Chapter Six – Hearts Will Burn
Benjamin tossed some jalapeno peppers into the sautéed onions and stirred them, trying to focus his mind on his current task. Whatever he did, he needed to not think about Julia and that look of regret on her face after they'd had sex. On his desk. Seriously, what was wrong with him? He'd taken her like an animal, and she didn't deserve that. There hadn't been enough time to make sure that she knew that there wasn't anything happening after it. Yeah, he'd stated his terms, but without any real conviction. And the sheer level of emotion that was present . . .
He shook his head, a ball of disgust settling in his stomach. He would have to find a way to make it up to her, but right now, he needed to make sure his meal wasn't burning.
The soft patter of footsteps made him turn. The little blonde housekeeper, Natalie, entered the kitchen. Benjamin nodded at her in greeting. She nodded back, looking uncertain, and retrieved a glass of soymilk from the fridge.
"How can you stand to drink that stuff?" he asked, wrinkling his nose.
Natalie glanced at her beverage. "Well, I prefer almond milk, but I know that you and the queen are deathly allergic to almonds."
"Not that allergic. We'd have to eat a heck of a lot for it to have any real effect."
Natalie shrugged. "One cannot be too careful. Are you making the queen's supper again?"
He added chili peppers to the rice and nodded. "Can't be too careful."
"You think she's being poisoned?"
Benjamin's eyes darkened. It was his natural inclination, although all the tests they had run looking for toxins were negative. Not that he could discuss this with Natalie. No matter how long she had been with them, she wasn't part of his inner circle. Not that he had much of an inner circle.
"Isn't that too much pepper?" Natalie looked in horror as he added cayenne.
The prince laughed. "Dragons like their food spicy. We can tell the difference in taste between a green cayenne and a red one. We have a fire in our guts, after all."
"Spicy . . . " Natalie sighed. "Is that why you're so obsessed with Julia? I know it's not really my place to interfere in your highness's personal life, but Julia is one of my workers and I feel like I must speak. She has a young child – a baby she needs to take care of. Your insistence on pursuing her has put her in a bad situation. We all know what will happen when this ends badly. And it always ends badly."
"I didn't know you knew so much about my love life." He narrowed his eyes at her. She'd been at the palace for a long time and knew more than most about the details of the Royal Family's private life. That didn't mean he wanted her to know the most intimate details.
Natalie went scarlet. "Your Highness, I mean no disrespect."
"We're talking as equals right now," Benjamin interrupted, softening his gaze. "Julia has told me that the two of you are friends. So, see this as talking to a friend's . . . " Not boyfriend. "One-night stand."
"Is it only one night, though? I watch the video feeds all over the palace. I know when you steal her into closets and interrupt her work. It's making her have to work overtime in order to get her responsibilities done, and if you don't think that Fredrick isn't going to notice . . . " Natalie shook her head. "How am I supposed to explain to him that the reason she didn't finish her work was that you were making out with her? She could be fired."
"She's not going to be fired because—"
Natalie rolled her eyes. "Like you'd know! Your girls get fired all the time and you don't even notice because you've moved onto the next one already. You will be a good king one day, but as a prince, you're selfish and—"
Her eyes widened and she clapped her hands over her mouth. Benjamin stared at her for a moment before turning back to the meal he was cooking. He threw some chicken in a skillet and removed the sautéed peppers and onions from the heat. He had found it odd that so many of the girls he slept with disappeared from the palace, but when he asked, it always seemed like they had quit, not been fired.
"Thank you for telling me this," he said slowly. "I didn't know that—"
His PA, a skinny little Dragon named Nicolas, rushed in, his eyes wide. He sprinted across the kitchen to Benjamin and thrust a tablet into his hands. "Ben, you've gotta see this. She is out of control!"
"Julia?"
Nicolas's brow creased. "Who? No, Caitlyn. She's made this big public announcement, going on and on about how you've dealt a grievous insult towards her." He focused on Natalie. "Get out."
Benjamin shot Nicolas an annoyed look, but before he could ask Natalie to leave rather than snap at her, the housekeeper had already scurried out, leaving behind half a glass of milk. Nicolas made an impatient noise and tapped the tablet. Caitlyn's image showed up on the screen, her normal pouting expression replaced by one of sorrowful outrage. Benjamin couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"As a result of the insult dealt with me by the crown prince . . . " Her eyes were wide, and tears actually glimmered on her cheeks. "I am hereby cutting trade with Enderby . . . I know this blow will be difficult for us to absorb, but I am confident that we will come out stronger than ever. I urge my allies to rally around the kingdom of Northfall and deliver Enderby the same treatment as it has given us."
Benjamin turned off the tablet and set it down. Leaning against the counter, he closed his eyes. The mess with Julia couldn't have come at a worse time. He needed to cut it off. With Caitlyn's announcement, he didn't have the time or energy to spare to work things out. Could he . . . ? No. He needed to focus his energy on containing the situation with Caitlyn.
"Try to keep this news from my mother as long as possible. She's been doing better lately and I don't want her to relapse."
Nicolas nodded, squirming in his shoes. "It sounds like a cry for war to me. Your mother will find out about that."
"Until Caitlyn offers an official declaration or starts to mobilize against us, we have to treat it like a situation that can be fixed."
Another nod. Nicolas hesitated. "And what about that other girl you talked about? Julia? Is she the one you were in your study with yesterday?"
"I will deal with my own personal life," Benjamin said more sharply than he intended. "But I want a copy of her personal records – phone number, address, that sort of thing. And I don't want her fired."
Nicolas looked confused for a moment but nodded. With that done, Benjamin dialed the number he dreaded phoning: Caitlyn's personal life. After several rings, she answered. There was a smug quality to her voice that had Benjamin's teeth grinding. The fact that she could get him in this state so quickly was a bad sign, but he tried to keep himself calm.
"So . . . Are you calling to apologize to me, Benny? Or perhaps to accept my offer of marriage after all?"
"I'm calling because of the statement you released. You do realize that cutting trade will hurt your kingdom more than mine, don't you? This is childish and if you think you can force me into—"
"Into acting like a decent person? Until you're ready to publically apologize, I suggest you don't call me again."
She hung up. Benjamin growled, resisting the urge to slam the phone onto the counter. Taking a deep breath, he turned to Nicolas. "I am going to bring my mother her supper and then I want to talk with the council. Get them here. I don't care what it takes."
Nicolas nodded. As he left, Benjamin quickly finished the meal and took it up to his mother's room. She sat at a table reading a letter, a hard look in her eyes. The envelope sitting beside her had the Northfall seal on it. He tensed. Had Caitlyn sent a letter to his mother about what he said?
"Mother, I—"
The queen held up a hand, stopping him. She finished reading the letter and folded it before fixing a fierce glare onto him. "What did you do?"
"Nothing I can't fix," he promised. "As soon as I'm done here, I'll release an official apology. I messed up, but I'll fix it."
"Good. Because I . . . " Maria put a hand to her chest. "I—"
Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed. Benjamin sprang to catch her as she fell. Her body was utterly limp. Adrenaline surged through his blood and his heart jumped to his throat. Cradling his mother to his chest, he raced out the door, yelling for help. A few guards came to see what was happening, along with several servants, before the doctors got there. They pushed Benjamin out of the way and started checking Maria's vitals.
"Your Highness," one of them said, barring him from getting closer. "Your Highness! You can't help right now. Let us do our job."
"What's wrong?" Benjamin demanded, trying to push the little man out of his way. "What is wrong with her?"
"We're going to look after her."
A stretcher was raced down the hallway and Maria was lifted onto it. The guards blocked Benjamin's way as she was wheeled away. He turned away from them and fled.