The Wicked Prince

The entire walk to the palace, I blamed my shiver on the cool breeze that swirled around me, but deep down I knew it was nerves. When I reached the door, the butler opened it and ushered me to the main dining hall, where the Queen Mother was sitting down at the end of the large, fifty-person-seater table.

“Joslyn. Thank you for joining me.” Her lips turned up slightly upon seeing me.

“Of course.” I gave a slight curtsy in front of her chair before sitting down in the one beside her, which was already plated. I noticed the seat across from me also had a plate, which had already been used, and wondered who had been here before me, but didn’t dare ask.

“Ronald, please bring out some breakfast for Mademoiselle Joslyn. I’m sure she’s famished after last night’s celebrations.”

“Did you enjoy yourself?” I asked. “I didn’t get a chance to speak to you.”

“Of course not. You were busy. Busy with the wedding, the guests . . . my son.”

I reached for the water set in front of me and drank some, hoping it would help extinguish the furious blush spreading over my face. “I was quite busy,” I said once I set the glass down.

“So, tell me about this little charade you and my son have going.” She said it so flippantly, I had no choice but to look her in the eye. Had Aramis come clean about it to her? After everything he’d said to me? After telling me not to tell a soul? As if reading my thoughts, she smiled slightly. “My son told me it was all for show.”

“Oh.”

“He didn’t give me many details beyond that.” She reached for the newspaper folded up in front of her plate and unfolded it, showing me the front page. There was a photograph of Pilar and Ben kissing after they said their vows and beneath it, one of Aramis and me kissing in the hall. “Whose idea was this?”

“His. I told him to let me handle the press, but he went behind my back and staged the photograph. He said it was best to get the news out there as soon as possible.”

“My son can be a bit much. As you know.”

“I’m definitely aware.” I sighed, thanking the butler when he set the already plated breakfast in front of me. I dug in slowly, knowing the Queen Mother’s eyes were on me and that she’d start talking any minute.

“He said it didn’t work out with Cassandra of Greece.”

“He finds a flaw in everyone.” I shook my head.

“Except for you.”

“Me?” I coughed and reached for the water once again, grateful that I didn’t have food in my mouth when she said that. “He has always been keen to point out my flaws.”

“Because he likes you. Genuinely.”

“If that’s what he does to people he genuinely likes, I’m glad I don’t have him as an enemy.” I set the glass down and raised an eyebrow at her. “He seems to think if he didn’t have a girlfriend right now the press was going to have him under a magnifying glass.”

“But now they’ll have you both under that magnifying glass,” she said. “Did you consider that before you agreed to this?”

“No.” I felt myself frown. “Not really.”

“What are you expecting to happen?” She watched me closely. I was no longer hungry enough to eat anything because now I felt like I was under attack.

“With what?”

“With all of this. We gave you an opportunity on our staff. We gave you more responsibility than you originally signed up for. Now you’re dating my son, or rather, pretending to date him. You’ll parade around with him in public and take photos. Was this your plan all along? To become famous and then . . . and then what? What will you achieve?”

“That was not my plan. He came up with the whole thing. He basically bribed me to do it. He even asked me not to tell anyone that it was all for show, so imagine my surprise at the fact that you know what’s happening.”

“My son doesn’t keep secrets from me. However, I can assure you he definitely keeps them from you. My best advice is not to get invested in this. Aramis won’t settle down.”

“I’m not planning on getting invested.”

“Good. Then I guess that’s settled.”

My stomach rolled. I suddenly wasn’t feeling so good. I took a deep breath before addressing her again. “Was that why you wanted to speak to me? To tell me not to get invested?”

“I wanted to try to understand why my son would choose someone on our payroll to pretend to be in love with when he could very well have chosen an heiress or socialite to do it with. Cassandra of Greece is high on my list of women for him to marry. She’s a suitable choice, don’t you agree?”