CHAPTER 8
Cort
“My Prince, are you ok?”
I snapped out of my daydream and focused my attention back on the front of the room. Marcel, one of my father’s most trusted advisors and head of the Council, was looking at me with concern, and perhaps a bit of irritation, on his otherwise emotionless face.
I glanced around at the other members of the council, who were also peering at me. They all seemed annoyed, because this was the third time Marcel had stopped what he was saying to make sure I was paying attention.
I felt stupid and knew that this was not helping my cause as I tried to appeal the rule of the new king being a married man before assuming the crown. So far, it was not going well, and I knew it was because I was so preoccupied.
No matter how hard I tried, I could not stop thinking about Teagan. Ever since she walked away last night, she’d been in my every thought. I barely slept because all I could think about was pulling her body close to mine. There was something about her, something that was almost magnetic, that pulled me to her.
When I was younger, I was a bit of a playboy. I knew I could have any woman I wanted, by the sheer fact that I was the prince, and I had a different woman in my bed almost nightly. But over the years all of that grew tiresome. All of those women were the exact same and I was longing for something so much more.
I thought I actually found that with Teagan. Granted, she had no idea who I really was, but something told me that even if she did, it wouldn’t really seem to bother her.
I wished there was someone I could confide in about this, but I knew there really was no one. My friends would just laugh it off as a hot piece of ass, and my father would probably have me trying to marry her tomorrow. I placed my head in my hands. If my father or the council found out about this, found out how I truly felt about Teagan, things would explode. She would likely be brought in front of the council and all of the conversations would turn into when they were getting married. That was the last thing in the world I wanted. If Teagan and I were going to be together, if that was even what she wanted, it had to be done the right way, the normal way. I wasn’t about to force her into a marriage that she wouldn’t want.
This all probably didn’t matter though, because I doubted that I would ever see her again. She had made it clear that this was just a fling to her. A fun story she could tell later on to friends about the wild and crazy night in Ronovia. .
“Yes,” I said. “I’m fine. I’m sorry. I was just thinking about something.”
“Oh, would you care to share?” Marcel asked a bit sarcastically.
I thought fast. “Well, I just don’t see why this rule still stands. What is the real need for me to be married?”
“Prince, while this rule does seem outdated to you, it is a part of our national identity, and the way our country has always governed itself. Marriage is a sign of maturity and adulthood. We can’t break protocol because you are not ready to settle down. And we certainly can’t have a king who is off with a different woman every night. There is a certain level of maturity, a certain station in life, that one must have accomplished before you can really obtain the status of King. Certainly, you understand this.”
I gritted my teeth and held my breath a moment before answering.
“I certainly do. And I am not nearly as immature as you would believe. Being married is not something that is obtained in my opinion. It isn’t a skill or something you train for at the University. It is two people who love each other, coming together to form a lifelong union. It is not a political chess game. Believe it or not, I do want to be married. But I don’t want to just marry someone in order to become king. I just don’t get why no one can understand how wrong this is. I don’t need a wife by my side to rule, just because it looks better.”
“This is not what we are suggesting. You are approaching life as if you were a normal man. You are the prince. And if you are to become king, then you have certain duties that will be required of you. That means you will have to do things differently, things you don’t really want to do. Surely you can understand that.”
I glared at Marcel. I had known the man all my life and I always known him to be level-headed, but right now he was as stubborn as a bull.
“This rule must be changed,” I said. “I understand there is a tradition at stake here, but traditions get broken over time as people progress towards new ideas. That is what civilization does. It evolves. What worked hundreds of years ago no longer works today. I will be king with or without a wife. You will have to get used to the idea,” I said.
With that, I stormed out of the room.
My hands were shaking I was so angry. The only thing keeping me anchored at the moment was the thought of Teagan, her sweet, beautiful face repeatedly flashing in my mind. I knew that I would never forget her, and I realized that she would never be out of his thoughts. It was going to drive him mad eventually. I had to talk to her. I had to see her again.
I picked up my phone and gave Teagan a call. I could no longer go without hearing her voice another second.
“Hello, this is Teagan Norton. I’m not available right now. Please leave your name and number, and I’ll call you back soon. Thanks.”
Teagan Norton. So that was her full name. I loved the sound of it. There was a nice ring to it.
“Hey, Teagan. This is Cort, from last night. Cort Monreau. I would love to talk to you and maybe get together again soon.”
I left my number and told her to call anytime.
Ugh, I hated voicemail. Now I had to wait until she decided to call me back. If she decided to call me back. That was the torture of it all. I was so close to saying screw it and having his personal assistants track her down and bring her to the castle, but I knew that was over the top and borderline stalker-ish. This girl meant too much to me to scare her off like that. But I had to know if she felt the same way about me.
Just hearing her sweet, angelic voice was enough to calm me down and give me just enough hope to go back into the chambers and apologize to the council for storming out. I took a deep breath and walked back into the room.
“Council members, I will apologize for storming out, however I won’t apologize for feeling that there is a need to change this rule. There has to be a way that we can reach some sort of a compromise that will work for everybody.”
Marcel and the others whispered amongst themselves a moment.
“What do you have in mind, your highness?” Marcel asked.