Page 49 of A Royal Obligation
Liam scoffed. “They are only a twenty-seven percent match.”
“But Lydia’s obviously the one that he’s in love with. Love should win in the end. It’s not just about compatibility.”
“It’s comical how much stock you put into people finding love when you don’t get to choose a wife based on love yourself.”
“That doesn’t mean I can’t root for other people to find theirs. It’s always apparent who they love the most on these shows.” Barrett waved off Liam’s comment.
“The episode is starting.” Their father quieted them.
Barrett glanced at his father out of the corner of his eye. He took in his posture and features, searching to see if his illness was revealing itself any more today. The king looked more fatigued than in weeks past, but otherwise his features hadn’t changed. But Barrett wondered if there were things their dad was hiding from them. Internal symptoms he didn’t want to worry them with.
“Have you spoken with Doctor West yet?” Barrett whispered to his father.
The king paused the show with a sigh. “I did speak with him briefly. I would need to travel to a hospital in Findorra to pursue further testing. I appreciate you both looking out for me, but my body is tired. I’m not going to travel to Findorra to find out what I already know; my body is failing. I would rather spend any time I have left here with both of you. My decision is final.”
Barrett's throat thickened as he pushed down the tears that burned the back of his eyes. He didn’t respond out of fear his voice would crack and show his cards.
Liam’s eyes looked everywhere but at both of them. “Okay,” he responded quietly.
Their father played the show again.
Barrett turned his attention back to the television, trying to ease his sadness with the drama of the reality show.
A few minutes into the show, female voices sounded at the door.
“Are you all watchingThe Perfect Match?” Charlotte gasped.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jules
“Yes,we’rewatchingThe Perfect Match,” Barrett admitted with a heavy tone she couldn’t quite interpret.
“Do you mind if we watch it with you? Jules and I talk about it each week,” Charlotte exclaimed.
“This is our guys' night. We don’t invite anyone else to watch it with us. You might ruin it,” Liam said.
Barrett nudged his brother in the ribs and Jules stifled a laugh.
“Okay, fine. We’ll have a girls' night then and watch it ourselves. Goodnight, gentlemen.” Jules looped her arm through Charlotte’s and led her down to the kitchen.
“You do know this isn’t the way to my room?”
Jules stopped in front of the fridge. “If we’re going to have a girls' night, we need to do it all the way.” She pulled out a pint of cinnamon ice cream for herself. “Pick your poison.”
Charlotte grabbed a pint of double fudge brownie while Jules got two spoons. The women giggled as they jogged up to Charlotte’s room. They both jumped onto Charlotte’s bed in a fit of laughter.
“Quick, turn it on.”
Jules grabbed the remote from the end table on her side of the bed and foundThe Perfect Matchon the guide. She quickly selected it, and they leaned back on the pillows, each taking a spoon and diving into their ice cream.
“We’re both still Team Lydia, right?” Jules asked.
“Always. They may not be the perfect match for each other on paper, but he loves her. They’re adorable together,” Charlotte gushed.
“Remember when he took her on the date to a castle and they dressed up like Cinderella and Prince Charming? And they ate their dinner under fireworks? It was so romantic.”
Charlotte grabbed Jules’s arm. “Oh. My. Gosh. That was utter perfection. I knew from that moment on that I was Team Lydia.” She got quiet, looking at Jules with a vulnerable look in her eyes. “Do you think I’ll be able to find a love like that?”