maybe my brothers are right. Maybe being married to her isn’t a fate worse than death. I’m never going to find a partner who doesn’t know that I’m a king—my social media account and ever-present guard detail make sure of that. No matter how much a woman seems to care about me as a person, I’ll never know how much of her affection is tied to the fact that I’m royalty.
That’s my reality, and it always will be.
So maybe, if I’ve lucked into an arranged marriage with a beautiful woman with a killer sense of humor, who’s not afraid to give as good as she gets, I should hold on to her.
And if she’s not Elizabeth?
I rake a frustrated hand through my hair.
Dammit.
I have to know. Now.
Pausing in the shade covering the back patio, I jerk my phone from my pocket and stab out a text to Nick—What have you found? Tell me you have answers because I’m about to lose my mind out here.
A beat later, bubbles appear, then an eye-rolling emoji—It’s been an hour and a half. Give me a break. You know how hard it is to find pictures of the Rochat family. You’ve done your share of poking around.
Frowning, I type—But I’m not as good at it as you are. I haven’t hacked into a website since I was fifteen.
A smiley face pops up, and Nick says—Aw, thank you. It’s nice to see you handing out praise. See? Lizzy, or whoever she is, has already been good for you.
I hit the call button and lift the phone to my ear, snapping as soon as Nick answers, “This isn’t a joke. This is the rest of my life on the line. I have to know if she’s lying to me.”
“And I’m going to do whatever I can to help,” Nick replies in an infuriatingly calm voice. “But it’s going to take time. Maybe a few days. I do have a life in addition to being your tech nerd, you know. I made plans with Regina tonight.”
“Cancel them. I need you on this full time until we know for sure.”
“It’s still three weeks until the wedding, and Jeffrey’s on his way to Rinderland now. We’re going to get it sorted, Andrew. You just need to relax. Go for a run or a swim or something and leave me alone. I’m trying to work. And then I’m going out with Regina. The end. Goodbye.” And then he hangs up on me, making me wish we were still living in the middle ages when a future king could reasonably expect his brothers to do what he told them to do.
Or else he’d throw them in the dungeon.
Making a mental note to have the sauna Nick enjoys turned into a dungeon, preferably with a few hungry rats living in the walls, I stalk inside and change into my running clothes in record time before pounding back down the stairs.
For a moment, I hesitate at the door leading to the back garden and the trails beyond, wondering if I should ask Lizzy/Sabrina if she’s in the mood for a run, too. But the fact that I have to call her two names in my head makes me so angry I shove my buds into my ears and take off at a sprint across the grass.
An hour later, I’m covered in sweat and so exhausted my knees are shaking, but my run hasn’t brought me the peace it usually does.
Dinner with the family is another exercise in torture—fighting to pretend I’m not starving while watching Lizzy/Sabrina eat grilled salmon and make increasingly comfortable conversation with my mother.
Mother clearly likes her. And Nick likes her. Even Jeffery, who doesn’t like anyone, seems to tolerate her and is actually open to having Sabrina as a sister-in-law instead of Elizabeth.
But if she’s Sabrina, she’s making a fool of not only me but also everyone I care about.
I can’t let myself enjoy her company any more than I have already.
Not until I know.
I call Jeffery’s cell first thing the next morning, but he doesn’t answer, so I make an excuse to leave the palace, visiting the offices of the various charities receiving state funds and chatting with their directors. I have dinner at one of my favorite Japanese restaurants, determined to stay away from the castle—and my fiancée—but the sushi doesn’t taste as delicious as usual, and by the time I return home at eight, I’m desperate for conversation with someone who won’t call me “your highness.”
And