Page 4 of Marrying a Prince

"Mother," he said as he reached out and grabbed her hand. "I told you already, Filippo and I went for a run. I didn't realize that was illegal to do here."

Her eyes narrowed as she met his gaze. "Leonardo, you will be ruler of your country. If you don't start acting like it now, you will not be ready."

His stomach twisted at the thought. King. He was going to be king soon, and he was certain he wasn't ready for it. All of the responsibility that came with that bore down on him, suffocating him. Had he ever been asked if he wanted to be king? No. It was an expectation given to him from birth.

"Your Highness, I think we might be overwhelming him. With a head injury, it's best to keep things simple," Filippo said, reaching out and resting his hand on the queen’s shoulder.

Her gaze met Leo's, and she sighed. "I'll go find some coffee and try your father again. I can't seem to get any reception in this room." She stood and made her way to the door. "Don't let him leave, Filippo." She pointed her finger at his bodyguard and narrowed her eyes.

Filippo nodded as she left, pulling the door shut behind her.

"Sorry, man," Leo said, wincing as he shifted on the bed. Some nurse named Barbie had come in, finished his vitals, and cleaned his cut. They were waiting to be taken to get a CAT scan.

Filippo shrugged, but Leo knew that move. He wasn't happy with what Leo had done. But could he be blamed? His family had flown all the way to New York so that they could put on a spectacle by having him propose to a woman who he didn't love.

As soon as they checked into the hotel, Leo had tried to escape for a run. But Filippo must have expected that, because he showed up minutes later, running right next to him. Even though Leo had quickened his pace, Filippo hadn’t let him out of his sight. Just as they rounded the corner, a little boy came out of nowhere, and the only way Leo could avoid hitting him was to veer off to the left, where he tripped and flew head-first into a parked cab.

Admittedly, not the most glamorous way to get injured. And Leo had been lucky not to have had cameras around.

Now he had a splitting headache, and his problems still remained.

"I'm just happy you are okay," Filippo said, clearing his throat.

Leo detected a hint of emotion in his voice and he understood it. Not only was Filippo his bodyguard, but also his best friend. If something ever happened to Filippo, he would have a hard time dealing with it as well.

Before he could think further, a screech pulled his attention to the door. He'd recognize that voice anywhere. Whenever he heard it, his stomach twisted and squeezed. Gisella.

The woman he'd been intended to marry since he was a little boy. Since the DeLuca's discovered that in order to keep the crown, the prince must marry by the time he turned thirty. And for Leo, that birthday was rapidly approaching.

"Where is he?" Gisella screamed.

Leo winced as he anticipated her arrival. He didn't want to marry her, but no matter what he said, his mother always brushed him off, stating he'd grow to love her. The crown was more important than his happiness.

The door slammed open and Gisella rushed in. "Leonardo," she exclaimed, rushing to his side of the bed and wrapping her arms around him—suffocating him like she did with every aspect of their relationship.

He tried to move, but decided against it. He didn't want to get into a round of how this accident hurt her more than it did him. If he were honest with himself, he just wanted her to go away. Unlike his parents, he didn’t care that her father was one of the wealthiest men in Caro.

None of this trip was for him. He was supposed to take her to a fancy dinner and propose to her in front of cameras so that the world could see that Caro was a beautiful place. And hopefully with a royal wedding planned, tourism would pick up.

No one seemed to care that he felt stifled. It was his duty.

When Gisella pulled back, she met his gaze. Her perfectly formed eyebrows drew together as she studied him. Then she cocked her head to the side. "Filippo, what is wrong with Leo? Why does he not remember me?"

There she went. Making his accident about herself. Leo half expected cameras to come barging in here, where she would tell her sob story about how she was now the soon-to-be fiancée of the prince with amnesia.

Then he started to think. What if he faked amnesia? His parents wouldn't force him to marry a woman that he couldn't remember. Right?

It was worth a shot.

So he turned to Filippo and forced the most confused expression he could muster. "Who is this woman?" he commanded.

Filippo raised his eyebrows and studied him. As if he were trying to figure out what Leo was playing at. Truth was, if anyone could figure out he was lying, it was his bodyguard.

"Sir, this is Gisella. Your bride-to-be," Filippo said.

Leo forced his hands out of her grasp and shifted away. "I don't know who you are or what you are doing here. I need you to leave."

Gisella sat there with her mouth hanging open and her lips fluttering like a fish out of water. Her eyes were wide as she swept her gaze from Filippo and then back to Leo. "I—um…Leo," she whispered.

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