Page 40 of Marrying a Prince

Once everyone was in, the door closed. The chauffeur got in on the driver's side and the limo pulled away. Mrs. DeLuca glanced at her watch. She sighed as she peered out the window.

"Are you enjoying your time in Caro?" she asked. She didn't turn to look at Marianna, but she could only assume that she was talking to her.

Marianna nodded. "Yes. It is beautiful here."

Mrs. DeLuca glanced over at her. "It is my country. I love it." She got a nostalgic expression on her face. It was something that Marianna could relate to. Feeling a loyalty and love for a place that held meaning. That’s how she felt about her hometown.

"I get that," she said, giving Mrs. DeLuca a small smile.

"Which is why you understand why you must leave," Mrs. DeLuca said, matter-of-factly.

Marianna coughed at the bluntness of her statement. She glanced over at her. Had she heard right? "Excuse me?"

Mrs. DeLuca sighed. "Leo is confused. He's convinced himself that the Marasco family is out to get the crown or something. If you ask me, it all started with him hitting his head. Now he refuses to marry Gisella, stating that he does not remember her." Mrs. DeLuca rubbed her temples. "But, I am having a hard time believing that. What he doesn't realize is we need this alliance. The Marasco’s can help us." Her voice lowered. "And we need the help."

Marianna widened her eyes. What was she talking about? And why was she saying these things to her? "Okay. What do you want me to do?"

Mrs. DeLuca glanced over at her. "Leo seems to trust your opinion. He confides in you. Tell him that he should fulfill his commitment to his country. Ermes would be the worst person to run it. He's"—she let out a sigh—"not Leo. Leo has been trained from a boy to become king. It's his destiny."

That was something that Marianna could agree on. Leo was meant to be king. She could see it when she looked at him—he was destined for greatness. If only he could believe that about himself, then Caro would be set.

She forced a smile and nodded. "I'll do what I can." She couldn't promise that she'd change his mind, because she doubted anyone’s ability to do that. But she would give it a go. It was what Caro and Leo needed. She'd help him see just how perfect he was for his country.

* * *

Leo sat in the boardroom in the east wing of the castle, drumming his fingertips on the tabletop. There had been hours of meetings and he was getting antsy. It was hard to feign interest when he knew this was not his future. He was ready to run away from this world and make something that was just for him. A place where neither corrupt men nor his mother could control him.

Mr. Marasco and his business partner, Mr. Geo, were sitting across from him, discussing the stack of papers on the conference table. They were pitching an idea to him that had just been passed by the Prime Minister. It needed his approval to be put into effect.

"As you can see here, building a factory in the Caro National Forest would actually benefit the country. It would provide jobs and stimulate the economy." Mr. Geo said, pushing the stack of paper over to Leo and tapping at a few numbers.

Leo flicked his gaze down and studied the report. They were proposing to take five hundred acres of the national forest. It was the largest stretch of land that had remained untouched, and they wanted to cut it in half.

Leo didn't have to think about it. He shook his head. "No," he said, pushing the papers back.

Mr. Marasco raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Leo folded his arms. He wasn't going to be controlled by this man. He hated how he acted as if he was above the rules. Above the crown. So he shook his head again, this time slower so Mr. Marasco got the full force of his response. "I said, no. You are not taking half of the forest, leveling it, and building a giant factory in its place." He pulled the stack of papers back and flipped through the top few pages. "And there's no way my parents will ever approve, either. The numbers you are giving seem inflated. I have a feeling you aren't being entirely truthful." He eyed Mr. Marasco, who didn't even flinch.

Instead, he glanced over at Mr. Geo, who leaned in and whispered something under his breath. "My apologies, Your Highness. I can see you are still in distress from your accident. Asking you to make a decision on this so soon was obviously a mistake." He grabbed the stack of papers and tapped them on the table before slipping them into his briefcase. "We will allow you time to heal and approach this topic at a later date."

Leo parted his lips to tell Mr. Marasco off. His insinuation that Leo wasn't in his right mind was infuriating. That he could just brush off Leo's decisions, due to his injury. But then Leo remembered his fake amnesia and snapped his lips shut. As much as he wanted to speak his mind, he couldn't. He wasn't supposed to remember Gisella.

Plus, what did it matter? He wasn't going to be king—even though it angered Leo to think that Mr. Marasco wanted to destroy the national forest all for his personal gain. This would be Ermes’s decision, and the least Leo could do was to push back long enough for Ermes to come into power, and then he could rule on it.

"I would appreciate you leaving these important decisions until I have fully healed," Leo said, leaning back in his chair.

Mr. Marasco hesitated and then nodded. "Of course, Your Highness. My apologies for pushing you further than you wanted to go." He nodded toward Mr. Geo, who stood.

"I'm sorry as well," Mr. Geo said.

Leo waved them away and then turned in his chair so he could study the landscape through the window behind him. He steepled his fingers and rocked a few times, letting his breath out slowly. The sound of the door latching marked their retreat. Now alone, he scrubbed his face with his hands.

That meeting hadn't gone the way he’d wanted, but at least he’d bought himself some time. Hopefully his parents would respect his decision to hold off and not overrule him. If they truly wanted him to become king, then they needed to respect his decisions.

But a sinking feeling settled in his gut. His parents weren't going to respect him. They thought they were doing the right thing for Caro by getting attached to the Marasco family, but Leo could see that it was a mistake.

* * *

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