“You know, saying things like that aren’t going to get you points with me. I personally don’t like the idea of one person having so much power.” I picked up my own glass and sipped, shifting my body toward his as I crossed one leg over the other and got comfortable as well.
“Which is why you moved to London, where the monarchs are just there for pretenses.”
“They do a lot of good.”
He shrugged, but the smile on his face told me he was biting his tongue. He looked sexy like that. When he looked away, to the ocean in front of us, I continued watching him.
“What’s the best part of being a prince?” I asked after a moment.
“The best part or the part I like most?”
“Is there a difference?”
“I like helping people. I like being able to stand behind a cause and know that others will follow.” He glanced at me, lowering his glass. “The best part is the power.”
“But it’s not the part you enjoy most.”
“With power comes responsibility.”
“Okay, Spider-Man.”
“It’s true though.” He chuckled before getting serious again. “A lot of people, including your father, don’t like how much power the Crown yields. They don’t like how traditional my family is. They want us to become a commonwealth country. They want my father to relinquish his power and he won’t, which means, I can’t. By staying traditional and true to what the Crown means to our family, we’re able to make a difference in the country, whether or not you see it. With that responsibility comes duty, one being that I must marry before or soon after I’m coronated king.” He shrugged. “It’s not something I agree with, but who am I to change thousands of years of history?”
“The future king.” I waited a moment for him to respond. When he didn’t, I added, “That’s who you are. You can change everything once you become king.”
“And risk losing all of my allies?”
“What do you need allies for? We’re not at war.”
“Not today, but what about tomorrow? We don’t know what the future holds. The reason people don’t invade or try to take things from us isn’t because they can’t, but out of respect for the Crown.”
“I disagree.” I set my glass down.
Before he could respond, the butler came back with a helper carrying two trays they set in front of us and uncovered to show us a surf and turf dinner with fingerling potatoes on the side. They took the champagne bottle and set it in the ice and replaced our flutes with wine glasses, pouring red wine and setting it where the champagne had been. Everything was done efficiently, with a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it swiftness. They were gone with a “bon appétit” as quickly as they arrived. I was still processing what had just happened when Elias spoke again.
“You disagree,” he said, picking up his silverware and setting a napkin on his lap as soon as they closed the door. I did the same. “Explain.”
“I don’t think it’s like the old days, where people used to invade and conquer land for the hell of it.”
“It’s been happening in the Middle East for a long time now.”
“Well, yeah, but that’s different. That wouldn’t happen here.”
“Why not?”
“It just wouldn’t.”
“Because we feel safe,” he said. “Because the Crown has always been there. To dismantle that would cause chaos.”
I thought about that for a moment as we ate in silence. Maybe it would. I hadn’t considered that a lot of the problems going on in other countries may be because of the dismantling of organized government the way they once knew it. On the other hand, maybe the chaos had to happen in order for change to arise.
“Change is the only constant.” I set my fork and knife down and wiped my mouth before taking a sip of the wine in front of me. “Maybe that’s why people riot until governments are replaced and changed.”
“And then riot more once they get what they wanted,” he said. “We’re never going to be satisfied.”
“Maybe so, but that’s not a bad thing. If you’re satisfied with the way things are day in and day out, you might as well be dead. Isn’t the point to work for more? To try to be better people?”
“The point of what? Life? Are we talking about life now? Because the topic of life and why we’re here is different from whether or not the monarchy should stand.”
“How is it different? You of all people should argue that it’s the same thing. That your reason for existing is to be the king of France and rule over a nation that bows to your bidding.”
“You’ve never bowed for me.” He sipped his wine and leaned back in his seat again. “What am I to do with you?”
“Behead me.” I shrugged. “I don’t know. What do you do with people who don’t bow to you?”
“It would be a shame to behead you.” His gaze dragged over me lazily. “I’d find other ways to torture you.”
“Like what?” My grip tightened on the stem of the glass. “I don’t know that I’m cut out for torture.”
“Torture can be delicious.” He licked his lips after taking another sip of wine and when his eyes sparkled, I was sure he knew he was torturing me as he spoke.
“What are your marriage requirements?” I asked suddenly, because I needed to remind myself I couldn’t entertain this thing, whatever it was.
We both continued eating again, and when I set down my utensils this time, I was finished for good. He refilled our wine glasses before speaking.
“Marriage requirements,” he said, as if remembering my question and the fact that he had an impending marriage. “I don’t have any.”
“You must have some. I mean, we all have requirements when it comes to a partner, and a life-long partner has to be even more daunting.”
“What are your requirements?”
“He has to be kind, funny, smart, well-informed with current events, give me at least one compliment a day, good in bed, have a nice smile, treat people with respect—and by people, I mean waiters and anyone we encounter in the street—he can’t be cheap, I’m okay with frugal or men who don’t splurge all the time but I don’t like cheap. I also have a thing for tall men with dark hair and a nice jawline, but that’s just me being picky. At the end of the day, I just want to be valued and loved.” I shrugged. “That’s it.”
“You’ve really thought this through.” His brows rose. He watched me for a second before turning back to the ocean and sipping his wine. “Let’s go down to the beach. Part two of the date,” he said with a wink as he stood, picked up the bottle of wine, and waited for me to follow.
I was sure I’d scared him away, but it didn’t matter. The prince wasn’t mine to keep. Scaring him away wasn’t a deal-breaker. Thinking of it that way, it felt kind of freeing, and a little sad, but I wouldn’t focus on that. I couldn’t have him, and that was final. The sooner I accepted that, the better it would be. But then, he grabbed my hand and held it in his as we walked together down the stairs and onto the sand, and I couldn’t help the butterflies that came alive in my stomach. A large covered area came into view and it took me a moment to understand what I was seeing. It was as if they’d covered a part of the sand with a king-sized blanket and placed candles all around it. Two of his security guards stood on either side of it.