I search his eyes. So many emotions are churning inside me, and I’m not entirely sure what any of them are.

“I…” I can’t seem to find the words, nor can I seem to be able to decide what it is I want to do.

“Say the word, Princess.” He grins—I think we’ve both realized he’s not using the term princess in the same derogatory way he has been since our wedding. “Let me show you what I’ve already come to realize.” His hand is still cupping my cheek, and he looks down into my eyes.

“And what might that be?” I can’t help but return his smile. This night has been so different from our other attempts at just having fun for the sake of it. Something has changed, though I’m still not certain I trust him entirely.

“Let me show you that I believe we are meant for each other.” He’s still grinning, but there is something else in his eyes. Some passion I haven’t noticed before.

My cheeks burn—it’s probably the alcohol, but perhaps there is something else. I shouldn’t feel embarrassed around him. I shouldn’t feel ashamed for wanting him the way I do—we are married after all—but something still nags at me, twisting in my stomach.

“Just say the word, Princess.”

“I think—”

“I think you need to stop thinking.” He smiles down at me. “So what will it be? Somewhere tropical? A mountain cabin? A resort? A—?”

“I…I don’t think we can.” I frown as I reach up to pull his hand from my face. “It’s a bad idea.”

“What is there about going away with my wife that is a bad idea? Think of it—there will be no one watching us. We’ll have no distractions. We can enjoy the company of each other.” He gives me a suggestive look. “We can really enjoy the company of each other.”

“To put a small male heir in my womb, no doubt.” I take a step away from him. “I think that perhaps we should just return to Rosvalia. You’re right—I have no business being here. I never should have come in the first place.” I begin walking back toward the market—the train station isn’t too far a walk.

He catches up to me and pulls my hand into his as we walk. “Or we could go to the hotel. Your suitcase is already there. And if you still feel you must have a separate bed, we can just see that we get a room with at least two. One for each of us. And of course, should you get cold during the night…”

I have to hide my smile by shaking my head. “You have a one-track mind, Your Highness.”

He shrugs. “I am a man. I do think of other things on occasion, though. That spätzle was awfully delicious.”

“Hm.” I look over at him as we walk. “It’s good to know your tastes are simple. If food and sex are all you think about, it makes you fairly easy to figure out.”

“Well…” He grins at me. “They aren’t necessarily in that order. Most of the time, it’s the other way around. But there are occasions were food wins out, mostly because to actually have sex, you do require a fair bit of nutritional intake.”

I shake my head and bite my lip to cover my own grin.

“And what things do you think about, Princess?”

I sigh. “My country. The people who live there. My family. World peace.” I shrug. “Simple things.”

“You left out poetry.” He grins over at me again. “And obviously sex.”

“Hm. I suppose I’m not quite as single minded—”

“Though you did bring up the male heir discussion. That does involve your country and the people who live there. Also your family. And you know what, Princess?”

I shake my head, already not liking where this discussion is going. “What?”

He pulls me toward him, twirling me around as if we’re dancing. After he spins me, he pulls me tightly to his chest, dipping his mouth to my ear. “It also involves sex.”

I shove him away, but he grabs me by the hand before he gets too far.

We begin walking again, and he clucks his tongue at me. “I don’t think you’ve thought this through, Princess.”

“Oh really?” I shoot a glare at him. “And you know this because…?”

“Because… If you had considered the consequences of Reginald becoming king, you’d have wanted me to start giving you heirs weeks ago. We could have already been on our way to our first little boy—”

I stop walking abruptly, turning to face him. “I have considered the consequences, Your Highness. Reginald has been trained from birth to rule Rosvalia, and I’m certain he’ll do a fine job—”

“If he doesn’t gamble away what little your country has left, you mean?” He chuckles. “You do know that part of the reason we were married was because of his gambling problem, right?”

I shake my head in disgust and start walking again. “I’m not discussing this with you. Not now and not ever.”

“Not ever?” He grabs me by the elbow, stopping me from walking before he turns me to face him. “We will discuss this, Princess. Perhaps not tonight—”

“I mean it, William. Drop it.”

“I’ll not. I deserve to have a say in this, Justine. I…I gave up my life for you and your country. And I do want to have children—not only for the sake of making an heir, just for the sake of…having them. The least you can do for me—”

“Is what I’ve already done. I’ve given myself to you twice. And look at me…” I motion with a wave over my midsection. “You haven’t given me a child—”

“Yet. And twice is not technically trying.”

I glare at him again, wishing he could understand how painful it is for me to even speak of having children. If he only knew the truth…

No. This is not the time or place for this discussion—he doesn’t need to know the sad story of my past. Besides, there’s no need to tell him the other truth—that he won’t be knocking me up any time soon.

He’s grinning again. “Were we to take our honeymoon, it might well give us a head start on the trying for an heir. I’ve actually been researching the ways to ensure we conceive a male. Some of them are just crazy, but some of them seem at least plausible—”

“Do you even hear yourself? You’re researching ways to give me a male heir?” I shake my head again. “It isn’t me with the concerns about ruling, Your Highness. No, clearly it’s you.”

He nods. “It’s true. Once I learned that you were actually next in line for the throne, I couldn’t help but—”

“See yourself as king one day?”

His grin finally falls. “I know I’ll never be king of Rosvalia, Justine. But it does do my heart some good knowing that our child will be an heir. A Montovian heir to the throne of Rosvalia.”

“Yes, I’m sure it makes you feel quite a lot more…” I lift my eyes to the starry sky, trying to come up with a word. “Secure.” How can he not hear the pain in my voice at even discussing the possibility of having children? How can he not see it in my eyes?

He frowns at me. “What would be the harm in trying?”

“The harm, Your Highness, is that I’m not prepared to have a child. I’m still considering graduate school—”

“A decision you’ll abandon after our honeymoon, I assure you.” His blue eyes bore into mine.

“How do I get this through to you, William? There will be no honeymoon. I realize it is what you want—”

“It is.”

I try not to roll my eyes again, instead choosing to ignore his words.

“Answer me this, Princess.”

I shake my head but turn to him. “What?”

“What if you were wrong? About me? What if what happened to us—the arrangement that we both agreed to—turns out to be much more than either of us could have hoped or imagined?”

“So what if it is, Your Highness? How does that change anything?”

He grins. “I’ll choose to ignore the fact you answered my very serious question with two of your own.”

I frown. “Why is everything a joke to you?”

He shakes his head. “Why is nothing a joke to you?”

“Is this how we are to speak now? Answering questions with questions?”

“What if it is?” He seems quite amused that he’s unwittingly pulled me into his little game.

“Wouldn’t it be a bad idea?”

He chuckles. “Wouldn’t what be a bad idea?”

I stare at him for a moment. “You know I don’t want to play this game, right?”

“And yet, you realize you are, do you not?” He chuckles again, stroking his chin in an obvious attempt to come up with another question. “Would having a child with me be the worst thing you can imagine?”

At this moment, yes. I’m so focused on answering his question with another that I don’t hear the words that come from my mouth until it’s too late. “You realize I’m on the birth control pill, do you not?”