Royal Speed | Leclerc & Verstappen

58 | last words

-/- Monaco 2021 - off-season -/-

After six hours and a half we reached Nice and twenty minutes later we were at the palace, our mother already waiting for us.

"How is he?" I asked immediately, once we got out of the car, running up the stairs.

"He's okay, you can speak to him now." my mother returned before she hugged Arthur, who was close behind me.

I only nodded in response before I rushed pass her, into the palace and up to my father's room. As I reached the door I needed some moments to calm down, to breath and get my chest movement back to normal.

Then I knocked, my hand shaking as I waited for a response. Not three seconds later our palace doctor opened the door, bowing as he saw me.

"Crown prince Charles you finally arrived." the old man said while he held the door open for me.

I thanked him before he told me that I could easily call for him over the red button next to my father's bed. I nodded and then turned towards him, the prince of Monaco, my father. He was laying there in his big bed, his face completely white, the rest of his body under the heavy blanket.

"Charles." he croaked and slightly rose his head so I quickly walked over that he could lay down again.

"I'm here." I returned, tears developing in my eyes while I took a seat on the edge of the bed, grabbing his hand from under the blanket.

It was ice cold and I wondered if he could even feel something with it, not sure how much of him was already dead.

"Where have you been?" he asked quietly, sounding as mad as his weak voice let him.

"Arthur and I cheered for Pierre this weekend, at his last race of the season." I returned, not wanting to bring Max into this as it would only upset my father, but he already knew it.

"You were with him, the Dutchman."

"Yes, I was papa." I mumbled, looking down, "You have never really met him, he's a great guy."

"Well he is..." my father returned slowly, "He is an arrogant dude, thinking that he's the best just because he won a race or two."

Carefully I pulled my hand back from his as his words were really hurting me. I knew he my father, but Max was my boyfriend, the love of my life and he had no right to say such things about him.

"He's the world champion." I said, feeling the need to defend him.

"Whatever, he's not a good person and this has an end now." he said after some moments of silence and I looked up, seeing him trying to hold his eyes open.

"W... Why? What do you mean?"

"You have to become the prince of Monaco as your mother won't do the job for long, the people would also never really accept her as the ruler. So you have to get married, find yourself a wife so you can follow my footsteps."

I swallowed hard, the marriage thing once again being placed right into my mind. It was a huge thing and I really needed to talk to Max before he would get mad and angry at me for not telling him.