Page 35 of Marrying a Prince

Gisella kept trying to engage him in conversation, but Leo wasn't having it. Truth was, he was done with her. The last thing he wanted was a repeat of the night before, when Marianna had discovered that Gisella was in his room. He'd finally gotten Marianna to trust him again, and he wasn't going to take that lightly.

"Leo," Gisella whined.

He glanced over at her. She was looking at him expectantly.

"What?" he sighed.

"You're not paying attention. Father was just talking about the plan for the castle when we marry, and you are completely ignoring him." She wrapped her hand around his arm and leaned closer.

Thankful that he was still holding on to the selective amnesia story, he pulled away. "What? Why would you be making plans to change the castle?" He scrunched up his nose. It bothered him that Mr. Marasco thought he could just swoop in and make changes.

"We're getting married, silly. My family will be living here with us. It'll be better for the country and Marasco Industries." She puckered her lips and leaned in.

Leo's stomach soured. He hated how much power the Marasco family thought they had over the crown. Sure, they were rich, and Caro was hurting right now. But that was no reason to get into bed with a snake.

Unable to sit there and pretend to play nice, Leo pushed his chair back and stood. "I need some fresh air," he said.

He could feel everyone's gaze on him as he made his way to the large French doors that led out to the balcony that wrapped around the castle. He leaned against the railing and took a deep breath. This was not the time to overreact. Right now, he needed to be calm. If he was going to stand strong against his parents and their expectations, he needed a cool head.

"What was that?"

Leo tried not to groan at the sound of his mother's voice. He turned to see her approach him. Her hair was pulled back into a French twist—very similar to the one he'd convinced Marianna she didn't need.

He sighed as he scrubbed his face. "What, Mother?"

She stood next to him, staring out across the perfectly manicured gardens that ran up to the cliffs. The Mediterranean Sea could be seen in the distance, the moon's reflection bouncing off the water.

"You were extremely rude to Mr. Marasco. He's here to help Caro. The least you could do is be kind to him."

He had amnesia, he needed to remember that. He changed his expression to one of pain. "I'm sorry, Mother. I know I'm supposed to remember these people, but I can't. And it hurts me to try."

She quirked an eyebrow, but then her frustrated expression softened. "Perhaps we are forcing you too soon." She leaned against the railing and sighed. "Why don't you go up to bed. Tomorrow we have a lot to do. Get some rest and we'll try again."

Leo's heart softened from his mother’s words. He'd allowed himself to believe for a while now that she cared nothing for him—that holding onto the crown was her only goal. And if he didn't accomplish that, then he had failed her. It was nice to see that she cared for him, outside of what he could do for the crown.

Perhaps, once everything was said and done, his mother would return to how she used to be. There would be no more hidden agenda. They could go back to being mother and son. Leo would be lying to himself if he said he didn't envy what Marianna had with her parents. He missed his old life when the fate of their country was riding on his shoulders.

He stood and leaned in, kissing his mother's cheek. "Thank you," he said.

She patted his cheek and nodded.

Now free, Leo walked through the dining room, catching Marianna's eye. She shot him a quizzical look, and he shook his head. She nodded.

He wondered for a moment what their exchange had meant to her. He hoped she understood that he was okay and heading to bed. But with a crowd of people watching them, he didn't want to expose too much about his relationship with Marianna, which was growing deeper by the day.

When he got back to his room, he dressed in his pajamas and crawled into bed. Thirty minutes later, there was a knock on his door. He straightened and turned on the light on his nightstand.

"Come in," he said.

The handled turned and the door was pushed open. Clara appeared in the opening. He smiled at his little sister. He'd missed her on his trip. "Clara," he said, smiling at her.

She looked shy for a moment but then came bounding in and hopped up onto his bed. She snuggled into the crook of his arm. "I missed you," she said.

He wrapped his arm around her and gave her a squeeze. "I missed you, too," he said, planting a kiss on the top of her head.

She pulled back and peered up at him. "I like Marianna," she said.

His heart soared at her words. "You do?"

---