Falling For His Convenient Queen. Therese Beharrie

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Falling For His Convenient Queen - Therese Beharrie Conveniently Wed, Royally Bound

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not sure,’ he said impassively. ‘There might not be enough time before the wedding.’

      ‘Planning this wedding is going to take some time.’

      ‘I’m sure it will.’ He paused. ‘But let’s not pretend that you only want that time to plan a wedding.’

      ‘What do you mean?’

      He lifted an eyebrow. ‘I know that you’re also here because you—or, more specifically, your family—want to know whether I really intend on signing the papers to confirm Kirtida’s place in the alliance.’

      She told herself not to gape. Forced herself not to ask how he knew. Instead, she went for honesty. ‘You’re right. Except it’s me who wants to know. I’m the one marrying you to ensure that you sign.’

      ‘You have my word,’ he said, and she heard the sincerity in his tone. ‘Once Xavier, Leyna and I come to an agreement about the Protection of the Alliance of the Three Isles clause, you and I will marry and I’ll sign those papers.’

      ‘And if I don’t believe you?’ she asked softly, compelled by the voice in her head that warned her against trusting so easily. The voice that she’d ignored when she’d been younger.

      ‘That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?’ he replied. ‘To figure out whether you can?’ She nodded mutely. ‘Do that, then.’

      The food began to arrive as he said the words, and she was relieved that she wouldn’t have to come up with a reply she didn’t have. But the servers did their work quickly and, before she knew it, she and Zacchaeus were alone again.

      ‘Your family,’ he said, reaching for the glass that held his wine. ‘They didn’t have anything to say about your plan? To organise the wedding from Kirtida and figure out whether you could trust me?’

      She almost told him the truth. But that would have entailed admitting the displeasure of her mother and grandmother at her decision. It would have meant telling him about how they thought that she was being reckless—a description they’d used for her for the past nine years, despite her efforts to change that perception. How even her brother had thought that, and how she’d expected more of him.

      No, the truth included a myriad of things that she didn’t want to think about, let alone tell him.

      ‘It made sense,’ she said instead. ‘Since, as we discussed over the phone, the wedding will be here, planning it on Kirtida was the logical decision.’

      ‘And you always make logical decisions?’

      ‘Does marrying a man I barely know sound logical?’

      He smiled a slow, crooked smile that made him look even more dangerous. ‘Reasonable, then.’

      ‘It’s not reasonable either. Not for a normal person, anyway. But we’re not normal and so, in that sense, this is both logical and reasonable.’ She paused. ‘I also know your people have responded positively to the news of our engagement. So, if I’m here and they see their future Queen plan a wedding with their King, it could strengthen their support of this marriage.’

      There was an uneasy silence after her words, and she frowned. ‘You don’t agree with me?’

      ‘So you told your family this and they agreed to let you come here?’ he asked, not answering her question.

      The uneasiness began to swirl in her chest.

      ‘You’re wondering whether my brother sent me,’ she replied, ignoring the feeling. ‘He didn’t. He wasn’t entirely happy with this decision.’

      ‘Because he worried that I would find out why you were really here?’

      Because he still sees me as an irresponsible teenager.

      ‘Why would he worry that you’d find out I wanted to know if we could trust you? There’s a reason you figured it out so quickly, Zacchaeus. It wasn’t meant to be some great secret.’

      ‘Why didn’t he want you to come then?’

      ‘Probably because he wouldn’t be able to protect me.’ She nearly rolled her eyes.

      ‘He thought you needed to be protected? From me?’ Unhappiness flashed across his face.

      ‘Do you blame him? You forced him to choose between protecting his baby sister and protecting his kingdom.’

      ‘But he chose his kingdom.’

      ‘No, I chose our kingdom.’ She watched him carefully, and wondered at the emotion she couldn’t quite read on his face. ‘Xavier didn’t want me to do this. Not as a king, but as a brother. He didn’t want to have his sister marry a man he wasn’t sure he could trust. So when I told him I would come here, plan the wedding and see whether we could trust you, he didn’t like it, but he understood.’ And because it seemed as if he needed to hear it, she repeated, ‘This was my choice, Zacchaeus.’

      ‘Why? Why would you choose to marry a man you barely know?’

      She frowned at the rush of answers that came to mind, none of which was appropriate to tell him. ‘You didn’t really give us a choice. Your actions over the past few months have shown us exactly what you’re capable of. So when I said I chose this, I just meant that it wasn’t Xavier who did. There is no real choice when it comes to protecting our kingdoms, is there?’

      She watched a stony expression settle on his face and felt her frown deepen. He looked so unhappy at everything she’d just said. As though it was news to him. As though he wasn’t the one who’d started—forced—it all.

      ‘You’re right, there isn’t,’ he answered her quietly. ‘Which is why we’re in this situation in the first place.’

      ‘Because Macoa threatened Kirtida with sanctions?’

      He nodded. She waited for an explanation to follow—any explanation, really, as to why an ally of Kirtida and the alliance had suddenly made threats after years of working together peacefully.

      ‘Why?’ she asked when he didn’t continue. ‘I mean, I know that’s why you want the alliance’s Protection clause updated before we get married. Before you sign to reaffirm the alliance between our kingdoms. You want protection against international allies like Macoa to be included in the agreement too. But why do you need that protection? Since—’ she hesitated, and then forced herself to say it ‘—since I’m going to be your wife, I’d like to know.’

      ‘It’s complicated,’ he said simply. Darkly.

      ‘I’m going to be Queen to your people, Zacchaeus. Don’t you think that’s enough to share details about complicated matters with me?’

      ‘You’re not Queen yet,’ he replied. ‘And when you are I’ll tell you what you need to know.’

      ‘What you think I need to know, maybe.’ She clenched her jaw and then forced herself to relax. ‘The least you could do is tell me why I’m here.’

      ‘You know why you’re here, Nalini.’ His eyes were sombre. ‘Without our

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