But the kings didn’t care who they stepped on or what had to be done to elevate their status.
And as a member of the royal family, I would be required to do the same. Maybe I should ask Royce for pointers for the crap that Arthur was teaching me, I was never going to be like them.
Royce started to toy with his opponent, his body moving fluidly with each step and I smiled, thinking of when he had knelt before me in the crypt. He must really want to be aligned with my family’s tree to do so, for I imagined Royce never knelt before anyone.
But I couldn’t marry him either, no matter how much he attempted to get me to agree to his crazy plan. By the looks of the other girls in attendance, they would likely tell me that I was crazy to turn him down.
I just couldn’t. I wasn’t ready and since there was no age limitation on my father’s decree, I could take all the time I needed to gain that money.
Or not take it at all.
I watched Royce thrust the blunted fencing sword at his opponent in rapid succession, taking him down in a matter of minutes. The place went crazy when he removed his helmet and did a bow, his cocky grin present.
Royce was a wild card I hadn’t expected, nor did I know what to do with.
After Johanna and made it back to her dorm, I was still thinking about the kings and each one’s needs from me. “Can I ask you a question?”
She looked at me. “Sure. You know you can.”
“You promise you won’t get mad?”
“Oh for God’s sake, just ask the question, Anna.”
“What is your family’s story?”
Johanna paused. “What do you want to know?”
I fiddled with the pillow in my lap, knowing I shouldn’t pry. “Arthur brought up something a while back about your family.”
She laughed harshly. “About us being outcasts as well?”
“Yeah,” I answered. “I’m just trying to figure out the difference between you and Max.”
Johanna sighed. “There is no difference, Anna. We are both outcasts, just him a little more than me. My family can still get into some good political parties and my father has been working his ass off to make our family one of the greats again. There’s not a family in this world that would have done anything different than we did back then.”
I could see that the conversation pained Johanna, so I didn’t ask any more questions and she excused herself a moment later, hurrying out of the room.
I groaned, knowing that I had brought up something she didn’t care to talk about and why I had, I really didn’t know, but I had to group Johanna in the same bucket as the kings. If what she was saying was the truth, then Johanna needed to have strong political and social connections, meaning that she had hit the lottery by getting me as a roommate.
That is, if I decided to take my rightful place.
Sighing, I leaned back on my pillows, staring at Johanna’s empty bed. I just wanted to find out what happened to my mother. That was my first goal. I didn’t care about the money that my father had left or anything else in that will, even if I had read it a million times since we had found it.
I just wanted to know what sort of life my mother had endured or if she was truly my father’s love. I wanted to know how I came about and if I meant anything to either one of them.
I wanted to feel wanted, to feel loved, even if it was beyond the grave.
My phone buzzed and I picked it up, smiling as I saw the text.
I saw you.
No, you didn’t. There were like a hundred people in that gym today. There’s no way you could have seen me.
The three little dots appeared, and I breathlessly awaited Royce’s response. This was crazy. I couldn’t have this sort of attraction to him right now. I had just gotten out of my mess with Arthur and the last thing I needed was another man in my life trying to dictate my future.
What are you doing?
Texting you.
What else?
I rolled my eyes. The man was like a dog with a bone. And thinking about my mom’s identity. I was surprised that I had even told him that, something so personal to the one person who had been my enemy.
I will help you find your mother’s identity, pauper. There’s no need to ask.
That caught me off guard. I set my phone on the table and stared at it. Royce was really going to help me. Was his help going to be like Arthur’s though?
Because if so, I didn’t need his help. Heck, I was better off.
But what if it wasn’t? What if Royce, for whatever reason, was willing to help me out and get some good, concrete information about my mom? I knew he had connections, likely wider ranging than any I could get my hands on. After all, hadn’t his father been the one to point us to the will?
This could be the thing I needed to add to the already growing pile of questions that I couldn’t answer.
Which meant I would have to trust Royce.
Picking up the phone again, I fired off a text to him, hoping
