Page 101 of Tall, Royal and Grumpy

“Mother said she’d thought of me as a last chance to have another child. She’d had three miscarriages since Kareem had been born—none of which had been publicly announced—and she’d struggled to conceive otherwise. She wanted me. I’m still not sure I completely understand how she could have wanted me as her own, but that’s the kind of woman she was. Loving to a fault, and completely selfless when it came to me and Kareem.

“In his letter, Father said he was wary at first, but they came up with a plan to keep Mother and Linda at Glossham Palace with Mama Katiya until Linda gave birth. They told the media it was because doctors had raised concerns over Mother’s health. No one ever questioned the decision.

“Less than six months later, Princess Esmeralda Ayla Jahandar was born.” A ghost of a smile touched my mouth. “I guess it was a good thing I had Father’s distinct eye colour—there was never any question that I was his.”

“And Linda?” Kai asked.

“She left the moment she received her money. But three months later, it was on local news that her drug-addict boyfriend killed her after a fight over a big sum of money she hid from him—the same money she was given by Mother and Father.”

Silence slipped around us as I fiddled with the fabric of his hoodie over his shoulder. I avoided his gaze, but he kept his hand spread over my nape, his thumb on my jaw.

“With the current legitimacy laws,” I mumbled, “I have no right to the title of princess, let alone a right to the throne of Jahandar as Kareem’s heir.”

“That’s not true,” Kai said right away. His thumb went under my chin and urged my head up. “Legally, you are their child, so you have every right to both.”

“Only because the world doesn’t know the truth. If they did—”

“Uncle Arsh’s Change of Law proposal would protect you.” He leaned closer, burying me in his bottomless irises. “I went to see him before you came. I read through his proposal. He’s not just suggesting a change to the marriage laws, he wants to scrap the illegitimacy laws too. Nobody could say anything to you, Esmeralda. You would be protected.”

That wasn’t entirely true.

Maybe I would be protected legally, but emotionally? The strain of the world’s judgement and opinions? It would be like carrying the weight of a dozen elephants using only my index fingers. Impossible.

What about the people I cared about? I wasn’t so bothered by what everyone would say about me, but what about Kareem? All the hard work he’d put into earning everyone’s trust in his authority would be destroyed. What about my parents’ image? The entire Jahandar lineage? Kai?

I would forever be a stain on my family’s name. And possibly Kai’s too.

I didn’t want that. Ever.

“Maybe I would be,” I whispered, “but no one I care about would be.” Using all my willpower, I uncurled my hands from around Kai’s hoodie. But as I lowered them to my lap, Kai caught one of my wrists and brought it back up to his shoulder, holding it there. “If my illegitimacy came out and Prince Arsh’s proposal fell through, it would hurt everyone around me. Including you, Kai.”

My eyes flicked almost frantically between his glaring ones. “I haven’t forgotten that you’re to be Touma’s Crown Prince. If ever, because of me, you wouldn’t be able to—and I—I couldn’t—”

“Stop.”

My voice evaporated as his angry growl closed around my throat; his frown was just as unforgiving.

He slipped his hand from my jaw to the back of my neck, clamping down firmly. “I hate that you’re scaring yourself with a made-up scenario where I would have to pick between you and a title. But I hate more that you don’t know what my choice would be.” His frown deepened. “Haven’t I made it obvious how much you mean to me, Esmeralda? How could you think I would pick a title over you?”

My head moved on its own accord, shaking in denial. “It’s only been a week. We barely know each—”

“Nine days. Today is the ninth day you’ve been in Touma, and maybe we haven’t been this—us—for all those nine days, but what about the nights we spent together?” He gave my neck a light squeeze. “You cannot tell me after all those hours together that you don’t know me, Babble. Because if you don’t know me then no one does.

“You see me and understand me better than anyone. You haven’t doubted me—not once. Instead, you’ve trusted me with so much. Your secrets, your heart. Long before I even knew I had it.

“You waited long enough for me to open my eyes and see you too, and you will never understand how grateful I am for that. And now that I have seen you, you’re insisting that I hardly know you?” His dimple snuck light and cheeky into his right cheek. “Don’t I know what your constant babbling sounds like?”

I knocked his shoulder playfully. “I don’t babble.”

He let out a low, sexy chuckle that fluttered through my belly. “You do, my little Babble, and it’s one of the most beautiful sounds in all of Neves.”

My. My. He said “my.” And shit, it turned my insides into a puddle of warm goo.

“The other one is your laugh,” he added. “And I have been addicted to that for months now.”

Caught off guard by his statement, I straightened mid-swoon. “What? What do you mean?”

A wash of colour drifted over Kai’s cheeks. “If we’re being honest tonight, then I should tell you that I saw you. At Shah’s New Years party. On the balcony.”

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