Page 53 of Royally Matched

“Do you think you could repeat it? I want to make sure I’ve got it straight,” I say. Yes, that’s good. I’m double checking. Nothing more.

His lips tilt upward in a smile. “Of course.”

“To the Seeker of Truth.

Seek the wisdom in an ancient book.

Beneath the throne, where shadows lie,

History’s secrets quietly sigh.

Trust the clues and use your mind,

The rightful ruler you shall find.”

I pull my eyebrows together. “I wasn't expecting that.”

“It's a little left field, that's for sure.”

“What do you think it means? If it’s questioning who the rightful ruler is, then that’s questioning my parents, which is odd, to say the least. Possibly treasonous.”

“Will you be cutting off a lot of heads now, do you think?” He throws me his smile that does nothing for my state of equilibrium.

“We haven’t gone in for that for quite a while now,” I reply.

“That's good to know.” His face lifts into that smile again. “I had wondered if it was from a pro-republic supporter. Someone trying to get at the royal family through me, but why someone would want to pull a prank to do with your family onme, I don’t know.”

I shrug, at a loss. “There are a lot of people out there with strange ideas, and being associated with the royal family makes you a target. You’ll get used to it over time.”

“But I’m not associated with your family. Enzo is.”

“Clearly, someone sees it differently.”

I don’t meet his gaze.

He folds the paper and stuffs it into his back pocket. “Well, I thought I’d show it to you anyway. I figured you might be interested in the whole righteous ruler thing, but I’ll file it under ‘Crazies.’”

“On that note, I must go. Thank you so much for showing me your project.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” He pauses before he adds in that voice of his, “Sofia.”

Instantly, my belly does a flip.

Why did I ask him to use my name?

He walks me back to my car, helps me over the rough terrain, and I offer him a brief wave as George pulls the car into the street, heading back to the palace. I sink into the soft black leather of my seat, wishing all the feelings he elicits in me would float out the window.

There are so many reasons not to have feelings for a man like Marco, I don’t even know where to start. I do a quick mental tally to show myself how very wrong for me he is:

He’s Enzo’s brother, and Enzo is my rational, logical choice as a future partner.

He’s my complete opposite and totally wrong for me.