“No, actually. Not to anyone else. You’re quite a natural. But… I know you.”
I’m silent.
“Does that surprise you?” he asks softly. “That I think I might know you?”
“A little,” I admit.
“I’m sorry. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say… what I do know about you, I like. And I’d like to know more.”
“I…”
“Go on a date with me.”
I suck in a gulp of air. “What?”
“A date. You. Me. Food. Candlelight.” He smiles that megawatt movie-star smile of his. “I promise it will be enjoyable. And if it isn’t… well, then we’ll know.”
My brows lift. “Know what?”
“Whether this could work,” he murmurs, still watching me carefully. “You and me. Together. As a couple.”
“Alden, I… I don’t know what to say.”
“Sayyes. Please, before what little remains of my pride evaporates.”
“I’m not looking to date anyone right now,” I tell him gently. “It has nothing to do with you personally. I just can’t handle a relationship on top of everything else I’m juggling. One more ball in the air, I’ll drop them all.”
“And yet, if the monarchy is to continue, you will have to date — tomarry— eventually, Queen Emilia. Your position requires it.”
My heart seizes inside my chest. “I know that.”
“Do you? Truly? There are many people in the kingdom who believe you should be wed within the year, so you can start producing heirs as soon as possible. The Lancaster bloodline is in a perilous position.”
“Right.” I scoff darkly. “And who cares about catching terrorists or grieving the loss of loved ones? Who cares about championing equal rights or calling for referendums? I’m just a breeding mare, after all…”
Moving slowly, Alden sets down his glass on the railing, then reaches across the stone until his hand is resting just beside mine. Not touching, but dangerously close. I’m too surprised to pull away; too fixated on his face as he leans in closer.
“You are so much more than that, Queen Emilia. I know you have been through an excruciating ordeal. I know the first few months of your reign were marked by suffering. But if you’d let me walk by your side… I would do everything in my power to ensure the path you follow from this point onward is an easier one.”
“Alden…”
“And if you and I were to marry one day,” he continues intently. “You wouldn’t have to be alone anymore.”
“I’m not alone.” My words sound defensive even to my own ears.
“Of course. You have Chloe by your side. But is that enough? One surrogate sister? Don’t you want a family of your own? Don’t you want love? A support system? Children?” His hand is suddenly grasping mine, so hard the bones crunch together. There’s an expression on his face I’ve never seen before — so different from his ever-polished calm, it’s hard to fathom he’s the same man I’ve come to know. “I can give that to you, Emilia. All that and more. You just have to grant me the chance.”
I’m silent, struggling to find an appropriate response to this unexpected declaration. As he waits for me to speak, Alden’s fingers tighten around mine almost to the point of pain. I gasp softly as I jerk my hand loose.
The sound jolts him out of a daze. He suddenly seems to remember his manners; the intent glint ebbs from his eyes, his jaw slackens, his throat convulses on a swallow. “Forgive me…”
Flexing my fingers to regain circulation, I force a laugh to diffuse the sudden tension between us. “I thought you were asking me on a date. It feels like you’re asking me something much more significant, Alden.”
“If I’ve gotten ahead of myself, I apologize. We so rarely have a chance to talk like this — just the two of us. I didn’t want to miss my opportunity to express to you how seriously I take our relationship.”
His sheepish smile should be reassuring but I still feel strangely unsettled as I examine the familiar planes of his face, now arranged in a mask of contrition. His flip from adamant to apologetic is startling in its suddenness.
I clear my throat. “I do appreciate your candor, Alden.”