Epilogue
TRISTAN
Iused to be the most powerful man in any room I walked into, right up until three weeks ago when my fiancée found out she was a princess to a European throne and immediately tried to knight the cat.
Now I’m in a whole other country, about to get married to the love of my life, yet I just spent twenty minutes being publicly scolded by a ninety-year-old duke because my tuxedo tie is ‘historically inaccurate,’ according to him.
Nonetheless, there is nowhere else I’d rather be.
I only wish that Lily’s dad, Victor, could be here, but I know in a strange way he is.
It’s because of him that we’re together at all, and I now see that that had always been his plan.
I should have realized that from the start.
That man was always a handful of steps ahead when he was planning anything.
Roland stands on the edge of the garden, his suit fitting perfectly. That man can bury a body and still not get a stain on him or have a hair out of place. He catches my eye and raises his glass; I nod back. Lily knighted him too. They honestly should have never told her that was a thing.
Lily appears at the terrace doors, laughing at something Teddy said behind her. She’s wearing a dress the color of sunset that the palace staff insisted on. Lily loves it. She is soaking in all the culture that she can. It’s nice to see her so happy and carefree.
Her eyes find mine, and her whole face softens. It’s an expression that only I get from her. Most of the world thinks I’m a cold-blooded asshole, but she doesn’t. Lily knows and understands me better than anyone. She loves me for who I truly am.
“I’ve been looking for you.” Her smile is coy. I never go far, so her looking for me is really just basically turning around.
“I’ve been hiding from the duke.”
A small laugh leaves her. “He’s still mad about the tie?”
“He’s moved on to my cufflinks.”
She reaches me, sliding her hand into mine like it’s the only place it belongs. “Julian wants to make a toast. I think he might be nervous.”
“Your brother is nervous?”
“He’s been a prince his whole life. Now about to be the king, toasting his new fabulous princess sister is different.
” She flicks her hair off her shoulder and pauses, tilting her head.
“He likes you, you know. In the way a mob boss likes an undercover cop. He’s polite, but he’s absolutely measuring you for a coffin. ”
“High praise,” I chuckle. I’m guessing Lily and Teddy found a stack of mafia romance books in the library.
I lean down closer so only she can hear me.
“He’d better like me. You two are the only reason his mother is still breathing.
” Lily wasn’t sure how to handle the queen.
I wanted her dead, but Lily thought that was too easy.
She wanted everything taken from her and then put in a cell to rot.
That’s what Julian promised to do when we sent her ass packing back to him on a plane.
“You know,” she whispers, “if you’re bored, we could do a secret mission and see if we can make it inside of jail and...” She sticks her tongue out to the side and drops her head back, I think pretending to be dead.
“Maybe we should save that for the honeymoon,” I suggest.
“Good thinking.” She takes my hand, pulling me toward the terrace, past Roland’s nod and the duke’s disapproving sniff. Killian stands by the drinks table with Teddy, arguing about whether the champagne is actually champagne if it’s from this region. I don’t want any part of that argument.
Teddy spots us and waves. “Lily tried to knight the sommelier.”
“He was very knowledgeable about wine.”
“He cried.”
“He was honored.”
“He was terrified.”
“I don’t know who thought I’d be good with power, okay?” Lily throws her hands up like she should have known better. I did, and I’m enjoying the hell out of it because my very soon-to-be wife is.
Julian clears his throat at the head of the long table, candlelight catching the gold champagne glass that he’s holding.
“Family,” Julian says, and his voice carries, practiced, certain. “It is not always blood. Sometimes it’s the people who choose to stand beside you while the world burns.”
He looks at Lily. She straightens, unexpectedly serious.
“Weeks ago, I learned I had a sister.” He pauses. “I also learned she had already survived more than most of my subjects will face in a lifetime. And she had done it with a man who would, by all accounts, burn the world for her.”
“I’m not here or anything,” Teddy whispers under her breath. Lily elbows her in the side.
His eyes find mine. Not suspicious now. Something else. Recognition, maybe. Or gratitude. I feel the same way. He hadn’t tried to get his mother out of the situation she created. He knew she must pay for what she’d done. The same as Sasha. They needed to suffer the consequences for their actions.
“I could have demanded she stay. Learn our ways first. Married properly, with proper time and proper protocol.” He smirks.
“Instead, you picked living,” I say, making everyone chuckle.
He gives a small nod and keeps going. “Instead, I am toasting at her rehearsal dinner in my garden, watching her knight the staff and threaten my security detail.”
“Only the rude ones,” Lily calls out.
“All of them, Lily. You’ve threatened all of them.”
“I already have one man that’s bossing me around. I don’t need a whole team.”
The table laughs, even the duke. Lily has already charmed them all. Julian waits for it to settle, then raises his glass higher.
“To my sister. Who arrived with chaos and stays with love.” He looks at me. “To the man who climbs towers for her.”
“To chaos,” Killian mutters, but he’s smiling.
“To love,” Teddy adds.
“To windows,” Lily whispers, finding my hand under the table.
I squeeze her fingers. “To towers.” I lean over and kiss the shell of her ear.
We drink. The candlelight flickers, and for a moment I see Victor in the shadows, nodding, steps ahead even now.
Julian sits. Lily leans into my shoulder, her champagne half gone, her bare foot tracing my ankle under the table.
“Good speech,” she says.
“He’s going to be a good king.” He might have a stick up his ass, but he is very by the book. He will put his kingdom first, and I’m sure that’s the proper thing to do, but I’d take out the whole fucking world to save my princess without a second thought.
“Let’s hope he can be a good husband.” She pauses. “Which is harder, I think.” If he wants to be happily married, then yes, but I have been where Julian is. Where you drown yourself in work.
Julian must marry to fully take over the crown. It will be interesting to see how that will unfold.
I put my fingers under Lily’s chin gently to turn her head toward me. “I’ll spend my life always trying to be a better-than-good husband.”
“I know you will.” I see it in her eyes, her smile.
She truly does mean that. What more could I ask for?
I fucked this up in the start, but I’ll spend my life making it right.
I kiss her temple, her hair, and the corner of her smile.
I’ll forever be grateful that I get to spend the rest of my days doing the same.
We drink. The duke glares at my cufflinks. Minnie sleeps on a small throne; that second steak they fed her took her out. Roland raises his glass again from across the garden, and I know what he means.
Tomorrow, I will marry a princess. But tonight, I look around at the beautiful chaos of the people we now call family, my eyes landing on my future wife and sending a silent thank you to the man who gave everything to give us this chance.
Finally, I have the only girl I have ever loved.
We are here, we are all alive, and I have never been richer.