“Perfect as always, Pascal.”
“Thank you, sir. I believe Princess Olivia is waiting for you.”
Quincy opened the door, stepped into the corridor and immediately wished they were alone. Olivia wore a blood red gown that trailed behind her when she walked towards him, a bright smile on her face. The gown was fitted with a corset top and beading down the front in a waterfall effect with a full skirt. Cloth wrapped around the sides of her shoulders, and all Quincy could think was thank God it wasn’t strapless. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to handle her, but any more bare skin, and he’d have to whisk her away.
“What do you think?” she asked as she spun. “I designed this one myself.”
“You look stunning, as always,” he replied quietly. There were too many eyes and ears in the corridor with them. “Shall we?”
They entered the ballroom as they had before, trailing King Lamont and Melinda, entering to the sounds of polite clapping and music playing delicately in the background. Rather than Quincy taking Olivia for a spin on the dance floor, he excused himself from her side and went to speak with his father. He had planned to wait until morning, but there were too many things bothering him.
“Father,” he said and bowed his head. “May we have a moment in private?”
“Quin, the ball just started. Can’t it wait? Go have a few dances, get yourself a drink.”
“It’s rather important. About my future wife.”
Lamont stared at his son and nodded once. “Very well, let us retire to my study for a moment.” He kissed Melinda’s hand, and father and son left the ballroom. They didn’t speak again until they were safely in the king’s study with the door closed and being watched by a guard. “Now, what is this about? Are you telling me you’ve made a decision?”
“No, but I have a question about yours. Gigi Pentacraft. Why are you so worried about her family all of a sudden?”
Lamont’s eyes narrowed. “Who told you such things?”
“Servants talk, Father, you know that. Now, why are you worried about them? What aren’t you telling me?”
“I was hoping to save you from worry,” Lamont offered. “You were supposed to find a wife quickly, marry, and that would be the end of it.”
“And now we’re worried about them,” Quincy postulated with a frown. “I still don’t understand.”
“They have made a claim to the throne, and parliament is considering it for several reasons. Many of which involve you not being fit to rule when I retire.”
Quincy laughed. When he saw the exhaustion in Lamont’s eyes, his laughter trailed off. “You’re serious? I’ve hardly done anything wrong! Why am I not fit to rule?”
“You spend more time at nightclubs than you do anywhere else in this city, Quin, including Parliament where you are supposed to sit at my side. Every time they meet,” his father said, his words growing louder with each one, “you have let me down time and again by not showing me you want to be a prince. That you want to be king!”
“I do want to be king,” Quincy argued. “Of course I do.”
“You have missed your chance to impress anyone, I’m afraid, and the Pentacrafts have seen their opening. They are pushing for Gigi to become the heir when I retire. Based on their wealth and influence at the moment, if you cannot show to me and the people that you can handle being king, you will lose your crown.”
Quincy’s legs went numb, and he sat down quickly before he fell. “Why didn’t you tell me this? Why keep it from me? I’ve been trying, I have.”
“I know,” Lamont sighed as he sat by his son. “They gave you leniency because of your mother’s passing, but now they want to look at you and see a future king, not a party boy.”
“And they think Gigi will be a better ruler?”
“She comes from a long line of loyal and dutiful parliament members. Her family’s wealth is vast and would add to that of the kingdom’s treasury. Not to mention her father’s contacts with several major nations.” Lamont patted Quincy on the back, making his son look at him. “This is why I want you to marry her. If you do, their claim goes away. She will be queen, yes, but you will be king. You will still be able to rule for me instead of being pushed to the side.”
Quincy didn’t want to hear any of it. Gigi was not the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Olivia was, but now he was trapped by his duty to his kingdom and his father.
Lamont stood and straightened his jacket. “I’m afraid Parliament has also put a time limit on you finding a proper wife.”
“How long?”
“One month after I wed Melinda. I’m sorry, Son, but being royalty is never easy. Your mother and I were an arranged marriage, and look how we turned out.”
Quincy nodded. He knew his parents had found love, but Quincy loving Gigi?