Chapter 16
“Posey, wait!” A pause. “Rose!”
Her proper name brought her up short, stopping her heedless flight. The steps behind her slowed as well, Leo approaching more carefully now that she’d stopped running.
“Is it true?” he demanded of her back. “Are you really Princess Rose?”
She turned slowly, drawing a deep breath as she moved. It was time to stop guessing and wondering about his feelings. She needed to ask him directly and accept whatever answer he gave. She could do no less after misleading him for so long.
“Yes, it’s true,” she said softly.
“And you did it as a game?” He sounded hurt.
She bit her lip, wanting to give the most honest answer she could.
“Not really. That was just…an excuse. I did it because I wanted to be free.”
“Free? Of me?” His words came quickly, his eyes intent on hers.
She forced herself to continue with the honesty. “Yes, in part. But also not really. It was never about you, of course. I didn’t even know you then. It was what you represented.”
His brows drew together. “And what did I represent to you, Princess Rose of Arcadia?”
“Duty. Obligation. A future I didn’t get to choose.
I’ve always been a dutiful princess, but I was starting to feel like I couldn’t breathe.
I wanted to know what it felt like not to be Princess Rose.
I thought accepting your courtship meant accepting that I would never be more than my title.
” She gave a wry smile. “Not that you made any effort to court Princess Rose, as it turned out.”
He broke into sudden laughter, throwing his head back and laughing helplessly.
When his mirth finally subsided, he shook his head.
“Apparently you heard what I said back there. I was just as determined as you not to initiate any courtship. I even commissioned my cousin to help me. And look how that’s turned out.
” He took a step closer, but Rose took one back, and he stopped, letting her maintain the distance between them.
“How did it feel? Not being Princess Rose?”
Rose briefly closed her eyes, wincing. “It turns out there’s no escaping Princess Rose. She’s just as much me as Posey is.” She peeped up at him. “As you might have noticed.”
His lips twitched. “It does make sense of a number of things. That was definitely Princess Rose in the interview room with me for all those interviews.”
Rose groaned. “Yes. I’ve done a particularly poor job of acting my part recently. I couldn’t help myself, it turns out.”
“If you can’t help being yourself, that’s a good thing.”
“But I lied to you,” she said. “And I’m so sorry for it. It was a foolish waste of time and effort, too. Since it turns out I was totally incapable of not falling in love with you.”
Light sprang into Leo’s eyes. He took another step forward, and this time she didn’t retreat. He closed the distance between them and took both her hands.
“Do you really mean it? You love me?”
She swallowed. “How could I not? You’re charming, kind, intelligent, entertaining—and you truly care about people.” A flush crept up her cheeks. “And you must be aware of how you look.”
He tried to suppress a smile and failed. “How unfortunate that my parents turned out to be right. They’ll never let me forget it.”
“Your parents?”
He nodded. “They told me that Princess Rose was perfectly suited for me and would make an excellent queen one day. I stubbornly refused to believe it, thinking they were only seeing what they wanted to see. But it turns out they were correct on both counts.”
Rose sucked in a breath.
“And I don’t think it was wasted time and effort at all,” he continued.
“While I hope you’ll never have reason to deceive me again, I understand why you did it.
Of all people, I can understand wanting to be free of a suffocating role—I spent a childhood fighting it with Luca.
It took me years to understand how to combine all the parts of me.
If it only took you weeks, you’re doing better than I did.
” His eyes smiled down at her, and she smiled back.
He pulled her closer, his mouth resting against the top of her head. “I’m even glad you did it,” he murmured. “Otherwise, I might have stubbornly kept avoiding you. How can I be angry about a stratagem that gave me a chance to get to know you?”
Rose buried her face in his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist. “If you put it like that, I’m glad I did it too. The two of us would have been determined to get in our own way.”
He squeezed her, and for a minute she lingered there, resting against him and reveling in the peace and joy of the moment. But all too soon, he leaned back, giving enough space for her to look up at him.
“When I asked the names of your parents and grandparents, I forgot that you wouldn’t know what that meant.”
“It did seem a bit odd,” she admitted. “But I shouldn’t have run out.
I didn’t know the names of Natalie’s family, and I didn’t want to give them to you anyway—I didn’t want to lie to you when we’d just kissed—so I panicked.
” She leaned back further, putting more room between them, although he kept his arms loosely around her. “Why did you ask?”
“In Lanover, there’s a legal technicality that has to occur before the crown prince can become officially betrothed. I have to present the name of my intended, along with the names of her parents and grandparents, to the royal council for approval.”
Rose stared up at him. “You mean you were saying that you…”
He smiled tenderly down at her. “Yes. I got a bit swept up in the moment, so it wasn’t the most romantic proposal.
But all I could think about was presenting you to the council and getting approval.
I didn’t need to know your title to know you would make a brilliant queen.
So, Princess Rose of Arcadia, will you marry me? ”
Rose took a slow breath, feeling the weight of her future. A thrill ran all the way to her toes, but she couldn’t resist teasing him a little.
“Are you sure they’ll approve me, though? I wouldn’t want to get my hopes up only to be disappointed.”
Leo shook her lightly, laughing. “Of course they’ll approve you.
They’ll be jumping over themselves to say yes.
I predict they already have a draft treaty and will whip it out the moment I make the request.” His voice turned stern, although his eyes still smiled at her.
“But what I’m interested in is your answer.
What do you say, Posey? Will you share my future and help me bear the crown one day? ”
“Of course I will,” she said. “But not out of duty. I’ll marry you because I chose you—and you chose me.”
Leo’s head dipped down, his lips pressing gently against hers, a wealth of promise in the gesture. They would have a lifetime for future kisses.
Rose was the one to pull back, her brows pulling together. “I’m willing to commit my future to Lanover—I already love your kingdom. But before I do so officially, I need to do one last thing for Arcadia. And I need your help to do it.”
“Of course,” he said immediately. “Whatever it is, you have my help.”
She grinned. “Shouldn’t you find out what it is first?”
He laughed. “I trust you, Rose.”
She breathed in the words, letting them steady her. “I had to tell you the truth first, and I couldn’t help getting distracted by…this.” She gestured between them. “But according to Aurora’s agents, we need to move quickly.” She filled him in on everything she knew about the situation.
He gave an exasperated groan. “You should have come to me about this at the beginning! Or asked Natalie to speak to me on your behalf, I suppose. Aurora told us about the theft weeks ago.”
“What?” Rose’s eyes widened. “She told Lanover our secrets?”
“Don’t be offended,” he said quickly. “She doesn’t tell us everything. But she knew what you apparently didn’t—that we could be trusted to want to help Arcadia with this.”
Rose sighed. “Let’s not lose any more time, at least. Can you gather guards right now? I can lead the way to the building.”
“There’s no need for you to come,” Leo said quickly. “I don’t want you in any danger.”
Rose shook her head stubbornly. “If you want me to marry you, you have to let me do this last thing for Arcadia.”
Leo sighed. “Then we both go. Right now. I want to announce you as my bride as soon as possible.”