Chapter 196
He grinned back at her. “Are you putting yourself in the same grouping?”
Keira snorted. “You wish, playboy prince… I’m your punishment for being a naughty boy.”
Alexei gave her a look that said he was going to make her eat her words.
“Alexei-”
A sharp knock at the door cut through the moment. They both froze.
“Miss Warner?” Elena’s voice called from the hallway. “I have your dress for this evening’s state dinner.”
Reality crashed back in. The engagement announcement was tonight.
“Just a moment!” Keira called back, scrambling for her robe as Alexei rolled out of bed in a fluid movement.
“The balcony,” he murmured, pressing a quick kiss to her lips before moving toward the French doors. “I’ll see you at breakfast. Ask Elena to take you to the breakfast room once you are ready.”
She watched him in shock as he slipped out onto the balcony in nothing but his boxers, wondering how he planned to get back to his room without being seen by half the palace staff. But then again, he’d probably been sneaking around this place since he was a
child.
“Coming!” she called to Elena, tying her robe securely and fluffing her hair before opening the door.
Elena entered with a garment bag and her usual warm smile. “Good morning, Miss Warner. I trust you slept well?”
“Very well, thank you.” If Elena noticed the very rumpled sheets or caught sight of Alexei’s discarded clothes over the back of the chair, she gave no indication. “What do we have for tonight?”
Elena hung the garment bag carefully and unzipped it. “His Majesty personally selected this for the announcement.”
The dress that emerged was breathtaking. Deep sapphire blue silk that would complement the pendant Alexei had given her, the dress had intricate beadwork. It was elegant, sophisticated, and undeniably pricey.
“It’s beautiful,” Keira breathed, running her fingers over the fabric.
“The color will bring out your eyes,” Elena said with satisfaction. “And the cut is perfect for your figure. You’ll look every inch a princess.”
Princess. The word still felt strange even surreal. In just a few hours, she would stand beside Alexei as his father announced their engagement to diplomats and dignitaries from around the world..
“Elena,” she said suddenly, “what do the people of Wystovia think about all this? About me? I know the story from the US would have made its way here already because it involved Alexei.”
Elena’s hands stilled in their careful arrangement of the dress. “Miss Warner?” Keira could see she was uncomfortable by the question.
Keira knew that wasn’t good, but pushed on anyway. “The newspapers, the gossip. What are they saying about their prince getting involved with me?”
Chapter 196
Elena was quiet for a moment, clearly choosing her words carefully. “The people love Prince Alexei,” she said finally. “They want him to be happy. And from what little I have seen so far… you make him happy.”
It wasn’t a direct answer, but Keira could read between the lines. There would be skepticism, criticism, people who thought she wasn’t good enough. She’d expected that. They would think like Maria she had won over Alexei by spreading her legs.
“Thank you for being honest.”
“Miss Warner,” Elena said softly, “if I may… I’ve worked in this palace for five years. I have never seen Alexei do anything he didn’t want to do. We have all seen the media stories about his love life. He has never seen the need to make anything official before.”
Elena was right–Alexei had never formalized any relationship before. The thought should have been comforting, but instead it made her chest tighten because there was another reason for the push to be married. Niko and Amelia not producing the much- wanted heir. The whole thing needed no further explanation, but Keira didn’t voice it.
“We should get you ready for breakfast,” Elena said, moving toward the bathroom door. She turned on the shower.
“Thank you, Elena.”
Keira stared at the sapphire dress for a moment longer. Tonight, she would officially become Prince Alexei’s fiancée in front of the world. Wishing her sisters could be here with her.
C
She showered and dressed in a simple white sundress Elena had left on the bed for her while she showered. Just light makeup then pulled her hair up into a high ponytail.
Once she was ready, they made their way through the palace corridors toward the breakfast room.
When they reached the breakfast room doors.
Keira touched her arm before she could go. “Thank you.”
Elena smiled. “You’re welcome.” Before leaving her to enter alone.
Keira found only two people waiting: Alexei and Maria. They sat next to each other at the large round table, the tension between them was so thick Keira could feel it from the doorway. Oh, poor Maria hadn’t been reading the room Alexei didn’t want her. Keira would not pussyfoot around this woman. She was about to be told loud and clear.
Maria looked up as Keira entered, her dark eyes assessing. She wore a pale pink dress that emphasized her olive skin, and her hair was swept into a perfect updo. She looked every inch the polished royal lady. Shame it was only surface deep because the woman was a viper underneath.
“Good morning, Keira,” Maria said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “How lovely for you to finally join us.”
“I don’t know why you felt the need to wait, Maria.” As if she didn’t know. Maria was hoping to score points off her in front of Alexei. The woman was so predictable.
Alexei rose immediately, moving to pull out the chair beside him. “Good morning,” he murmured, his hand briefly touching the small of her back as she sat.
It was a simple gesture, but Keira felt Mária’s sharp gaze tracking every movement. She could practically feel the other woman’s jealousy radiating across the table. And green was not a good color on her.
“I was just telling Alexei how excited you must be about tonight’s announcement,” Maria continued, “It’s so romantic, isn’t it? A fairy tale come to life.”
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The words dripped with false enthusiasm, and Keira caught the subtle emphasis on ‘fairy tale‘–as if their engagement was nothing more than a pretty story.
Keira felt like laughing. That was not what she said yesterday–the lying bitch. Did Maria really think she would keep everything to herself and suffer in silence? She was not weak, and she did not suffer in silence period… If she was upset, then everyone knew
about it.
“Indeed,” Keira replied evenly, reaching for her coffee cup. “Though I’ve always preferred stories with a bit more substance than your typical fairy tale.”
Maria leaned towards Alexei placing her hand on the table right next to his. “Oh? And what kind of substance would that be?”
“The kind where the woman doesn’t need rescuing,” Keira said, meeting Maria’s gaze directly. “Where she’s capable of fighting her own battles and making her own choices. A couple should be equal, or the woman just comes off as one dimensional. Don’t you think?” She allowed Alexei control in the bedroom, and she will never overstep him in front of his people.
Alexei’s lips twitched with what might have been amusement, but he said nothing. He was letting her handle this on her own, which she appreciated.
“How very… modern of you, very American.” Maria said, her tone suggesting that ‘modern‘ was somehow distasteful. “Though I suppose when one comes from such a different background, traditional values might seem foreign.”
The dig was subtle but unmistakable. Keira set down her coffee cup, her voice remaining perfectly pleasant. “You’re absolutely right, Maria. I do come from a different background. One where we’re taught to earn our place through merit rather than birthright.”
“Merit,” Maria repeated, her voice sharpening slightly. “How fascinating. And what exactly are your merits, if you don’t mind my asking?”
Keira could feel the dangerous ground they were approaching, but she refused to back down. This woman had been needling her in front of others since the moment they met, and she was done pretending to ignore it.
“Well,” she said thoughtfully, “I’ve managed to do well in school while having a part–time job. I know what hard work is. Everything I have is because I earned it, not because it was handed to me.” She paused, her smile turning sharp. “And I’ve learned that being born into privilege doesn’t automatically make someone worthy of respect. That has to be earned too.”
She knew she wasn’t insulting Alexei because he may have played hard, but he was also working hard in the US building the wealth of his country. She was thinking of Laura her cousin and others she had met over the years. “You, however, expect everything handed to you. You believe you’re entitled. Do you even know what hard work is?”
The temperature at the table seemed to drop several degrees. Maria’s face flushed, her carefully maintained composure slipping.
“How dare you-”
“How dare I what?” Keira interrupted, her voice still pleasantly conversational. “Speak honestly? I thought that was what you wanted, Maria. After all, you’ve been so… direct with your opinions about me since we met. Or do you only want to have those direct conversations when no one is around to witness what a fucking bitch you really are?”
Alexei’s hand moved to rest on Keira’s thigh under the table, a supporting touch, but he remained silent. This was her fight, and he was letting her handle it.
“What? How dare you… I was merely trying to help you understand.”
“Understand what? That you think I’m beneath this family? That you believe I seduced Alexei for his title?” Keira leaned forward
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slightly. “Because if that’s what you think, just say it for Alexei to hear… And frankly, you couldn’t be more wrong… If anything, his title is the last thing I want. I just want him.”
Maria’s mouth opened and closed. Clearly, she hadn’t expected Keira to call her out so bluntly.
“I… I never said—”
“Every word out of your mouth since yesterday has been designed to make me feel unwelcome and inadequate.” Keira’s voice remained calm, but there was steel underneath. “The question is, why do you care so much about who Alexei chooses to be with?” Keira felt like laughing. This woman wanted to play games. She had chosen the wrong person to play her games with.
“I care about this family’s reputation-” Maria looked towards Alexei as if expecting him to step in and save her.
“Bullshit. Let’s be honest here Maria. You care because you wanted him for yourself, and now you’re pissed that he chose someone
else.”
