Page 35 of His Royal Matchmaker

Matching other people isn’t the same as being in a relationship yourself. And teaching a prince how to be a good partner isn’t exactly covered in the matchmaker handbook. I’ve spent my career analyzing compatibility, chemistry, conversation flow — not teaching relationship skills.

After showering, I discover a text from Hugo, asking me to meet him in his office. He looks up when I enter it, and his smile is warm enough to melt the polar ice caps. The heat from it touches my heart and spreads through my body, making me go weak in the knees.

“Emily.” He says my name like it’s something pleasant to taste, which I don’t get. What is he playing at now? “I hope you slept well?”

“Like a baby,” I lie, setting my bag down. “Ready for your first day of relationship boot camp?”

He laughs, and I notice the same shadows under his eyes that I tried to hide this morning. Did he sleep as poorly as me? But why? “Certainly,” he says.

I perch on the edge of a chair and try to look like I know what I’m doing. “I’ve been thinking about our approach. Being cooped up in the palace all day isn’t ideal for this kind of training. Maybe we should go somewhere else? Somewhere more… relationship-y?”

“Relationship-y?” Hugo repeats with an amused smile. “Is that a technical term in your profession?”

My cheeks heat up. “I just mean somewhere less formal. Real relationships happen in the real world.”

Hugo taps his pen against his desk, considering this. “What about my friend Guy’s horse ranch? It’s about thirty minutes from here. Peaceful, beautiful views.”

I blink in surprise. “You want to go today?”

“Why not? I can clear my afternoon.” He’s already reaching for his phone.

“But don’t you have meetings? Important prince stuff?” I gesture vaguely at the papers covering his desk.

He shrugs. “Nothing that can’t be rescheduled.”

I stare at him, bewildered. The palace staff whisper about how Prince Hugo never takes time off, how he works sixteen-hour days since his father died. Yet here he is, casually rearranging his schedule for our session.

“Is something wrong?” he asks, noticing my expression.

“No, it’s just… I heard you took yesterday afternoon off too.”

“I did.” He tilts his head. “Is that a problem?”

“No! Not at all. It’s good, actually. I just didn’t expect…” I trail off, not wanting to point out how out of character this seems.

“You didn’t expect me to take my romantic education seriously?” There’s a challenge in his voice, but his eyes are teasing.

“I didn’t expect you to be such an eager student,” I counter.

His face suddenly goes pink, and he turns away. “Then you’ve much to learn about me.”

I open my mouth but don’t have an answer. I expected to learn more about Hugo as time went on, but now I’m more confused by him each day. At this point, I don’t know what to expect when I walk into the room.

An hour later, we’re in a sleek black SUV with tinted windows, heading away from the city. Hugo sits beside me in the back seat, dressed in jeans and a simple button-down shirt instead of his usual suits. He looks younger, more relaxed, and somehow even more attractive.

Which is becoming a problem.

“I should warn you,” I say, fiddling with the strap of my purse. “I’ve never actually been around horses before.”

He looks genuinely surprised. “Never?”

“I grew up in a city. My parents did, too. The closest I got to a horse was the carousel at the mall.”

He laughs, the sound filling the car. “Don’t worry. The horses at Guy’s ranch are very gentle. And you’ll have an excellent teacher.”

“You’re going to teach me to ride?” The thought sends a nervous shiver down my spine.

“Unless you’d prefer Guy. He’s technically the expert.”

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