Swiftly, he brought his wrist to his mouth and requested an immediate shift change, because he was quite certain the princess wouldn’t want to be escorted back to the palace by him once this conversation ended.
Kelsey fisted her hands on her hips. Her entire body was strung taut, cocked for battle. “You mean because we have sex, you can’t properly scan a crowd for potential assassins?”
“More or less.”
“Elias, you’re the most dedicated person I’ve ever met.” The frustration in her tone was overlaid with a thin edge of anger. “If anything, I’m the one who breaks protocol. I keep engaging you in conversations when I should let you do your job.”
He shook his head. “I should be able to do both.”
Almost yelling at this point, she hurled the words across the forest floor. “So you’re quitting on me? After putting in considerably less than those ten thousand hours you just touted?”
She was still not getting it. So he’d spell it out very simply and clearly.
“I’m ending our professional relationship.” Elias clenched every muscle in his body. Knotted them up into a single, tight fist. Strength with no feeling. Especially his heart. “And our personal one.”
“What?” A snort of disbelief cut off almost before it started. Then her eyelids fluttered. God, was that to beat back tears? “I thought this was just a fight, that you were in a lousy mood. You’re breaking up with me? Already?”
“This can’t be a surprise. We both knew it would have to end on Sunday, when you’re revealed as the Princess Royal. I’m simply jumping the gun by three days.”
“We could pack a lot more into those three days,” she said, her tone pleading.
Why did she force him to keep stabbing at her, painfully, with the truth? “Your Highness. A princess can’t date a commoner. This must end. Now.”
“I’m not your full-blown, standard princess. I’m mostly a quite common American.”
“There is nothing common about you.” His arm twitched, trying to surge forward and stroke her cheek. The one with a single tear rolling down it. “A princess most assuredly can’t date the son of the man who is responsible for her kidnapping.”
“Why not? The king and queen forgave him, kept him on duty back when it happened. Now? Twenty-five years later? Who would dare treat him any differently?” Her arms were flailing, gesticulating wildly.
And again, it ached not to catch them, pull her close and soothe her. More to the point, to stop being the one inflicting the pain…even though Elias knew it was for the best, in the long run.
“You don’t understand…yet. But you will. The royals are held to a higher standard. Different expectations.”
“My expectation in life is pretty simple. To do good and be happy. You’ve helped me see the good in this country since the moment our plane touched down. And you’ve helped me be happier than ever before. How can that possibly be bad?”
“Not bad, Princess. I don’t want you to think I regret a moment of our time together.” Because he’d cherish it for the rest of his life. “Just…not right. I’m not the right man for you. For the country. I won’t ever be good enough for you.”
Kelsey’s mouth turned down and her eyes glared violet-tipped daggers at him. “Funny. That’s what I keep saying about being a princess—that I’m not good enough, special enough, to pull it off. Which you contradict every time. So tell me, Captain Trebanti, how is this different?”
“It just is.” He refused to say it’s not you, it’s me, no matter how true.
Because it wasn’t about anything to do with Kelsey. All the reasons they couldn’t be together were Elias’s fault. Just like them getting together in the first place and thus leading to this fucking painful moment was also his fault.
How could he have been so stupid? So selfish?
“We’re good as a couple.” Kelsey stabbed her finger into the air between them. “Don’t you dare deny it. Don’t lie to me.”
“My beautiful, stubborn fighter, I can’t lie to you, but I can’t give you hope, either.” Elias stood at attention; the tight line triggered muscle memory of hours on end holding this position on deck, in review, in their barracks. It ought to be enough to hold him in place—away from Kelsey—while he finished this. Forever. “It doesn’t matter that I want to stay with you, that I care so much for you. How I adore you. What matters is that Moncriano deserves their Princess Valentina fully restored to them. And that includes her being with the right man. One worthy of royalty.”
“You’re worthy of me, Elias.” Tears were streaming down her face.
“No, Your Highness.” A crackle in his ear let him know that Marko was almost to their location. “But I wish more than life itself that were true.”
Chapter Twenty
“Are you hungry yet?” Mallory asked for about the tenth time since they’d arrived at the imposing stone Parliament building. “I have a PB&J. Well, I think it’s almond butter, but close enough, right? Some dried fruit and nuts. And a banana.”
Kelsey had been on auto-pilot since Elias delivered his bombshell of a breakup. But Mallory’s offered buffet roused her curiosity. Especially since they hadn’t been allowed to bring their bags. Or their own clothes. Stylists had dressed both of them head to toe for the grand royal reveal.
She pointed at the baby-blue purse that matched the high-necked sheath dress Mallory wore. “You’re only carrying a clutch. Where’s all this food you’re promising?”
“In the purse. I took everything else out, even left my phone back at the palace. Because my sister’s health and well-being is more important than access to social media.”
Grimacing in fake outrage, Kelsey blustered, “That’s blasphemy. Take it back.”
In a far quieter, more serious tone, Mallory said, “You’ve barely eaten since Thursday.”
Oh yeah, since her world had come crashing down and her heart got ripped out of her chest? Nope. Not so much interested in scarfing down—or even nibbling on—anything. She flashed a tight, “don’t worry about me because I’m hunky dory” smile. “I’m not hungry.”
“Get there,” Mallory said. “The best step in recovering from a breakup is the guilt-free binge eating. And I can’t do it without you.”
Kelsey fussed with her three-quarter length sleeve. In a paler shade of lavender than Genevieve’s purple dress, although otherwise identical. Which she’d let slide this once, but…if she ended up staying in Moncriano? It would stop.