Part 26 (1/2)
The King sighed but rose from behind his desk. ”Anything for you Dragotsennya. But it has been a very long time since I have neither lectured nor scolded him.”
”I'm aware of that. Tonight your burden to bear.”
She led her husband through the castle, the rhythm of her shoes against the floor belying the urgency of his mission as they hurried along the corridors. ”In there.” She gestured towards the dining room table, dimly lit by the dying fire behind it. Sebastian sat at the head of the table in the King's chair, staring mutely off into s.p.a.ce.
”h.e.l.lo son.”
Sebastian laughed without amus.e.m.e.nt. ”I knew she was not done. Left to call in the big guns.” He turned eyes to his father. ”What can I do for you tonight Your Highness?”
Viktor sighed and brushed the formality away. ”Must we?”
”The last time I did not show proper reverence you were very upset. Called me a 'losing horse' was it? Kicked me out of my hotel. I err on the side of caution now Your Majesty.” He looked away from his father then, down into his drink, and added to himself, ”Though there is not much left you can do to me now.”
Viktor grumbled stiffly. ”I apologize for that. It was wrong of me to check you out of the hotel. But your impertinence always angers me.”
”I know Father. I am tiresome.”
”I did not say that.” When Sebastian looked at the King with a raised brow he did add, ”Though that does not make it untrue.” They shared a smile.
”What troubles you tonight my son?”
”I am fine,” he murmured, ”I have no clue why mother is fretting so.”
”Come child,” Viktor said, ”something is worrying you.”
”Nothing is worrying me. I have a duty to my country. I will marry to fulfill it. All will be right with the world.”
”I understand you know,” the King said. ”I may be the only person that does.”
Sebastian finally looked at his father, really looked. ”You love her,” he said simply.
”Now,” Viktor clarified. ”Now I do. I cannot imagine a day without her. But then? Then I did not know her from Adam. My father decided who I would marry. He was unhappy with Vlad's choice so he took it upon himself to find me the Jewel of Sezynia.”
Sebastian sat forward with interest as the King continued. He had never heard this story before. ”He did not give me any choice or say in the matter. Two days before our wedding a car pulled up and she stepped foot for the first time in this house.” A smile crossed his lips. ”I was scared as h.e.l.l. Almost ran. Kept making up plans I knew I'd never carry through. I met her exactly twenty four hours before we were to wed.
”She plays it off now, love at first sight, but she was just as wary of me as I of her. It is still one of the most awkward, interesting, and unforgettable dinners I have ever had. Duty got me to the table; duty kept me there.”
”What are you saying Father?”
He shrugged. ”I am not saying anything. I am just telling you a story.” He gave his son that penetrating stare he was known for. ”Have you ever been in love Sebi?”
”No.”
”Are you now? With anyone?”
A face swam across his vision but he rejected it. ”No.”
”So the question becomes country now or love later?”
Sebastian shook his head. ”I don't believe in love Father. It's all just a haunting illusion.”
”Then what troubles you?”
”Nothing. I will do my duty. Willingly. Just do not expect me to be happy about it.”
The King patted the Prince's hand. ”Your emotions are your own. Feel however you must son. However you must.”
Kat entered the loft and felt world weary exhaustion overtake her. She'd been on an international plane flight all night. She'd raced through customs, through the streets of New York, to the hospital, still rolling her luggage behind her, to see Blaze. And she'd missed visiting hours by ten minutes. But she'd been close enough to a hysterical fit that the nurses had finally relented and let her in to see him.
And there was Blaze, lying wide awake in his bed, looking how dare he? happy. His face was bruised, he winced when he moved to greet her but he was smiling, flirting with the nurses and eating jello, telling her she shouldn't have rushed back on his account. She'd wanted to scream in relief but instead contented herself with a hug and a lecture. She'd only had a few minutes not nearly enough time to build her rollicking head of steam before they'd shooed her away.
Now here she was, in her empty apartment, and she let the magnitude of everything that had happened to her in the last four days wash over her. Finally let herself think about him. Sebastian.
It was right to leave, she needed to leave. The longer she stayed, the harder it would have been, to watch him get engaged to that girl, make her his wife. Blaze in the hospital was the perfect excuse to get her out of there, away from him, before she did or said something stupid. Because visiting Sezynia had gotten her over that last little hiccup of indecision. Sezynia had her falling in love with him.
But she couldn't be in love with him. The man didn't even believe in love! And he was getting married! For a throne! Her childish feelings couldn't compete with that, with any of that. But if he had touched her one more time, she might not have been able to hide it, not at all.
Kat dropped, right in the middle of the floor, and began to cry.
”Sebi, can't you possibly try and be in a less terrible mood? You know, for me?” Her brother just grumbled in response. ”Okay, how about at least pretending. You know, for the whole country!”
Anastasia threw up her hands at his dead stare and the photographer lowered his camera, the expression on his face trying hard not to reveal his own frustration. ”Could you excuse us for a minute Alexei. All of you actually. Thank you!”
The minute the door closed behind them, the calm princess demeanor changed. ”Out with it. What is wrong with you today?”
Sebastian just shrugged. ”Me? Nothing's wrong with me. I don't understand what you're going on about Stasia.”
”Me?” She actually squeaked in surprise. ”I'm not the one who's making our Vozgat photos look like we're getting ready for a funeral instead of our birthright.”
”You're right. What isn't there to be ecstatic about? I might lose the throne to Anton, my own father doesn't think I'm cut out to be king, and to top it all off I have to get married before the end of the month. My life is absolutely perfect!”
”You are a better choice than Anton for King and I'm sure Baba will see that. The Petrescu women are pretty d.a.m.n smart you know.”
”Why?”
”What?”
”Why Ana? Why would I make a better king than Anton?”
She came to sit down next to her brother and shot him a kind smile. ”Because you're kind and compa.s.sionate and fun. I know you'll rise to the challenge. And you don't have that conniving, h.e.l.lish wife of his.”
He shook his head in disbelief. ”So pretty much I'm a nice guy who can't be taken seriously but my wife is the least objectionable addition to the family? Why the h.e.l.l would Baba pick me? My own sister wouldn't pick me.”
”I didn't say that.”
”Its fine, I wouldn't pick me either. I never wanted to be King. I just don't want Anton and that siren to get there either. And what if my wife turns out to be just as bad as his? What if I fall into the same trap as Anton? We used to be practically the same person.”