Page 22 of Royally Matched

“As I said,” Father snaps.

Marco gawks at me. “You can’t possibly agree to this, Enzo!” Marco exclaims before catching himself and adding, “I do apologize, Your Royal, err, Kingship. It’s just… shouldn’t Enzowantto marry your daughter? And for her part,” his gaze flicks to me. “Shouldn’t the princess be in love with the person she marries, too?”

“This isn’t about love, young man. It’s about forming an alliance, a partnership. Love may come further down the line,” Father replies curtly.

Marco guffaws. “Enzo? Surely you want to love the person you marry!” He turns back to me. “Princess Sofia?” Marco’s head is bouncing between us, like he’s watching a tennis match.

I open my mouth, but no words come. He’s looking at me far too intently, his stark turquoise eyes like lasers, cutting through my layers, like they could see into my very soul.

I give an involuntary shiver.

“I don’t recall asking for your secretary’s opinion in this matter, Lord Strozzi,” Father says pointedly, saving me from having to reply.

Not that I could reply right now. It’s all rather a lot.

“Marco,” Enzo warns.

Marco blows out a breath, raising his hands in surrender. “I’m just saying I know I wouldn’t want an arranged marriage, and I wouldn’t have expected my brother would, either.”

Enzo raises his hand to silence his brother, who quite frankly, needs to be silenced. No one asked for his opinion, and nor do I want to hear it.

“I would like a moment, sir,” Enzo replies as Marco gapes at him.

“Take all the time you need,” Father says.

I chew on my lip, my nerves clanging. Will Enzo accept Father’s proposal? Or will this whole thing come crashing down around my ears in a deeply mortifying way?

And what’s more, who does Marco think he is butting in on something that doesn’t concern him? Isn’t he here simply as his brother’s personal secretary? That would mean Enzo calls the shots,notMarco.

And the fact I can barely look at him without utterly inappropriate feelings zinging around me has got absolutely nothing to do with anything whatsoever. Nothing at all.

“To clarify, we are agreeing to a get-to-know-you trial period, and if that is satisfactory to both parties, we will become engaged at some point in the future?” Enzo asks.

“Correct,” Father replies.

“But we’re not in an official relationship now?” he asks.

If I had been asked this question before the ball, I would have responded that there’s no point in waiting.That we should become engaged as soon as Father’s “getting to know one another” idea is over. But then I met Marco, and things changed. I never expected to feel drawn to a man as easily as I find I’m drawn to him, which rather creates a kink in the plan. But it’s a kink I’m certain I can smooth out without too much bother. I just need these silly feelings to fade, and then we’ll be right back on track where we should be.

“What do you think, Father?” I ask.

“If you both agree to it after a month, we will announce the engagement then,” he says. “This may be an arranged marriage, but we want it to be a successful one. My daughter feels you are the right match for her, Lord Strozzi, but let’s give it a little bit of time.”

Enzo pinches his lips, his moustache twitching. I’m on the edge of my seat. Will he agree to this frankly unusual proposal? Will he see that he and I are perfectly matched the way I do?

Eventually, after what feels like a lifetime, Enzo clears his throat. “I can’t say I wasn’t expecting this, sir, what with the Husband Hunting Ball I attended last week.”

I bristle at the name.

“That is not to say it isn’t a welcome opportunity, one which I believe could benefit both the princess and myself in equal measure. I have always been a firm believer in doing what is sensible and what is right, and this idea certainly appears to combine both attributes in a somewhat desirable package.”

I blink at him. Was that a yes? And, more importantly, is he referring to me as a “desirable package?” Because surely that’s a touch offensive. Isn’t it?

Father appears equally confused, as well as irked. “Are you telling me you will get to know my daughter with a view to becoming engaged in a month or not, Strozzi?”

I hold my breath. This is it. This is the moment I’ve been waiting for, the moment in which I find out whether the man who checks more boxes on my spreadsheet than anyone else, the man who my father approves of, will say yes.

The edges of Enzo’s mustache curve upward as his eyes alight on me. “I do believe we have an understanding, sir.”