“She hasn’t come of age!”

My shout echoes through the room, and both women turn to look at me as if I’m crazy. And maybe I am. What man wouldn’t be driven mad by the teasing temptation of Heavenly?

“She’s not old enough,” I say, calmer this time, trying to show some control, something I find I have none of anymore. No, sweet little Heavenly has chipped it all away over the years.

My mother fights a smile as she steps into the room. “Carlos, she’s days away. I think it’s something to consider. We love her like family, and having her stay with us would be a dream come true for me.” She walks over to Heavenly and kisses her on the cheek. Heavenly beams up at her and leans into her embrace. My mother loves her. She dotes on her every chance she can. I can’t blame her. Heavenly is easy to love. I fell in love with her the moment I laid eyes on her. She has a little bit of a wildness to her that is coated in sweetness. “Give Carlos some time, sweet child. He’ll come around.” She kisses Heavenly on this head this time as she winks over at me.

“What?” I say, choking on the word. I can’t believe how easily my mother said that. As if it’s no big thing that we marry, that she would be all mine. I thought having her would be some big battle - a battle I’m willing to fight when the time comes, but a battle nonetheless. I’m too old for her, they will say. Questions of if I crossed a line before I should have would linger in people’s minds. “She didn’t mean me,” I push out, hating the words as the fall from my lips.

I want to scream again, but they’re looking at me like I’m a lunatic. I feel the very last of my control when it comes to Heavenly slipping away. I clench my fists at my sides and grind my teeth to keep from yelling and ripping the walls down around us. How can they both be so blind?

“Oh? Did you mean Romy? I’m so sorry, Heavenly. I had assumed you meant Carlos since…well.” She looks over at me and leaves the implication hanging there while a smirk plays on her lips.

“Mother - ” I begin, but she cuts me off.

“Romy would be perfect. He adores you, Heavenly, and I’m sure he would be agreeable. I’ll go talk to him personally.”

“Thank you, Nina, I knew - ”

“Enough!” I shout, loud enough I’m shocked the walls don’t shake.

I can feel my blood pressure spiking and coming to a boil. I’m breathing hard at the thought of my sweet Heavenly being touched by any hand other than my own, and I won’t allow it. I’ll burn this castle to the ground before I ever let that happen.

“She will marry me. That’s final.”

“But you don’t want me,” Heavenly says, looking away from me, but not before I catch a glimpse of her face. She’s wearing an expression I’ve never seen before.

“I said it’s final. In three days’ time, on your twenty-first birthday, I will make you my queen. End of discussion,” I growl.

“Carlos - ” Heavenly starts.

“Mother, make the arrangements.”

“As you wish, Your Highness,” she says, and dips her head to me. If I’m not mistaken I see a trace of a smile pulling at her lips.

I unclench my fists, feeling the blood circulate back to my fingers. As the adrenaline rush caused by thinking about Heavenly marrying someone else slips away, shock takes its place. I’m going to marry her. She’s going to be mine. Any thoughts of her being with someone else better be leaving her mind. Her fate is sealed. I will have her like I was always meant to.

The sound of the door closing snaps me out of it, and I look up to see that my mother has left us alone.

“Carlos, you can cancel this. I know you didn’t mean it.” Her voice cracks, and I can see the sadness on her face. I don’t like it. Not one bit.

“Heavenly - ”

“No,” she says. “I might not be as famous or as beautiful as Princess Star, but damn it, I deserve to be someone’s first choice. Not their pity.”

With those words, she turns on her heels and sprints out of the room. I don’t have time to blink before she’s gone, and I’m still in a shocked state at what just happened. I shake my head and run after her, determined to make this right.

She truly has no idea how I feel about her, probably because I haven’t told her. But I thought at some point she would realize why I hadn’t chosen a queen. That she’d understand that she was the only woman I ever wanted, long before I even knew what that meant. I’d always thought of her as mine, but over the years what that really meant started to make itself clear. Every time she snuck into bed with me, it grew ever more painful for me not to make love to her. How I ached to sink into her soft, wet heat and bind us in the most primal way possible. How I dreamed of making babies with her and growing old together.

Deep down I knew that one day I would finally tell her that she’d always been the love of my life, but I wanted to wait for the right moment, try to make her fall in love with me in that way. Now that moment has come and gone and I blew it. I wanted my proposal to be special. I wanted to talk to her brother Karim and get his permission. I wanted to do this the right way and make it the most perfect day of her life. But instead the plans have changed and I’m forced to make it right.

When I get to the end of the hallway I can’t tell which way she went. I hope that I make the right choice and go left towards the orchard. If she’s trying to get away from me, that’s where she’ll be. But as soon as I make it a few more feet, Romy steps out of the kitchen and into my path.

“Whoa. Easy there, Carlos.” He holds his hands up, and I barely stop in time to keep from running into him. “I need to talk to you.”

“It has to wait,” I say, barging past him.

“It will only take a second. Carlos - ”

“No,” I say, cutting him off and pushing past. I can talk to him later. Right now, I need to find Heavenly.

“She left!” he shouts at me, and I stop in my tracks.

“What?” I ask, turning and stomping back to him.

“I just got home a second ago after being out all night. I saw Heavenly running out of the palace, and she jumped in the car. Then she asked my driver to take her somewhere. She seemed to be in a hurry. Does this have anything to do with you?”

“Fuck!” I turn and punch the wall, leaving a fist-sized hole in it. “Where did she go?” I shake my hand out, thankful that nothing feels broken. Nothing but my pride.

“I think she went to see her brother. I caught his name before the door closed. What did you do?”

“Why does it have to be something I did?” I say defensively, but all the steam leaves my body. Romy is right and he knows it.

“Because Heavenly is the sweetest, most precious thing in the world to this family, and if she’s upset, it’s because you did something to her.”

“It’s just a misunderstanding. One that I intend to clear up as soon as I can.” I lean back against the wall, hating how I’ve messed things up.

“May I give you a piece of advice?” Romy says, leaning on the wall beside me.

“You’re going to anyway, even if I say no.”

“Correct. But I’d like to give you the illusion that you had a choice,” he says, and his voice is smug.

“Go ahead,” I say, ready for the verbal beating I deserve.

“Let her go and talk to Karim. She’ll come back to her grandmothers tonight to check in on her. Then make your move.”

“What are you saying?” I ask, looking at Romy with suspicion.

“I’m saying that it may be a lot easier to tell her exactly what you want if you take her by surprise.”

“Are you suggesting that I sneak into her room?” The skepticism in my voice is clear, but the idea is taking hold.

“I’ll leave it open to your interpretation. But I think the best way to get Heavenly’s attention would be a surprise encounter.”

“Do you know this from experience?” I say, pushing away from the wall and standing directly in front of him. Suddenly I’m angry at everyone, and if my brother dares to touch her, I’ll take him to the ground.

“Easy, killer. Restrain the claws. I’ve always seen Heavenly as a sister and nothing more than a sister. Though I can’t say the same for you now, can I?”

I don’t respond to the question. I stand up and straighten my suit jacket, looking anywhere but in his eyes. “Don’t you have somewhere you need to be?”

“As a matter of fact, I’m on my way to see our mother. I’m sure she’ll love this turn of events.”

Romy is smug as he pushes from the wall and makes his way down the hallway. Little does he know she’ll have news of her own. There’s a wedding to prepare for.

Now I just need to talk to Karim and ask him for Heavenly’s hand. And then tonight I need to make things right with her.

Maybe Romy is right. Maybe getting her alone and in a position where she can’t push me away would be best. I could wait until nightfall and go to her room. She’s been sneaking into mine for years, and maybe it’s time she received some of that in return.

Maybe if I show her exactly what I’ve been after all these years, she’ll realize that I’m not just an option. I’m her only option.