Page 95 of Tall, Royal and Grumpy

I sighed for what felt like the millionth time as I stopped outside Shehryar’s bedroom door an hour and a half after his exit.

I knew he was in there. I had no idea, though, if he wanted to talk, hence why I had a plate of chocolate cake from dinner in one hand.

There was nothing that softened Shehryar quicker than an offering of chocolate cake, especially when he was angry. That, and I’d been told by the other staff he hadn’t been there for dinner.

Lifting my hand, I rapped on the door twice. “Sher. It’s me. Can I come in?”

No reply came for what felt like forever, but as I went to knock again, the door slowly opened. Shehryar loomed in the threshold of his room wearing the same black jumper-chino combination he’d been wearing earlier. He looked somewhere between exhausted and frustrated, his hair spiking in different directions as if he’d been yanking at it for hours.

Without saying anything, he stepped back, and I made my way into his room.

His bedroom was on the same corridor as my stylist, Rose, Mama Katiya, and Sully—Kareem’s private secretary and valet. It was smaller than mine but still spacious with the same red carpet and cream walls as most of the palace, and an ensuite bathroom.

“Pierre told me you didn’t have dinner, so I brought you some chocolate cake,” I said as he closed the door behind me. I smiled and held out the covered plate for him. He took it and muttered a thank you, then trudged over to the top corner where his bed was and put it on the bedside cabinet.

He plonked himself on the edge of the mattress, combing a hand through his hair, and my heart twisted at how troubled he looked. I quietly made my way over and sat down next to him.

“How are you feeling?” I asked.

“Fucked in the head.”

I leaned into the side of his sturdy frame, trying to offer comfort as he stared blankly at the wall ahead of him. It took me a moment to figure out what to say. “He loves her, you know,” I mumbled, and Shehryar’s jaw visible tensed. “And not just a little bit, he loves her a lot. You should’ve seen the way he comforted her after you left.”

“That’s not the point, Esmeralda.”

“Why isn’t that the point, Sher?”

“Because love isn’t enough. Love is never enough in our world.”

I sat upright as my brows bunched together. “That’s not true. Love is always enough. What more could you want for her than someone who loves her?”

His piercing eyes flashed to mine. “Respect, Esmeralda. And with Prince Arsh she will never ever get that respect.”

“You doubt that he respects her just because she’s palace staff?”

“It’s not about him respecting her.” He shot up from the mattress, pacing away before he turned back to me. “It’s about the rest of the world not giving her the respect she deserves because of him, and the fact that you don’t understand that is exactly my point.”

I reared back from the impact of his bitter tone before a swirl of anger had me standing from the bed too. “What is that supposed to mean? That I don’t know what it’s like to be under the scrutiny of the rest of the world? Because you of all people, Sher, should know that I have lived with that fear and anxiety for years.”

“That isn’t what I meant, Esmeralda.” He sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face.

“Then what did you mean?”

He threw a hand out. “It’s different for you! You might be judged for your actions and mistakes, but Mum will be judged for simply being her. They’re not going to treat her story like some magical fairy tale. They’ll scorn her for not coming from a wealthy, educated family. They’ll accuse her of seducing her way into a higher standing and they will never let her forget it!”

I swallowed slowly, unable to find the words to deny what he’d said. He was right. Even if times and opinions had changed, there were some people in the world that still held old views on marriage among the elite classes. And unfortunately, they would judge Mama Katiya and label her as a woman not of “good stock”—forget about how degrading that was to women anyway.

“You don’t know that, Sher,” I muttered, but the words fell flat. “People don’t all think that way.”

He gave me a weak shrug. “You’re right. Maybe not everyone will care, but the people who matter in this world will. The people in your circles will never accept her.” He jabbed a finger at me. “And that’s where she’ll spend most of her time if she marries Prince Arsh. And that’s if he can convince them to scrap the law forbidding their marriage in the first place. But what if he can’t? What then? Is he going to keep her on the side as a mistress? Tell me then, Esmeralda, should I be happy seeing my mother being toyed with by another rich man just because he claims to love her?”

My blood ran hot in my veins as I squared up under his anger. “No, Sher. Of course, you shouldn’t be, but Prince Arsh would never do that, Mama Katiya wouldn’t let him. But don’t you think she’s considered all of that already?” I gestured towards the door. “I doubt she’s spent four years only worrying about her son’s feeling. She must’ve pictured every scenario possible, but she still wants this because she trusts Prince Arsh to be there with her every step of the way.

“And why shouldn’t she? He is literally willing to fight the world for her, and you know how hard it is to change an old law. But he already has support for it because that’s how much he wants it. For Mama Katiya, not anyone else. And as her son, your job is to be there for her and fight for her happiness, not make it harder for her by pointing out the obvious.”

The vein in Shehryar’s jaw ticked as he stood there glaring at me. Someone else might have been intimidated by the huge, angry sight of him, but I’d known him too long to take his anger at face value. He was only acting like an animal stuck in a trap because he was worried about his mother.

“You weren’t there, Esmeralda, when the man who fathered me turned his back on her and let his fucking grandfather threaten her when he found out her four-year-old son was his heir’s flesh and blood. Because she was the housekeeper’s daughter who must’ve seduced his grandson and got pregnant on purpose for money. You didn’t lie in bed with her and pretend you couldn’t hear her crying every single night for years after because of every empty promise my fucking dad made to her about marrying her and claiming me as his own. Until she finally realised he never would.”

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