It’s similar to the princess crown, but somehow less playful and more mature.
The king stands up to a smattering of applause and cheers, and I can’t get over how regal he looks with that crown, even though he’s dressed in slacks. Liam’s eyes meet mine, hard and determined, and I grab his hand.
“Liam, I want to stay.”
“You don’t know what you’re asking for.”
“It’s my choice,” I say in a louder voice, the echo carrying across the cavernous church. “You don’t get to throw me out of the country just because you think that’s best for me.”
“I know it is.”
“Being away from you isn’t.” God, I hate the fact I’m doing this here as the priest and everyone else listens in, but I’ve got to say it. “I thought I’d never love another man again. I was wrong. I love you, and that’s worth the sacrifice of staying here. That’s worth everything.”
His eyes blaze. “Everyone, leave us,” he says without looking away from me.
The altar boy stops at his elbow, and Liam reluctantly takes the crown from its cushion. He lifts it to my head, and my heart pounds as though something magical will happen the moment it touches my hair, as though I’m signing a contract. It sits on my head as Liam’s fingers drop away, heavy but comfortable.
“You win,” he says in a hushed voice that carries. “I can’t fight this anymore.”
I claim his lips as he wraps an arm around my waist, invading my space with his body. He kisses me hard, sliding his hands down my back to touch my ass. I pull back, looking around the church. There’s nothing but rows of candles glowing softly, and the