Her Off Limits Prince

Though she was sure he wasn't looking for long term.

He had too much living to do yet. He still had two years left of schooling to get his master's degree, as well as two years of military service for the Crown. Not to mention his gap year.

Blythe didn't know why she'd criticized him for wanting one. She'd been grasping at straws and said a bunch of stuff she hadn't meant. Just because she was way too attracted him.

But no matter how much she wanted Tor, how could Blythe risk her relationship with the only real family she had? Janice.

Because even if Tor wanted more, they had no future. Not with her limitations and his role as a prince.

So, the inevitable break-up would come, and Blythe could lose the one person she knew she could count on for family.

Yes, Blythe had parents. And they did an excellent job of putting on the façade of the perfect twenty-first century, enlightened family.

But the truth was, the only person on earth who genuinely cared about Blythe, was the new Princess of Tapt Oyer.

If Blythe fell off the face of the Earth tomorrow, her parents wouldn't even notice.

It had always been that way.

Blythe's childhood was filled with circumstances from the mundane to the tragic that proved how little her parents cared.

None of which justified her acting like such a jerk to Tor. Okay, so he was younger than her and she was right he'd never had a proper job.

But she didn't need to denigrate his role in the royal family. He was the youngest and she knew his brothers and father spoiled him, but she hadn't needed to point that out.

She'd said stuff she didn't even mean in her effort to keep emotional distance between them. And that was not okay.

She had to apologize, because as much as their current strained relationship worked in her favor, Blythe was not a cruel person.

And it was cruel to let him think she thought he was anything less than he was, even if she still had zero intention of becoming involved with him.

Blythe found the study after a couple of wrong turns in palace corridors and knocked on the door. Tor was probably long gone by now and she'd have to hunt him down.

Which she would do.

She owed him that much.

The door swung open and the scene that Blythe walked into was not what she had expected.

How could she have forgotten that Tor had brought another woman to the wedding as his date?

"You're busy. I did not mean to intrude." She gave Tor a look though, one that asked what the heck he'd been doing trying to seduce her when he had a date already?

The other woman surged to her feet in a tipsy rush. "Oh, hi. You're Blythe Whitney-Jones. I'm Else Kirkson."

"We've met." This wasn't the first time Tor had brought Else as his plus one.

"Oh, that's right." Else smiled and then she frowned. "You're mean." Then she hiccupped. "Tor is too good for you."

Utterly confused, Blythe looked toward the prince. He'd told Else about earlier?

Tor rolled his eyes and helped the young woman back into her seat. "You're drunk, Else."

"Impossible. I never get drunk."

"The bottle of champagne is empty, and I never got a glass."

"Oh." Else looked up at Blythe. "Tor is my best friend, the brother I always wanted and never had." She glared at Tor. "If you had been my brother my parents wouldn't be so stuck on marrying me off to someone. I'm only twenty-two. I don't want to get married."