Summary: Bastien and Riley talk to Liam about the wedding, and Bastien resigns from the Royal Guard.
Riley stayed close to Bastien as he approached Liam. Surely Liam had heard about their engagement already from Drake. That had to have been a shock to him, and now he was about to get another one.
“Can we talk, Your Majesty?” Bastien asked Liam.
“Of course.” Liam looked to Riley, then back to Bastien. “Is this about the wedding?”
“Yes, and more,” Bastien replied.
“Are you OK with this, Liam?” Riley wondered how he felt about the news. Drake might not be the only one that was upset. Although she had just broken her engagement to Drake, she had broken up with Liam to be with Drake. Liam didn’t actually come out and say it, but Riley suspected that he was still in love with her.
“If you’re happy with Bastien, that’s all that matters. I hate to see Drake hurt, but he’d be hurt more if you married him when you were in love with someone else.”
“Thank you for understanding.” But did he really? Liam was so stoic. He might act like it didn’t bother him, but he was probably just bottling up his feelings. That couldn’t be healthy for him.
“There’s something else. Once Riley and I are married, I’ll be the Duke of Lykelia. I don’t see how a duke can serve as a guard,” Bastien pointed out. “I’d be a potential target too.”
Liam nodded. “Yes, you would. Although I’m sure you could take care of yourself.”
“Yes, I could be my own guard, but I’ll have to resign as head of the Royal Guard. Honestly, I was thinking of doing that anyway. I haven’t been the same since I was shot during the assassination attempt. Look what happened during the bombing. If my leg weren’t so weak, I wouldn’t have been injured. I ended up in the hospital. I’m not sure I have what it takes any more.”
Riley took Bastien’s hand and squeezed it. “You still have so much going for you.”
Bastien smiled at Riley. “Especially since I have you.” He turned to Liam. “I’ll stay on until the day of the wedding. We should probably hire extra security. Mara won’t be able to work that day either. She’s going to be my best woman. I hope you understand. She is my sister, after all.”
“Of course. We’ll need to make the arrangements as soon as possible.”
“It’s been a pleasure to serve you, Your Majesty,” Bastien told him.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done for Cordonia. You’ll be missed,” said Liam.
“I’ll miss working for you too,” Bastien replied. “I can still help out in an unofficial capacity. Investigation, remote surveillance, that kind of thing. Security has been my whole life, and I’d rather not give it up completely. I just can’t be on the front lines any more.”
“I’d like that.” Liam shook Bastien’s hand. “As of the wedding day, you’re my independent security consultant.”