I finish my breakfast slowly after Mila leaves. I can’t believe my fucking father asked her if she’s fertile, but then again, I shouldn’t be surprised. That’s basically Royalty 101: never marry an infertile woman. Even if it’s totally outdated and absurd, it’s still very much a part of what it means to be in the royal family.

Lines of succession, fertility, I thought I got rid of all this stuff a long time ago, but I know I was lying to myself.

I never wanted to be King, not even when I was a kid. I always imagined leaving Bellestan for something better. Our history has always been fraught, from the holy wars of the early thirteenth century to the Soviets taking over our country up until their fall. My family lived in exile during those years, and when the Soviets left, we came back and reestablished the monarchy almost as if nothing had changed.

But a lot’s changed, and the world is moving on. I thought I was moving on, too. There’s no other Prince though, and nobody to care over the throne when my father passes. If I’m really going to help save the monarchy, I need to understand what that means for my own future.

I’m basically agreeing to become King. It’s a hard though. I don’t know what’ll happen to everything I’ve built these years. I gave my heart and soul to Babble. I made something great. I know at this point that I could likely step aside and let my team take over the company and it’ll be fine, but I can’t imagine actually doing that. Still, I couldn’t be both King and CEO, as much as I’d like to be.

My thoughts keep running around this problem and I barely notice Aleks come into the room and sit down across from me. One of the staffers brings him a mug of coffee which he sips and watches me silently.

“What?” I finally ask him. “You’re here for a reason. You wouldn’t break protocol otherwise.”

He grins at me and gestures at the staffer in the corner, dismissing him. “You’re right, I wouldn’t dream of breaking protocol.”

I sigh and sip my coffee. I’m done eating. For some reason, my appetite is all gone. “What’s up?”

“I wanted to talk about Mila.”

“What about her?”

“I did my homework, you know.” He leans back and watches me. “She doesn’t really seem like your type.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “What’s that mean?”

“Come on, Prince Billionaire.”

I wince at that. Prince Billionaire is the nickname people in the press call me sometimes, especially when they’re talking about some of my more notorious exploits.

“Don’t call me that,” I say.

“Why? I thought you’d like it.”

“I hate that name. It’s not meant to be nice.”

“I know.” He laughs and shrugs a little. “But maybe you need your ego checked a little bit.”

I glare at him. “Don’t forget your place, ass.”

“Don’t forget where you come from, dick.” He sighs and puts his mug down. “I’m sorry. I know I’m pushing.”

“It’s okay.” Aleks and I have always had something of a rivalry, even when we were kids. We’re as close as can be, but we’re also two very talented and very competitive people. Because I’m the Prince, I’ve been given everything, and I know sometimes Aleks resents that.

“But really, Bran, what is it about this one?”

I wish I could tell him the truth, but I don’t think we’re quite ready for that. We were close once upon a time, but it’s been a while. “She’s different,” I say.

“That’s obvious. She’s not a pop star or a super model.”

“She’s smart,” I say, which is true. “Beautiful. Talented. She challenges me in ways most women don’t.”

“I see,” he says, watching me. “So it’s real, then?”

I blink at him. “Excuse me?”

“This whole thing.” He waves his hands at me. “The engagement. It’s real?”

I hesitate. “Yes,” I say.

“Good.” He nods his head. “She’s good for you. Maybe she can actually change Prince Billionaire for the better.”

“Who says I haven’t changed already?”

He grins and stands up. “We’ll see.” He leaves the room and I clench my jaw, a little annoyed.

But as soon as he’s gone, I realize something. Everything I said to him is true. She is beautiful and smart and she does challenge me. I like being around her in a way that I don’t think I’ve ever experienced before. When I said that it was real, I was only half lying.

Because apparently, the way I’m starting to feel is real.

That complicates things, of course. I don’t normally do complicated. But Aleks is right. I spent so much time growing my company and enjoying life that maybe I forgot to grow the fuck up. A woman like Mila can help me do that, and so much more.

One day, I might be King. And I’d be lucky to have a Queen like Mila.

For now, though, she’s just my fake Princess. And I like it like that.

* * *

The elevator speeds down faster and faster, and I can tell Mila is a little nervous. We’re alone in the tiny space, since Aleks agreed to give us a little privacy. We’re going to the safest space in the entire castle, and it just so happens to be my favorite as well.

“Not nervous,” she says, lying.

“We’re going pretty fast,” I point out.

“You didn’t have to say that.”

“I know,” I reply happily.

She groans as the elevator gets closer and closer to the cavern floor. We left behind the living quarters and the other floors, and now we’re headed to the bottom of the cavern. The light gets dimmer, though it doesn’t extinguish entirely as we head toward the bottom. The rock is rougher down here, harsh and natural, though if you look closely you can see some very unnatural carvings.

Faces peer out at us from the darkness, faces made from stone.

“Look,” I say, pointing them out to her.

She catches a glimpse of one. “What the hell?”

“Ancient rock carvings,” I say. “Nobody knows how they got there or what they mean, but they’re old.”

“Whoa,” she says, trying to see another one.

“Don’t worry, there are more down there.”

“Where are you taking me, exactly?”

“To my favorite place in this entire country.” The elevator reaches the bottom finally with a soft thump, and the doors slowly open. “The sacred lake.”

We step off the elevator and into a passageway cut into the stone. I take the lead, using my phone for a flashlight. It’s very dim, and I reach back to grab Mila’s hand. She takes it and follows me as we walk down the passage. It’s barely wide enough for us, but she doesn’t complain.

“Whoa,” she says again, stopping. “Look.”

Cut into the rock is a face. The man is bearded with wide, stylized eyes.

“That’s Michael,” I say.

She turns to me. “Michael?”

I shrug. “I named them when I was a kid.”

“Shit. Michael. What an awful name for an ancient face.”

I grin and start leading the way again. Up ahead, maybe fifty yards in the distance, the passageway opens up into a large chamber right in the center of the cavern.

We step into the chamber and I hear Mila’s breath catch in her throat. I can’t blame her. The lake itself is gorgeous, almost a perfect sky-blue color. Someone once told me the blue coloring is from the crystals in the lake, but I like to think that the lake is an extension of the sky, just down below us.

“Incredible,” she whispers.

The lake is probably twenty yards across. There are maybe ten feet all around it, a very small bank. Nobody knows how it got there, but it’s always been here for as long as I know.

Spaced at four even intervals are large statues of men in cloaks and bearskins with long beards. They’re facing away from the lake with their arms crossed. Each one has a different weapon: a sword, an axe, a shield, and a staff. They’re as old as the faces carved into the walls, and there are more of them, too. Many, many more. There are over a hundred faces, in fact. I counted them once.

“What is all this?” she asks me, walking slowly and gazing at the water.

“Scholars think it was an ancient holy site, but nobody knows how people got down here. We discovered this place during my grandfather’s reign when people decided to explore the bottom of this cave.”

“When did you build the stuff above?” she asks.

“When my father was young, still just a Prince, he had this place built. Although there were always tunnels down here, below the castle.”

“Secret tunnels under castles,” she whispers. “That’s so freaking cool.”

I can’t help but laugh. “Yeah, it is pretty cool.”

We walk in silence around the circumference of the lake. I can’t help but feel the immense weight of this place, even though I’ve been here hundreds of times. It’s been a while, but now that I’m down here again, I feel like I’m home.

I glance up above, and I can see the lights of the living floors. “Look,” I say, pointing up.

She follows my gaze and laughs. “Amazing,” she says. “Seriously, it’s like too much.”

“You get used to it.”

“I don’t want to,” she says softly. “I want to feel this wonder all the time.”

That makes me smile, and instinctively I take her hand in mine. She doesn’t resist, and together we walk around the lake, hand in hand, quietly admiring the faces in the walls, the statues of the warriors, and the still sky-blue water.

“I need to tell you something,” I say to her.

“More ancient stories?” she asks.

I shake my head. “No. It’s about tonight.”

She gently releases my hand, and I wish I hadn’t spoken. She crosses her arms and cocks her head. “What is it?”

“A lot of ministers will be there, important people. Blaz Perko included.”

She makes a face. “The opposition asshole,” she says.

“Right. I just wanted to warn you. It might be uncomfortable.”

“Okay,” she says. “Just don’t leave my side then.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” I smile at her and step closer. “You’re going to be the most beautiful woman in that room.”

“I’m sure,” she demurs, looking away.

I take her chin and tilt her face back toward me. My heart is beating fast, and there’s something in the air that’s pushing me to act. “You’re always the most beautiful woman in the room.”

“Bran,” she says softly.

“Don’t like hearing it? Too bad. You should know what I think about my Princess.”

She stands there a moment, staring into my eyes, and I know she wants this too. She made those stupid rules but how could she have known that this would happen? We’re together in this place, and it just feels so fucking right.

But she turns away from me. “I should get ready then,” she says.

“If that’s what you want.”

“I wouldn’t want to disappoint you.”

“I don’t think you could.”

She starts walking back toward the elevator and I follow her. I glance back at one of the stone warriors, and I wonder what he would have done.

Probably thrown her to the floor and fucked her goddamn brains out. Too bad we live in a more civilized time.

But I’ll get what I want, sooner or later. I saw it in her eyes. She won’t be able to resist this much longer. I’ll take her the way I need to take her, and I’ll have her begging for more before I’m through with her.

Even if she thinks it’s just pretend, she’s my fucking Princess. And a Princess needs a big, thick royal cock to make her feel fucking good. I’ll give her that and much, much more.