Page 29 of The Crownless Prince

“I’m sorry.” She shook her head. “Perhaps we could leave Aedyllan entirely—”

“Adriana.” The soft, sad tone made her freeze. “Aside from the dangers of running away without money in winter, what conflict might an Alimer stealing you away from your wedding stir up?”

Her lower lip trembled. If it was only the king’s treasury as a concern, she could brush that aside. Father could find a bride for Jairus instead of forcing Adriana to wed the first lout with a fat purse who made an offer. But Marcus had a point. If Father realized whom she had run away with, it would verify his belief that Marcus was a threat to his rule.

“Perhaps there’s another way,” she said slowly. “We just need to stop the wedding. That will buy us time to solve our other problems.”

Marcus looked doubtful. “But you said your father—”

“Theremustbe a way.” She tapped a finger against her lips. “We’ll figure out something. In the meantime, I’ll warn Leena that you’re both here. She won’t tell a soul. Jairus only met you once and Father scarcely paid you any heed, so you’re probably right that they won’t recognize you. That gives us two and a half days to convince my father to call off the wedding.”

“What if you’d be better off with him?” Agony reflected in his eyes. “I’m nothing—”

“I don’t care!” She cupped his face in her hands, fighting tears yet again. “I wantyou.It’s always been you. I’d rather be a pauper with you than a princess with him. I’ve waited so long. Please don’t give up on the dream of us now.”

A pained look crossed his countenance. “I’m sorry I didn’t fight harder for our dream—or fight at all. I let you down—”

“What are you talking about?”

He pulled her hands down and stared out the window. “What did I do to make our dreams a reality for the year and a half we secretly courted? So many things I didn’t try because I was afraid of my father or because it was easy to believe it wouldn’t work. I fixated on the ways things could go wrong, or I stupidly waited for others to change their minds instead of acting. I could make a list of all the things I talked myself out of attempting, but it won’t change that I didn’t do them when it mattered.”

Adriana bit the inside of her cheek. She’d had similar thoughts over the last few years about her own complacency.

“Maybe my brothers were right,” he murmured. “I was foolish and naïve and noncommittal—although they were wrong about what action to take. I should have taken risks for my dreams. How can I say that peace and marriage to you was my goal while I did nothing but hide, wait, and hope? And now I’m doing it again, aren’t I? Finding reasons to give up before we’ve even tried.”

She hesitated, searching for the right response. “First, I don’t think anything we could have done would have changed this outcome. The princes were too greedy and stubborn—”

“That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t have tried. I failed you. I failed all of Aedyllan.”

“Marcus.” She laid a hand on his forearm. “Listen to me. Maybe there was more we could have or should have done. I’ve spent so much time wishing I’d been bolder or had known the perfect argument to make to avoid your imprisonment, the war, and my father sendingthat assassin. Perhaps we were young and short-sighted and didn’t live like we had any power to pursue our dreams. It’s also wise to think about possible repercussions and not rush into foolish actions—that isn’t the same as not acting at all. But we can’t let the weight of could haves and unprovable hypotheticals steal our lives and choices now.”

Marcus lifted his head. His jaw set as his shoulders drew back in silent resolve and determination glinted in the depths of his brown eyes. “You’re right. We can learn from our inaction and do better. I’ll help you avoid this marriage. Maybe stopping the wedding won’t let me marry you—”

“But it’s a step in that direction.” Her heart gave a little twirl. She shifted to sit next to him on the edge of the bed, wrapped an arm around his waist, and leaned her head on his shoulder. “It gives us a chance.”

Chapter 13

Marcus hadn’t fully dared to hope that Adriana would want to find a way back to a shared future. He had made her so many broken promises. In the past, he’d failed to work toward peace as he’d desired and failed to protect his father’s subjects, earning their derision. How could he fail the woman he loved, too?

Hopes and dreams without action were empty. He no longer wanted to wait without taking steps to make his dreams a reality.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to realize wanting something isn’t enough if I don’t take risks to pursue it,” Marcus whispered. He reached over and clasped her hand, weaving their fingers together. Her hands were so tiny compared to his. “I can’t guarantee anything, so I won’t make promises I may not be able to keep. But I do promise you that I will do more than hope for us—I’ll fight for us.”

Even if he wasn’t entirely certain how to do that yet.

“That’s all I ask,” Adriana replied, the love in her gaze making his heart soar. “But let’s be cautious. Don’t put yourself in danger unnecessarily. We could…hm…” She straightened so abruptly her head bumped against the side of his jaw, and he barely held back a yelp. “Wait! You’re serving my betrothed.”

He winced. “Yes?”

“Something about him unsettles me, and the unjust terms of his contract make me question his integrity. You’ll be around him, can speak with his servants, and have access to his rooms. Maybeyoucan discover if he has any reputation-destroying secrets.”

“I will attempt to search his room tomorrow. I don’t suppose the unfair contract itself would be enough for your father?”

Adriana sighed. “No. As long as the contracts are legal, my father won’t care that they’re unfair—he wants this marriage too badly.”

Wondering if she was silently judging him for being so foolish as to sign the contract, Marcus nodded. He’d been so desperate for a way to leave before Adriana’s wedding… If anything, that made it worse. How could he have believed she was willing to marry another?

“I’d hoped you were happy,” he said abruptly, needing her to understand. “When I accepted this employment, that is. I didn’t know you didn’t want this—”

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