𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐓 𝐂𝐑𝐘| Young Royals

xxvi. 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧

۫ ּ  ִ ۫   ˑ ֗ 𓏲˖ 𑁍 ࣪ ִ ۫ ּ  ִ ۫   ˑ ֗
࣪𓏲ּ ֶָ ✩◿𝓹𝓭𝓬◸ 🂱 ࣪𓏲ּ ֶָ
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX—
break even.

"August." Vera spoke as she stared at the back of her cousins head. Her and Wilhem both received messages to meet him. "What do you want?"

He exhaled and turned back to them. "Look... I understand that what I did to you is unforgivable, and you, Vera, just want to protect your little brother. I have, um, I have accepted that both of you will hate me for the rest of your life."

"I hated you before, but your point is correct." Vera shrugged her shoulders.

"But Erik wouldn't have let Simon go to the police." August made it to his real reason behind why he got Wilhem here, but Vera was still lost how she played a part into this conversation. "And now it's my responsibility to protect the royal family."

Wilhem smiled. "You don't think it's a little late for that?"

"August, you're barley apart of the royal family. You aren't Crown Prince, even if he wants to give it up to you, I won't allow it." Vera stood her ground. "I come before you, and i'm of the age were I get to make decisions. You will never be crowned."

"You get to make the decisions, Vera. But not when it comes to this. The Queen-" he began.

"-will be dead if she confirms you to be the next Crown Prince." she cut him short. Vera always had an anger in her, one that Erik use to worry for. Would it go to the route of wanting to murder anyone? No. But would she to keep August, after what he'd done to her brother, away? She would. Because she loved Wilhem first. "If the Queen dies, i'll be the next in line. I'll be the one to make the decision, August. Do you understand?"

He did, but he didn't say anything. Vera shrugged. "Maybe it'll be an accidental trip down the stairs. Using the wrong herb from the garden in her tea. Mixing the wrong medication. So many options, yet they all end with you coming no where near my family. Which no longer includes you."

"What you just said is the exact reason you won't make a good Queen, Vera." August shook his head at her. "You haven't done anything as Crown Princess. Do you honestly think you could handle queen?"

"I haven't done anything because I wasn't allowed to." she glared to cut him short. "That's all about to change."

"As your role on council now or after you murder your mother?" he quoted her in curiosity. "Do you honestly think no one would be able to trace it back to you?"

"Your words." Vera shrugged. "You were the one to say you could murder someone and no one would know. What makes you think it'll be any different between the two of us?"

"Because I have something you once did." August backed off and left Vera in confusion. "If Simon decided to report me, we have decided that Alexander will take the blame."

Vera face fell as the siblings followed their cousins gaze, fixed on Alexander in the corner.

"What?" Wilhem yelled. But, Vera knew. She knew the exact reasoning behind this and the exact way August had manipulated Alex. He did it from the moment at the ball when he told him, Vera wished she'd have clicked before now. "What? What do you mean? We have proof that it was you."

"You have proof that the video was recorded on my phone, yes." August agreed. "But I was pretty drunk. So drunk that I left my phone at the palace. Alexander, nice guy that he is, he brought the phone with him up to Forest Ridge on his way home."

"Holy fuck." Vera breathed out as she paced, listening this this story as guilt started to swarm Alexander when he saw what this was doing to her. Vera was not who he wanted to get back at, he didn't think it would hurt her. Sure, Wilhem was her brother, but he wasn't aware of the Crown Prince story until right now. He was hurting her more then he planned, when she wasn't the target.