9. Christian
“Cataleya Fitzrelzon is here, Your Highness.”
“Good. Let her into my study,” I say, tapping my pen against my desk. “Thank you, Paul.”
Within a few minutes, Cataleya enters my study with a servant who quickly bows and retreats, leaving us alone. She’s wearing a green dress with a flower tucked behind her ear.
I hate to admit it, but she looks pretty nice.
“Good to see you, Cataleya. I wasn’t expecting such a quick turnaround on my offer, but it’s a pleasant surprise nonetheless.”
Cataleya’s jaw clenches as she makes her way to the seat across from my desk. She sits down but remains tense. Many questions run through my mind, but something tells me to keep them to myself.
After a few seconds of silence, Cataleya lets out a small sigh before meeting my gaze. “I’m agreeing to your plan.”
My eyebrows raise. That was surprisingly easy. “What’s the catch?”
She frowns. “What? There’s no catch. I’m saying yes to your terms. Don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be.”
“No, but… In New York, you were adamant that you wanted nothing to do with me, but now you’re singing a different tune. I think it’s only natural that I wonder why.”
She cracks her knuckles, averting her gaze. “My mother isn’t doing so well.”
With that one remark, everything starts to make more sense.
“I just saw her in the hospital. She says she wants to see us married and I don’t want her to leave this planet without granting her that wish.”
My eyes trail over Cataleya’s nervous posture. She doesn’t want to look at me directly, which is understandable. Still, I wish we were close enough so that I could comfort her better than this. Right now, I can only offer a curt nod.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Cataleya. Mariana’s always been a wonderful woman.”
“So that’s why I’m… singing a different tune, as you said.” Cataleya sends me a strained smile, but it disappears as quickly as it came. “I assume we’ll make a contract to iron out some of these details, right?”
“Right.” I open my desk drawer, pulling out a clean sheet of paper and a black pen. “Forgive me for going old school, but I can’t risk leaving something this sensitive on a computer. Someone might see it.”
“I understand.”
Cataleya and I discuss the intricacies of our fake engagement and subsequent marriage. The terms are clear, there will be no feelings involved. This is purely business and for the sake of the Kingdom. She will remain married to me for a year minimum. From there, she is free to divorce me and we will go our separate ways.
The moment I start offering large sums of money to appease her while we stay married, she shakes her head firmly.
“No, I don’t need all of that.”
“But…” I furrow my eyebrows. The memories of her partying back in New York come to the forefront. “I thought this was something that would appeal to you.”
“It’s not,” she affirms. “I only want you to support my family while we’re together. That’s all. You don’t have to worry about me, but if you can handle the extra costs that come with my mother’s hospital care… That would be great. I can’t manage it on my own. Neither can my dad.”
As I stare at her, I find myself searching for the right words to say. A small part of me wants to ask about her party going lifestyle, but her solemn attitude gives me pause. Given her mother’s state, a question like that might make me seem like an asshole.
Scratch that, it most certainly will.
And knowing Cataleya, she might storm out of this room altogether if I push those boundaries. I can’t risk that.
Jotting these details down on our contract, I bite my tongue instead. “Done and done. Whatever you want.”
Cataleya’s shoulders slump slightly. “Thank you.”
“Anything else I should add? I’m all ears.”
“That’s all I can think of right now.”
“Perfect.” Using a ruler, I create two signature lines near the bottom. One for me, one for her. “I must admit that I’m amazed by your selflessness.”
The pen writes smoothly as I sign at the bottom of our contract. Then I slide the sheet to her and hand her the pen. Our hands graze with the slight movement.
“It’s the right thing to do,” she replies. Once she’s done signing the contract, she sets the pen down and crosses her arms over her chest. “What now?”
I laugh quietly, taking the sheet and saving it in my desk drawer. Then I go through the extra effort of locking the drawer.
“Well, we have to convince the rest of the Kingdom that we’re hopelessly in love with each other. That starts with public dates, intentional paparazzi calls, you know the deal.”
Cataleya snorts. “No, I do not know the deal.”
“You’ve lived in America for years now. Don’t you know what all the celebrities do by now to get their names in the tabloids?” I ask, folding my hands over the desk. “It can be daunting at times, but it’s necessary that we have the public talk about us.”
She presses her lips into a thin line. Then she sighs yet again. “Sure.”
“We only have to act like a couple in public. In private, we can do whatever we want. But I only ask that we stay faithful to one another for the time being.”
Cataleya tilts her head slightly at me. “You’ve got a bit of a jealous streak, don’t you?”
The challenge in that comment ticks me off slightly, but I keep my composure.
“That’s not it. If the public catches wind that either you or me are no-good cheaters, then we’ve sabotaged our public image. That’s very important to me, Cataleya. Under no circumstances would I tolerate something that jeopardizes that.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard you. No side pieces. On it,” she says, saluting me. “Should be easy enough. I’m not a hopeless romantic to begin with.”
“Right. You’re the girl who ran away from the Solvarian nobility to chase a dream in the United States.” I smile. “Tell me more about that. What makes being a lawyer so much better than… this?”
“I think you’re viewing things through the wrong lens,” she says softly. Her hazel eyes look especially enchanting today. “It’s nice to live a noble life, you’re right. But I always wanted a little more than that. I figured a life as an attorney would give me the chance to help people.”
“And has it?”
“It has. It’s a shame that I’m giving it up for the time being, but…” Cataleya straightens out her dress skirt. “I need to prioritize my mother and her wishes right now.”
“Again, I admire your selflessness. Not many people would do what you’re doing.”
“I’d hope not,” she jokes, rolling her eyes. “Getting forcibly married isn’t an enviable thing at all.”
At that moment, my desk phone rings. I hold down the speaker button. “Prince Christian speaking.”
“Good day, Your Highness. The Duke of Herth has arrived and he’s awaiting your presence in the foyer. Shall we escort him to the gardens and occupy him? Or are you free?”
My eyes flutter to Cataleya. She’s already making the motions to leave.
“Tell him I’m on my way,” I reply before releasing the speaker phone. Then I rise from my seat and round the desk to shake Cataleya’s hand. “I’m pleased that we were able to reach a mutual understanding. You have no idea how much I appreciate this.”
“My pleasure,” she says, smiling widely. I think that’s the first genuine smile she’s given to me all day. “And thank you in advance. My family means the world to me, so this means a lot to me, too.”
There’s so much more to her than I realized. She’s been hiding this from me—and all of Solvaria, for that matter—for a long time. By portraying herself as a party girl attorney, she’s masked her true sincerity and compassion for others.
But why? I can’t understand why. I’m unable to see why she’d portray herself as someone utterly unlikeable when she could be her true self.
“Will you let go of my hand, maybe?”
“Oh.” I release her. Then I clear my throat. “Sorry about that. Good day, Cataleya.”
“Good day, Christian,” she says quietly as I make my way out of the study. Heat rises to my ears as I try to rid my mind of that blunder.