“Of course. That was the stalker situation, right? And you figured that it scared Adelaide, so she never called you.”
“That’s it. Well, apparently, she never got the note that I left her. She thought I had ghosted her.”
“Mmm…” Knox hummed, connecting pieces together. “That explains why you were in the closet with her.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. It was like I was twenty-two again that night. I had been taken right back to uni and was ready to make all types of bad decisions with Adelaide.
“So, are you going to ask her to be a part of this courting competition?” Knox asked.
Fuck.
I wanted to. Badly. For years, I had held all the girls I had dated to the standard that was Adelaide. She was brilliant, kind, and altogether a wonderful person. She would be the perfect queen.
But I couldn’t ask her to be a part of this. A few days ago, I had simply been Prince Oliver. Now I was Crown Prince Oliver, the future king of Wexstone. She deserved more than to be put under the microscope of the media and everything else that was going to come with this competition.
I remembered what she had told me back in universityabout her former boyfriend, Lord Theo Wiltz. He had wanted her to give up everything she loved to be with him and run his household and mother his children. Asking her to marry me would mean that she would have to give up teaching, and I could never ask that of her. It was clear from the event she had organized how much she cared about her students and her school. It wouldn’t make me any better than Theo if I asked her to give that up to be with me.
EverythingIwas giving up by taking the crown and saving my family flashed before me. The freedom to travel on my own schedule, take on passion projects at will, settle down with a woman I loved in my own time. But at the end of the day, it was my responsibility by nature of my bloodline, if not my birthright.
But Adelaide? She needn’t feel that kind of pressure.
“I don’t know if I could,” I finally told Knox.
“Why not?”
“We just reconnected after so many years apart. I’m sure she hated me for most of that time. And then I had to leave abruptly—again. I just…Knox, she’s not like other women. As much as I would love her to do this, she deserves more.”
Knox nodded, clearly thinking. I could practically hear the gears whirring in his head. I sat in silence until he was ready to speak.
“You know what I’ve noticed, Ollie?”
“What’s that?” I responded, playing along.
“A common refrain from you is a belief that the people in your life deserve more, with the unspoken part of that being that they deserve more thanyou.” He leaned forward, pinning me with his sharp gaze. “Why do you think you aren’t enough for us?”
I opened my mouth, then shut it again, not sure how to answer him.
Knox continued, “Oliver, you’re one of the most selfless people I know. You would give the literal shirt off your back to anyone who asked for it. Hell, you’d give it to someone whodidn’task for it because you are the one among us who notices things like that. You work harder than almost anyone but never expect to receive any accolades in return. You think that the things you do behind the scenes go unnoticed.”
I swallowed past the lump building in my throat. He was right; I didn’t think anyone caught the small things I did quietly, because simply knowing the people around me were cared for was more important than any recognition.
He kept going. “But I see you, brother. I know your heart. You may think that this country deserves more or that Adelaide deserves more, but that’s where you’re wrong. Wexstone is lucky to have you as the future king, and any woman who joins this competition would be lucky to have you as their partner in life.”
I sat back, wiping a hand over my face and blinking back tears. My heart sat in my throat, making it hard to speak. “Okay, well. Way to make me want to cry, asshole,” I finally croaked out, sniffing as I shot him a crooked grin.
“Hey, I’m just stating the facts as I see them. So enough of this ‘everyone deserves more’ shit from you, okay? And, for the record, if anyone everdoesmake you feel like you aren’t enough, you’re free to send them my way and I’ll set them straight. Got it?”
Laughter bubbled out of me. I was delirious from exhaustion and couldn’t have said what, exactly, was so funny, but the chuckle quickly turned into a fit of infectious hysterics that Knox caught, too. Soon we were both doubled over, our eyes streaming with tears of mirth. Eugene leaped up from his place at Knox’s feet and spun in circles, givingthree sharp barks before racing over to nudge at my elbow with his muzzle.
“Oh my God,” I said as we both finally calmed down. I wiped my eyes on the shoulder of my T-shirt and patted Eugene on his flank. “Thank you, Knox. I needed that.”
Knox stood, snapping his fingers to call Eugene to his side. “You’re welcome, brother. All of it is true. Just don’t forget it. Now, get some sleep. Things are only going to get crazier from here.”
NOVEMBER
My dad’s white sedan glided around another corner as we drove up the mountain to the royal palace. I couldn’t decide if the nauseating feeling in my stomach was from all the twists and turns, or if it was because I was about to see Oliver one-on-one again.
“You okay over there, sweet pea?” my dad’s gentle voice asked over the radio.
