discussion into a public argument. It was important that this mean-spirited allegation not leave this room.
“You can’t make up a vile rumor like that just because you don’t want to bend a knee to an American.”
“It is not a rumor.” He put on a brave face, standing up to the acting king in his own damn palace. But Christian noted that Zupan’s feet shifted nervously on the thick navy swirled carpet. “I heard it directly from the royal physician.”
Impossible. “If that’s true, then he won’t be the royal physician much longer. The privacy in a doctor-patient relationship is supposed to be paramount.”
“Which should tell you how conflicted he was. Dr. Slovbado felt that, in this specific and highly unusual instance, the good of the country outweighed the privacy of one woman.”
“Well, he’s wrong,” Christian stated flatly. But his mind was spinning. It had to be true for Slovbado to take such a drastic step.
Did Mallory know? If so, why hadn’t she told him? They’d shared every other reason not to sleep together.
He hated to think of the pain Mallory must’ve gone through alone. Was this why she’d steered Kelsey toward patronage of an orphan charity? Because she wanted to adopt?
Zupan spoke, breaking into Christian’s spiraling thoughts. “He’s told no one else. Slovbado came to me in the strictest confidence. It is why I asked Sir Elias to leave the room before broaching this matter with you.”
Damn it. Now he’d have to thank the man who’d just blown his world apart. “I appreciate your discretion. See that it continues.”
“Might we go over the list of potential brides?”
“No.” Christian picked up the flash drive and dropped it behind his pocket square. “I will take it under advisement.”
“Very good, Your Highness.” Zupan bowed very low, as if in apology, before hurrying out.
The prime minister was wrong.
Nothing was good about this.
Suddenly, on top of deciding if he had to kick his own beloved father off the throne, Christian was faced with the very real choice between his country and the woman he loved. The woman he loved enough to truly consider fighting to keep by his side, despite her common blood. He hadn’t figured out the workaround for that yet, but he’d been letting the idea simmer.
But this new information drove home the fact that his first act, if he did take the throne, would have to be securing the Villani line.
Would he have to sacrifice his heart for the good of the country?
Could he?
…
Theo clapped his hands together. When that didn’t work—probably because nobody was taking him seriously in that Yankees sweatshirt—he put his fingers in his mouth and whistled shrilly. “Listen up! When this round of the Trebanti Birthday Heptathlon is complete, we’ll head over to the tent for some food. If we’re going to last all day, we need to keep a solid base in our bellies.”
“But then we won’t get drunk as fast,” Marko objected, throwing an arm around Elias’s neck and giving him a noogie. “Aside from Elias. Now that he’s thirty, he wouldn’t be able to keep up anyway.”
All their friends hooted and clapped.
Christian didn’t laugh quite as loud since he’d already passed that milestone himself earlier in the year.
Elias somehow reversed the hold and laid Marko out flat on the autumn-brown stubs of grass. Then, to rub it in, he put his booted foot on Marko’s chest. “I’ll be able to put you down in two seconds when I’m sixty. Remember that.”
Ah, smack talk.
Perfect.
It was a good party already, and they were only in the second round of competition. They were loose already, too, thanks to Bloody Marys to kick off the festivities. That was why Christian had them start with the horse jumping, so there was no risk of injuring the animals.
As the others gathered around to help Marko up, Theo approached Christian. He rubbed at the back of his neck. “I don’t like our chances of competing in target shooting against the RPS guards. They practice every damn day.”
“True. But remember the rules? The top three finishers have to do shots. So while they may cream us this round, by the next they’ll be buzzed and we’ll be ready to tip the odds in our favor.”
“Except…” Theo lifted his own beer mug to point at Christian’s. “We’re all drinking.”
“Well, it is a party.” He laughed, clinking glasses. “And they’ll be drinking more.”
“I’ll drink to that.” Theo swigged again.
Christian held off…for now. He’d keep a clearish head through the games, and then fully throw himself into