Prince Player(65)

I watch him, my eyes wide, and I think I see the truth in what he’s saying. I don’t think I really did anything special, but because he had me, he felt like he could push forward.

“It’s true,” he says. “You helped me win this. And now I want to offer you one more thing.”

“You’ve given me enough,” I say softly.

“Become my true wife. None of this Wife Consort shit. Let’s make it real.”

I hesitate, and my heart starts hammering. I thought I was going to go home, live my life back in America, become the person I thought I would become. But now I realize that I was fooling myself.

I’m already the person I should become. With Nolan, I’m so much more than myself. We bring out the best in each other, and I can’t imagine walking away.

“Okay,” I say to him. “Yes, of course.”

He grins and kisses me again, and I realize that this is my husband, my real husband. And I’m actually a princess.

“Now we have one more thing to do,” he says after we break off the kiss.

“What’s that?” I ask.

A grin slowly spreads across his face and I feel it, deep down inside of me. “We have to get you pregnant,” he says.

And he kisses me again.





29





Hazel





“The baby is really going crazy,” I whisper to him. “Seriously, I think he likes all this attention.”

For a second, the fake smile that Nolan’s been wearing for the last hour turns genuine. Every time I talk about the baby, he can’t help but smile, and that makes me feel so incredibly good. He’s been talking about our family nonstop for the last six months, ever since I found out that I’m pregnant.

Of course, that came at the worst possible moment. It wasn’t like we were being careful or anything, but I guess I was hoping that I’d actually get pregnant at a more convenient moment. I guess life doesn’t really work out that way.

After Julian stepped aside, Nolan’s father refused to elevate him into the position of crown prince. Other names were floated, but the nobles mostly backed Nolan, and nobody could get as much support as Nolan had. The king could just name someone, of course, but without the support of the nobility the new king would have some serious problems moving forward.

Meanwhile, Nolan and I made our marriage official, and I stopped pretending like I want to move back home. Polovia is my home now, and I’m starting to understand this place. I speak the language relatively well now, though I’m far from fluent, but the queen’s been helping me with that.

My marriage to Nolan actually helped to boost his popularity, which surprised everyone. As it turned out, the people didn’t believe that I was a spy at all, and most normal people in Polovia actually like me.

That’s what gave Nolan the idea. Well, actually it was Jessie, but Nolan’s the one that made it happen.

He gathered as much support from the nobles as he could, both financially and otherwise, and took the issue to the people. Nolan organized an official referendum to petition the king to make him the crown prince.

It wouldn’t be binding. But the king typically doesn’t ignore serious referendums, especially when they’re backed by a high percentage of the population. We worked on the campaign for months, all through my pregnancy, and three weeks ago the numbers came back.

The people wanted Nolan as their crown prince. Eighty percent of people chose him, which is an unheard of number. I remember Nolan getting the news of the final tally. I could see the victory and the joy on his face.

“By the power of the lord, of the nobles, and of the royal line, I lower this crown as symbol of your power and your succession.” The king holds the crown tightly between his hands and slowly places it on Nolan’s head. “May your reign last through the ages.”

Nolan bows to his father and the crowd goes insane. The crowning of the prince is an old ceremony, though Nolan pushed for some modern improvements. He allowed cameras inside the event for the first time ever, and even a large crowd of commoners. This sort of ceremony has never, ever been witnessed by commoners, much less broadcast on television.

But when Nolan’s father agreed to name him crown prince, he knew he was defeated. He all but withdrew into himself, and mostly just focuses on state business these days.

Nolan laughs and waves to the crown as we step down from the podium and begin to walk back toward the side entrance. I’m so pregnant, and the baby is going nuts, but it’s one of the best moments of my life. I know how badly Nolan wanted this, and now he has it.

“What do you think?” he asks me as we head away from the crowd.

“I think you’re going to make a good king.”