CHAPTER 17 #2
This marriage is entered into in perpetuity, creating permanent bonds between the Royal House of Valdoria and the Royal House of Solmarina.
Said marriage shall endure for the natural lives of both parties and may not be dissolved save by death or by mutual consent of both governing bodies, requiring a supermajority vote of no less than two-thirds of the combined royal councils.
The marriage shall produce legitimate heirs to both thrones, with succession rights to be determined by existing protocols of primogeniture as modified by the Treaty of Mediterranean Alliance, Article VII, Section 3.
The words swam before my eyes. In perpetuity. Legitimate heirs. May not be dissolved.
"Your Highness?" Petra's voice sounded like it was coming from underwater.
I flipped back to the first page. Saw the date I'd signed it. Remembered the Grand Duchess handing me an expensive pen, telling me it was all standard diplomatic language, that we could be here until Putin invaded the Mediterranean if I insisted on reading every clause.
She'd rushed me. Made it seem urgent, routine, not worth the time it would take to actually read.
And I'd signed it. Signed away my entire life while thinking I was agreeing to six months.
"She lied to me." The words came out flat.
"The Grand Duchess lied about what I was signing.
And Archie knew." That realization landed like a punch.
"He's known the whole time. That's why he looked uncomfortable when I talked about leaving.
That's why everyone keeps mentioning my 'permanent responsibilities. '"
I thought about last night in the library. About Archie apologizing for the Chilly fight, for not trusting me, for being cruel.
But not apologizing for this. Not mentioning this at all.
"How long have you known?" I asked Petra.
"Since before the wedding, Your Highness. It's in all the household documentation.” She looked miserable. "I thought you knew. I thought everyone had explained."
"No one explained anything." I closed the folder carefully. "They told me to sign papers and smile for cameras and play my part for six months."
I left Petra in Lord Renaud's office and walked through the palace with my mind spinning. The marriage was permanent. Permanent. Forever. Until death or some impossible supermajority vote.
And everyone had known except me.
I found myself outside Viktor's office without consciously deciding to go there. The door was open, and he was at his desk reviewing documents with reading glasses perched on his nose.
He looked up when I knocked. "Princess Bettina. Please, come in."
I stepped inside, closing the door behind me. "I need to ask you something."
"Of course." He set down his papers and gave me his full attention. "How can I help?"
"Why me?" The question came out more blunt than I'd intended. "Why did the Grand Duchess choose me for this marriage? Surely there were better options. Women who were actually trained to be princesses. Women who knew what they were doing."
Viktor's expression turned sympathetic. "You're being too hard on yourself, Your Highness."
"I'm being realistic. I'm a barista from Oregon who can barely curtsy without falling over. There had to be other candidates. Better candidates."
He was quiet for a moment, seeming to consider his words carefully. "There were other options discussed, yes."
"Who?"
"Princess Anastasia of Belarus was mentioned. She's well-educated, fluent in six languages, trained to be the perfect princess since childhood." He paused. "But she has family connections that were concerning."
"What kind of connections?"
"Her uncle is a close advisor to President Putin. Her cousin married into the Kremlin inner circle." Viktor spread his hands. "The entire purpose of this alliance was to prevent Russian influence in the Mediterranean. Marrying someone with existing ties to Moscow would have been counterproductive."
The words settled in my chest like stones. "So I was chosen because I had no connections to Russia."
"You were chosen because you're Valdorian royalty by birth and American by upbringing, the perfect combination to cement Western alliances while honoring traditional succession."
"I was chosen because I was geographically convenient." The bitterness in my voice surprised even me. "A chess piece positioned to block the Russian option."
"That's not how it is."
"Bull." I stood, needing to move. "I wasn't picked because anyone thought I'd be good at this. I was picked because my complete lack of training was less problematic than someone else's family tree."
"Your Highness, please understand that international politics requires difficult choices."
"Did the Grand Duchess ever plan to tell me the truth? About the marriage being permanent?"
Viktor's expression flickered. "I... I'm not privy to Her Grace's private communications with you."
"But you knew. Everyone knew except me." I turned to face him directly. "When were you planning to mention it? Before or after I got pregnant with the heir everyone seems so eager for me to produce?"
"I assumed you'd been informed. Royal marriages are permanent by definition. It's... it's simply understood in these arrangements."
"Well, I didn't understand it. Because no one told me." I moved toward the door. "Thank you for your honesty, Lord Viktor. At least someone is willing to tell me the truth about my own life."
I left before he could respond, my anger building with every step through the marble corridors.
Back in my rooms, I pulled out the papers Captain Steiner had given me on my first day. Emergency contacts. Legal resources. Information about my rights as a Valdorian princess.
There, in the section on royal marriages, was the truth I should have read weeks ago:
Royal marriages in Valdoria are contracted in perpetuity and may only be dissolved under extraordinary circumstances with the consent of both royal families. Such dissolutions are exceedingly rare and require extensive legal proceedings that can take years to complete.
It had been there the whole time. I just hadn't thought to look because I'd trusted the Grand Duchess when she said six months.
I'd trusted Archie when he hadn't corrected me.
I sat on the edge of my bed and tried to process the scope of what had been done to me.
I wasn't chosen because I was special. I was chosen because I was available and geopolitically convenient. My complete lack of qualification was outweighed by my lack of Russian connections.
The Grand Duchess had lied to secure my cooperation. Or at minimum, had withheld the truth about what I was signing.
And Archie had known. Every time I'd mentioned the six months, every conversation about what came after, every moment when I'd talked about going home, he'd known I was operating under false assumptions, and he'd said nothing.
I thought about the night we'd slept together. How vulnerable I'd been. How I'd told myself it was safe to let my guard down because it was temporary.
He'd held me and touched me and made me feel safe, all while knowing I was trapped in a permanent arrangement I'd never agreed to.
The Peter deception was nothing compared to this. At least with Peter, he'd been trying to get to know me.
Archie was in his study - I'd seen the light under his door when I'd passed earlier. And we were going to have a conversation right now. Not tomorrow. Not when I'd calmed down. Now, while the rage was still burning hot enough to get through this without breaking.
I grabbed the marriage contract and headed for the door.