Vicious Prince (Royal Elite 5)

I’m good with becoming one, but Ronan can’t. He’s prim and proper and…light. He’s my light, and I won’t let any darkness wrench him away from me.

The door of the car opens, and Edric slowly pulls himself out.

The slight disturbance of the scene distracts me for a second too long.

It’s enough for everything to end.

It’s enough for my world to be flipped upside down.

“You know what? If I can’t have you, why should anyone?” Eduard throws his tied hands around Ronan’s neck from behind. “Till death do us part, my little nephew.”

And then he pulls Ronan with him over the cliff.

35

Edric

Being born with a title brings responsibilities.

I was raised to believe in two things. One, the Astor name. Two, not showing emotions in order to uphold the Astor name.

My life has been ruled by strict traditions and expectations. My father was considered a disgrace for marrying a commoner after my mother died.

I thought he was brave.

But I knew I wouldn’t be forgiven such a mistake. Two generations in row would kill the respect we’d gathered for years.

That’s why I married into status. I was lucky enough that the woman I wed wasn’t the woman my father originally had planned for me.

What Charlotte doesn’t know is, I saw her first at one of Father’s banquets. She was this cheerful soul who made me feel something other than the constant pressure of duty.

I’m the one who put it in Father’s head to arrange a marriage with her father, but since she had an elder sister, I was to marry her. I found a solution, a way around that once I noticed Céline’s abnormal interest in her father’s car. I approached her with a smile and encouraged her to follow her heart.

I didn’t have any doubt of failure, because Céline was adventurous, romantic, and very much in love. I only took that step knowing full well she’d agree. She did just that and eloped.

As a result of my carefully laid-out plan, I ended up with Charlotte.

At first, she hated me and thought I was too proud and arrogant — her words, not mine — and she didn’t quit reminding me of that fact. However, I didn’t give up, and eventually, my beautiful wife took the time to pause her judgmental opinions and stopped to see me. When she did, I finally had her.

Charlotte is the reason for my happiness. She’s the one person who’s able to make me think less about duty and more about life.

She is life.

Or rather, the centre of mine.

When the doctor said her health might not allow her to birth any children, I went against my family’s rules about procreation and told her I didn’t need them. Her health and life were more important to me than any foolish need to keep the Astor name alive.

When she became pregnant, she begged me to keep the baby. She said she wanted to give us both a miracle.

And she did. That’s how Ronan came to life.

Our first meeting with him was through a smile. I’ve never felt more proud than I did at the moment when I met my beautiful boy.

He and Charlotte are my life — even though I’m admittedly bad at showing it. I leaned on Charlotte’s emotive nature to get to him. I’m too stiff while she’s too out there, so her emotions reached him better.

However, I used to feel Ronan and I were connected, even though I didn’t talk much. He’d snuggle up to me and come tell me about all the dragons he killed in his video games. He’d ask me for things and complain that Lars was making him drink milk.

Then he stopped.