“No, thank you, Mother.”
She pours me a cup anyway and slides it across the coffee table. I don’t touch it because I didn’t want tea, and she knows that.
“The meetings went well, I hear,” my father says.
“They went.”
“Lady Eloise’s family called this morning, and they were very pleased. Their daughter believes there’s potential between you two,” my mother says.
This makes me laugh until I realize she’s serious. “There isn’t.”
“Louis—”
“She agreed with everything I said.” I lean forward with my elbows on my knees, because I need both of them to understand this. “I purposely contradicted myself, and she nodded along both times without even blinking. The woman has no opinions, no ability to challenge anything I say. I’m searching for a queen, not a marionette.”
My father’s jaw tightens. “And Lady Freda?”
“Was more concerned about property values than getting to know me, and she mentioned wanting to gut the palace because it’s too dated for her taste.”
“She comes from an excellent family,” my mother offers.
“She comes from a family that doesn’t respect art or people.” I look at both of them and let my frustration show. “You taught me to treat everyone with dignity regardless of their station, and Lady Freda treated our gardeners like they were dirt beneath her shoe.”
My mother sets down her teacup with a delicate clink. “You’re being difficult.”
“I’m beingdiscerning.”
“Is there a difference?” My mother’s voice drops low. There is a calmness in it that is worse than any shouting would be. “Because from where I stand, you have had eighteen years to find your person and didn’t. And now it’s our responsibility.”
I don’t respond because there’s nothing I can say that would fix this.
“You agreed to this, son. I didn’t want to resort to the old ways,” my father says, stepping away from the fireplace.
The years have settled into the lines around his eyes. He’s always seemed invincible to me, but right now, he looks tired.
“Your mother and I gave you more time than the council wanted because we believed you when you said you’d find someone. We defended your choices when you ended things with Princess Alice after two dates. We trusted you.”
I stare at the floor because looking at the disappointment on his face is too much. “I know you did, and I owe you both for that.”
“This isn’t about debt,” my mother says.
“It’s about fulfilling weird traditions. But so be it.” I run my hand through my hair and try to find the right words. “I truly believed I had more time.”
My mother shakes her head, and I glance over at her. “Love is a luxury, Louis. One that most people in our position never get to have. Your father and I were fortunate, but we were also practical. Love can always happen later.”
“Right.”
“You’ll need to choose someone who will be able to stand beside you, support you, and represent this country with an elegant grace.” I hear the king in his voice now, not just my father.
“Lucian, he knows his duty and what he agreed to,” my mother confirms, like I’m not in the room.
My father doesn’t look away from me. “You have a responsibility tothis family and to this country. I don’t care if you love your wife—I don’t care if you even like her. But you will marry, and you will have a baby before the end of next year. Am I clear?”
I want to tell them that I’d rather renounce my title than chain myself to a woman I can’t have a conversation with. Then I’m transported back to the gallery in New York, and I’m standing in front of a woman who can see straight through every wall I’ve ever built.
My father leaves without another word, and my mother watches him go.
I know he’s not angry with me; he’s just concerned because the council has been pressuring him about succession, and I have zero updates. The same goes for my mother. The two of them are doing their best.
