Page 107 of Tall, Royal and Grumpy

“Four, five days then.” He eyed me carefully. “How are you feeling about the long-distance thing?”

It had always been a dull understanding that Esmeralda had to go back to Jahandar. But ever since I woke up in her arms earlier in the morning, the realisation that today was the final event of this year’s Peace Celebrations was beginning to fill me with more and more unease with every passing minute. I would be counting down the days until I watched her leave after today.

I didn’t want her to go. Not yet. Not ever.

“I’m dreading it,” I admitted. “Not because I don’t think we can do it, but because…”

He smiled in understanding. “Because she hasn’t even left, and you already feel like you miss her.”

“Yes,” I sighed. “Though I know she has to go. She’s a crown princess, she has her own work to do in Jahandar that she can’t abandon, and with my upcoming appointment as Crown Prince, I know I’m going to busy too. My worry is that our schedules won’t match up enough for me to go visit her in Jahandar every so often. Or for her to come here.”

“Invite her to every event here and get her to invite you to events in Jahandar and then you can see each other every other week,” he joked then patted a hand to my shoulder, squeezing lightly. “But seriously, Kai, don’t worry. You like her a lot, and it’s obvious she feels the same, so you’ll make each other your priority and figure it out day by day.”

He shrugged. “I won’t lie, you’re probably going to miss her a lot. In my experience, that part doesn’t get any easier. I miss Alisha and the kids so much every time I go on a business trip, but time passes by more quickly than you think. And the moments when you do see each other in person are so fucking worth the time apart.”

I nodded, holding onto his words tightly for some sense of security. He smirked at me. “With the way you were looking at her though, I doubt that time apart is going to be more than a year. You look like you’re halfway in love with her already.”

One corner of my mouth tugged up in something that was both a wince and a smile. “Would it be mad to say I think I’m more than halfway in love with her already?”

His burst of laughter was loud and short. “You’re asking the wrong person, dear prince. I proposed to Alisha within three months of knowing her, remember? But. When you know, you just know. And I think you know with Princess Esmeralda.”

“I do know.” She’s it. She’s the one. But I didn’t have to say that part aloud, because from the way Zain looked at me, I knew he already understood.

“Then that’s that,” he said and patted me on the shoulder again. “Give Gigi and your mother a kiss from me. And take care of our hooligan children. Let me know if they give you any trouble.”

I sighed, remembering that Pierre, Candy, and Trevor were still in the gardens with Esmeralda probably collecting roses or powders in different colours to dust across the flowers. “When do they ever not give me trouble?”

“It’s going to be ten times worse now that they know you have a jealous streak. Be prepared.”

“Thanks,” I grumbled, and he laughed.

With one more thump on my shoulder, he walked around the back of his black car, stopping to look at me from the driver’s seat door. “It’s good to see you looking genuinely happy again, Kai.”

Just like that, he opened the door and ducked inside.

I watched him drive down the long straight road leading away from the palace on the other side of the golden gates and disappear from sight. The soft smile his words left me with remained stuck on my face as I headed back inside the warmth of the palace and through to the gardens.

I was by the circle fountain, water streaming from the mouths of the four lion statues, opposite the garden doors when Candy and Trevor slunk into step on either side of me.

“Here you go,” Candy said, holding out a single little off-white, fabric pouch stained slightly pink in places. “I picked red by the way. To decorate your rose for Esmeralda with.”

I didn’t take the pouch and flicked a suspicious frown between their smiles. “Where is she?”

“Should we help you pick a rose for her too?” Trevor said casually. Too casually.

My feet came to a swift stop and they both swung around in front of me. I narrowed my eyes at them. Something bright danced in Trevor’s eyes, but then again, his eyes never looked dull. “Where is she?” I repeated.

“With Pierre, of course,” Candy said. “They were heading to the cherry blossom trees, right Trev?”

Rationally, I knew I had no reason to feel irritated upon hearing that. Pierre was my friend; he wouldn’t flirt with her—anymore, at least. I trusted him, and I trusted Esmeralda too, completely.

I was discovering very quickly that jealousy didn’t listen to any rational thoughts. It sparked and twisted and turned and reached its flaming arms in every direction possible without a care. And I couldn’t control it, no matter how much I knew I really didn’t need to feel jealous.

Trevor nodded. “Hmm. Something about getting her a painted rose, wasn’t it?”

“Oh, yes.” Candy snapped his fingers to point at Trevor. “He wanted to be the first to give her one.”

My blood pressure skyrocketed with a hard lurch.

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