The Royal Romance - The Valtoria Diaries

A game for two players

She'd been left lying on her back, on the rug on the floor of the royal chambers, while he went to freshen up. Sighing, she sat up, and reached for her red dress, slung over the bottom of the bed a little earlier in the heat of passion. Standing up now, she climbed back into it carefully, making sure she didn't catch any of her concealed weapons against her skin. She wasn't going to give that man the satisfaction of seeing her undressed again when he came back. Even her shoes were in place once he returned from his en-suite bathroom, although he was still as naked as the day he was born.

"Leaving so soon?" he asked her, looking a little hurt.

"We are supposed to be attending Duchess Jen's birthday party, remember?"

He nodded, and leant down to grab his boxers from the rug, climbing back into them. "As usual, Olivia, you are right."

She grinned, fixing her hair. "Although I'm sure a few more minutes wouldn't hurt. I'll wait for you."

"Shouldn't we be seen to return separately?"

She shook her head. "I told Bertrand I was going to speak to you privately about my divorce. It would seem odd to him if we didn't come back at the same time."

He nodded. "Very well." He sat down next to her. "Although, I was wondering if we should, perhaps, maybe not right now..." He looked at her with that commanding expression, and she knew he was hoping to get what he wanted from her. "Maybe we should let our friends know that we're involved. Before they start to suspect."

Olivia was delighted at his words. Rick confirming they were in a relationship was everything her heart had ever desired. However, the Duchess of Lythikos was disgusted at his suggestion.

"God, no," she said, standing up suddenly and backing away.

"Why ever not?"

"We keep this to ourselves. At least for now."

"Give me two good reasons," he said, standing up and pacing towards her, placing his hands on her waist.

"One, I'm still technically married," she said. "If this got out, and I know you trust your friends, but it could get out.. the King and a married woman..."

He nodded. "Although we can address that matter, Olivia. As I told you earlier. I will get Lord Rashad on the case immediately now his work on Anton's prosecution is complete."

"Two," She sighed, looking at him. "And I'm only telling you this because it's true, and we go back a long way. But you need to know that I've got more respect for myself than to publicly be in a relationship with someone who's still got one foot in his last relationship."

She saw his expression change. The stern monarch before her had suddenly transformed into a lovesick puppy.

"Don't deny it Rick," she challenged him. "You're still in love with her."

"I would not deny it to you, Olivia." He sighed, clearly emotional, and released his hold on her, turning and going to sit back down on the bed.

"Because you know I wouldn't believe you, right?"

He looked at her and shook his head. "Because I believe I owe you the truth."

She nodded, and stood there for a moment as he collected his thoughts. Eventually, he looked back up at her.

"That relationship you speak of. Right from the start, there were three people in it. It just took me too long to realise it. And by the time I did, it was too late."

"I don't follow."

"Think about it, Olivia. All the times I spent with Jen, during the social season, and on the engagement tour. She never sought me out because she wanted to spend time with me. She sought me out because she'd been encouraged to by someone else. Someone she was developing feelings for, someone who incorrectly thought his need for her to become Queen was greater than his need for, well, her. And so our courtship was based more on her wanting to please him, than me. And I suppose, at some point, she questioned this and realised that the three of us were all playing an impossible game, as it was a game for two players, not three. And just as I realised all this for myself, I was discarded."

Olivia looked at Rick, conflicted. She knew how much he was hurting, but she also knew that he should have treated Jen better if he'd wanted to keep her. If she'd been in Jen's position during the engagement tour, having to sneak around as the other woman, she would have become just as disillusioned. And if she'd found the chance of love elsewhere (although not from where Jen had found it, ugh) she would probably have taken it too. She'd said as much to Jen when everything had kicked off.

"I think about this a lot, Olivia. It consumes my thoughts. I believe that she came dangerously close to accepting my proposal. For the wrong reasons. And that was why she allowed it to go that far."

Olivia raised her eyebrows. "You think she'd have married you just to make him happy?"

"I think she could have very easily done that. And I would have gone ahead with it, thinking I had won the battle."

"But not the war."

"Exactly." He stood up, and collected his shirt and trousers from the floor. "Happily for all concerned, she was strong willed enough to put her own feelings first, ahead of the expectations of those around her."

Olivia sighed. The fact that he could still praise Jen for the cruel way she had rejected him really irked her.

"But if she had accepted my proposal, imagine what a mess that could have caused, ongoing."

She pulled a face. "You think she'd have been unfaithful to you?"

"I can't know for certain," he said, buttoning up his shirt. "I'd like to think not. But just imagine that scenario. And if that got out. The public's confidence in their monarchy, perhaps the whole nobility, would be ruined. So I think I favour this scenario. At least I get to see two of my close friends happy, even if I'm not."

That he still could consider them both close friends, she found hard to grasp. But, she didn't question it. Seeing the emotion in his blue eyes, she went to him and held him. He returned her embrace tightly, seemingly grateful for the interaction.

"Come on now," she said, as she pulled away. "You can move on from this."

"I'm trying."

She tutted, and looked away. "Trying's not enough."

"Olivia, you know how fond I am of you."

"Fond's not enough, either." She now knew that she was going to have to use other means to shake some sense into him. "When you want me badly enough, I'll know. For now, this needs to stay between us. For both our sakes."

He nodded. "Once again, you are right." He pulled on his trousers.

"I'll go back to Lythikos tomorrow. I think that would be for the best." She had work to do there. She had a reputation to rebuild.

He nodded. "For now, I believe we have a murder mystery party to get back to."

She rolled her eyes. "Whose idea was this? Oh, wait, don't tell me... Maxwell's."

He nodded. "Be thankful you were not privy to his other suggestions. This was by far the most tenable."

(Author's note: if you're curious to see what would have happened if Jen had accepted Rick's proposal, look out for my upcoming series "You Can't Uneat The Apple")