“He’s your clone tonight, sir,” Bellamy says, and I’m smiling like a fool.
“He is. You girls look beautiful. Shining reflections of your mama.”
Phaedra and Sabrina preen at that. Especially Phaedra, who loves it when I tell her she looks like Nora. Rowan appears at my side, taking the girls’ hands and spinning them around, showering them with endless compliments before he turns to Bellamy and gives me a wink that says I’m a lucky bastard.
I am a lucky bastard.
“Sir, if I may, now is the time for you to make your address to the room.”
“Perfect timing,” I tell the press secretary without taking my eyes off Bellamy.
“Rowan, would you be so kind as to keep watch of my children for a moment? It seems I have a speech to deliver.”
He chuckles under his breath, rolling his eyes indulgently. “Sure. How about we find some hors d’oeuvres to fill us up? I can only imagine all the grown-up food we’ll be forced to eat during dinner.”
Sabrina makes an ick face, and I set Zayer down.
Bellamy takes his hand. “I’ll help.”
I lean into her ear and whisper, “Don’t go too far.”
Nerves instantly strike her features, but she composes herself quickly and wanders toward the stations of food we have out during cocktail hour. That’s when the murmurs grow, the sound carrying above the orchestra, following my every step as I pass tables and people anxious to greet me all the way to the front of the room, standing at the head of the dance floor and cutting off the music all in one fell swoop.
The press secretary hands me a microphone, and I peer out over the room, noting the press and all the celebrities and world leaders dressed in their black-tie best. “Good evening,” I start in French and repeat it in Italian and then English since the latter is the common language currency we all speak. “Thank you all for coming tonight,” I continue in English. “I have no doubt this invitation came as a shock to many of you. I can assure you, the decision to open the palace up, to invite you all here for a Christmas ball that was at one time an annual occurrence, was not an easy one. For years, I’ve been held down by fear. Fear of something perceived, not necessarily imagined.
“Many of you don’t know me personally, but you’ve certainly all heard the rumors. It wasn’t until recently that I began to once again see dawn on my horizon. That I allowed myself to entertain the idea of leaving the palace or allowing my children, the heirs of my country, to leave the palace. You might be asking yourself about the reason for such a drastic change, and my answer is simple. Love.”
Audible gasps and the rumbling of voices take over before dying just as quickly. I search around the room and lock on Bellamy, who is staring at me, poised and beautiful, and I smile at her.
“About four months ago, we hired a new nanny for the children,” I continue, holding her gaze. “A nanny who immediately put me through my paces, not tolerating any of my grumpy moods or foul disposition. The children took to her instantly, and she to them in a way I wasn’t expecting. Little by little, with barely any effort, she broke through my walls, crashing them down one by one. She became part of our family. She reminded me what it is to live and the importance of living each day to its fullest. How fear has no place ruling our hearts or minds. Bellamy is the light we needed to find our way back. She is everything that is good and kind and moral and graceful andbeautiful. She’s smart and talented and holds our world in her heart.”
I hold my hand out to her, twisting it through the air until she reluctantly leaves the safety of Rowan and the children and comes to join me. Bellamy is trembling, her hand a shaking mess in mine, but I give her a reassuring squeeze, hoping my own nerves at what I’m about to do aren’t showing.
“I love you,” I tell her, ignoring the crowd and focusing entirely on her. “You’ve heard me say that dozens of times now, but the weight of those words is no less true each time I utter them. I am a man who has found his other half. A man who will love and cherish you without limits. A king who is hoping to make you his queen.”
With that, I lower myself onto one knee in front of everyone, the world of press beyond, and stare up at the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Bellamy gasps, her sapphire eyes glassing up with unshed tears as I open the box I’ve had in my pocket all evening, revealing the ring I purchased just for her.
“Will you marry me?”
She nods vigorously, some of those caught tears breaking free and rolling down her cheeks. “Oui.Yes, of course I’ll marry you.” In a flash I’m back on my feet, lifting her into the air and kissing her without holding back. Without a second’s thought or care about anyone else other than her. I set her down, slide the large round pink diamond onto her finger, and step back, holding her hand out in front of me so she can take center stage.
“The future Queen of Messalina,” I announce, and the applause and cheers and whistles that had seemed so distant seconds ago crash through the room. Bellamy dips her head, her cheeks flushing. “Thank you all. Enjoy your evening.” I hand off the microphone and lead her over to the corner of the room as the music picks up again. I twist her in my arms, tucking her into my chest.
She laughs against me as I kiss her lips once more. “Thatis how you propose.”
I smile, stealing another kiss. “I did my research. Evidently, it’s all about the grand gesture.”
“That’s for sure,” she exclaims just as a sound at the back of the room jars us apart. It’s a yell of some kind, followed swiftly by the door swinging open and slamming shut.
Samil.
I caught the back of his blond head just before the door shut. Bellamy’s wide, startled eyes turn back to me. “What was that?”
I frown, shaking my head. “Samil and I had it out a bit before you arrived. He’s harboring a lot of bitterness and resentment where I’m concerned. He told me in explicit detail why you should be his and not mine. I don’t think he appreciated my grand gesture the same way you did.”
Stricken, Bellamy’s lips part on a silent breath. “Sebastian, I have to tell you something.”
“What is it?” I cup her face in my hand, turning my back on the people who continue to attempt to speak to us.
