Reign A Romance Anthology - Nina Levine Page 0,156

reputation.

Magnolia’s made it to the age of twenty-five, and she’s still single.

Then there is Skylar, who’s twenty-three, and me at twenty-one.

So, while my sisters were paraded in front of eligible men, I was left alone to carve a different path for myself, which might have included rolls in the hay with Griffin, the stable boy, and his best friend, Roger. Then there was my footman, Alec, who’s willing to help any time of the day or night and knows his way around the secret passages of the palace, which we made fair use of.

Where did my sexual appetite come from? Unfortunately, I think I inherited that gene from my father. Alec and I stumbled upon his indiscretions late one night as a sixteen-year-old when he was hosting an orgy in one of our cellars. He was the one who opened my eyes to the depravity my father was into.

The problem was, I couldn’t look away.

I didn’t understand how watching something so wrong felt so right.

Alec explained my father’s secret society of depravity.

Each time I knew he was hosting, I found myself in the tunnels watching the scenes playing out before me. Thankfully, I never caught my father in a compromising position. He liked to take the women to another room for that. Still, what was happening before my eyes intrigued me. It was my dirty little secret, well, Alec’s and my secret, until he met someone and stopped our little rendezvous.

“We have so much to plan, and we have such little time,” Henrietta exclaims loudly.

“What are you doing out here?” While walking over to me, Magnolia asks, standing in front of our father’s freshly lain grave behind the palace walls.

“I can’t believe he did this to us…” kicking some loose dirt around his grave, I continue, “… to Mom.”

“He was a selfish dick,” Magnolia adds.

“I hate him, Maggie.” As tears begin to fall down my cheeks, she reaches out and wraps her arm around my shoulder. “I hate that even in death, he’s continuing to fuck us over.”

“I know, sweetie,” she tries to reassure me. “But this Summer Ball is our way out of this mess.”

“You really think the prince is going to pick one of us?” The skepticism that laces my voice is palpable.

“We have as good as a chance as any of those other girls.” Magnolia tries to sound upbeat, but she knows our chances are slim to none.

“When we’re dressed in rags?” Pulling at my dress that’s seen better days, I sigh loudly.

“Henrietta is a master seamstress. She and the other ladies are already working on beautiful dresses for us.”

“What happens if we fail?” I ask because that’s the real issue in this scenario.

“Then, I guess I’m going to have to take Guido’s offer of marrying his son in exchange for wiping our father’s debt, aren’t I?”

Our stupid father was involved with the Italian Mafia. They have given us until the end of summer to pay them the money owed, or they will be collecting. And that collection is Magnolia.

“I won’t let that happen,” I tell her.

Her hand squeezes mine tighter. “It’s going to be okay,” she tries to reassure me.

“The competition is going to be fierce,” I reply, letting out a frustrated sigh.

“But the difference between them and us is we need it more,” Magnolia states.

“We can’t rely on having lovely dresses to get us the crown. We need to be alluring, too. We need to be different from all those other women who will be parading around vying for his attention,” I tell her.

“I’ve got a great pair of tits,” Skylar calls out from behind us. Her comment makes us laugh.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think your tits are going to get us out of this mess, Sky.” Magnolia smiles.

“You never know.” She gives us both a wink before turning her attention to our father’s grave. “I know you’re not supposed to think ill of the dead, but screw him.” She sticks her middle figure up to her father’s grave. “He made our lives a living hell, and now even in death, he seems to be able to keep that shit going.”

We all stand in silence, staring at our father’s grave.

“Come on… let’s go inside and work out how the hell one of us is going to snag Prince Hottie.” Magnolia chuckles.

3

Augustine

“I still can’t believe we can’t find anyone that stands out amongst all these.” Greyson pushes the paperwork to the side.

“There are some potentials,” I offer unenthusiastically, knowing he’s right.

“I’m glad you’re more optimistic about this