Page 70 of Not-So-Perfect Princess
Alejandro.
Jules loved him, but couldn’t understand why he kept talking about her being a future queen. She wanted to stay on the island, but with Alejandro, not his brother.
She made a silent wish from her heart.
Claim me.
Jules wanted Alejandro to forget about everything. His family, her family and their two countries. She wanted him to declare his love and claim her for himself.
Alejandro gave her an encouraging smile filled with warmth.
Relief washed over her. Her tense muscles relaxed. He would come to her rescue once again and claim her. Everything would turn out fine.
“You can still do your duty and help your country,” Alejandro insisted. “All you have to do is tell your father that marrying Enrique is what you want.”
Emotion tightened her throat. Her body stiffened with shock.
No. She didn’t want that. She loved Alejandro. His actions told her he had feelings for her, too.
There was something between them. Something special.
Yet he wanted her to marry his brother. Jules struggled to breathe. She stared at him.
His smile disappeared. His expression turned neutral.
Why was he doing this?
And then something clicked in her mind and she remembered…
Once you and Enrique marry and have children, I’ll be free from all royal obligations. I can concentrate on business and not have to worry about any more princely duties.
The truth hit her with stark clarity. She didn’t want to believe it, but nothing else made sense.
Alejandro might have feelings for her, but the feelings didn’t run deep enough. He chose not to act upon them. He wasn’t willing to sacrifice what he wanted. His freedom was more important than duty. Love. Her.
Julianna’s heart froze, leaving her feeling cold and empty.
Despair threatened to overwhelm her, but she didn’t give in to it. She needed to answer her father’s question.
A million thoughts jumbled her mind. But one kept coming back to her. Her actions on the island had created the very sort of change she desired in Aliestle.
Was that enough reason to marry Enrique?
She looked at Brandt. If she didn’t go through with the wedding now, the repercussions would reflect badly on her brother. He was the one who was supposed to be escorting her safely to marriage. The Council of Elders would blame him, so would the press. Their plans to help their country would never come to fruition if she returned home.
Before Alejandro and getting caught up in a fantasy, she’d had a plan—a life outside of Aliestle, helping Brandt and her country, falling in love with her husband and becoming a mother. She might not achieve all of those things now, but she could have some of them.
That would have to be enough.
Shoulders back. Chin up. Smile.
“There isn’t any reason I shouldn’t marry Enrique, Father.” Jules sneaked a peek at Alejandro. The gold flecks in his eyes burned like flames. Somehow she would have to learn to live with Enrique as her husband and Alejandro as her brother-in-law. And be satisfied with that. She swallowed a sigh. “No reason at all.”
“I am satisfied.” Alaric proclaimed after a long minute. “The marriage contract will be honored, provided Julianna not sail in the Med Cup tomorrow. I’ll be here to see to it that she remains in the palace all day long.”
Every one of her nerve endings cried out in protest. Jules had earned the spot in the final, but she remained silent as any proper princess would.
“As will I,” King Dario said.
“Me, too,” Enrique agreed.
Alejandro nodded. “Julianna is a skilled helmsman, but I agree it’s best she doesn’t sail.”
Even he was taking their side. Her heart shattered into a million pieces, each one jabbing into her at the same time. If love and passion brought this kind of pain, she would rather go back to how she lived before arriving on the island.
With what strength she had left, Jules forced all her emotions to a deep, dark place. She’d survived before by sleepwalking through life. That was how she would survive again.
The dullness in Julianna’s eyes struck at Alejandro’s heart. He knew she was upset at being banned from the race. Competing in the Med Cup had been important to her. At least she was getting what she wanted. She could help her brother and her country now.
