rain soaks the island. I stare out of the window in my palace bedroom, watching the waves crash onto the shore of the royal beach. Palm trees bend and wave in the heavy winds, their trunks arching so much it’s a miracle they don’t snap.
I turn away from the window when someone clears their throat behind me. My father stands in the doorway, his hand gripping a cane. I motion to a nearby armchair. My father groans as he sits down, letting out a long sigh as he settles into the chair.
“So,” he says. “You never intended to marry Cara Shoal at all.”
I grimace and shake my head. “No.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me?”
“You’re not exactly easy to talk to when you get an idea in your head.”
My father leans the cane on the side of the armchair before interlacing his fingers in front of his chest. He leans back, breathing slowly. I take a seat in the armchair opposite his, crossing my leg over my ankle.
We have surprisingly few quiet moments like this one. Even with my father’s illness progressing, there’s always hustle and bustle near the King. He’s always needed by half a dozen people.
Right now, though, we’re alone.
He nods to my shoulder. “When do you take the sling off?”
“Doctor says I should be okay to take it off in a week.”
“Quick recovery.”
“Six weeks,” I answer, thinking back to that day on the sailboat when Cara saved my life. That was the start of a chain of events that I could never have anticipated. A whirlwind of emotion and happiness that I thought would never happen to me.
Then, a deep, dark sadness that I’m not sure I’ll recover from.
My father grunts. “Once the sling is off, we can proceed with the coronation.”
“So soon?”
“Well, we don’t need to wait for a wedding now. Might as well make you King.”
“Are you sure you want to step down?”
My father chuckles, then spreads his hands out. “Look at me, Theo. I’m a decrepit old man. I can hardly walk, and every movement pains me. You think I can sort through stacks of paperwork every day? Reading more than two lines makes my eyes sore.” He sighs, shaking his head. “I’m not being fair to Argyle and her people. It’s time for you to step up.”
My father shifts his weight as if to get up when I stop him. He glances at me, eyebrows arched.
“Father,” I start, hesitating. I take a deep breath. “Why were you so insistent on me getting married when your marriage ended in such disaster? I saw the way you changed after Mother left. Why would you push me toward something that hurt you so much? I thought you, of all people, would be supportive of me becoming a bachelor King.”
My voice is gravelly. It’s hard to get the words out, and once I speak them, I regret them. I shouldn’t be dredging up the past.
But my father leans back in the armchair and lets out a sigh. He chuckles bitterly before shrugging. “I don’t know, Theo. Even though your mother betrayed me, lied to me, and hurt me, I still sometimes think it was worth it.”
I frown, not knowing how to answer. My mother’s betrayal broke him. It tore the kingdom apart. We’ve been in a downward spiral ever since she decided to walk out. Everything from the economy, to our family, to public opinion has suffered.
Father lets out a heavy sigh. “I loved your mother. She meant the world to me.” He gulps, staring off at something over my shoulder. “Even though she hurt me, having her by my side was a gift. She gave me you and your brothers.”
My father’s eyes flick back to mine, shining with unshed tears.
A lump forms in my throat. That’s the most emotion the King has shown since my mother walked out. It’s the most fatherly thing he’s said to me in many years—maybe ever.
“Are you sure you want to do this alone?” he asks softly.
“Become King?”
My father nods. “It’s a heavy burden to bear.”
I suck a breath in through my teeth, not quite knowing how to answer.
The truth?
Absolutely not. I want to jump on an airplane and drag Cara back to me. I want to watch her walk down the aisle toward me with a glowing smile on her face and then promise to spend my life with her. I want to have her by my side, supporting me. Being my Queen. Carrying my future children. Making my life complete.