Summary: Concerned about his father’s health condition, Leo flies to Cornodia to visit Constantine. But his attendance to the Costume Ball will lead him to unexpected situations.
“What do you mean ‘you can’t go’?” Leo snarled staring at his wife in disbelief as she picked at one of her nails.
“Leo, I run a business here. I have to stay,” Katie replied.
“Are you kidding me? This is my father we’re talking about, our family! If this happened in your family’s side, we’d probably be at the hospital by now.”
“What are you insinuating, huh?” She bellowed.
“Oh, honey, I’m not insinuating…” Leo smiled, but disdain and rage were all it expressed. “I’m stating a fact. You HATE my family!”
“You hate them too!”
“I’m a crappy son and brother! I can!”
“And I can’t? Do I have to take those backhanded compliments from your stepmother while your ex-fiancee is lurking around finding a way to get into your pants? Do I have to smile at your father even though the only reason he likes me is because I gave birth to two potential spares to the throne?”
“He’s fucking dying, Katie! Can’t you see that I need you there with me?” He yelled.
Katie’s eyebrows raised as she watched Leo’s flushed face and tears streaming down his cheeks. She stepped closer and encircled her arms around him.
Leo took his time to return the embrace. “You’re still not coming, aren’t you?” He asked quietly.
“Not today. But I’ll be on the first flight with the girls tomorrow.”
Leo shrugged.
“I’m sorry. There’s so much to do here. You know I’ll get mad if I go with you and find out the staff isn’t handling everything properly for the Congressman’s daughter’s wedding. I’ll be a pain in the ass and that’s not what you need right now. I’ll take care of this and I’ll be all yours on Saturday.”
He didn’t say a word.
“Leo, look at me,” she pulled away and cupped his face. “Your father is a strong old man, he’d never go down without a fight and he won’t. You’re going to see him tomorrow, give him a hug, keep him company, reassure your brother and stepmother and Saturday I’ll be there with you every step of the way.”
This time, Leo pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. She kissed his shoulder and stroked his back gently. “I love you,” she whispered.
He simply nodded. He wasn’t in the mood for that now. He was still pissed at her, but he wasn’t picking up another fight with Katie. At that moment, only one person mattered.
…
Leo drummed his hands impatiently on his thighs as he spotted the breathtaking view of Cordonian sea coast. Since he left the kingdom to live in US with Katie, every time he decided to visit, he felt nervous. This time was no different, but it was a bit worse. He’d usually get heavily drunk whenever he went home. However, he didn’t want to meet his father with a heavy alcohol breath, so he got a tranquilizer to help him be calm and it still hasn’t worked. “Fucking antidepressants…” He grumbled, tossing the small plastic bottle aside.
A flight attendant bent down to grab the bottle and smiled. “We’re about to land, Sir. Please fasten your seatbelt.”
He simply faked a smile and did as instructed. As the plane landed, Leo began to feel sleepy, but luckily he spotted a few members of the Royal guard waiting for him at the airport exit.
“Good morning, Your Highness. Your motorcycle is ready for you, but the King Father requested a car for Lady Katherine and your daughters,” a guard informed.
“Hey, Emmett,” he patted the guard’s shoulder. “Thanks, but I’m by myself again. And I’m not taking the bike.”
“Everything alright, sir?”
“No…” He yawned. “Stupid pills.”
The guard replied with a ghost of a smile while carrying Leo’s duffle bag to the car. As soon as the driver started driving, Leo dozed off.
…
A firm knock on the door woke Leo up. He rubbed his hands on his eyes and lifted up his arm to look at his watch and check the hour, but somehow, it was perfectly arranged on the nightstand, along with his sunglasses and wallet. He had no idea how he got to his old room or who took off his shoes and jacket. “Ugh… I’ll never take sleeping pills again.”
He sat up as heard another knock. “Open the goddamn door, Leo!” He recognized the brashy voice calling and stood up to open the door.
“Maddie, you know we can’t meet like this,” he gave her an exaggerated dramatic expression.
She rolled eyes and shoved two suit travel covers on his chest. “We have a costume ball tonight. Queen Regina and I chose these suits for you.”
“Are these costumes of former kings?”
“Yes.”
“Is any of these Prince Raydan’s attire?”
“No. One is King Marcellus’ attire and the other is a Tom Ford suit.”
He opened one of the travel covers, crinkled his nose at the embroidered pompous attire and zipped it up again. “Tom Ford it is.” He handed back the King attire and stepped away from the door to pour himself a glass of water before taking a look at the tuxedo.
“The ball starts at eight. Honor your title and your family and don’t be late,” she berated from the doorway. Before she could leave, she took a quick glance at him checking the suit.
“Like what you see?” He grinned at her through the mirror.
“I was just checking if you need any adjustments on the tuxedo, you ass. We didn’t have time to do the proper fitting since you spent all day sleeping,” Madeleine ranted.
“Whatever you say, Maddie.” “Hey, did you see when I arrived?”
“Yes. Emmett carried you here and Regina helped you get settled.”
“Oh… Okay.”
“What?”
“Nothing. Just wondering who removed my shoes, jacket, and a few other personal stuff and arranged them so carefully. But that makes sense.”
“You thought it was me?” Madeleine let out a mischievous laugh.
“No, of course I know it wasn’t you. I’m still fully dressed,” he smirked.
“You certainly think too highly of yourself. Does Katie inflate your ego that much?” She taunted.
He took his t-shirt and tossed it aside to try on the suit. “No,” he said as he began to button the shirt and caught Madeleine staring at his well-built abs. “But those hungry green eyes surely do,” he winked at her, who huffed, turned on her heels and left.
…
Leo patted the herald’s shoulder politely and discreetly entered the ballroom. It was no secret to anyone that he hated these formalities and since he abdicated, he found quite pleasant to arrive at courtly events unannounced. He strolled around, watching the guests mingle. When he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. “I knew one day I’d see my eldest son would finally arrive a Court event early,” the King Father uttered.
“Father,” Leo hugged Constantine, who responded to the fond embrace with a smile. “It’s good to see you well. Liam told me you were at the hospital in the past few days.”
“I’m alright, all things considered. It was just a minor indisposition,” he replied sipping a bubbly drink.
Leo narrowed his eyes at the champagne flute. “Father…”
“Are you going to scold me like your brother and Regina?” Constantine raised an eyebrow. “I could use another person to support my decision to have one last pleasant night.”
“This is not your last pleasant night. We have Liam’s wedding coming up. The father of the groom can’t miss the party, you know?” He jested making the king father chuckle. “I just want you to take it easy. You just got out of the hospital, you’re still on chemo and you shouldn’t be drinking.”
“Don’t make a fuss about it, I said I’m fine. Plus, this is sparkling cider. But don’t tell anyone I’m drinking it,” his father winked.
“Your secret is safe with me,” Leo chortled. “But who is the person supporting you?”
Constantine pointed towards the dancefloor, where Liam and Jade glided across the room smiling at each other they danced the Cordonian Waltz. “That girl has proved me wrong so many times that I wasn’t even surprised when Liam told me she is Sofia’s eldest granddaughter.”
“Sofia? As in The Queen Mother of Spain?”
“The very same. I have to admit I struggled with the idea of Jade being the future Queen, but I’m glad to see I was mistaken.”
Leo glanced at Constantine admiring his baby brother and future sister-in-law with a smile on his face. “Is age making King Constantine a softy?”
“What? Can’t a father be content to see his son happy?”
Leo went silent. Constantine was a smart politician and a powerful king. Being a father, however, wasn’t his strong suit. He was impatient, not much of a hugger and rarely spent moments with his sons. Now he wasn’t afraid to show he cared about their happiness. Things did get better since Katie had the twins, however, Leo still found it odd.
“Speaking of happy,” Constantine interrupted his thoughts. “Why didn’t you bring Ava and Emma?”
“They’ll arrive tomorrow with Katie. They sent you drawings and get well soon cupcakes, though.”
Constantine chuckled. “Ah, yes, I got the gift box from Regina earlier. It was very thoughtful of them.”
“Yes, they always do these sort of things,” Leo smiled to himself.
“Are you happy with your life? With who you became?”
“Honestly?” Leo furrowed his brows in deep thought. “Yeah… I mean, it’s not always easy dealing with the boring commoner life stuff like running errands or washing the dishes, but the girls make every dull moment worth it.”
“That’s really good to hear, son. Family is all that matters,” Constantine grinned.
Weird… What is up with him? Leo shook away the thought as Liam and Jade approached. The humorous conversation about his childhood lightened up the mood, yet he struggled to deal with his father’s demeanor that night.
“Wait, we’ve been talking for ten minutes and you don’t have a single drink in your hand. Are you alright, Leo?” Liam joked.
“I’m fine, but I’m still under the antidepressants pills effect and adding alcohol might not be a good combo.”
“You’re at a court festivity without a single drink in his hand because you’re worried about the effect of mixing drugs. You really changed,” Liam stared at him surprised.
“Hey, I don’t need to drink or consume drugs to have fun.”
“That’s something I never thought I’d hear you say,” Liam eyed his brother suspiciously. “Having kids can put things in perspective, huh?”
“You have no idea…” Leo murmured as he eyed a few noblewomen staring at him. If this happened a few years ago, they’d have their dresses on the floor of the nearest room in a matter of minutes. But that was a long time ago.
While Liam discreetly sneaked out with his fiancee, Leo watched the nobles at the dancefloor when a lively voice called him. “Max, good to see you,” he replied with a smile.
“Good to see you too. Though you look like a completely different person. You’re quiet. What happened to you?” Maxwell scrutinized the prince.
“Two three-year-olds, a bossy wife and suburban life happened,” he shrugged. “Oh, and a Prozac to deal with my father’s illness.”
“Well, I guess that sums up,” Maxwell nodded. “But hey, your father is alive and kicking, your girls are the cutest little Cordonian/American toddlers this kingdom has seen, you’re a famous and well-paid motocross biker. We should celebrate,” Maxwell cheered.
“I’m not drinking.”
“You still know how to dance, don’t you? Grab a partner, have some fun! You can go back to brooding tomorrow,” Maxwell patted his back.
Leo looked around and spotted a beaming lady dancing with Drake. A few locks of her deep brown hair styled in a boho updo flew across her face as his brother’s best friend spun her around. Her peach dress covered with flowers accentuated her elegant figure and her young tawny skin. He couldn’t stop looking at her.
“Hana? Interesting choice…” Maxwell scratched his chin.
“I’m not–” Leo trailed off as he heard her giggling.
“Hey, no judgments here. Hana is graceful, smart, beautiful…” Maxwell said watching Hana dance with Drake. “If you want her, I understand.”
“I wouldn’t put it that way.”
“How would you put it then?”
“I don’t know, I just talked to her once. She seemed sweet and genuine. Considering the world she lives in, it’s quite refreshing to meet someone like her.”
“Huh…” Maxwell sipped his drink to hide a smile.
“What?” Leo narrowed his eyes.
“Nothing… Just thinking about how I haven’t talked to my best bud yet.” Maxwell stood up and sauntered towards Drake and Hana. Slinging an arm around Drake’s shoulders, the young Beaumont led him across the floor and Hana walked to a balcony nearby alone. Leo smiled, stood up and grabbed two glasses on his way to the same balcony.
Looking at the sky, Hana took a deep breath as the cool breeze blew against her face. After years being trained to see court events as part of her duty to find a suitor and make connections for the best interests of her family’s business, enjoying a formal ball was oddly pleasant. Her life was filled with possibilities now. More possibilities than she could’ve asked for. She turned to the side to smell a vase with Chinese roses when she sensed someone behind her.
“Oh!” She went pale.
Leo simply smiled.
“I’m so sorry, Your Highness, I didn’t see you there.”
“I did notice you were distracted. But at least you have a good excuse. The sky is quite enchanting tonight,” he replied as he stood her side at the balcony and offered her one of the glasses.
“I think so too,” she smiled. “Thank you, Sir.”
They clinked glasses and took a sip of the sparkling cider, her brows raising as she drank the beverage.
“What?”
“Is this a Cordonian Ruby cider?”
“Indeed it is. Good palate.”
“Thanks,” she grinned. “Wait, why are you drinking something non-alcoholic?”
“First of all, shhh…” Leo pressed his forefinger against his lips, making Hana giggle. Closing closed the distance between them, he lowered his voice. “I took an antidepressant during my flight but it only kicked in when I arrived here and if I drink, I’ll have the worst hangover tomorrow.”
“Wise decision.”
“Thank you.” He looked at the garden for a moment before speaking again. “I just came here to see my father. I heard about the Costume Ball when I talked to Liam over the phone, but I’m only here because father is here.”
“The King Father seems a little better. He’s a strong man.”
“Yeah, you could say that. But…” he trailed off.
“He’s still your dad and the fact that something or someone could put his life at risk scares you more than anything?”
“Well… yeah,” he chuckled. “I guess the feeling is more relatable than I thought.”
“It is. I haven’t spoken to my father in months. He was pushing me into getting married to Lord Neville.”
“Gross,” Leo grimaced.
“Exactly,” she said as she took another sip of the cider. “But I couldn’t do it. I can’t stand to be close to that snob guy who says nothing but rude things to me and to most of my friends. So I told my father and we had this huge fight during Liam’s engagement tour visit to Shanghai and decided to move permanently to Cordonia.”
Leo’s blue eyes widened.
“He called a few times, but I didn’t answer. And then one day, he stopped calling. I never tried to call back because I’m scared. I don’t how he is, if he’s still mad, if he misses me,” she bit her lip to fight back the urge to cry.
“I have some experience with overbearing parents and fighting against their unrealistic expectations about who I am and what is the best thing for me or for the family,” he said leaning against the railing. “I gave him a good share of embarrassing moments and disappointing decisions. I thought it was over once I left Cordonia for good, but it didn’t. He still loves me. He actually said to me a few hours ago that what matters to him is my happiness. And, believe me, I messed up pretty bad.”
Hana let out a small giggle.
“I’m sure your father still loves you. And you don’t have to keep on wondering if he’s okay. Call him.”
“I don’t know…” Hana looked down, putting her glass on the railing.
“Hey, I get it. It’s not easy. You won’t be entirely sure of what to say, your hands will start to sweat, your stomach will turn in notches even if you didn’t eat a thing–” he stopped talking as he caught Hana’s lips quivering and gently squeezed one of her hands.
“I understand your hesitation, I’ve been there. But it’s the only way. For you to make amends with your father, someone has to give in. And, in your case, he already tried, which is a good thing because it means he’ll be willing to listen.”
“Yeah, I guess so… But it doesn’t make it less scary.”
“No, it doesn’t. But once you do it, you won’t regret it,” he smiled fondly at her and offered her a handkerchief.
“Thank you,” Hana heaved a sighed. “Oh, goodness! Here I am talking nonstop about my family’s problems to you when you certainly have other plans for your night, I’m so sorry.”
“You don’t have to be sorry about it. I’m glad to be of assistance.”
“That’s very kind of you, but I won’t keep you any longer. You should go enjoy the ball.”
“I already am.”
“Are you?” Hana furrowed her brows still dabbing the silk handkerchief on the corner of her eye.
“Yes,” a seductive smile spread on his lips. “I saw this lovely woman dancing with my brother’s best friend and I couldn’t help it. I had to follow her,” he avowed, his eyes never leaving to hers.
Hana blushed. The first time they talked during Liam and Jade’s engagement party, he flirted and she flirted back, but she thought that was it. She heard countless times how the former crown prince is known to be a shameless flirt, but he usually wouldn’t pursue women for more than a few hours if he doesn’t see any possibility for sex. Yet there he was, listening to her, talking about his relationship with his father, encouraging her to talk to her father. Why?
“I don’t know what to say,” she looked away.
“You don’t have to say anything, but you can do one thing for me, instead.”
Her mouth went dry as he placed his glass on the concrete railing.
“Dance with me,” he held out his hand to her. But she didn’t respond. Her only reaction was covering her mouth with one hand and stare blankly at him. “Lady Hana?”
“Yes,” she blurted.
His smile grew wider and he bowed to her. Hana curtsied and took his hand, putting the other one on his shoulder. But as they began to dance, the waltz slowly changed to a pop ballad. Leo’s hand traced a line up her back, pressing her head against his chest as he effortlessly led her through the soft and melodious rhythm.
Hana rested her head on his broad chest, savoring the warmth of his embrace, his wood scented cologne taking over her senses. This is wrong. As she pulled away, their lips brushed and he captured her bottom lip, gently seeking permission. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her eyes flutter shut as he deepened the kiss while they glided along the moonlit balcony.
Leo had no idea how long it passed, the only thing he knew it that he didn’t want it to stop. His lips traveled down her jawline, nibbling her ear, sucking her neck. Small whimpers escaped from her lips as his hands ran down to the small of her back and she stiffened as his teeth grazed her collarbone.
“No,” Hana pulled away breathlessly. “I can’t do this.”
“Of course,” he answered with an apologetic smile. “Forgive me for being too forward, my lady.”
“It’s fine. But I think you should go, Sir. It was improper of us to kiss like that,” Hana enunciated, lifting up her chin and smoothing down her hair.
“I can’t say this is the first time I heard that,” he smirked as she folded her arms and scowled. “But it was certainly my favorite one.” Leo held her close and their mouths fused together in a heated kiss. As she began to melt into his embrace, he pulled away with a grin. “I’m sorry, I promise I won’t do it again. I just had to feel your lips one more time.”
A flush crept up Hana’s face as she stared at him in awe.
Leo lifted up her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “Have a good night, Lady Hana,” he winked and walked away to join his family once again, smirking as he caught a glimpse of Hana caressing her own lips.
