Prince of Secrets

“Yes.”

“But he’s not all of you.”

“I thought he was.”

“Until when?” she pushed.

“Until I met you.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“I’ve never meant anything more.”

“You lied to me.”

“I am ruthless when it comes to protecting my country and those I love.”

“I noticed.”

“There is little hope that will change.”

“No. It’s part of your nature. You would have made a very good Cossack.”

“We still have the elite in our army. As tradition dictates, I spent two years training with them before going to university.”

“Wasn’t that Prince Maksim’s job?”

“He wasn’t the oldest son to the king.”

“But he is heir to the throne.”

“Yes.”

“Does that bother you?”

“No. I hate politics.”

“I hate being deceived.”

“I will not do it again.”

“Can you really promise that, with your ruthless nature?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I don’t understand.”

“I think you do.”

If anything, his face paled further. “Don’t, Chanel.”

“Don’t what? Make you admit your vulnerabilities. If you have any, that is.”

“I do.”

“I’m not stupid by any stretch, you know. Legalese may not be science speak, but I understand it well enough.”

“Yes?”

“Yes. Bartholomew Tanner’s will is unambiguous. My marriage to you negated all claim I, or any of my children, had to Yurkovich Tanner.”

Demyan nodded.

“The prenuptial didn’t need to spell that out at all.”

“No.”

“You had that paragraph added as a kind of warning to me, didn’t you?”

He shrugged.

“You also made sure I would be taken care of financially despite the fact that legally I would have no way of pursuing any monetary interests in the future.”

“You are my wife. I wanted you provided for.”

“I bet the king just loved the terms of the prenup.”

“He agreed to them.”

She was sure there was a story there, but right now she wasn’t interested in hearing it. “You came after me with the intention of securing Volyarussian economic stability, no matter the cost.”

“Yes.” The word sounded torn out of him.

“You could have just asked me to sign the shares over and I would have done it. Especially after reading my grandfather’s diaries.”

“His diaries?”

“He spelled out his intention of leaving the shares to the people of Volyarus, but at first he was still holding out hope your great-uncle would marry my great-grandmother, then he got his hopes set on the next generation. He died before he could try to make that alliance happen.”

“I am aware.”

“What you didn’t know was that he’d written my great-grandmother and told her that he planned to leave his interest in Yurkovich Tanner to the Volyarussian people. I never would have tried to undermine his clear wishes.”

“Your stepfather would not be so sanguine. He might well have convinced your mother to bring suit on her deceased husband’s behalf.”

“A suit that wouldn’t have gone anywhere without my cooperation, and I wouldn’t have given it.”

“We did not know that.”

“You had to have realized, as you got to know me.”

“Once I commit to a purpose, I do not change my direction on a whim or the hope of a different outcome.”

“Maybe you decided you wanted to marry me.” It was hard to say the words, to put it out there like that, but this man was about as in touch with his emotions as the puppet he was so adamant he was not.

“I did want to marry you.”

“Why?”

He stared at her, his expression so open she wanted to cry. Because it showed so much that he so clearly didn’t know how to express verbally. One thing was really obvious. This man did not know what to do with his emotions.

“We are very compatible.”

“Are we?”

“You know we are.”

“You’re a prince. I’m a scientist.”

“Those are our titles, not who we are at the core.”

“Okay, then you’re ruthless and I’m insecure. We’re both emotionally repressed.”

“But you are more secure about yourself with me.”

“And you are less ruthless with me?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

Looking back on it, she saw that the prenuptial agreement was practically a love letter from Demyan.

The uncertainty in his expression was heartbreaking. “Yes?”