Or had someone seen us together and come to their own conclusions? Arthur had yet to mention the will, which was a good indication that he didn’t know about it.
And I wasn’t about to tell him either. “Again,” I repeated. “You have no right to ask me anything, Arthur. You are merely an acquaintance, nothing more.”
He leaned close. “I was the one who took your virginity. Don’t forget that.”
“I live with it every day,” I shot back, wanting to hurt him. He had taken it under false pretenses, when I had thought he had actually cared about me.
Some of the anger faded from his expression and he just looked tired. “You gave it freely, Anna.”
“I’m not the one who is arguing the fact,” I countered, crossing my arms over my chest. “I didn’t drag you into this alcove. You dragged me in here, remember?”
“You are Alexei’s heir.”
Ah, so someone was talking. Great. “Yes, I am.”
He swore. “Royce will use you too, Anna. Before he didn’t give a shit about you or who you were, but now that it’s on paper, he’s going to be all over you for that title.”
His words didn’t hurt me. In fact, they sounded a great deal like what I had thought about him in the recent weeks. “It seems like that’s the theme of my life,” I said, pushing at him until he moved out of the way. “But it’s my life, not yours, Arthur. You will do well to remember that fact.”
He started to say something, but I was already walking out, finding Johanna waiting for me down the hall. “You okay?” she asked as I approached her.
“Yeah,” I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “But I’m not hungry. I’m just going to go for a walk, okay? I need to clear my head.”
“Want me to come along?”
I shook my head. “Thanks, but I need to be alone.”
“Okay, I will bring you some food for later,” she said as I walked away, finding the door and pulling it open so that I was out in the evening air. The cool wind tore through my hoodie so I tucked my hands in the pockets, heading toward the lighted trail that I knew would be safe to walk for a few minutes. What did Arthur think he still had over me? His jealousy was starting to get highly annoying. He had nothing now when it came to me and now, I was wondering if I would have to push him out of my life completely for him to get the picture.
And Royce. What was his agenda with me now that he knew what was in my father’s will? Would he propose again? I hadn’t lived with that money for the first part of my life so if I didn’t fall for what my father had set up, I wouldn’t know what I was missing if I never had it to begin with.
Still, the good I could do with that in my bank account. I had never had a lot of money to my name, barely enough to scrape by, but knowing what I could have now was burning a hole in my heart. With those sort of funds, I never would go hungry. I never would not have something at my disposal. I could travel the world, build my own orphanage where children were treasured.
I could disappear off the face of the earth and no one would ever find me.
“So, the prodigal heir finally shows her face.”
I frowned as Max sauntered up to me, his hands in his pockets. “What?”
“I heard you found out the truth about who you are and have it in black and white.”
I was going to kill Royce. “So?”
“Now that it’s confirmed, you will have an even greater target on your back,” he said, stopping a few feet away. “Now you will know what it’s like to live like us.”
“I really don’t want to talk about it right now,” I muttered.
“All right,” he said. “Then don’t.”
“Can I resume my walk?”
He moved aside and I started past him, groaning as he fell in step beside me. “I meant by myself.”
He chuckled but made no move to leave me alone. “You know, Anna, if you just told us all to fuck off, we would.”
I smiled, unable to help it. “No, you wouldn’t.”
“Yeah, you are right, but I would like to hear you tell me anyway.”
“Fuck off, Max.”
He stopped. “Good night, Anna.”
I watched him go, wondering if it really was that easy. Maybe for Max, but now I had a jealous king tracking me down at every opportunity and another that wanted my hand in marriage.
No, it wasn’t going to be that easy at all.
**
That night I lay in my bed, trying to decipher in my head what the kings wanted, each separately. After what had gone on, I doubted they were really functioning as a trio these days anyway.
First there was Arthur. If what everyone was saying was true, then he desperately needed to make this alliance permanent between us. Maybe that was why he had broken apart from the group’s plans in the first place. From what I could tell, Arthur was desperate, and he hated the fact that I was hanging out with Royce now.
Speaking of Royce, I didn’t know what to think about him. Clearly, he needed for me to marry him too, but only because he was the only one for the job. Well, that was what he was saying. I hadn’t proved anything, yet.
And Max. He seemed to be the only one in the group that wasn’t trying to go out of his way to get close to me. Sure, he showed up at the oddest of times, but something
