Page 57 of Not-So-Perfect Princess
Neither brother was Prince Charming, and that was okay. Such a prince was the thing of legends and fairy tales, like the expectation of her being the perfect princess. Being perfect wasn’t possible.
Too bad no one else seemed to realize that.
Jules slumped in her chair, overcome by weariness and emotion. She straightened only to want to relax again. She focused on the food and tried to tune everything else out. It wasn’t hard to do.
As soon as the servers cleared the dessert dishes, Jules wiped her mouth and folded her napkin. “Thank you for the pleasant company, gentlemen. I’m going to retire for the evening.”
Both men rose as she stood.
“Good night, Julianna,” Alejandro said.
“Sleep well,” Enrique said. “I want to see my bride’s pretty blue eyes sparkling tomorrow.”
She moved away from her chair and waited for Enrique to offer to escort her, but his feet remained rooted in place.
Alejandro’s gaze met hers in silent understanding. “Sweet dreams.”
Jules acknowledged him with a smile. She didn’t dare trust her voice. She wanted to have sweet dreams, but she feared the wrong brother would be starring in them. Not only tonight.
But every night for the rest of her life.
Alejandro’s temper flared, but he maintained control.
For Julianna’s sake.
She walked out of the dining room with her head high, but the disappointment in her eyes was unmistakable.
Alejandro remained standing until she disappeared from sight. He turned to Enrique. “Why didn’t you escort Julianna to her room?”
Enrique had already sat. He motioned to the wine steward to refill his empty glass. “She said she was tired.”
Anger burned in Alejandro’s throat. “That’s why you should have walked with her.”
His brother’s gaze sharpened. “Why do you care what I do with Julianna?”
Good question. Alejandro sat. He downed what remained in his wineglass. He wanted to say he felt indifferent about her, but he would be lying. He enjoyed being with her whether on the boat or here at the palace. But, rudeness aside, that didn’t explain why his brother’s treatment of her bothered him so much. “I wouldn’t want her to leave the island.”
That much was true.
“Never fear, little brother.” Enrique snickered. “She can’t leave.”
“Can’t?”
“If Julianna doesn’t marry me, she’ll be forced to marry a nobleman from Aliestle.” His lip curled in disgust. “Any woman with half a brain would want out of that backward country.”
Alejandro hated that she had only those two options. She deserved so much more. “Julianna has more than half a brain. She’s very intelligent.”
“That is why she doesn’t mind how I treat her. She knows she must marry me,” Enrique explained. “She’ll put up with anything I do or say to keep from having to spend the rest of her life stuck in archaic Aliestle where men treat her worse.”
Julianna had admitted as much to Alejandro, but that didn’t excuse Enrique’s behavior. “Her misfortunate situation gives you carte blanche to be ill-mannered and rude to her. How…noble.”
Enrique snorted. “This is rich. Relationship advice from the man who goes through women as if they were selections on a menu.”
“I may have never been involved in a serious relationship for an extended period of time, but I know women. Better, it seems, than you, bro,” Alejandro said. “Julianna isn’t an obedient automaton. She has feelings. Dreams. She deserves—”
“She deserves what I see fit to give her.”
“Enrique…”
“As long as she obeys and provides me with heirs, be assured she’ll have all she needs.”
“She needs to be loved and accepted for who she is,” Alejandro countered. “If you continue treating her poorly and taking advantage of her situation, you’ll alienate her until she can’t take it anymore. Is that what you want?”
Enrique leaned back in their father’s chair. “You’ve come up with all this about her after spending an afternoon playing in the sand?”
“You’ve missed dinners this week,” Alejandro replied. “You can learn a lot about a person over seven course meals.”
