Seeing Father smiling at Sophia when I returned with the water made my heart skip a beat. Even though I hadn’t directly said I was going to take the throne, knowing he was happy about who I’d chosen to be my partner—for real this time—gave me a sense of calm that I hadn’t had before Sophia showed up.

I took her hand as we walked through the hallway, squeezing it. She had turned my life upside down, and I couldn’t imagine having anyone else by my side during this trying time.

“I thought we were going to the dining room?” Sophia asked as I led her down another hallway, not in the direction of the central stairwell.

“We’re going to get Abir,” I said. “He’s holed himself in his room for several days. It’s time for him to join the living and say goodbye to his father.”

“He’s grieving,” Sophia said.

I gritted my teeth. “Father isn’t dead yet. Abir might get a pass to complain for a little while, but he needs to step up and be the man that Father thinks he is, or he’ll regret it.”

“Isn’t that a little harsh?” Sophia asked.

She never shied away from voicing her opinions when it came to decisions in my life. She asked the hard questions. While it was annoying sometimes, I realized that I would need someone in my life to push me. Mother hadn’t been a key figure in Father’s decisions as king, but I sensed that having someone close to me as a sounding board might lessen at least some of the pressure from my mind.

We arrived at Abir’s room, and I turned to Sophia. “Will you give us a minute?”

“Of course,” I said.

I knocked on the door and pushed through. If it were up to Abir, he would lock himself away with his books for the rest of his life. He needed a little bit of tough love, and I was the only one in the family who could offer it. Mother babied him, and Father wouldn’t force his son to watch him die.

Abir’s room was a mess. I bet he hadn’t let the servants come in and clean in a few days. There were trays of empty bowls and plates near the door with remnants of food crusted on the surfaces.

“Abir?” I asked, pushing farther into the room. I walked over piles of clothes on the way to his bed.

The lump under the covers moved, and Abir’s head poked out from underneath. “Luke?”

“It’s me,” I said, wrinkling my nose as I caught the scent of body odor coming from his direction. “You need to get up and come to dinner.”

“I don’t—”

“I’m not asking,” I said.

Abir’s eyes widened, and his lower lip trembled. His sensitivity wasn’t something I mentioned to him, but he could be sensitive all he wanted after he said a proper goodbye to our father.

“Why does he have to die?” he asked.

While my brother attempted to keep his emotions hidden under the surface, maybe Sophia had been right. Abir had never had to deal with something like this before. He buried himself in his books on a daily basis. Hiding under his covers was a way for him to cope with what was going on.

His reaction our father’s illness highlighted how different we were and why Father thought I would be better off as king than Abir. I believed Abir would make a good ruler in his way, but there was a distinct possibility that he would get taken advantage of.

I sat on the other side of the bed, staring at the door. Sophia was on the other side, and I wanted nothing more than to get back to her with Abir in tow. “This is a part of life,” I said. “There’s no rhyme or reason to it.”

“What did you do when your parents died?” Abir asked.

I shook my head. “I don’t remember them. I was too young.” I rarely thought of my biological parents. I had enough money in my pocket to find out every little thing about them, but after my new parents adopted me, I never looked back.

“So, you don’t have any advice?” Abir asked.

I shook my head. “Father is just as important to me as he is to you. This whole situation sucks, and I’d rather be anywhere else than here, but Father needs us. There are times when others’ needs outweigh our own.”

Abir sniffed and shoved the covers aside. “You’re right. I’ve been such a baby.”

I clapped a hand on his shoulder. “No, you haven’t. You’re still a kid.” I got a look for that remark, but it was true. He was still young and had little life experience outside of the palace. “Don’t shy away from this, though. There are worse things than facing the truth.”

“Like what?”

“Like regret.” I didn’t have much to regret in my life as I tended to live as I pleased, but I did regret letting Sophia leave. I had learned from my mistakes, and I would never do that again.

“You’ve become wise in your old age,” Abir said.

I tossed a pillow in his direction, and he jumped off the bed, laughing.

“Give me a few minutes to take a shower, and then I’ll be down,” Abir said, dodging another pillow.

I might have worried that I would make a mess of the room, but it was already there. “A few minutes. Mother will be displeased if you’re late.”

Abir poked his head out from the en suite bathroom and bowed deeply in my direction. “As you wish, Your Highness.”

The shower turned on in the other room, but I couldn’t force myself off the bed. I knew he was teasing me, but his words struck a chord in me. I became aware of a shift in my perspective. Whether I wanted to or not, on a deeper level, I was acting more like the king, even before I knew of Father’s imminent death. Was this a sign of what was to come?

I shook away the feeling, wanting to bring Father and his declining health to the forefront of my mind. I wanted to be there for him, mind and body, and worrying about the kingdom would taint these last days I had with him.

Walking out of Abir’s room, I couldn’t wait to see Sophia again. We’d barely had any time to ourselves since she arrived, and once dinner was over, I planned on changing that. Since neither of us had shared a first real kiss yet, I wondered if it would happen tonight. I supposed we should get it over and done with, but I wanted to make sure that was what she wanted. She had feelings for me, but we came into our relationship weirdly. Somehow, we had to move backward out of a fake relationship into a real one. How we did that was up to Sophia. I would go at her speed, working against my wants and needs.

She smiled at me when I came out. “That was quick.”

“He just needed a pep talk,” I said, taking her hand. She didn’t hesitate at all when she twined her fingers with mine. This was right, and we both knew it.

“Is he coming down?” she asked, glancing behind her.

“He needed to clean himself up,” I said, not wanting to get into detail about the disarray of himself and his surroundings.

---

I was surprised that the dining room was empty when we arrived. I had expected Mother to be there, waiting to show how disappointed she was with Sophia and me. At least we’d get a break from that. Sophia and Abir liked each other, so I looked forward to having a pleasant conversation between the three of us. Maybe Mother had changed her tune. I didn’t expect her to welcome Sophia with open arms after hearing how she honestly felt, but being cordial would have sufficed.

“It’s just us?” Sophia asked.

“I guess so,” I said, pushing her chair in behind her.

“I don’t mind her,” Sophia said quickly. “I wish she didn’t mind me, though. Should we tell them about us?”

“That doesn’t matter anymore. We’re together now. We don’t need to reveal any of our previous lies. I foresee Mother using that to her advantage and upsetting Father.”

Sophia nodded. “Good point.”

Abir came in a few moments later as the first course arrived. One of the servants rushed out to get another plate for my brother.

“Sophia!” Abir said, running over to her.

She stood and hugged him. “Hey,” she drawled.

Abir turned to me and lightly smacked my arm. “You didn’t tell me Sophia was coming. I would have dressed better.”

I glanced at his outfit. In the same way that he was into his books, he appreciated a nice outfit and gelled hair. “You look fine.”

“Where’s Mother?” Abir asked, sitting down in his spot.

I shrugged. “She wasn’t here when we arrived.”

The conversation turned to other pleasantries as we ate the first course. I started to relax when the doors opened again.

Mother strode into the room. Her eyes narrowed on Sophia.

“Is something wrong?” Abir asked. “How is Father?”

Nothing was wrong with Father at that moment. I stood up, attempting to intervene with whatever she was about to say or do.

“She is not welcome at this table!” Mother said.

I moved in front of her so that Mother’s already pointed finger came nowhere near Sophia.

Mother tried to sidestep me, but I was ahead of her and blocked her once again.

She let out a frustrated grunt and peered around me to face Sophia. “I don’t even know why you are here, but as long as I am alive, you will not be welcome here. I suggest you leave if you don’t want to hear exactly what I have to say.”

Sophia’s chest heaved as she took deep breaths.

“That is enough,” I said to Mother.

“It will be enough when she leaves,” Mother said.

The legs of Sophia’s chair scraped across the floor. “I should go.”

“No,” I said, but Sophia was already halfway across the room. Then she was gone.

Mother let out a satisfied sound and took her seat at the head of the table, across from the empty chair that Father always occupied.

“Are you pleased with yourself?” I asked her.

She placed her napkin in her lap. “I will not be pleased until she is out of our home.”

Abir stared at Mother with wide eyes. He didn’t like confrontation.

I glanced at the door. I would never be able to finish my meal if Sophia was alone and hurting from Mother’s words.

I had nothing left to say to my mother, so I showed her my displeasure and followed Sophia out of the dining room.

“Luke, come back!” Mother called as I closed the doors behind me. Since my conversation with her hadn’t changed her mind, my actions might. She would have to get used to seeing Sophia and me together or else she would lose her son.

I hoped her extreme reaction to Sophia was a symptom of Father dying, but she had expressed her disapproval of Sophia before. This whole situation might be a turning point for our entire family. I would have to wait it out and see.

I went to my room, knowing that Sophia would have gone there. It was the only place she had privacy.

I slowed down as I approached the door. I hoped she didn’t want to be alone. I wanted to show her that I was always on her side and my mother would never come between us. Nothing would.

Opening the door, Sophia sat on the bed, her back facing me.

“Sorry I left,” she said without turning around. “Everyone is going through a lot right now. I didn’t think it was appropriate for me to stay if she was that upset.”

I crossed the room and stood in front of her. Her eyes were a little pink, and my jaw clenched. My mother had made Sophia cry for no reason.

I reached over to her and helped her off the bed. Bringing my hands to her waist, I pulled her closer to me. Tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, I drew a line over her jaw with my finger. “I don’t care what she says or thinks about us. You are more to me than she realizes. Nothing will come between us.”

Her gaze darted between my eyes, and I couldn’t suppress the urge to kiss her.

I lowered my mouth to hers, and our lips met.