Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
LEO
“You lied to me.” His mother approached with one shaking finger pointed in his direction.
“You said there was nothing going on, yet here you are. Ready to throw away your future. It’s bad enough that you showed up late to the most important ball of your entire life.
But then you had to dance with the help in dirty street clothes. ”
His temper flared.
“Emma is so much more than the ‘help.’ Need I remind you that this country was built by ‘the help.’”
The audacity of his mother to even speak about the group of tireless workers who took care of everything in this stupid household on a daily basis. Every house manager worked ten times harder than anyone in the royal family, every single day.
The queen’s backbone was ramrod-straight, and she seemed taller than she actually was. “She’s a commoner, Leo. Not even European, and from a low-class family. I thought you were smarter than this.”
Emma shrank behind him. His mother spoke like Emma wasn’t even there, like she wasn’t even a person.
His project proposal was in desperate danger. Pissing off his mom was a surefire way to get the whole thing canned. He should shut his mouth and apologize for the subterfuge for the sake of the kingdom, but something about the criticism of Emma had sparked a powder keg.
“Why does it matter who her family is?” His voice shook.
“Leo, you are a member of the royal family. You can’t date just anyone. You know this. You’ve always known this.”
He reached around and grabbed Emma’s hand.
“In case you’ve forgotten, I’m not the heir.
It doesn’t matter if I marry a Swedish princess or a bounty hunter from Alabama.
I’m almost thirty-three years old. You don’t get to tell me who I can and can’t date.
Why don’t you focus on something more important?
You’re in a position to do so much good for our country.
And yet, you put your entire focus on throwing these elaborate balls while our people are starving only a kilometer away. ” He pointed at the village.
She inhaled sharply. “How dare you.”
There was a ringing silence, like he had just lobbed a grenade across the courtyard.
He had gone too far. He was going to pay for those words.
“We’re here to serve the community, Mother,” he said firmly.
“No,” she said. “We’re here to rule them. Beatrice, put a stop payment on Miss Clark’s wire transfer. The crown doesn’t work with liars.”
Emma gasped, and something in him collapsed. He had done what he swore he would never do. He had irrevocably compromised her timeline and ruined her chance to quit her job. All because he couldn’t shut his mouth.
The queen walked off, fury emanating from her like a cloak of darkness.
Fuck.
“Emma, I’m so sorry.”
Tears streaked down her face, and he brushed them away. He pulled her in tightly. There was no point in hiding anymore. The secret was out, and they were both about to face the consequences.
“I’ll get you the money.” He’d have to sacrifice the next trust payout that he usually used for community work. But he had royally screwed things up for Emma. He needed to make it right.
She shook her head fervently. Her eyes were glazed, and the color had drained from her cheeks.
“I don’t want to take money from a family who can speak about people like that.
” She thrust a finger in the direction of his mother’s retreating back.
“Like I’m nothing, just because of where I was born.
If she had any idea what my mother went through, what I went through.
We have clawed our way to where we are with grit and determination.
I’m not nothing. I am a damn good baker. ”
She straightened up suddenly and whirled around. “I should destroy it.”
“No,” he said quickly.
She stopped in her tracks.
“Let me talk to her,” he said. “I’ve dealt with her my entire life. I can convince her to return the money to you. She just needs a day to cool off, and to bask in compliments about her wretched ball from the lords and ladies.”
“She doesn’t deserve to get away with treating me like I’m some kind of second-class citizen, Leo.” Danger was in her voice.
“I know. But if you do this, the repercussions could affect you for years. Your professional reputation. Your future business. I can fix this. Just give me a chance.”
Emma buried her hands in her hair and turned away from him with a frustrated groan. “I need to pack.”
Relief flooded him. At least he had stopped her from making a huge mistake. He would find a way to fix the situation, no matter what it took. Emma wouldn’t suffer because of his own selfish actions.
“I let myself believe it was almost over,” Emma muttered as she trudged across the courtyard. “All the double shifts, running the entire business for a pauper’s salary, Maya taking credit for everything I’ve done. I was so close to making a better life for my mom. Now I’m right back at square one.”
“We will figure this out. I swear to you.”
They climbed up the stone steps to the gatehouse apartment and opened the door.
There was a scream and a sudden flurry of movement in the dark room.
Leo shoved Emma behind him and picked up the nearest object—a dirty baking sheet.
Emma flicked the lights on to reveal Ruby, hair a mess and dress crooked, and a friend of hers he recognized from her clarinet lessons in a similar state of undress.
A shockwave flooded his whole body, and he froze.
Ruby liked girls?
“Oh, you must be Sammy,” Emma said. “It’s nice to meet you.”
What the hell?
Sammy waved sheepishly, and Ruby pulled her out of the room. “Sorry, Emma. We thought you’d be gone all night. See you later.”
Sammy and Ruby disappeared down the stairs.
“Awkward,” Emma said with a watery smile.
Leo was still frozen in place, body pulsating with numbness.
“Are you okay?” she asked after a minute.
“You knew my sister was gay and you didn’t tell me?”
“Uh—”
“How could she keep this from me? How could you keep this from me?”
Emma’s eyebrows contracted. “It wasn’t my secret to tell, Leo.”
He turned to face the wall, hands shaking.
He was closer to Ruby than any other member of his family.
He couldn’t care less that she was gay. Or bi.
He didn’t know the specifics. But how could his own sister have concealed something that was so deeply foundational to who she was as a person?
And yet she trusted Emma, whom she had barely known more than a week?
“Does she think I’m some kind of bigot?” he spat.
“No,” Emma said quickly. “I don’t think it’s that at all. I can’t speak for her, but I think she might be worried about your mom finding out.”
“It’s not like I would tell her. We only talk about all the ways that I’m failing my family and my country.”
Emma’s eyes watered, and she turned away from him. She scanned the room, which was still covered in dirty baking sheets and bowls, and silence fell. A minute crawled by. Suddenly, her hands clenched into fists at her side, and her shoulders straightened.
“She’s not going to get away with this.”
“Emma, wait.”
Before he could stop her, she dashed through the door and down the stairs toward the castle.