The Snow Prince - Raleigh Ruebins Page 0,53

plain view in the castle? I was in another dimension entirely.

“Go ahead,” he said. His cheeks were the slightest bit red. “I… have some things I need to do.”

I took a deep breath and headed down the hall, following it until I saw the same war room I’d been in last time.

The queen was sitting inside, perched on one of the small chairs.

“Good,” she said when I appeared. The door closed behind me after I walked in. I knew it was just a member of the staff who had walked behind me, but it still gave the eerie feeling that I was being locked in a jail cell.

I stood there, arms crossed, leaning against the cold stone wall.

“You can sit, you know,” she said.

“I’d rather not.”

She looked down at the floor as she spoke. “My son is fond of you,” she said. “He always has been rather fond of you.”

I didn’t know if she expected a response, but I wasn’t going to give her one.

“My son also has many responsibilities,” she continued. “He hates them. He’s always hated them. But the important thing is that he respects his responsibilities, and even if he’s dragging his feet, kicking and screaming through it. He always honors his duties.”

“Sebastian is good about that,” I said.

“Yes,” Queen Charlotte said, her eyebrows lifting even though the rest of her face remained full of resentment toward me. “I’ve taught him well.”

“Or it was lucky chance.”

She acted like my words meant nothing. “I understand that temporarily, you are back living in Berrydale. But this little visit of yours is in no way going to affect the trajectory of my son’s life.”

“No?”

“His life as a prince,” she said. “And a king, one day.”

“I’m well aware of Sebastian’s titles,” I said.

“And you’re aware that he must produce heirs?” she asked.

“I know that’s the whole royal deal, yes,” I said.

“He wants to be married,” she said. “He wants to pass on his legacy. He cares, even if he doesn’t always show it. And having distractions is not acceptable.”

She vaguely gestured toward me as she said the word distractions. As if I were a cloud of dust she was trying to waft away.

“You realize you have no power over me, right?” I asked. “You realize I can leave this room any time I please. Leave this castle.”

“Oh, of course,” she said.

“Right.”

She nodded once. “And you realize that I know every important person in Berrydale, and in Deercrest, Bleneth, Aldwick, and Tilden.”

I yawned, exaggerating the gesture for her.

“And that you will never fix, sell, or do anything with that house if I don’t want it to happen?”

I clenched my teeth, setting my jaw.

“Not that I have any intentions of interfering, of course,” she said. “It would upset my son.”

“You don’t even know your own son,” I muttered.

“How dare you,” she spat.

“I’m leaving, now,” I said. “Thanks for the delicious scones. And I hope you have a lovely trip to Beloria.”

I pushed open the big wooden door and charged back down the hallway. My heart was pounding like a drum inside my chest, and within moments, I was lost in the castle corridors. I was sure that if I walked far enough, I would find my way to some familiar room or some worker who could assist me to get the fuck out.

I walked and walked, getting dizzy as I went up and down stairwells and hallways. I came to a courtyard, a series of archways that looked out onto a small area with grass and so many hanging vines. And as I rounded a corner, I finally saw Sebastian. He had a cell phone pressed to his ear and he looked dazed.

“There you are,” he said. “Come with me.”

“No. I’m getting the fuck out of here, and—”

“Yes, you are,” he said. “We are.”

“Sebastian, I know you have things to do.”

“Believe me, it’s going to be better if I’m not in the castle today,” he said. His eyes darted all around him, and I started to worry that something else may have been going on.

“Sebastian?” I asked. “You okay?”

“We can take this service corridor down to my Ferrari.”

“My truck is still parked by Terrace View Road. And what about Xavier—”

“I’m driving us. We’ll get your truck tomorrow. Something tells me I’m not going to have access to my driver for much longer.”

I furrowed my brow.

What the hell did he mean by that? Sebastian was the prince, and he would have access to all of his support for the rest of his damn life.

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