Page 115 of Duty and Desire

I shut the door behind me and went over to the chair by thewindow. The events of the evening collided in my head: watching Gio from across the ballroom, Karoline’s views finally revealed…

Except you weren’treallysurprised, were you? Your father had to have chosen her family for a reason. He must have felt they were of a similar mindset to himself.

Unfortunately, I could see that might have been likely.

I had no idea how long I sat there, my thoughts tumbling over and over. The faint noises of the ball had long since faded to nothing, but the silence was broken by the voice echoing in my mind.

What disturbed me was that it was my father’s.

You must accept your fate.

You must embrace the weight of the crown.

Except it wasn’t just the crown that loomed over me—it was my duty to my people, my obligation to lead with strength, dignity, and power.

There was another voice too, speaking a truth I could no longer ignore.

You love Gio.

His name was a soft whisper in my heart. I knew we shared a love that defied tradition, a love that was reckless in the eyes of my ministers and subjects.

It was also a love unlike any I’d ever known.

Gio is my equal, my partner.

But Gio was not of royal blood. Gio wasn’t born to walk beside a king; he wasn’t trained to live under the scrutiny of the court, to attend lavish banquets and sit beside the most powerful leaders in the world.

Is that enough reason to give him up? To walk away from him?

I raked my fingers across my scalp. The people would never accept Gio as my consort, not in the way they would accept a princess, someone born to fit the mold.

Can I bear to live a lie, to choose the throne over the one person who makes me feel whole?

I had a kingdom to consider.

What will happen if I defy the expectations placed upon me? Can I risk destabilizing everything for the sake of one man? For my own happiness?

I closed my eyes, and Gio’s face swam there, his warm smile, the light in his eyes—eyes filled with love for me. I thought about the way he made everything feel possible.

Gio believed in me.

I can’t lose him. But I can’t abandon my people either.

My heart ached at the thought of walking away from that love, from the man who had made me feel whole.

Then it hit me.

There were three people in this equation, not two. And although the hour was late, I couldn’t put off the conversation that had to take place.

I left my room and walked quietly through the palace until I reached Karoline’s suite. A bright ribbon of light showed under the door. I knocked, my heart racing. When it opened, she stood there, a silk robe held tightly around her. She frowned when she saw me.

“Niko, do you know what time it is?”

“We need to talk.”

“Indeed we do. Come in before someone sees you.”

I went inside. Karoline sat on a chair, her arms folded, a faint frown marring her smooth complexion.

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