me. The other guard gets up, taking a step back. His face is painted in shock.
“We were only trying to help, Your Majesty. These two came barreling in, and—”
“And what?” I ask, helping Tristan to his feet.
Not a great entrance for my future father-in-law. He towers over me by a foot, glaring down at everyone around. He bows his head ever so slightly in my direction, his nostrils flaring as anger flows off him in waves.
Cara goes to her father, putting a hand on his arm. “See? Didn’t I tell you this was a bad idea? Dad, come on. Let’s go home.”
“The only bad idea is this sorry excuse of a King turning his back on you,” Tristan spits, snarling at me.
“What’s going on here?” I ask, holding out my hands. “What do you mean, turning my back on Cara?”
The guards have picked themselves off the ground. Three more guards come jogging around the corner, hands on their holsters. I hold up a hand, stopping them.
“Your Majesty, we apprehended these two as they—”
“Apprehended?” I interject. “Do you have any idea who these two are?”
“They are intruders, Your Maj—”
“Stop.” I hold up my hand. “Leave us.” I turn to Cara and Tristan, motioning to my office. “Please.”
“I’d like to stay here, if it suits you, Your Majesty.” Tristan spits out my title, sneering as he says it. “I’d like a few witnesses to hear what I have to say.”
“Dad.” Cara steps forward. She puts a hand on her father’s chest, shaking her head. “Stop it. This isn’t your fight.”
“What fight?”
“This piece of shit—” Tristan motions at me, and my guards tense. One of them steps forward until I stop him with a look.
“Dad, stop. Let me deal with this.”
“Deal with what? What is going on?” I stare at the carnage around me. A wall sconce is smashed, and one of the walls has a big dent where my guard smashed into it. My team is red-faced and panting, and Tristan looks like he wants to put a hole through me. His shirt is torn at the shoulder, with a thin stream of blood rolling down his arm.
Tristan’s chest is still heaving, his eyes flaming. Not the kind of man I like to see angry.
“You have a lot of nerve, asking what’s going on,” Tristan says darkly. “You leave Cara on her own after she gets news like today. You should be ashamed of yourself, Your Majesty.”
“I didn’t leave her on her own.”
“Dad, please.” Cara pulls him away. “Just let me deal with this.”
“You didn’t deserve the baby.” Tristan shakes his head and then turns around. His steps echo in the hall, and his words rattle in my head. Cara turns to face me, her eyes wide.
She gulps, motioning to the office. “Shall we?”
I follow her inside, closing the door behind us. Cara walks to the window and stares out, wringing her hands. I stand near the door, watching her.
“What was that about, Cara?”
“I told him about the pregnancy.”
“I thought we agreed—”
“To what? Keep it secret? Let me suffer in silence, alone in your chambers? Is that all you’re worried about? How this looks for you?” Her words bite, and I don’t know what to say. She shakes her head, tears shining in her eyes. “I thought you might just be doing this out of duty. You might be afraid of the repercussions of an illegitimate child. But I didn’t think you’d turn your back on me so quickly.”
“Turn my back on you?” I repeat, taking a step toward her. “When did I do that?”
“I can see it in your face, Theo. You don’t want me. Maybe you never did.”
I jab my fingers through my hair as frustration rises in my chest. My face feels hot. “Cara—”
“The only reason you came to New York is because you thought it was what you were supposed to do. You’ve always been the kind of guy to do the right thing, Theo, but this is different. I’m not just some responsibility that comes with being King. I’m not some task that you can put on your to-do list and tick it off at the end of the day. I don’t want you to be responsible right now. I want you to show me that you care about me.”
Cara’s chest heaves. Her cheeks are flushed and her eyes shine.
“Cara, is that what you think of me?”
“Why did you walk out of the room after we got the news? Why didn’t you hold me, or kiss me?