LukeMother sighed heavily and leaned against her pillows. She stared at the ceiling.The conversation between Father and me reminded me of the next conversation I had with Mother. If she had been the one who died, I would have felt terrible about the things I’d said to her. Watching Father pass so quickly, I realized how short life was.“I’m sorry for what I said to you the last time I was here,” I said.She waved a dismissive hand. “I don’t want to talk about her.”I gritted my teeth. Even in the face of losing her husband, she still held onto her hatred for Sophia. Or maybe she had given up. Either way, this was no time to argue. We had work to do, and neither Mother nor Abir seemed to be willing to put in that work.“I know you’re in mourning,” I said. The customs of our country gave widows much time to mourn the loss of their husbands. But Mother was also a queen and not one to sit down and let life take over when there was work to be done. “We have much to do to prepare for the
SophiaThe next morning, there was more movement in the palace than I’d ever seen before. Servants rushed around, completing their tasks, while I was utterly lost and I had no idea what to do with my hands, never mind my body.Luke explained that everything was taken care of, but I still felt as if I should be doing something.Early that morning, two servants came into the room carrying several different options for the funeral. They all looked the same to me as they were black and heavy on the fabric. I chose the lightest one that covered every inch of me, other than my hands and the neck up. It came with an accompanying headscarf. I didn’t try that on, not wanting to embarrass myself if I arranged it incorrectly. Luke would help me later on if necessary.Luke kept me at his side the entire day, enough that I felt like an accessory more than his girlfriend. I wondered if he was protecting me from his Mother or if I was his main support system. Either way, I didn’t mind.Guests arrive
SophiaWhile they didn’t get the answer they were looking for, everyone who approached us was friendly toward me. They acknowledged my presence, much to Gia’s disappointment. I felt her heated stare from across the room more times than I could count. While I appreciated the kindness toward me, I wondered if it was just them being polite or if they thought I would be their future queen.I had to immediately shake away that thought. I didn’t want to be with Luke just to become his queen. I wasn’t sure if I wanted the position at all. Erol’s funeral was not the time to consider it. Luke wanted his space when it came to the throne, and I would comply, if not for my own selfish reasons as well. When it came to any future between Luke and me, I knew it involved a crown on one or both of our heads.When there was a little break in the crowd coming to speak with us, Luke pulled me aside. We stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows on the other side of the room, opposite from Gia and Abir. I wasn
LukeFor the last hour of the banquet, I wanted nothing more than for it to end so I could go up to my room with Sophia. While it would have been nice to make love with her, after the full day of activities, I was mentally and physically exhausted. I had attended numerous banquets at the palace throughout my life, but obviously, this one was different. Typically, I was able to enjoy myself. I never shirked my responsibilities, but most of the time, Father was the center of attention. Everyone wanted to talk to a king more than a prince.With Father gone, I got a glimpse of what being king would be like. It wasn’t hard, but it was exhausting. I figured it would get better over time. Sophia made it a little easier.If I were to take the throne, I wanted her with me. I knew that now, more than ever. She spoke eloquently to our guests, and with her charm and wit, she could handle an intelligent conversation, rather than being the silent partner that Mother tended to be when she was with F
LukeI knew she meant to ask if there were any more funeral events, but I wanted to be honest with her about what was going to happen. I didn’t want to blindside her after the council decided. This was the last chance for us if she wanted to be by my side for the rest of our lives.“There will be a council meeting tomorrow,” I said.“Tomorrow?” she asked. “A little soon?”“Not really,” I said. “We will mourn for a while, but business needs to be handled by the next heir. And that heir is to be chosen the day after a ruler is buried.”Sophia was silent for the rest of the walk over to my room. I really didn’t want to have this conversation when both of us were dead on our feet, but if not now, when? I had to put my cards on the table, no matter how much I didn’t want to.When we reached my chambers, I helped Sophia out of her dress. I couldn’t help my hands from roaming around her body. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and peered up at me. Without any words between us, we knew
SophiaThe morning came too swiftly for me. I had waited up for Luke to come to bed, but I must have fallen asleep. I’d heard the bath running, so I assumed he needed more time to himself. I supposed telling someone you love them and having them not say it back was cause enough to stay away from that person. I still didn’t know what possessed me to keep quiet about my feelings. He had just lost his father for Christ’s sake. The least I could have done was told him I loved him. It wouldn’t have been a lie.Luke was still fast asleep next to me, and I wondered if he even bothered to wake me when he came into the bedroom after his bath. His hair was mussed, and it took much of my strength not to reach out and touch it. Had I ruined our chances completely?I had the urge to shake him awake and tell him how I felt, no matter what the cost. I still wasn’t up to the idea of becoming a queen, but he should know how I felt.I stared up at the ceiling for some time, willing Luke to wake up. But
SophiaLuke was a smart man. Even if he hadn’t told me, last night should have alerted me to what he was going to do. He wanted me to tell him that I loved him and that I would be the queen he needed at his side.Stupidly, I rejected him on the eve of the most important day of his life. He’d already had a pretty shitty day with the funeral, and I had turned him down.I leaned against the stone railing, peering down at the palace grounds. While I doubted Qatar ever had a Western queen, Luke had trusted me enough to offer the position. He pushed past tradition and went for what he wanted. That was me.I blew out a breath. He chose me. He trusted me. And I went and broke his heart because I couldn’t utter the words that were deep in my own heart.Whirling around, I started down the hallway again. I knew what I had to do. There wasn’t anything in Dallas other than a job with a boss who didn’t appreciate me. I could bring Matt to the palace as much as I wanted, but other than that, I wasn’
LukeSaying goodbye to Sophia wasn’t going to heal the ache in my heart. I stood in Father’s office, watching her roll her suitcase out of the palace and out of my life for good. It was the hardest decision of my life. I knew that if I went out there, I would pull her into my arms, kiss her, and tell her it was all a mistake.But I couldn’t. With Father gone, I had to step up in his place. Losing Sophia and my happiness was my sacrifice for my family. I’d spent too many years denying my place in the kingdom. Too bad Sophia couldn’t have wormed her way into my life sooner. We would have had more time. We could have built a relationship, and she would have had the space in her heart to love me. At that point, we could have made it work.Her admission last night was my deciding factor. I couldn’t be with her if she was uncertain about our fate together. I didn’t blame her at all, but the timing was off for us.Sophia turned so quickly that I could have sworn I’d said her name aloud.Inst