Royally Screwed - Lynn Van Dorn Page 0,75

terrified at the same time.

“I think gay sex is the wrong way to put it,” Angelo said. “I’m not gay.”

Yuri snorted. “Whatever. Sex with another man. Bi sex. Dicks touched, however you want to label that.”

“Yes, Yuri. And no, I’m not freaking out.”

“But why not?” Yuri’s voice came out in the embarrassing area between a wail and a whine.

Angelo groaned. “If you’re going to keep prattling on, we might as well get up. I’m hungry and I’m pretty sure you could use some food, too. I can make something.”

Yuri wanted to stay exactly where he was, but his stomach rumbled and betrayed him.

“Sounds like you’re hungry, too.”

“Yeah, I am, I guess.” Yuri sighed. “But it’s so comfortable here. You need servants. They could bring us food in bed. What’s the use of being a prince if you don’t have servants? Or at least a Philippe.” He frowned. “Come to think of it, why don’t you have a Philippe?”

Angelo nudged Yuri until he sat up. “Get up and I’ll tell you over our midnight snack. Or breakfast. Depends on what time it is. I could heat up a pizza if you want.”

Yuri considered that. “Yes. Pizza. There is no time of day when it’s inappropriate to eat pizza.”

Twenty minutes later, they sat at Angelo’s table eating shite frozen pizza and drinking mugs of tea. It was four in the morning and the sun had yet to put in an appearance.

“Why don’t you have a valet or manservant or even a housekeeper?” Yuri asked. “Doesn’t make sense, especially when your family gave us Philippe. I’ve never understood it.”

Angelo colored and looked down at his plate of pepperoni sadness.

“Angelo, what the fuck? I’m just teasing. I can’t imagine not having Philippe with me, but it’s not like I ever needed a valet. I know Mum felt sorry for him. She and Dad thought he must have upset someone in your kingdom pretty badly to get banished like he did.”

“Yuri, Philippe was a spy. For Tanzhir,” Angelo said. “That’s why my parents sent him. To make sure I was fine when I stayed with your family, and also to report back anything of interest to my father and his council.”

Yuri pushed away from the table in dismay. “No,” he said, dread pooling in his chest. “It’s not possible. I won’t believe it.” Except it made a lot of things Yuri hadn’t been able to piece together finally make sense. “How long have you known and not told me?”

“I’ve known bits from the beginning. Mama told me that when I lived with you, Philippe would make sure I was always all right. That I was to trust him above all others when in Mirea. I found out more, in bits and pieces, as I grew up. I don’t know for sure that he’s a spy, but I suspect he was. I don’t think he still is, though.”

The entire conversation hurt like a knife to the heart. “I don’t understand. I can’t trust Philippe? I never could? I’ve been living with—”

Angelo reached across the table and took Yuri’s hand. “Wait, let me finish. When we were in our last year at Meadow Chase, I overheard my father and one of his advisors talking. The advisor wanted to know if Philippe was going with you to Oxford, as opposed to staying in Mirea as he had while we were at boarding school. Father said it didn’t matter where Philippe was, that he’d long ago outgrown his usefulness, and that it wasn’t any of the advisor’s concern because Philippe wasn’t Tanzhir’s concern.”

“But…” Yuri felt like the ground underneath him had been stolen away.

“Yuri, think. Philippe knew about every single boyfriend you had and never said a word about it to either your parents or mine. They didn’t know about Lord Dickface until his family tried to start a damn diplomatic incident. He’s not reporting to my parents, I can assure you of that.”

“How… how could you know?” Yuri asked through numb lips.

“Because my father hasn’t called me to ask what the holy hell I think I’m doing. Your parents don’t want a public scandal, obviously. Mine, especially my father, would not be pleased with having a gay son.”

That made no sense. “But the betrothal. When we were married, everyone would assume…”

“I think my father’s been trying to find a way out of the betrothal without scrapping the trade agreement. He was furious when I was just pretending to be with you. If he even suspected what’s really been