The Prince's Bride Part 2 - J.J. McAvoy Page 0,122

bury himself in work, so he did not feel whatever it was he was feeling. He’d once again taken to sleeping in his office, and from the tray of uneaten food in the corner, he was now not eating again.

“What is it, Iskandar? Where is Balduin? We have work to do,” he questioned, signing something before moving.

“I asked him to wait for a moment.”

“Why?”

“Wolfgang called—”

“Is Odette all right?” he asked, already rising and reaching for his coat.

“She is fine. She and her mother booked a flight. They are leaving Ersovia tomorrow morning.”

He froze and said not a word. His eyes held on my face for a very long time, which was not what I expected. I thought he would already be walking, rushing to her side to stop her from leaving. But he stood there for a moment longer then nodded before sitting back down.

“Should I call for the car, sir?” I questioned to make sure.

“No,” he whispered, shaking his head and lifting his paperwork again. “Please send Balduin in.”

This was not him. He was lost again.

I turned to leave. It was not my job to interfere with his personal life. My job was to follow orders. I was not his friend. So, I just had to accept him as he was and leave. But I could not leave. Turning back around, I asked again, “Are you sure you do not wish for me to get the car?”

“That is what I said, is it not?”

I cringed. That was what he had said. Why was I still not following orders? I did not like not following orders. However, I was going rogue against my own code.

“You should call for the car, sir.”

He glanced up at me, and I had to keep speaking, or I would smack myself and stop. “If she gets on that plane, sir, she will not come back. If you do not stop her, you will lose her.”

He nodded. “I know.”

“What?”

“I know she will not come back, Iskandar. But I’ve known that since the day she woke up and would not see me. I hoped I was wrong. I have been sitting here, working to pass the time, praying she would call me to come to her. But she hasn’t, and she won’t because I’ve lost her already. Now I know for sure. So, I do not need the car.”

“If you go after her—”

“What right do I have to go after her, Iskandar? What can I tell her? I could not even protect her in my home. The most senior, most trusted man—the man I entrusted her to tried to kill her. Oh no, let me correct that. He did not wish to kill her; he simply wished for her to lose our child, and she did. He wanted her to leave, and now she is. I left her with a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and now I should run and ask her to trust me again? What fucking right do I have? I can offer her nothing but stress and fear. I cannot protect her, Iskandar!” He slammed his wrist hard on the desk, and everything shook. “I’m letting her go. Please, do not push me. I want to go as it is, but I cannot protect her.”

“Forgive me, sir,” I said, turning to leave.

And this was—this was why we didn’t give our fucking opinions.

What the hell was wrong with me?

Why did I do that?

“It is hard,” Balduin said, cleaning his glasses.

“What is hard?”

“Not seeing them as family,” he stated, putting his glasses on his face. “Because the truth is, we see them more than our families. We dedicate our lives to them. So, of course, we want them to be happy. If we didn’t, if you only ever cared about the order and your own code, you’d be like Mr. Ambrose. He did not believe Ms. Odette was the right fit for the monarchy. He cared more about preserving what he believed the monarchy to be than the actual monarchs. That’s how he crossed the line. Order is good, Iskandar. But sometimes, we have to care about the people. So do not beat yourself up about it.”

“Since when could you read me so well?”

“Since you first came. Who do you think suggested you to Prince Arthur?” He chuckled, moving to knock on the door. “I may be small, but I’m very smart. And I will be smarter in the future to protect this family. I can never allow such a mistake as Ambrose to happen again.