Page 29 of Marrying a Prince

Maybe that was what Caro needed. And just as he thought the words, he pushed them out. Why was he thinking about the ruler that Caro needed? He wouldn’t be the King. His cousin, Ermes, would.

Ermes wanted to be king. He was born to be king. Not Leo. That was not the life Leo wanted. It had never been.

No. He was going to be faithful to the promise he made with Marianna. They were going to fake a relationship and push off the marriage until his birthday came and passed, making Ermes the next king. Then they could separate and live their lives without the weight of their past hovering over them.

He had to do that for Marianna. He couldn't drag her into his mess. Sure, his mother was a patient woman, but she wasn't going to take kindly to being duped. And if Leo insisted that Marianna stick around? It would be deadly for everyone involved.

So for now, it was better to play the lie then try to uncover some truth. Marianna had to believe that he didn't have feelings for her.

She couldn't know that it broke his heart that she thought he would pick Gisella over her. If this was going to end with everyone intact, he was going to have to keep her at arm’s length—now more than ever.

When he walked into the living room, he saw Filippo sitting on the couch, reading a newspaper, dressed and ready for the trip back to Caro. Marianna was not up yet, and her door was closed as tight as it had been last night. He tried to keep his gaze from making its way over to her room and his thoughts from wondering what she was doing.

Wondering if she hated him.

"Good morning," Filippo said, turning a page.

"Morning. Did you sleep well?" Leo asked, walking over to the coffee machine on the counter and pouring himself a mug.

"Very." There was a rustling sound, and when Leo glanced behind him, he saw that Filippo had folded up the newspaper and was now staring at him.

He widened his eyes as he took in Filippo's gaze. "Yes?" he asked, hoping that his bodyguard didn't notice how rattled he was.

"Last night, I needed to use the bathroom. On my way, I heard a very peculiar conversation…" Filippo let his words linger in the air.

Leo's stomach sank. Filippo knew what was going on. There was no use hiding it. And if he did lie, it would just make him look that much worse. But, just in case he was wrong, Leo said, "Oh, and what did it entail?"

Filippo quirked an eyebrow as if it surprised him that Leo didn’t just confess. He sighed. "Something about a relationship not being real? Your relationship?"

Leo scoffed as he lifted his mug. He hadn't expected Filippo to be so direct, and it made Leo forgot about the scorching liquid, dumping all of it to the back of his mouth. After he downed a cold bottle of water, Leo looked over at Filippo, who was watching him with an incredulous look.

That was probably not the smoothest thing he could have done. Especially since he was trying to play it cool. "I don't know what you are talking about," Leo rasped.

Filippo sighed and stood up from the couch. He made his way over until he was a few feet away from Leo. "It's okay, sir. I'm not going to tell anyone." His forehead crinkled as if he couldn't believe what he was about to say. "I'm here to support you. You understand that, right?"

Leo studied his friend. He knew Filippo was loyal, but he also knew his friend had sworn allegiance to his country. Leo was pretty certain helping the prince get out of being king went against that vow.

"But, what about the country?"

Filippo folded his arms. "Gisella is not right for my country. So, I am helping both of you at the same time."

Leo's stomach lightened at Filippo's words. It felt good to have someone else to go through this with, especially with Marianna being upset with him.

After fifteen minutes, Filippo was up to speed about what had happened and what the plan was now. He promised to help in any way he could.

The rest of the morning flew by as Marianna and Gisella woke up and got ready. By the time they both left their rooms, the limo had arrived to take them to the airport.

Leo had hoped to get Marianna alone to explain himself, but she insisted on riding up front with the chauffeur. Gisella piped up that it was probably for the best and almost dragged him to the back door where she stuffed him into the limo.

Leo had to ride the whole way to the hangar that held the family's plane with Gisella practically draped over his lap. Filippo didn't say much, which Leo was grateful for. He didn't need Filippo's help; if anything, it might tip off Gisella that something really was up, and then she'd make it her life mission to bring Marianna down.

His parents were already on the plane when they climbed up the stairs and got situated. Leo tried to catch Marianna again, but she brushed past him and sat in the far back corner.

Leo's mother grabbed his arm and motioned toward the seat across from her, stating that they needed to discuss the plan for when they got home. Leo had to settle for a quick glance in Marianna's direction before he was forced headfirst into discussing whatever party his mother insisted they talk about.

When the plane was in the air and things had calmed down, Leo took that moment to get up and make his way to the bathroom, which was, luckily, right next to where Marianna was sitting. As he approached, Marianna didn't look up and his heart sank. Instead, she kept her gaze focused on the magazine in front of her.

He went into the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and splashed his face. After patting it dry, he stared at himself. What was he doing? Why was he forcing this so hard? Marianna was being smart. She was playing the part of a nurse who got swept up in the crazy scheme of a prince with amnesia. Why was he so hell-bent on making her like him?

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