Page 40 of The Prodigal Prince

“From the moment she found out about what happened, Mum knew she would adopt me. She’d have a spare, but wouldn’t be required to get anywhere near her husband again. I’m not certain what her plan was if something were to have happened to you.”

There. It was all out in the open.

At least with his sister.

Should he still think of her that way?

Finally, Esme spoke. “I’ve known some of that story since not long after Mum’s passing. I made it to that set of paperwork right after you disappeared.”

Mac tried to think of the appropriate response, but couldn’t come up with one.

“I didn’t know who your biological father was, but I did discover who your birth mother is.” Esme shook her head. “I won’t reveal that information right now, except to say she passed some years ago, but I do know Mum’s plan if something had happened to me.”

Mac looked at her. “What’s that?”

Esme stared straight at him. “You would have been king.”

12

The news that he would have been king clearly surprised Mac. Fiona watched him closely. The only evidence she could see was the rapid blinking of his eyes.

How long had he worked on being able to maintain an impassive facade even in the face of the most shocking news?

She waited for him to reply, but the door opened, letting Gabe into the room.

With the addition of another person, the topic of conversation moved on. Mac was the one who changed the subject, and his sister let him. Presumably, she knew he needed time to absorb it before asking for more details.

After a moment or two of pleasantries, the main office door opened, letting the queen’s assistant in.

Fiona could sense Mac’s uneasiness. Did he want to ask his sister more about her pronouncement? Or did he want to find a way to escape for a little while? To assimilate that bit of information before asking for more?

The queen’s assistant took the decision away from them. “Ma’am, your meeting with King Ezekiel of New Sargasso will begin in five minutes.”

Queen Esmeralda nodded. “Thank you.” She turned to Mac as her assistant left. “We’ll have to discuss this more later. Unfortunately, this meeting cannot be postponed.”

Fiona stood as Mac did.

“Of course.” Mac kissed his sister on the cheek. “We’ll talk later.”

He held Fiona’s hand as they exited the office and walked back to the family’s quarters, but he didn’t say anything. It surprised her when they ended up in his apartment rather than the suite she shared with Gray and Tinsley.

Mac looked around and blinked. “I didn’t mean to come here. If I’d been thinking straight, I would have gone to your suite.”

Fiona rested her temple against his shoulder. “It’s okay. My suite isn’t far. We can go there or stay here, whichever you prefer. Tinsley and Gray will be fine for a bit.”

She let him lead her to the doors on the other side of the room and then onto the balcony.

They sat in the chairs for several minutes before he spoke again.

“What do you think she meant? How could I still have been king?” Mac propped a foot up against the railing. “I don’t understand how that could even be possible.”

Pulling out her phone, Fiona tried to figure out the best way to word her search query. She settled on one then started looking through the informational articles. It took a few minutes, but eventually she found what she was looking for.

“Your mother wasn’t an only child, but her sister died without any heirs, right?” Fiona kept scrolling.

“Yes. My aunt was supposed to marry my father, but after she passed he married my mother instead.” The perplexed tone in his voice turned to curious. “Why?”

“So for the purposes of succession, she was an only child of an only child, right?”

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