I couldn’t believe that Luke wanted me to stay in his room. The gesture felt intimate, and I surprised myself by how ready and willing I was to stay with him. I worried that his mother would have a fit, but the way that Luke commanded the conversation with her earlier made me think that his father’s illness had changed him. I was glad that I wasn’t the one to bring about that change in him. In a way, I felt as if he would blame me for knowing first, even though I stumbled upon it accidentally.

Watching Luke as he walked next to me, his shoulders were relaxed yet pushed back into a perfect posture. He looked more like royalty than ever. Over the last weekend we had been here, he was relaxed and ready to defend our relationship. This Luke had the weight of the kingdom on his shoulders, and I wondered if he had accepted the role of king yet. Would it be appropriate for me to ask? It wasn’t time to be shy with him when my job was on the line.

I thought he would tell me, but maybe he wasn’t ready for that discussion. I didn’t think I was either. If he was going to be king, what would happen to us? Even though we had admitted our feelings for each other, did he see me as someone who would give up everything and live with him as his queen? Would the people even accept someone like me? Or was Luke biding his time with me until he made his decision? Or was I overthinking everything? We weren’t officially a couple yet, but I doubted Luke would refuse to answer me if I needed clarity.

If he didn’t want me around, he could have been polite and left me in the same room I’d occupied over the weekend. For him to put my things in his room added a layer of delicious confusion to my already whirring brain.

Luke was silent for the entire walk to his father’s chambers. I recognized the hallway as the place where I heard Erol’s doctor speaking to him about his diagnosis.

I acted as if I’d never been to that part of the palace, even though the memory made my heart sink.

Luke didn’t seem to notice my reaction, which was a good thing.

He knocked on the door to Erol’s chambers and then stepped inside. Initially, I worried that we might wake the king, but he was sitting up in his bed when we arrived.

Luke’s mother stood up from her chair, her face stone cold but not angry. At least that was a start.

She touched her husband’s hand and then brushed past Luke and me before leaving the room.

“Don’t mind her,” Erol said, waving for us to enter.

Luke didn’t let go of my hand as he went to his father’s side. Erol’s face was much paler than it had been a week ago. His skin looked as if it were falling off his bones. He had lost a lot of weight in a short amount of time. Guilt surged through me. If only I had told Luke about his father’s illness over the weekend, he could have had more time with him. Was it really for the best? Thinking about the what-ifs only added to the sick feeling in my stomach. At least Luke knew now and could spend time with his father during his final days.

“It’s good to see you again, Sophia,” Erol said. “I would have preferred different circumstances, but I’m happy you’re here.”

“You are?” I asked. Heat pressed against my eyes, and I couldn’t stop the tears from forming. He wasn’t even my father, but he had welcomed me with open arms when Luke introduced me to his family.

“I am,” he said. “As I told Luke, I’ve been sick for a while. I’ve concealed it from my family for as long as I could.” I already knew this, but Luke didn’t. Erol explaining it to me sounded more like him thanking me for not informing his son about what I knew.

“It’s caught up with me now,” he said, drawing in a ragged breath.

He sounded as if he had come to terms with dying. It was a terrible thought, but it showed his inner strength.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” I wasn’t sure what else to say.

He nodded and looked over at his son. “Luke, would you mind going out and refilling the water pitcher?”

“I can do it,” I said, but Luke stood up, pressing his hand into my shoulder.

“You’ve had a long trip,” Luke said. He and his father shared a look, and I wondered what that was about.

Luke left the room and so did all the air in my lungs. The last time I was alone with Erol, I’d eavesdropped on his private conversation with his doctor. Even then, he’d been calm when he informed me not to tell anyone. If only I knew how serious it was at the time, I might have acted differently. The reason I ran away from Luke was because of the secret the king had asked me to keep. Mr. Fraser would have wanted the story about the dying monarch, but I couldn’t do that to Luke or his family—especially if all of them had been kept in the dark.

“Now that we’re alone,” Erol said before coughing into his hand. The sound was thick with phlegm.

I grabbed a silk handkerchief from the side table and handed it to him. I hoped it wasn’t a family heirloom or something.

“Thank you,” he said, wiping at his mouth. “I appreciate you keeping my secret.”

“You’re welcome,” I said. “Not that it did much good. They all found out anyway.”

“My dear, I’ve been fighting this illness for a long time,” he said. “I’m an old man, and I’m tired of fighting. You couldn’t have prevented that.”

“Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

He sighed. “Pride, I suppose. I should have said something, but there’s no changing the past. That’s something I will have to bear.”

“Are you going to tell Luke that I knew?” I asked. I didn’t think he had a reason to suspect our relationship was fake, but I couldn’t be too careful.

“No,” he said. “He is happy with you.”

I twined my fingers together in my lap. It was strange having approval from one of Luke’s parents. I wanted to know more. “You think so?” Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I pressed my hands against them.

“My dear,” Erol said with a smile. It lit up his face. “I’m out of touch with the dating world, but I know love when I see it. Luke’s mother and I didn’t experience it until later on, but I do recognize the signs. Luke is very much in love with you. I’ve never seen him like this.”

“Like what?” I asked.

“It’s as if you’re his sun. He gravitates to you. He looks at you as if you’re the answer to every question in the world. I see it even more so since you’ve returned here.”

“He is different, right?” I asked. As his “girlfriend,” I would notice a change in him without alerting Erol to our ruse.

“His mother said the same thing,” Erol said. “It’s sad that it took me dying for him to come into his own.”

“How do you mean?” I asked. I thought we were talking about our relationship, but Erol made it seem as if there was something else I was missing.

“He’s ready to become king,” Erol said, locking eyes with me.

Moving my gaze down to the intricately embroidered quilt, I said nothing.

“You’ve seen it,” Erol said.

“I have,” I said, remembering him speaking to his mother and going over her head to put me in his room. I saw the change, and I wasn’t sure if Luke was aware. I could see him as a king, but having that vision also brought up questions about our future. If we had one at all.

“Luke will make a fine ruler,” Erol said. “He just needs to take the final step.”

I nodded, focusing more on my future than Luke’s. Luke would be fine either way, but I wondered if I forced him to go back to his life in the UK, he would eventually regret everything and resent me for it.

“I feel confident in your abilities as well,” Erol said.

“My abilities?” I asked.

He tilted his head to the side and smirked. I saw a glimpse of Luke in his expression, and that brought a smile to my face as well.

“When my son takes the throne, I know that you will be great as his queen.”

“His queen?” I sputtered.

“Have you not considered this?” Erol asked.

I scrambled to think of something. I was tired of outright lying, but I didn’t want the king to die thinking that I would abandon Luke if and when he followed through with his duties. “I have. I just thought we’d have much more time.”

“I’m afraid you’re out of time,” he said, clasping his hands in front of him. It looked like he was praying, but the way his eyelids sagged, I knew this conversation was coming to an end.

“Do you want to get some rest?” I asked.

“Stay here until Luke returns,” Erol said. “Please.”

“Of course,” I said.

“Tell me about your journey here,” Erol said. “I suspect it was very different from your first visit.”

I went into detail about my trip, leaving out the part about the real reason I’d returned.

By the time Luke returned, Erol had his head back against a large pillow, and his eyes were almost slits. He was awake but barely. I’d skipped some of the more annoying parts of my trip and tried to keep it light and entertaining. I wasn’t sure when or how I was getting home whenever I left, but I hoped Luke would help with his more private accommodations. At least to get me back to the UK.

“Dinner is served downstairs,” Luke said, pouring his father another glass of water before placing the pitcher down on the side table. He handed the glass to his father, who sipped it gratefully.

“Should we go?” I asked Luke, unsure if Erol was supposed to be left alone in his condition.

“One of the servants will stay with him,” Luke said.

“I need my rest, Sophia,” Erol said. “But thank you for thinking of me.”

I stood up from the chair, unsure of what to do. He wasn’t my father, but I was Luke’s girlfriend.

As if Erol sensed my discomfort, he opened his arms to me.

I leaned over and hugged him. He pressed me closer to him. “Thank you for keeping my secret,” he whispered into my ear.

His voice was so soft that I knew Luke couldn’t have heard it. I wouldn’t have wanted him to. That conversation would surely result in a trip back to Dallas without a story in hand.

“Get some rest,” I said when Erol let me go.

“That will not be a problem,” Erol said.

Luke brought the quilt up to Erol’s chin and gently tucked it around him. Before we left the room, Erol was softly snoring.

He took my hand, and we left the room as quietly as possible. Outside the room, a servant bowed to Luke before slipping inside of Erol’s chambers.

On the way to the dining room, I hoped that Erol lasted for as long as they all needed to say their goodbyes. I felt a little sorry for taking up so much of his time, but now I knew I couldn’t leave anytime soon. Erol didn’t know the truth about Luke and me, and I would work hard to protect that. Knowing that his son was happy and in love would be a happy thought for Erol in his last moments, and there was no way in hell I would ruin a dying man’s happiness.