"This afternoon.After I found out about, " I stopped, not ready to discuss the permanent marriage lie."After I found out the truth."
"What exactly did he say?"
I repeated the conversation, watching Archie's expression darken with each detail.
"He mentioned her by name.Described her qualifications.Made it sound like she was the better choice."I looked back at the timeline."But what if that wasn't a warning?What if it was the plan all along?"
"To replace you with a Russian-connected princess."Archie's voice was grim."Destabilize the Western alliance under the guise of finding a 'more suitable' option."
"And every sabotage attempt was designed to make me look unsuitable."The pieces were clicking together."The luggage made me look unprepared.The speech made me look incompetent.The Chilly scandal made me look, "
"Unreliable.Inappropriate for royal life."Archie pulled up the news article about Anastasia."And now, conveniently, there's an alternative option waiting in the wings."
We sat in silence as the car moved through late-night traffic.I stared at the timeline, at the careful orchestration of my public failures, and fury built under my exhaustion.
"Someone is trying to destroy the alliance," I said.
"Someone is trying to deliver it to Russia instead."Archie looked at me directly."And they've been very patient about it."
"Why are you showing me this now?"
"Because you deserve to know what you're walking into.If you decide to leave, really leave, not just the palace but Valdoria entirely, I won't stop you.You have every right to go."His jaw tightened."But you should know that's exactly what someone wants.They want you gone so they can position Anastasia as the solution."
"Your mother would never agree to that."
"She might not have a choice,” Archie's voice was quiet."If the marriage appears to have failed, if you leave, if the American alliance looks unstable...there are people who could push for alternatives.Especially if those alternatives seem more viable."
I thought about Viktor's careful sympathy.His gentle suggestions that perhaps I wasn't adequately prepared.His concern about whether the marriage had been "wise."
"You think Viktor is behind this?"
"I've had doubts about Viktor since the day he arrived with those photos.I pulled his dossier that same afternoon."He met my eyes."Roberto couldn't tell me whose side he's actually on.That's not a good sign for someone who's supposed to be protecting you."
"But the Grand Duchess sent him here to help me."
"Which gives him the power to manipulate information."Archie's voice was hard.
"Why would he want to make me look bad?”
"He might be trying to weaken both Valdoria and Solmaria by putting in someone who her could control better.”Archie looked down at the tablet."I can't prove it's him yet.But the pattern is there."
The car slowed, and I realized we were approaching the palace gates.Through the tinted windows, I could see camera flashes, could hear the muted roar of voices.
"They're here too," I said.
"Of course they are.Someone made sure of it."Archie's voice was bitter."But at least here we have actual security instead of hotel staff trying their best."
The gates opened, and we drove through into the relative safety of the palace grounds.The cameras couldn't reach us here, couldn't photograph through the ancient walls and careful landscaping.
But I could still feel them, pressing in from all sides.
"What happens now?"I asked.
"Now you decide what you want to do."Archie turned to face me."You can go back to America.Get away from all of this.I won't fight you on it, won't try to stop you.You'd be well within your rights after everything that's happened."
"And if I do, you’ll be forced to marry someone else."
"Probably.But that's not your worry.You didn't ask for any of this.You were lied to, manipulated, and trapped in an arrangement you never truly consented to.If you want out, you deserve out."
