Page 41 of Marrying a Prince

It wasn't until evening that Marianna and his mother returned from their outing. When Leo heard Marianna's voice out in the hall, he tried to nonchalantly open his door and peer out. He watched her say goodnight to his mother and make her way down the hall, toward his room. Her gaze lingered on his as she passed by.

His heart picked up speed. He hadn't realized how much he missed her until this moment. He'd grown used to having her close by, and spending the day without her had been hard.

He stepped forward to go speak to her, but a hand landed on his arm. Turning, he saw his mother shake her head.

"Marianna is tired. Let her rest." She nodded to Leo's room. "I need to speak to you."

His stomach dropped like lead. She could only want to talk to him for one reason. She'd heard about his meeting with Marasco Industries, and she wasn't happy. He nodded and stepped to the side.

She entered, and he followed after her, shutting the door behind him. Not wanting to seem too inviting, Leo folded his arms and leaned against the wall next to the door.

"What do you want, mother?"

His mom turned and sighed. She had a look that told him she was not happy. "I got a call from Mr. Geo today," she said, folding her arms and studying him.

"I'm not sure why he would be calling you. I told both him and Mr. Marasco that I was not interested in making a decision about the new factory at this moment. I'm still healing from the injury, and a decision like that deserves all of my mental faculties." He straightened, hoping his mother would feel the weight of his meaning.

She sighed and rubbed her temples. "Leo, you do realize how important this merger with the Marasco family is. The economy is struggling, and this joint venture would help both in the marriage and with their company." She glanced up at him.

For a moment, Leo felt bad. He saw the stress his mother was under and wanted to help. But he wasn't going to do what she wanted, when it was so obvious that Mr. Marasco had other plans for Caro—more than he was writing up in his proposals. So, he nodded. Appeasing his mother seemed like the best bet. "Of course. And when I am feeling better, I will make that decision. Right now, I want to prepare for dinner."

His mother hesitated and nodded. "All right." She walked over to the door, and just as she reached for the handle, Leo stopped her.

He wanted to make sure that they were on the same page. "You will wait until I am ready to rule on this, right?"

She paused and then nodded. "I will try." Then she turned the handle and slipped from the room.

Leo hated the sour feeling his interaction with his mother had left him with. What did "I will try" even mean? He had a sinking suspicion it meant she would take matters into her own hands if he didn't rule the way she wanted him to.

He blew out a breath as anger built up in his chest. Why were his parents so hell-bent on him becoming king if they wouldn't even let him do his job? Did they really think that he was incapable of making good decisions? He pushed his hands through his hair. This had to stop. He'd give his mother one more chance, but if she proved herself incapable of respecting his wish to slow this process down, then he was finished.

He wouldn’t stick around here anymore.

Chapter Fifteen

Leo should have known better than to assume his mother was going to let the topic go. As soon as he sat down at the dining table, she threw Mr. Marasco at him. It was becoming abundantly clear to him as he sat at the table, waiting for dessert to be served, that the throne meant more to his mother than he did.

It was also clear that the thought of her son marrying a common woman was as appalling to her as having a root canal with no anesthesia.

What she didn't realize was that forcing him into a loveless marriage, for a job he didn't even want, was as painful as a root canal with no anesthesia for him.

"Well?" his mother looked at him as if it were his turn to speak.

He winced. Truth was, he hadn't been listening to any of their conversation. It was all fake. All the smiles. All the small chat. Why couldn't Mr. Marasco just say why he was here? He wanted to know what the crown could do for him. Which, if Leo had anything to do about it, was nothing.

He met his mom's gaze. "What?" He leaned forward and adjusted the plate in front of him. "I apologize, I am not feeling well tonight." He rubbed his temples with his fingertips.

When he glanced back at his mom, she furrowed her brow. "Really, Leo?"

He squeezed his eyes shut and nodded. "My head is killing me."

Truth was, he felt fine. But the last place he wanted to be was sitting here, listening to his mother plan his future like he didn't exist. Like he didn't have a say. He only had a few short weeks before his birthday, and then this entire prince nightmare would be behind him. He just needed to hold out.

He pulled the napkin off his lap and set it on the table. "I think I will go lie down." He pushed his chair away from the table and stood. Before his mother could respond, he headed out of the room, leaving her sputtering behind him.

Once he was in his room, he pulled off his sash and coat and laid them on the bed. He scrubbed his face with his hands and glanced up toward the ceiling, letting out his breath. He was not happy—his mother was relentless.

Even though he hadn't been paying attention to their conversation, he'd picked up bits and pieces. They were still planning the merger as if nothing had changed. As if he hadn't proposed to Marianna. As if he hadn't foiled their plans.

---