15. Chapter 15
Giselle
T he late afternoon sun bathes downtown St. Helena in a warm, golden light as Loys and I stroll down the charming streets as we make our way to a restaurant for an early dinner. The quaint shops and cafes all decorated for autumn with pumpkins and leaf garlands give the regularly bougie town a cozy, inviting feel. October has just begun and it is definitely my favorite month of the year here.
I glance at Loys, and my heart swells with affection. The last two weeks have been magical with him. My feelings have only deepened the more I’ve gotten to know him, and everything just feels so right when we are together. And the sex. The sex is insane. It always feels like he’s worshiping me when he makes me come multiple times before we come together at the end. I never knew it could be like this. It makes what I had with Hilarion all those years ago seem silly in comparison.
We end up going to one of my favorites, a charming little bistro that carries our wine. We sit outside, enjoying the bustling atmosphere and delicious food. We talk a little in between bites, but Loys is quieter than normal. Pensive almost.
“Are you doing okay?” I ask, biting my bottom lip.
He reaches over the table and squeezes my hand, giving me a reassuring smile. “Yes, sorry. I just have a lot on my mind, nothing bad. There’s something I want to share with you after dinner. Is there somewhere we could go for a walk afterward?”
“I know just the place.”
Once we finish dinner, we take a short drive south into Napa to my high school. I’ve been meaning to show him my old stomping grounds, so it seemed like a good place for a walk. My stomach clenches, nervous about whatever he has to say. I’m trying not to get my hopes up that he’ll tell me he loves me, because I know it’s fast. And yet, everytime we kiss or are intimate, it’s always on the tip of my tongue. I think he feels the same, based on the way he looks at me and things he’s said along those lines.
“This is where I went to high school,” I say, as we pull up along the side street. “I’m sure the main campus is all locked up, but we should be able to sneak onto the football field and walk around the track.”
Loys looks around, taking it all in. “It’s a lovely campus. You must have a lot of memories here.”
“Good and bad,” I admit, my thoughts drifting to Hilarion. “I thought it would be a fun place to show you as we walk.”
“Perfect.”
As we make our way toward the field, we notice there’s a football practice happening, so we veer to the left to the track field.
“So, what did you want to talk about?” I ask as we walk hand in hand. He takes a deep breath and exhales slowly, making my stomach feel like a tangled ball of yarn.
“There’s so much I want and need to say, I’m just not sure where to start.” I don’t really know how to respond to that, because I’m unsure if that’s a good or bad thing, so I just stay quiet and give him time to get out whatever it is. “There’s something about my family that you should know, although it really isn’t as crazy as it might seem.”
“What is it?” I ask, my eyebrows pinching together.
“We’re sort of European royalty, or we were at least. And my family is the owner of my company. My boss is my father.”
“What?” I screech out. “What do you mean?”
“Well, you know how the Austrian Empire used to rule most of Europe?” he asks, and I nod. “I am from a direct line that goes back to the Habsburg royals, but the monarchy was abolished when the countries became republics. My father is the grandson of the last emperor and therefore we have ancestral titles that people will refer to us as, even though they’ve been abolished and are technically illegal. As a family, we still use our positions to honor our heritage and help the countries we reside in, but really it just means we have a lot of old money.”
I’m pretty sure my jaw is on the floor. I mean, I knew his family was wealthy based on how much they were willing to invest, but this is a whole other level. “Oh my god, that’s wild. So, like, you’re a prince or something, but not really?” I ask, and Loys chuckles.
“Basically. Technically, I am Albrecht, Grand Prince of Tuscany. But, I prefer to go by Loys, one of my middle names, to provide some anonymity. My title doesn’t define me. It’s archaic. But my father likes to stick to tradition and is very invested in continuing the ways of the past.”
“Are you famous back in Italy?” I ask, the wheels in my head spinning with all of this new information.
“Not as famous as any celebrities, but there are some circles that still care a lot about the royal lines, probably because of the other European countries who still have monarchies. We’re basically all related because of all of the arranged marriages between different royal families.”
“Are you telling me you’re related to William and Harry?”
“Distantly, yes.”
“Holy shit, that’s… wow. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
Loys stops walking, faces me, and takes both my hands in his. “I didn’t mean to keep it a secret so long, and I tried to tell you a couple times, but never got it out. Selfishly, I wanted to be known for me, not my family’s blood. It hasn’t been easy to have relationships. I could never trust if women were interested in me for me, or if it was just to get a title.”
I tilt my head to the side, taking in all of his words. It’s a lot to process, but it doesn’t change how I feel about him.
“I get it, I do. I wish you’d told me sooner, but I understand. I hope you know…” I pause, those three little words once again on the tip of my tongue. You know what? Fuck it . “I hope you know, whether you’re a prince or just a regular guy, I don’t care, because I love you. For you.”
He tilts his head back, and I watch as his throat constricts. When he brings his face back down and meets my eyes, his are misty. He cups my face in his hands, rubbing my cheeks with the pads of his thumbs.
“I love you so fucking much, Giselle.” He crashes his lips into mine and kisses me deeply. I kiss him back with just as much fervor, pouring my love into him with everything I have. It’s the perfect kiss.
I’m not sure how long we stand there, lost in each other, but we’re rudely interrupted by someone calling out my name. We break our kiss, and Hilarion appears, walking toward us with a look of surprise and displeasure. He stops in front of us, his eyes narrowing at Loys.
“Giselle,” he says, his voice tense. “I’m glad I caught you here. We need to talk.”
“What are you even doing here?”
“I help coach the football team. I thought I saw you from over there and had to come over to tell you that you’re making a mistake with this guy,” he says, his eyes flickering with jealousy.
Loys steps forward, his expression hardening. “She doesn’t need your advice. Get lost.”
“Actually, she does need my advice so that she knows that you’re a fraud.”
I straighten, my chest tightening with anxiety. “What are you talking about, Hilarion?”
He strides over, pulling out his phone. “I’ll show you.” Hilarion taps his phone, bringing up a webpage. He hands it to me, and I see a picture of Loys, looking regal and composed, standing next to a beautiful woman in a fancy gown. The headline reads: Albrecht, Grand Prince of Tuscany, Engaged to Archduchess Bathilde.
“This can’t be real,” I whisper, my hands trembling as I scroll through the article. It details Albrecht’s royal lineage, his engagement to Bathilde, and how happy their families are to be united in marriage.
“It’s all there, Giselle,” Hilarion says, his voice softening. “He’s been lying to you. He’s not just some real estate investor; he’s a prince. And he’s engaged to someone else.”
Tears sting my eyes as I hand the phone back. “Is this true?” I ask Loys who’s head hangs low.
He doesn’t meet my eyes as he says, “Giselle, I can explain?—”
“Explain what? That you’ve been lying to me this whole time? That you’re engaged to someone else?”
“I’m not engaged, just betrothed, but it will be over,” he insists. “I was going to tell you everything just now. Please, just give me a chance to explain.”
I shake my head, tears streaming down my face. “How can I trust anything you say?”
“Giselle, please,” he pleads. “I love you. I didn’t want to hurt you. I am going to break it off, I swear it.”
“I can’t do this,” I say, my voice barely a whisper. “Go back home and don’t come back. Whatever this was between us is over.”
I turn and jog back to my car, leaving him and a smug Hilarion standing there. Loys calls out after me, but I ignore him as my heart shatters into a million pieces. I drive away, tears streaming down my cheeks. The pain of his betrayal is almost too much to bear.
Instead of heading home, I go straight to my parents. Practically running inside, I find my mother sitting in the living room reading a book. When her eyes lift to mine, she frowns.
“Oh honey, what’s wrong?” she asks, standing up and opening her arms out to the side to embrace me. I wrap my arms around her as I cry into her shoulder and try to catch my breath so I can explain, but the words are lodged in my throat. How do you explain to someone that you’re in love with a prince who is destined for someone else? It’s ludacris even as I say it in my own mind. Thankfully, my mom just lets me cry it out and doesn’t rush me for answers.
Eventually we sit on the couch together and I tell her everything. How I fell for him and how he broke my heart.