Marianna watched as Mrs. DeLuca picked up a dress and held it against her. They'd been shopping for hours, and Marianna had felt uncomfortable the entire time. She wasn't sure what to say to the queen and every time she tried to speak, jumbled sentences came out.

So Marianna had resorted to keeping her lips shut tight and nodding anytime Mrs. DeLuca looked her way—which was few and far between. It seemed that Mrs. DeLuca had just insisted that Marianna come just to keep her away from Leo. It bothered Marianna at first, but then she brushed it off.

She wasn't here for the crown or the DeLuca family. She was here to help Leo, and the more time she spent around him, the more her resolve deepened. She was going to help free Leo from his mother's grasp. Help him escape the oppression he felt here.

"Are you ready?" Mrs. DeLuca asked, walking up to her and nodding toward the few dresses that Marianna had picked out and draped over her arm.

Marianna stood. "Yes." She wasn't going to say no to free clothes if the crown was paying. Might as well get something she wanted to wear instead of what felt like Mrs. DeLuca's personal style.

After they checked out, Marianna followed Mrs. DeLuca and a few of her friends—who Marianna hadn't bothered to remember the names of—out onto the sidewalk. The store may have been cleared for the royal family, but the street had not. Crowds gathered around them, each peering over each other, wanting to catch a glimpse.

Many people had their phones out and were documenting it. Marianna kept her head down, hating how it felt to be on display all the time. Everyone else seemed to enjoy it, stopping to pose and smile. Marianna blew past them and over to the limo, where she climbed in. After a few minutes, Mrs. DeLuca appeared, sliding in to sit next to Marianna.

Once everyone was in, the door closed. The chauffeur got in on the driver's side and the limo pulled away. Mrs. DeLuca glanced at her watch. She sighed as she peered out the window.

"Are you enjoying your time in Caro?" she asked. She didn't turn to look at Marianna, but she could only assume that she was talking to her.

Marianna nodded. "Yes. It is beautiful here."

Mrs. DeLuca glanced over at her. "It is my country. I love it." She got a nostalgic expression on her face. It was something that Marianna could relate to. Feeling a loyalty and love for a place that held meaning. That’s how she felt about her hometown.

"I get that," she said, giving Mrs. DeLuca a small smile.

"Which is why you understand why you must leave," Mrs. DeLuca said, matter-of-factly.

Marianna coughed at the bluntness of her statement. She glanced over at her. Had she heard right? "Excuse me?"

Mrs. DeLuca sighed. "Leo is confused. He's convinced himself that the Marasco family is out to get the crown or something. If you ask me, it all started with him hitting his head. Now he refuses to marry Gisella, stating that he does not remember her." Mrs. DeLuca rubbed her temples. "But, I am having a hard time believing that. What he doesn't realize is we need this alliance. The Marasco’s can help us." Her voice lowered. "And we need the help."

Marianna widened her eyes. What was she talking about? And why was she saying these things to her? "Okay. What do you want me to do?"

Mrs. DeLuca glanced over at her. "Leo seems to trust your opinion. He confides in you. Tell him that he should fulfill his commitment to his country. Ermes would be the worst person to run it. He's"—she let out a sigh—"not Leo. Leo has been trained from a boy to become king. It's his destiny."

That was something that Marianna could agree on. Leo was meant to be king. She could see it when she looked at him—he was destined for greatness. If only he could believe that about himself, then Caro would be set.

She forced a smile and nodded. "I'll do what I can." She couldn't promise that she'd change his mind, because she doubted anyone’s ability to do that. But she would give it a go. It was what Caro and Leo needed. She'd help him see just how perfect he was for his country.

Leo sat in the boardroom in the east wing of the castle, drumming his fingertips on the tabletop. There had been hours of meetings and he was getting antsy. It was hard to feign interest when he knew this was not his future. He was ready to run away from this world and make something that was just for him. A place where neither corrupt men nor his mother could control him.

Mr. Marasco and his business partner, Mr. Geo, were sitting across from him, discussing the stack of papers on the conference table. They were pitching an idea to him that had just been passed by the Prime Minister. It needed his approval to be put into effect.

"As you can see here, building a factory in the Caro National Forest would actually benefit the country. It would provide jobs and stimulate the economy." Mr. Geo said, pushing the stack of paper over to Leo and tapping at a few numbers.

Leo flicked his gaze down and studied the report. They were proposing to take five hundred acres of the national forest. It was the largest stretch of land that had remained untouched, and they wanted to cut it in half.

Leo didn't have to think about it. He shook his head. "No," he said, pushing the papers back.

Mr. Marasco raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Leo folded his arms. He wasn't going to be controlled by this man. He hated how he acted as if he was above the rules. Above the crown. So he shook his head again, this time slower so Mr. Marasco got the full force of his response. "I said, no. You are not taking half of the forest, leveling it, and building a giant factory in its place." He pulled the stack of papers back and flipped through the top few pages. "And there's no way my parents will ever approve, either. The numbers you are giving seem inflated. I have a feeling you aren't being entirely truthful." He eyed Mr. Marasco, who didn't even flinch.

Instead, he glanced over at Mr. Geo, who leaned in and whispered something under his breath. "My apologies, Your Highness. I can see you are still in distress from your accident. Asking you to make a decision on this so soon was obviously a mistake." He grabbed the stack of papers and tapped them on the table before slipping them into his briefcase. "We will allow you time to heal and approach this topic at a later date."

Leo parted his lips to tell Mr. Marasco off. His insinuation that Leo wasn't in his right mind was infuriating. That he could just brush off Leo's decisions, due to his injury. But then Leo remembered his fake amnesia and snapped his lips shut. As much as he wanted to speak his mind, he couldn't. He wasn't supposed to remember Gisella.

Plus, what did it matter? He wasn't going to be king—even though it angered Leo to think that Mr. Marasco wanted to destroy the national forest all for his personal gain. This would be Ermes’s decision, and the least Leo could do was to push back long enough for Ermes to come into power, and then he could rule on it.

"I would appreciate you leaving these important decisions until I have fully healed," Leo said, leaning back in his chair.

Mr. Marasco hesitated and then nodded. "Of course, Your Highness. My apologies for pushing you further than you wanted to go." He nodded toward Mr. Geo, who stood.

"I'm sorry as well," Mr. Geo said.

Leo waved them away and then turned in his chair so he could study the landscape through the window behind him. He steepled his fingers and rocked a few times, letting his breath out slowly. The sound of the door latching marked their retreat. Now alone, he scrubbed his face with his hands.

That meeting hadn't gone the way he’d wanted, but at least he’d bought himself some time. Hopefully his parents would respect his decision to hold off and not overrule him. If they truly wanted him to become king, then they needed to respect his decisions.

But a sinking feeling settled in his gut. His parents weren't going to respect him. They thought they were doing the right thing for Caro by getting attached to the Marasco family, but Leo could see that it was a mistake.

It wasn't until evening that Marianna and his mother returned from their outing. When Leo heard Marianna's voice out in the hall, he tried to nonchalantly open his door and peer out. He watched her say goodnight to his mother and make her way down the hall, toward his room. Her gaze lingered on his as she passed by.

His heart picked up speed. He hadn't realized how much he missed her until this moment. He'd grown used to having her close by, and spending the day without her had been hard.

He stepped forward to go speak to her, but a hand landed on his arm. Turning, he saw his mother shake her head.

"Marianna is tired. Let her rest." She nodded to Leo's room. "I need to speak to you."

His stomach dropped like lead. She could only want to talk to him for one reason. She'd heard about his meeting with Marasco Industries, and she wasn't happy. He nodded and stepped to the side.

She entered, and he followed after her, shutting the door behind him. Not wanting to seem too inviting, Leo folded his arms and leaned against the wall next to the door.

"What do you want, mother?"

His mom turned and sighed. She had a look that told him she was not happy. "I got a call from Mr. Geo today," she said, folding her arms and studying him.

"I'm not sure why he would be calling you. I told both him and Mr. Marasco that I was not interested in making a decision about the new factory at this moment. I'm still healing from the injury, and a decision like that deserves all of my mental faculties." He straightened, hoping his mother would feel the weight of his meaning.

She sighed and rubbed her temples. "Leo, you do realize how important this merger with the Marasco family is. The economy is struggling, and this joint venture would help both in the marriage and with their company." She glanced up at him.

For a moment, Leo felt bad. He saw the stress his mother was under and wanted to help. But he wasn't going to do what she wanted, when it was so obvious that Mr. Marasco had other plans for Caro—more than he was writing up in his proposals. So, he nodded. Appeasing his mother seemed like the best bet. "Of course. And when I am feeling better, I will make that decision. Right now, I want to prepare for dinner."

His mother hesitated and nodded. "All right." She walked over to the door, and just as she reached for the handle, Leo stopped her.

He wanted to make sure that they were on the same page. "You will wait until I am ready to rule on this, right?"

She paused and then nodded. "I will try." Then she turned the handle and slipped from the room.

Leo hated the sour feeling his interaction with his mother had left him with. What did "I will try" even mean? He had a sinking suspicion it meant she would take matters into her own hands if he didn't rule the way she wanted him to.

He blew out a breath as anger built up in his chest. Why were his parents so hell-bent on him becoming king if they wouldn't even let him do his job? Did they really think that he was incapable of making good decisions? He pushed his hands through his hair. This had to stop. He'd give his mother one more chance, but if she proved herself incapable of respecting his wish to slow this process down, then he was finished.

He wouldn’t stick around here anymore.