Page 61 of The Prince Falls First
Diana glanced at the door, then back to Gen and dropped her voice. “I’m not going to university in Valentia. I’ve gotten into the Vallerian Assistance Corps.”
Gen’s jaw dropped. “Wow. That’s amazing! I heard it’s really competitive and they’ve only just started letting in women.” The VAC was an organization that helped communities and promoted understanding of other cultures around the globe. It was a minimum four-year commitment and was very prestigious.
“It’ll be tough but after dealing with mother, I can deal with some misogynistic assholes. They’ll sometimes sponsor people or give scholarships to help further studies and I want to become a doctor. I’m hoping I’ll get one of the scholarships at the end of it. I’ll at least be trained as a nurse when I finish, so I can easily get a job.”
“And you won’t be here, which is the most important thing. You’ll be safe.”
A worried look crossed Diana’s face. “But what about you? I heard mother threaten you.”
Gen lowered her voice. “I’m not staying.”
She hadn’t thought seriously about Gabriel’s offer to move in with him, and maybe she was just reacting to her mother’s abuse or Sam’s death—she would do some serious contemplation about her motivations—but she knew wanted to feel safe, and she knew she felt safe with him.
“The day of the funeral, I’m going to sneak out early, come back here and grab my things, and leave for good.”
Diana seemed relieved to hear it. “Where will you go?”
“I’m going to move in with Gabriel.”
Diana’s jaw dropped. “Gen!”
“Shhh!”
“Gen,” Diana said more quietly. “That’s incredible.”
“I don’t know if it’s a forever thing, but…he came to the hospital last night and he helped me and…it meant a lot. He told me he loved me.”
Diana held back a squeal but the broad smile on her face couldn’t be hidden. “Oh, I’m so happy for you.” Then a mischievous expression crossed her face. “I can’t wait until you outrank our mother and she’s forced tokneelat your feet.”
Despite herself, Gen giggled. “That’s not how you curtsy, Diana.”
“No, but you know what I mean.” Suddenly serious, Diana asked, “Do you need any help from me to make this happen? Leaving I mean.”
“I’ll let you know but I think I’ll be okay. Will you be all right? You’ll still have some time before you leave for VAC.”
“Actually, I think I’ll follow your lead. Maybe it’s best I leave then too. I have friends I can stay with; it’s only a few weeks anyway.”
“You could come to the palace with me,” Gen said suddenly. Then, “Well, I’d need to check with Gabriel, but he has lots of rooms.”
“Of course he does, it’s a fucking palace.”
Gen rolled her eyes. “I meant in his personal apartments.”
“And how do you know about those?”
Gen blushed even though nothing likethathad happened between them. “I stayed with him last night. Not like that! But he took care of me, both him and his sister.”
“I’m glad that if I couldn’t be there, you had people you could depend on.”
She could depend on them, couldn’t she? For so long, she’d thought the palace couldn’t possibly give her what she needed. And maybe some of her freedoms would be gone if she was with Gabriel, but maybe she’d get other things too.
Maybe she’d find more people like Diana, a real family that actually gave a shit about her.
thirteen
GABRIEL
The condolences event at the Kaur’s home had started an hour ago, but Gabriel had purposely arrived late. He had wanted to give the family time to grieve before he forced royalty into the situation.
