27. Soren #2
Julian sighed. “Except you refused to answer any other question. One of them will realize how important Halo House is to you and possibly do some digging. From what you tell me, that’s not the sort of publicity that Halo House needs. Some of the members are there to hide their whereabouts, no?”
Shit, he was right. I had to call Phoenix to warn him.
After changing out of the formal clothes I’d worn to the courthouse, I declined my valet’s offer to bring lunch to my room and went in search of my father.
For the first time in weeks, I felt hopeful.
I had made up my mind that I would return to California as soon as possible and convince Jude that walking away from me had been the wrong decision.
He was stubborn, but I had been raised among politicians and diplomats.
Surely persuading one carpenter to admit he loved me couldn’t be more difficult than surviving court.
Father would understand. At least, I hoped he would.
I checked his private study first, but it was empty. As I entered the smaller council room, I heard whispering voices. The door stood partly open, and in my excitement, I pushed it wider without knocking.
“Father?”
I stopped abruptly.
My younger brother was pressed against the wall with his legs wrapped around another boy, and their mouths were smashed together. They sprang apart so quickly my brother would have fallen to the floor if his “friend” hadn’t caught him.
I hadn’t thought it odd when Rasheed brought home a friend from his boarding school for the two-week break. He was a popular guy, and it wouldn’t be the first time, but I never expected him to be kissing said friend in a restricted area. I didn’t even know he was gay.
“You okay?” his friend whispered, and Rasheed nodded.
“I didn’t see anything,” I said and turned to go. My younger brother and I weren’t particularly close, so I had no idea what to say in this situation.
“Soren, wait!” Rasheed cried, and I turned around. He said something to his friend that was too low for me to hear, and his friend nodded and walked by me, leaving us alone.
“It was lovely seeing you again,” I said, smirking at the horrified look he gave me before disappearing down the corridor.
“I didn’t know you were gay,” I said to Rasheed.
“I’m not,” he protested, but his face was red.
I sighed. “You don’t have to hide who you are. Everyone knows I’m gay, and Father has always supported me. Hell, he had the royal physician put me on PrEP when he found out I was no longer a virgin.”
Rasheed pulled a face. “I don’t want to think about that.”
“Then don’t, but give Father some credit.”
He shoved his hands into his pockets. “That isn’t the problem. Shiro is King Henrik of Rosenmark’s son.”
I gaped at him. “Holy fuck. That’s Rosenmark’s heir?”
“No.” His jaw tightened. “The other one.”
It took me a moment to understand. “The king’s illegitimate son?”
“Don’t call him that,” he said, bristling.
But as much as he wanted to deny it, that was exactly what his boyfriend was. Everyone knew well the story of how the king of Rosenmark’s affair became publicized when the woman he’d kept on the side for years died, and he finally had to acknowledge the son she’d left behind.
Everyone knew the son was hated by the king’s wife and family. No wonder the kid hadn’t gone home for the holiday.
“He didn’t choose how he was born.”
“No, but he did choose to come here, and we have a strained relationship with Rosenmark. Have you forgotten what happened to me when I was involved with someone from that country?”
“But that’s different. That asshole chancellor set you up.”
“And you think if someone learns of your relationship, they won’t try to exploit it?”
“That’s why we’ve kept it a secret. Please don’t tell anyone.” He grabbed my arm tightly. “I swear I never wanted to be crown prince. That was on Mother. I’m glad you’re back so they can’t force me into the position and to marry Isolde.”
“Father would never force the marriage.”
“It’s not Father I’m worried about,” he grumbled, and I understood.
I gripped his arm and squeezed. “Just promise me you will be careful. Don’t do anything stupid. Our family can’t handle another scandal right now.”
Especially when I might have just triggered another by mentioning Halo House. I’d already given Phoenix a heads-up that he might get some unwelcome visitors, but he insisted he could handle it.
“I will be.” His shoulders slumped. “Shiro hates his father for the way the family treats him. I just want him to have a normal family for a while.”
“And you brought him to us?” I laughed. “Good luck with that. By the way, have you seen Father?”
“He went to the memorial chapel.”
That explained everything. Father still visited Mother, which warmed my heart. He could have so easily forgotten about her when he remarried, but he never did.
I left my brother with a reminder not to bring Shiro back to the restricted areas of the palace and crossed the private gardens toward the chapel.
It was a fifteen-minute walk there. The small stone building stood apart from the palace, surrounded by white roses and old trees.
Inside, the air smelled faintly of candle wax and polished wood.
Father sat alone near the royal memorials. My mother’s portrait hung above a carved stone plaque, and he was staring at it when I entered.
He looked up, and some of the sadness left his face. “Soren, come sit with me.”
I crossed the chapel and sat beside him. For a few moments, neither of us spoke, and I imagined he was lost in the memory of my mother.
“You did well today,” he finally said. “Your speech at the courthouse was brilliant.”
“Thank you.”
“I mean it. You spoke with grace. More than many men would have shown after suffering what you did.”
“I am learning from the best.”
He studied me for a moment. “You have been doing incredibly well, but you are not completely happy.”
I glanced toward Mother’s portrait. “How can you tell?”
“You have her eyes, and I could always tell when your mother was sad.”
A small smile touched my mouth. I liked that I had some of her features, given that I didn’t get to spend as much time with her as he and my brothers did.
“You miss him.”
The breath escaped my lungs at Father’s words. It made no sense for me to pretend I had no idea who he was referring to.
“I do. I miss him terribly.”
“What do you plan to do about it?”
“I want to return to California,” I said slowly. “I believe I gave up too soon, and now that the shock of my being a royal has worn off, he will be more open to being with me. If given the chance, I know I can convince him to come home with me.”
Father didn’t say anything for a while, his expression thoughtful. “You understand what will happen when the press learns who he is?”
“What do you mean?”
“They will investigate every part of his life, and it won’t take a lot to discover his conviction.”
I swallowed hard, shock moving through me. “You know?”
“Of course. I did what I would have done the first time had you told me about seeing Felipe. I had Jude investigated once I realized how much you loved this man. I had a feeling when we left California that it wouldn’t be the last time I would hear of him.”
My stomach churned so hard that I wrapped an arm around my middle. “You don’t object?”
“I would have been the biggest hypocrite to have done so. My parents were traditional, but they saw that I loved your mother, and they didn’t give me a hard time even though she was not Belvarian.
Their support made it easier for us to deal with the press and the people at large who didn’t think your mother was fit to be a queen consort. ”
“Then I can go,” I said breathlessly.
“Not yet. You were reinstated less than a month ago. Leaving now would raise questions. If this man truly loves you, he will not give his heart to another so quickly.”
Father had waited five years before he remarried. Still too short in my opinion, but the new queen made him happy—relatively. Even though I’d never been fond of her, that was enough.
I hated that I understood him, though. Before, I would have impulsively left on my own regardless of what he said, but I had to think about the future of Belvaria, and the people had only just begun trusting me again.
“I understand,” I said.
Father rested a hand over mine. “But winter is approaching, and the family has not taken a proper vacation in years.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“A private trip to California.”
My heart jumped with joy. “You mean it?”
“It would give the family time away and allow you the chance to disappear for a few days.”
I stared at Father, seeing more than a king, but a parent trying hard not to lose another son.
And he wouldn’t have to. Now all I needed was to wait another two months to see Jude.
Two months to come up with as many reasons as I could to get Jude to agree to flip the script and let me teach him how to be a royal instead.