22. Hearty Confession.

[Liam]
—She's gone, you can come back now. I texted Luke and slumped on the bed.
I considered calling on a servant to clear the dinner table, but I did not want to give them more reasons to gossip so I decided against that.
This was a dangerous game we were playing, we were deceiving two innocent people and an entire country. I wondered why I never thought about the implications of what we were doing till now.
It was getting worse not though, feelings were getting involved, Luke had already fallen for Claire and he was pursuing a forbidden romance with her and here I was, falling for Megan, another forbidden romance.
I even asked her on a private date, I didn't even know how Luke would react to that.
"If you keep at it, you will eventually bore holes in the ground." Luke tapped my shoulder suddenly and I jerked backward.
I hadn't even realized when he entered the room.
"I didn't hear you come in," I told him and I sighed.
"I saw you with Megan." He said and raised his brows at me.
"Yeah, isn't that what you wanted." I feigned ignorance.
"Actually I didn't want that." He said and I frowned.
"What do you mean, you asked Franz to get me here," I told him.
"Yes, I did ask Franz to get you here, but at the time, I didn't know that Megan was here, I called you because I wanted to talk about Claire." He explained.
"What, so it was all just a misunderstanding?" My frown deepened.
"Yeah, I met with Sir Thomas on the way and we got to talking, that's why I delayed, or I would have been here sooner." He said.
"Okay, she had a great dinner by the way and I might have invited her on a private date." I hesitated a bit and covered my ears expecting him to scream.
What!!!
"Private date, that's fine, she's seen our face so it would make sense for our next date to be private." He said calmly.
Calmly!
That was not how I expected him to react at all, this was bad, did it mean he was starting to have feelings for her, I had to find out.
"So you're not mad, great, I can take her on the date if you don't want to, my schedule is open next Fri—"
"No, it's fine, I got it, I've been thinking, if the King could go to such lengths to get me and Megan together, it would mean that he is very eager to make this happen, I'm thinking of giving it a chance." He sounded sincere and my face fell instantly.
"You're thinking of giving it a chance," I repeated slowly. "What about Claire?"
"That's over, she hates me now and I think it's better this way, if she finds out that I've been lying to her, she will hate me even more. There's just no future for us." He slumped in the bed looking defeated.
"So, you're going to marry Megan, even though you feel nothing for her and you're going to let Claire go?" I asked sadly.
"Yes, that's what I said, who knows maybe Megan and I would fall in love." He said.
His statement brought tears to my eyes but I held them back, what in the world was I thinking, Megan belonged to another and even if she didn't there was no way she would ever look at me, I was from a simple family and if I had never met Luke, I would not be standing where I was right now.
"It's for the best." My throat constricted with emotion as I whispered softly.
"But you know that that's not the best." He turned on me.
"What do you mean, Megan has been betrothed to you ever since her childhood, the both of you can't escape your fate, it's already been sealed and even if you could, you can't escape it that far to be with Claire, Claire is a Foreigner and that too a non-royal, am afraid it's just not possible, it's good that you're thinking more rationally now." I blurted out.
It wasn't exactly that the Danish royal family didn't marry Foreigners seeing as the late Queen Camille, Luke's mother was from France, but they viewed most countries outside of Europe as Foreigners.
Especially Americans.
They didn't really have any problems with Americans, but they felt like Americans lacked values and they didn't respect other cultures since they lacked culture themselves.
The Danes were very proud of their culture and they loved to display it, Denmark was a country filled with culture and they strived to preserve it.
"I know that you like Megan," Luke said suddenly.
The room dropped into an uncomfortable silence as I stared at him in shock.
Did I like her? Sure, she was very beautiful with blonde hair and blue eyes, she was nice and had a cheerful countenance, her smile also did things to me that I couldn't explain.
Should I let anyone know that? Hell no.
"I don't know what you're talking about." I decided to play dumb.
"The hell you don't, you've always liked her but you've been too cowardly to approach her, I can't believe that you still can't admit that to me." Luke mocked me, shaking his head in disbelief.
"That's because she's always had eyes for you and I've always known that she was yours, I don't deserve her and she'll never want to be with me if she knew the real me."
.
.
[Luke]
"That's what you think." I shot back at him, I was angry not at him but at the universe for putting us in such a condition.
For giving us such shitty fates.
He was in love with a woman he could never have and I was also in love with a woman I could never have.
Not if I could help it though.
"It is what it is, Luke, there's nothing I can do about it and there's nothing you can do about it too." He said.
"Um, Is that a challenge?" I looked at him smugly.
Please let it be a challenge, I so loved to prove people wrong.
"Hello-o, I'm going to be King one day, it means I get to change some rules, especially the rule of marriage, everyone should be allowed to marry and be with who they loved, including royals."
"Stop acting like a child, Luke, Even if that were the case, you would have to be married and have already produced an heir before you can take the throne." He was very vast in royal rules, I'd give that to him.
I'm not sure I even knew that before now.
"You know, I've never asked to be King, Aunt Astrid is more than capable of taking the throne," I said.
Aunt Astrid was my father's younger sister, if I were to refuse the throne, it would go to her since I was an only child.
"Your father would be so disappointed."
"I could care less about how the King feels." That was not entirely true and I didn't think I had the strength to walk away from the royal family.
"What about your mother?" He asked quietly.
That was the one reason why I couldn't leave the royal family and why I couldn't leave the throne to my Aunt, I would disappoint my mother.
It was bad enough that she wasn't here, I wouldn't let her dream die as well.
"Things will have to change," I told him.
.
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[Narrator]
"Dear child, how is the Prince treating you, do you need me to come and get you," Nana spoke quietly and hurriedly into the phone.
She clutched the phone tightly to her ear and she looked around carefully to make sure that she was alone and no one was eavesdropping.
"No, Nana, I'm fine, the Prince was very nice to me," Megan replied.
"Oh dear child," Nana started worriedly. "I'm alone, you don't have to lie, your mother has been asleep for a while now, she won't hear me slip out of the house, you can find somewhere else to stay if it's uncomfortable for you there." She concluded.
"No, Nana, I'm not sleeping with the Prince, I'm in one of the guest rooms, he didn't force me to stay with him, he's a very nice man." She said and Nana visibly relaxed.
"He didn't force you to sleep with him and you're in a guest bedroom, that's very good, he is a good man and he is concerned about your reputation." Nana smiled and relaxed her hold on the phone.
"Yes, Nana, thank you very much, I'll see you tomorrow and give you all the gist, I may just like the Prince." Megan giggled on the phone.
"Okay, child, I'll see you tomorrow, I have to go before your mother cokes down, be safe." She wished the girl well and ended the phone call.
She looked around carefully again and when she made sure that no one had heard her, she left for her room.
Unfortunately for her, Megan's mother hid behind the wine drums in the cellar and she heard everything that was said.