Page 98 of Royal Games (The Royals of Monterra)

But I knew someone who did.

I called Lemon, and she answered immediately. “If this is another reporter, I’m going to wring your neck like Sunday’s chicken dinner. No more questions about the engagement party!”

“This is Genesis! Wait, I’ll show you.” I tapped on the button to turn it into a FaceTime call. She did the same.

“I didn’t recognize your number!” I had replaced the phone John-Paul destroyed, and I hadn’t given her my new contact info.

“I’m sorry, I should have given it to you. I’ve been a little self-centered lately.”

“No surprise there, given what happened to you.” She turned over her shoulder and called, “Kat! Genesis is calling.” She turned back. “Where are you? Are you on a plane?”

Kat appeared over her shoulder. “Hey, Genesis. What are you doing? Where are you?”

“I’m coming to tell Rafe that I love him.”

They both squealed with delight, making Lemon’s phone bounce. Kat said, “I’m so glad you’re coming. Rafe is like, destroyed.”

“Miserable,” Lemon added.

“Such a mess.”

“Dante had to force him to shower today.”

“Don’t tell him!” I warned them, and they both nodded. “I want it to be a surprise. But I’m calling because I need a ride from the airport.”

“We will totally take care of that,” Kat said.

“You should have called us before you bought a ticket. We could have sent the plane,” Lemon added.

They could have. In my hurry to get to him, it hadn’t even occurred to me. “Too late now. So Princess Kat, how does it feel to be a married lady?”

“It’s frakking amazing,” she said with a vivid and knowing smile. “I highly recommend it.”

Depending on how all this went, maybe someday I would find out.

We chatted for a bit longer, and they caught me up on what had been going on in Monterra. We finalized plans for my ride after I told them my flight number and what time I should be arriving. I had to hang up when I started getting pointed looks from other passengers. We were a little loud.

Hours and hours and hours later, I finally arrived in Milan. I went through customs and got to the front entrance, where I found Giacomo waiting for me. “Signorina Genesis, this way please.” He led me out to a black town car, where two women waited inside. He made introductions, and I immediately forgot their European-sounding names. He told me that one was a makeup artist and the other a hairstylist, and they were going to work their magic before we arrived at the palace.

“And we will stop here in the city to find you a new dress.”

“I brought two dresses with me,” I told him as the women conversed in Italian about the state of my airplane-dried-out hair.

“From the wedding?” When I said yes, he shook his head. “That won’t do. He can’t see you in the same dress twice, can he?”

I didn’t know anywhere else in the world where that would be true, but I trusted Giacomo. Besides, it would be the dress I wore when I told Rafe I loved him.

We stopped at a store that had a locked door and a security guard out front. Giacomo found the perfect dress—it was a one-shouldered teal gown that cinched in at the waist, went all the way to the floor, and made me feel like a Grecian goddess.

It didn’t even have a price tag—that’s how expensive it was. I didn’t care. All I cared about was getting to Rafe.

When we finally arrived at the palace, with me feeling about the best I had ever had in my whole life, I found Lemon and Kat waiting for me. They were dressed up too, and they squealed and hugged me when they saw me. We were all careful not to mess up each other’s hair or makeup.

But now that I was actually here, standing in the front hall, anxiety, jet lag, and exhaustion took over. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do or say,” I confessed. I was tempted to sit down and put my head between my knees until the dizzy feeling went away. I didn’t know why I’d thought this would be a good idea.

“You will figure it out. Just say what’s in your heart. He’s in the main ballroom. Dante and I haven’t made our entrance yet, so I can’t go with you.”

“And Nico’s still upstairs getting ready.” Kat rolled her eyes. “I swear, he always takes longer than I do to get pretty. But you go in there and get your man!”

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