The Princess and I

Chapter XI: The boxing match

'You told my brother of my betrothal with the commissioner's son?' Christina exclaims, after I finished our story.

'And I am glad she did,' Liam says sternly. 'What were you thinking, selling yourself off like that?'

'It's my life, Liam.'

'It is, but you wear my surname. You cannot marry someone without a title. You are the Princess, for crying out loud.'

'Yes, and that's all I am, when you marry a pretty woman. You inherit our legacy and title.'

'Not if you would just marry a Duke.'

'There is no Duke who caught my attention.'

'Still, marrying an officer's son. It is outrageous.'

'It saved your hides, didn't it? So, our arrangement worked out quite well.'

'But not by marrying the commissioner's son!' Liam exclaims, annoyed. 'So, I had to adjust your arrangement a bit.'

I look up at him expectantly and he gives me a reassuring wink. 'After I spoke to Lady Le Bon, I paid the commissioner a visit myself. He was hell-bent in marrying his son off to you, but I was in the end able to convince him otherwise.'

Christina looks at him astonished. 'You didn't.'

'Yes, you are officially off the hook, sister. You don't have to marry this man's son.'

I see the relief in Christina's eyes and I also feel like a burden has been lifted from my shoulders. Now I can feel truly happy by how things turned out for us.

'What did you say to make him abort our deal?'

'Does it matter?' We all frown at that and Liam laughs cheerfully. 'Boy, you are all too curious for your own good. Well, all right then. Commissioner Jones was really happy with the bargain you made and wouldn't take my money to have him change his mind. Threatening him didn't work out either, since that almost got your deal off the table, meaning Elias and I would be arrested after all. So, I told him a little lie to convince him Christina was not suitable to marry his son.'

I see my friend turn crimson, while Liam gives her a crooked grin. 'You did not tell him about that.'

'About what?' I ask them.

'Not my secret to tell,' Liam says.

'No, indeed it absolutely is not,' Christina grumbles.

'Well, I had to shame your trust in this one. And it worked so perfectly well. He at first did not believe me of course, but I made him see reason.' Liam barks a laugh. 'The look on his face. It made it all worth it.'

'What did you tell him?' Elias also asks now.

Liam wiggles his index finger. 'That's only between my sister and I.'

'And the commissioner now, so it would seem.'

'Hey, don't shoot the messenger. It was that or marrying the son of that perv.'

Christina purses her lips pensively, but smiles then in earnest. She embraces her brother vehemently. 'Thank you, Liam.' Liam awkwardly gives her a hug with one of his muscular arms and rubs his blond hair blushingly with the other. Christina lets go of him and kisses his cheek. 'I admit. I was wrong about you, brother. You really are bettering your ways.'

'I am trying my best.'

Elias jumps up. 'This asks for a party.' He gives Liam a wistful look. 'Shall we ask the girls to join us this once? After all, I thank my life to them.'