I leap up, still processing Elias’s words.

My father. Something has happened to my father.

It’s strange—even after everything my father has put me through, my first reaction is still dread.

“What happened?” I demand. “Tell me.”

Elias as still trying to catch his breath. “He… They said… His heart…”

I can’t breathe. “Is he…?”

“He’s alive,” Elias says, still huffing. “But he… His condition is critical.”

“Take us back to the palace at once,” I say.

He nods. “Of course, Your Highness.”

I don’t even bother grabbing the blanket or basket. I just take Victoria’s hand in mine and lead her to the car. My thoughts won’t sit still.

What if he…?

What happens if…?

He can’t be dying. He can’t…

I feel physically ill, thinking about the possibilities. And it’s not just the emotional effects I have to consider—the death of a king has political ramifications, too. And personal ones—if my father dies tonight, my life from this point forward will be forever changed.

My chest tightens. This isn’t supposed to be happening. Not yet…

As Elias steps on the gas, a warm, gentle hand closes over mine. I look over at Victoria, and her concern is written all over her face. Her fingers squeeze mine.

“We employ some of the best physicians in Europe,” I say, as much to myself as to her. “He’s in good hands.”

She nods, saying nothing. But her grip on mine is firm, steady. I’m glad she doesn’t try to offer any words of false hope: I’m sure he’ll be all right. Everything will work out fine, you’ll see. She seems to understand the true gravity of this situation.

God, my mother must be beside herself. My father is a hard man to love, but my mother is a saint—and even when they disagree, her love for him runs deep. If my father dies, it will destroy her.

It will destroy us all.

The drive back to the palace seems to take an eternity, even though Elias drives as fast as safety will allow. Victoria holds my hand the entire way, but neither of us speaks. Words won’t help right now.

When we finally get to the palace, I leap out of the car before it even comes to a full stop. Victoria is right behind me. Together, we run up the steps and inside.

An attendant is waiting for us. “This way, Your Highness.”

I take Victoria’s hand in mine as we hurry after the attendant, into the eastern wing of the palace and down the corridor to my parents’ large suite. I don’t fail to notice how many other people are rushing about—palace staff, officials, and a number of people I don’t even recognize are running through the halls, even though it’s quite late.

They’re preparing for the worst.

There’s a knot of dread in my stomach, and it gets bigger the closer we get to my parents’ rooms. By the time we reach the doors, I find myself unable to breathe again.

Stay calm, I tell myself. Assess the situation and figure out what you should be doing or feeling after you know all the facts.

The attendant opens the doors, leading us into the luxurious chambers on the other side.

William and Sophia are sitting on the sofa in the large parlor. Both look grim, and Sophia’s eyes are puffy and red. I have no idea where Leopold and Elle have run off to, but that’s the least of my worries right now.

William looks up at me and gives a small nod of acknowledgment, and I nod in return. Then I stride across the room to the pair of double doors that lead to the bedchamber.

It’s only then that Victoria tugs on my arm, trying to free her hand from mine.

“Maybe I should wait out here,” she says.

“No,” I tell her, refusing to let her fingers go. “I want you with me.” I need her strength beside me when I face whatever it is I’m about to face.

She gives the smallest shake of her head. “Your father… I have a feeling my presence won’t be very welcome. And if he’s already ill…”

Damn her, she’s right. As much as I want—need—her with me, my father won’t be pleased to see her with her hand in mine. The last thing I want to do right now is upset him.

Still, I have a hard time letting go of her hand.

“I’ll be right here with William and Sophia,” she says. “I promise I won’t go anywhere tonight.”

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding, and instantly my body relaxes somewhat. At least I know she won’t run away from me tonight.

Slowly, I uncurl my fingers from around hers. I lean forward and give her a soft kiss on the cheek.

“Thank you,” I murmur before stepping back and turning toward the door once again.

My hand is cold on the doorknob. But I’m going to be king someday—perhaps very soon—and that means facing the difficult things. I take a deep breath, set my shoulders, and open the door.

The first thing I see is my mother. She’s sitting on a stool right next to the bed, dressed only in her nightdress, and both of her hands are wrapped around one of my father’s. On the other side of the bed stands our head royal physician, Dr. Schwartz, fiddling with some medical device they’ve hooked up to my father. There are a couple of other members of the medical staff in here, too. And Stephan stands in the far corner, his face pale as he watches the scene unfold in front of him.

My eyes go to my father last. He’s lying on the bed with his eyes closed. I can’t tell if he’s asleep or unconscious or something else—but the pale, yellow cast to his skin makes me uneasy. He looks so frail—so old—lying there, and so unlike the terrifying man I faced across his desk only a short time ago.

It takes a moment for anyone to notice I’ve entered. My mother notices first, and she stands when she sees me, releasing my father’s hand.

“Andrew,” she says softly, coming across the room to me. She pulls me into an embrace, and as I wrap my arms around her I feel her tremble slightly. She’s barely holding herself together.

“What happened?” I ask her.

She pulls back, looking up into my face. Her eyes are nearly as red as Sophia’s.

“We were preparing for bed, and he just…” She blinks. “He was talking about Maximilian. About how poorly their treaty discussions have been going. He’s just been under so much stress recently…working himself to exhaustion. I’ve had to beg him to come to bed every night this week. I was sitting at the vanity and he was speaking and then…he just stopped.” Her eyes are filling with tears again. “I turned and he was so still…and then he was grabbing at his chest and falling over and…oh God, Andrew, I thought he was dying right there.”

She falls into my arms again, and I hold her as she sobs into my shoulder. I want to ask her more questions, but I don’t want to make her even more upset.

My eyes find Dr. Schwartz’s across the room. He slowly walks over to us.

“He’s stable right now,” he tells me softly. “We’ll be monitoring his condition closely.”

“What…” The question I want to ask freezes on my lips. What are his chances? Will he die? Finally, I find my voice again. “How critical is his condition?”

Dr. Schwartz frowns. “It’s difficult to say. But your father is strong. He won’t go without a fight.”

A tremor moves through my mother, and she stifles another sob against my shoulder.

“Thank you, Doctor,” I say, stroking my mother’s back. It’s almost alarming how calm my voice sounds. Inside, I’m in turmoil. Lost. Confused. I want to shout and throw things. I want to hide myself somewhere dark and alone and far away from this.

You’re not allowed to do that, I remind myself. You have to be strong for your mother. For your family. For your country. You are going to be king, after all.

I have to figure out what I’m going to say to the people of Montovia—as the crown prince, it is my responsibility to inform them of the condition of their king. My stomach clenches. I was already dreading my apology speech tomorrow. Now it’s going to be even more terrible.

I’ll have to talk to our press secretary tonight. Contact the senate and ensure that they know the governmental protocol for this situation. Alert our ambassadors and dignitaries and tell them exactly what information they can or can’t share. Ensure that the news media doesn’t start spreading rumors… And figure out how to notify my other siblings, too, if someone else hasn’t done so already. Nicholas should be easy, but God knows where Leopold is. My head is already throbbing.

And that’s not even considering the things that must be done within this household. My mother is in no condition to help—not that I would ever ask or expect her to—but I might be able to convince William and Sophia to help with that. There’s far too much for one man to do.

And all I really want to do is lock myself in my chambers with Victoria. To hold her in my arms and escape all of this for a few hours. Maybe in the morning it will all start to make sense.

Don’t forget, I tell myself. You should also consider the possibility that your coronation might occur in a matter of days. If your father dies, you must step into his responsibilities as soon as possible. Preliminary preparations should be made, just in case…

Just the thought makes me feel ill again. Dizzy.

I release my mother.

“I…I need to go handle some things,” I tell her gently.

She nods and pulls away from me, dabbing at her eyes. “Of course.”

“I’ll be back here as soon as I can,” I tell her.

She goes back to her seat next to the bed, and I turn and walk back into the parlor.

Victoria stands up the moment she sees me. I long to go to her and take her into my arms, but I maintain my composure.

“William,” I say, “Has the Head of the Senate been notified of the situation yet?”

“I’m not sure,” he says. “But I can find out.”

“Please do,” I say. “And tell him there will be an emergency senate meeting at seven o’clock in the morning. I plan to be there myself, but if for whatever reason I can’t, I’d like you to go in my stead.”

He nods. “Understood.”

“Sophia,” I say, turning to my sister. “I’d like you to make special arrangements for our guests tomorrow. Princess Justine and Lady Clarissa and the others will have many questions, I’m sure, and they are still guests in this palace—we do not expect them to hide in their rooms all day. Make arrangements for their meals.” I almost turn away from her when another thought hits me. “Make arrangements for all of our meals—and make sure everyone eats. Especially Mother.”

“What am I supposed to say to Princess Justine and the others?” Sophia asks. “What should I tell them?”

“I’ll leave that up to you,” I tell her. “In times like this, we are all representatives of our family. I trust you to know how to handle this.” Even though Sophia, as the youngest, has had less experience in the area of politics than the rest of us—and even though she has a bit of a mischievous streak—I know she can handle this.

“I have much business to attend to,” I tell them, “but I’ll have my mobile phone on me at all times. Call me if you have any questions or if anything should arise.”

They both nod and hurry out of the room, which leaves me alone with Victoria in the parlor.

I’m across the room to her in three strides. My arms go around her, pulling her hard against my chest.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” I murmur into her hair.

“Are you all right?” she asks. “Is he…?”

“He’s stable.” I say without letting go of her. “But I have a long night ahead of me.”

“What can I do?”

I tighten my grip on her. “Just stay. Be here with me.” My hand drifts up her back. “God, Victoria, I want nothing more than to lock ourselves away somewhere and block all of this out.”

“I know.”

I inhale deeply, breathing in the scent of her. I know I should move, know I have a whole night of responsibilities ahead of me, but I don’t want to.

“I’m sorry our date was ruined,” I tell her.

“It wasn’t ruined,” she says, pulling back. “And you have nothing to be sorry for.”

“Still.”

She doesn’t say anything for a long moment, and then, “Are you still giving your speech tomorrow?”

“Yes. I should. Only now I need to figure out how to tell everyone about my father without causing nationwide panic.”

“I can help with that,” she says. “I can write something.”

“You can?”

“If you’d like. I want to help.”

“Yes,” I say. “Yes, I’d love the help.” I gaze down at her, warmth spreading through me. In the wake of all of this sadness and fear, she still gives me hope.

I don’t want to let her go.

“May I kiss you?” I ask her softly. “Just once?”

She hesitates. Then her eyes fall closed and she gives a single nod.

Slowly, I dip my head and brush my lips against hers. It’s a soft kiss, but behind it is all of my fear and all of my hope.

It’s a small thing, a kiss. But I know this one is going to help me through the long night ahead.