Royal Ruse - Emma Lea Page 0,13

as my best friend was better than not having him in my life at all. But now, by agreeing to pose as his fake fiancée, had I inadvertently given him a way to escape not just his family, but me too?

And just what exactly did it mean to be a part of the royal court of Kalopsia? What did it entail? Did he have to live in Kalopsia? Would he have a job? There were so many questions I didn’t have answers to and I was too scared to ask Lucas for the answers. I didn’t want to know if wearing this ring meant I would lose him.

“Frankie? Are you awake?”

“I’m up!” I called back to my mom.

“Breakfast is ready.”

I groaned and pushed myself up to a sitting position and took another look at the ring on my finger. Reluctantly, I pulled it off and crossed to my dresser to stash the very expensive ring in my junk jewelry box.

I pulled on a pair of yoga pants and an over-sized t-shirt and headed downstairs.

Yes, I still lived with my parents, so what? So did pretty much everyone else in their early- to mid-twenties. My parents owned a three-story brownstone in downtown Boston and I had the entire top floor to myself. I even had a kitchenette, but it was just as easy to eat with Mom and Dad. Besides, they had a cleaner come in three days a week and cleaned the place from top to bottom, and a cook who came in twice a week did a whole lot of meal prep for us. Mom and Dad lived busy lives, but when we got the chance to share a meal together, we did. I enjoyed spending time with my parents. They were cool and always gave excellent advice whenever I needed it. As long as I was working and studying in Boston, I didn’t see a reason to move out.

Mom and Dad were in the kitchen together. Mom was flipping pancakes on the grill and Dad was prepping the myriad of toppings.

“Morning, Pumpkin,” Dad said as I pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Late night?”

I groaned. “Yeah. Work was dead, but Lucas came in just before closing.”

“Oh?” Mom asked, turning around and wiggling her eyebrows at me. “You two hung out after work?”

I rolled my eyes. Mom had been trying to get me and Lucas together for years. She loved him, so did Dad, and Lucas loved them in return. It was just one big love-fest whenever he came over.

“Yeah, he needed consoling,” I replied with a sigh as I took some pancakes and smothered them in berries, maple syrup, and whipped cream. “He proposed to Clarissa last night, and she broke up with him.”

I didn’t mention the other bit of news…I wasn’t quite ready to discuss it with them. I would tell them—the truth, not the fake news—I just needed to make sure Lucas didn’t suddenly wake up and retract his offer. It could happen. Lucas was more than likely hyperventilating over it right now.

“I never liked her,” Mom said, turning the grill off and taking the plate Dad handed to her.

“Now, Livvie,” Dad said, and Mom rolled her eyes.

“You can’t tell me you liked her, Adam,” she said.

Dad sighed. “Whether I liked her is not the point. Lucas did, and it is our job to support him.”

Mom grunted as she shoved a mouthful of pancake in her mouth, and I suppressed a smile. My dad was the consummate peacemaker and Mom was the opinionated one. It was where I got it from.

“Oh, and there’s other news too,” I said. “The king has summoned Lucas.”

“The king? Which king?” Dad asked.

“The new king of Kalopsia,” I replied. “The island in the Mediterranean where the Andinos are from.”

“What did the king want?” Mom asked.

“He wants Lucas to be part of his court,” I replied, taking another bite of pancake. “With a title and everything,” I mumbled around my mouthful.

“That’ll be good for Lucas,” Dad said. “He needs a chance to grow into himself.”

“When does he leave?” Mom asked.

“Next month, I think,” I said, putting my fork down. Now would be the perfect time to tell them about the other development, but…I needed to talk to Lucas first and make sure this was still what he wanted. I couldn’t deny being excited about the prospect of jetting off to a Mediterranean island for a few weeks and I was even more excited about the prospect of having finally nailed down a