Chapter 3 : Disappointment

*Rowan*

"Let me walk you back to your room. I've really enjoyed getting to know you tonight. I'm looking forward to seeing you more tomorrow." I took Aurora by the hand and stood, hoping she would do the same.

"Thank you," she said, smiling demurely. Her small hand tightened in mine, and she got to her feet.

Genevieve stood instantly, a shadow to Aurora. I tried to smother my smile, but I couldn't. She thought I was some sort of risk to her Duchess. I was a risk to no one. I could hardly stand up to my own pathetic parents.

I said nothing to Genevieve as we left the dining hall, instead focusing on my fiancée.

"Was your room to your liking?" I asked.

"It's perfect," Aurora gushed. "I've never stayed anywhere so fine in all my life."

"I'm glad it meets your standards. After the wedding, we can both move into that room, or you can move into mine. Whatever suits you better," I offered.

I considered our quickly approaching wedding. I ignored the wave of nausea that washed through me. I scolded myself for not getting more comfortable with the idea sooner. I'd known that this was coming for months, I should have acclimated by now.

There was no denying that Aurora was stunning. She was one of the most beautiful women I'd ever seen. She seemed kind and thoughtful, and our marriage would bring much-needed money into our islands' economies. I should be grateful to have made out so well in this deal.

Instead, I was counting the days left until the wedding, trying my best to savor what little freedom I had left.

It wasn't as if I had any other prospects for marriage on the horizon. I had held every woman I'd ever met at arms' length for as long as I could remember. I didn't want to get too close to anyone, to fall prey to the same danger my mother had.

She thought she'd been in love with my father, only to find him greedy and lazy once the marriage was finalized. She grew complacent to the entire situation, and now the only thing the two of them could agree on was that they wanted to live comfortably and with as little responsibility as possible.

I had some duty to right their wrongs. I wanted to bring prosperity back to our country and to our people. My parents were so set on wasting their lives away that they made it miserable to attempt to make any sort of progress though, so I decided to quietly observe and bide my time until I could take the throne and undo their damage myself.

I should be paying more attention to the Duchess for one thing. I could drown in my sorrows over my parents' shortcomings later.

"Was your trip here okay? I heard you flew from Spain," I said, hoping casual conversation would help her feel more at ease here. It had to be intimidating to move away from all she'd ever known. I was asking a lot of her.

"It was great. Spain is beautiful this time of year. I have to admit though, I wasn't expecting Boldova to be as stunning as it is. You've got a beautiful country. I'm grateful to be here."

"You're very kind. And very beautiful," I complimented. I brought her hand to my mouth and kissed it softly.

She blushed, an endearing little giggle escaping from her mouth. "You're very handsome," she answered.

"You're generous with your words. I wouldn't consider myself anything exceptional," I admitted.

"You should. You're the talk of half the women on this side of the world. Your good looks put Boldova on the map. Maybe they'll help put Reyna on the map too," Aurora cooed.

I laughed, surprised by the concept. I didn't see myself that way at all. I knew that I had no trouble attracting the attention of the women I set my sights on, but I always chalk that up to the royal title. I assumed that was what was driving Aurora to say something like that.

Stopping in front of the door to Aurora's room, I let go of her hand, folding my hands in front of myself.

"I guess this is where I leave you for the evening," I said awkwardly. This was unfamiliar territory to me. I was used to flirting, to the silly games that men and women played with each other's hearts. But, my newfound committed relationship was strange and uncertain to me.

"I suppose so," Aurora said quietly.

I leaned in to give her a chaste kiss on the cheek. That seemed appropriate given the circumstances. She put a hand on her cheek, smiling up at me. A pink blush spread across her cheeks, and I could feel my own cheeks heating.

"Well, we'd better all be getting to bed then," Genevieve said from behind us.

I nearly jumped out of my skin. I'd forgotten she was there, keeping an ever-vigilant eye on all of us. She had a point, there was no use standing in this hallway for the next several hours just blushing back and forth at each other. It was embarrassing to consider.

"Of course," I agreed, nodding.

Aurora giggled and slipped inside her room, leaving me in the hall with Genevieve.

"Good night, prince," she said curtly.

Genevieve was the only woman I'd ever met who didn't fall all over herself in my presence. Whatever it was about me that made women blush and giggle, she didn't fall prey to it at all. She regarded me with a stone-faced expression from the moment I met her.

She was stunningly beautiful, fit, and had an air of mystery about her that had my attention. I wanted to know everything about her and I'd only met her today.

"Rowan, just Rowan," I reminded her, giving her my most charming smile.

She raised a contemptuous eyebrow, face otherwise unchanged. "Good night, Just Rowan."

I chuckled. It was the second time she'd called me that. I was starting to like the sound of it. Maybe I just liked the sound of my name on her tongue.

Giving her a small wave, I turned to go to my own room. Standing and flirting with a woman who was clearly uninterested in me would get me nowhere. I shouldn't have flirted with her at all, and I shouldn't have flirted with her before either. I couldn't exactly help myself, so going to bed would be the only good option.

I heard her door close as I continued to my room. I tried to push aside any thoughts of Genevieve. I was an engaged man. My hand was promised in marriage to a beautiful duchess, and that should be enough for me.

Why couldn't I be satisfied? Maybe greed was a family trait. Maybe, in the same way my parents were afflicted with a need for lavish things, I would never be satisfied with the woman I was with. I pushed the door to my room open, relieved to finally be in my own private space.

My parents had embarrassed me today, and they probably had no idea. They wouldn't care even if they knew. They were so busy being wrapped up in their own desires that they couldn't care less about what anyone else around them needed. Their behavior toward the press had been abhorrent, and I was dreading reading the headlines tomorrow morning. It was like they didn't understand that real people lived in our country, paying taxes that made our lifestyle possible.

Those citizens were starting to get restless.

It was clearer and clearer that the subjects of Boldova were expecting the royal family to do something to save our country. We were a forgotten island nation off the coast of much more popular and successful countries, which didn't need us to survive. We desperately needed something to make ourselves valuable to the world around us, but it seemed the majority of the world didn't even know we existed. So, we would have to come up with something to remedy that.

I had a feeling that tourism was our only hope. The king of Reyna seemed to have the same idea, and during the negotiations for this marriage, I had grown fond of his plan. He thought the wedding could be a major attraction, garnering attention from at least some international media. It would draw a wave of tourists for the occasion, hopefully introducing them to what a destination our islands truly were.

My parents weren't interested in that at all. They weren't interested in investing in the infrastructure, or the other things the island would need to prepare to have an actual steady stream of income. Instead, they wanted to throw lavish parties and buy expensive things that they would only use a couple of times before they tossed them aside.

Getting married would change all of that though. My father was sick of the throne and was ready to pass it on to me. Once I was married for a year I would be placed on the throne as king. I was already counting down the days to my coronation. I couldn't wait to take the reins from them, to stop them from embarrassing our entire country and neglecting our subjects.

I'd been so focused on becoming king and helping our people that I hadn't thought much about the subject of the wife that would help put me on the throne. Now that my fiancée was here, I would pay for my single-mindedness.

Aurora was beautiful. She seemed kind. I should be grateful that things had worked out the way they had. Someday, I was sure I would grow to love her. For now, though, I only felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. I had a habit of wasting my time away with any woman who caught my eye, and I was finding it a hard habit to break.

During the months leading up to Aurora's arrival, I did my best to stop my … socialization. And I did well for the most part. But I still struggled with the occasional slip-up.

Then came Genevieve.

I should be thankful she seemed so uninterested. She was of no risk to my marriage, and no risk to my faithfulness. As long as she was so obviously disgusted by me, I wasn't going to make any mistakes to jeopardize my future. It was a good thing.

But, then, why did it hurt to be rejected by her? Why did I find myself longing for her to even glance in my direction? I had known her for no more than a couple of hours, really, there was no need for me to be so invested in gaining her attention.

I didn't want to think about those things anymore. I had enough of worrying over my kingdom, my future marriage, and my own feelings for the evening. When I was a younger man, I might have considered drowning my worries in whiskey, but those days were long past.

Instead, I stripped down and started up a cool shower. The summer heat seemed to find me even in this palace, and I was suddenly feeling too warm. I let the water wash over me, imagining the streams of water washing away every guilty thought I'd ever had. I had a mission. I would bring life back to this kingdom. I would help my people find fortune again.

After my shower, I climbed into bed. I flipped on the television and found something mindless to distract me. I had a busy day tomorrow, a beach date with Aurora was on the agenda. I needed to be at my best. I wanted to charm her, to impress her, to make her feel welcome. And I hoped that I would be able to open myself to the possibility of falling in love with her. That should be easy.

But as I drifted to sleep that night, all my dreams were of Genevieve.