Chapter 1

1

“Leonardo, be reasonable.”

Leonardo Emerson Winthrope, the Crown Prince of Gefrington, resisted the temptation to roll his eyes athis mother, Evelynne Margaretta Winthrope, who was the Queen Regnant of Gefrington. “Mother, Elaine and I have just finalized our divorce not long ago. She may be preparing herself to get married to her new husband in the next two months, but I’m not in a hurry to tie myself down. Again.”

He sighed when his father, Emerson Jasper Winthrope née Redmond, Prince Consort of Gefrington, cleared his throat to get his attention. “Leonardo, your mother and I aren’t getting any younger, and neitherare you.”

“I’m thirty-three, Father,” he reminded his father while suppressing the overwhelming desire to snort out loud as they sat around the dining table. He ignored the multiple desserts in front of him. He wasn’t that hungry anyway. “I’m not that old.”

“Leo, a word if I may?”

He turned toward his younger brother, thirty-one-year-old Isaac Hunter Winthrope, and nodded. “Go ahead.”

“You know as well as the rest of us that you can’t ascend the throne without a spouse. It’s an archaiclaw, but it stands as long as the peerage agrees to it. Father is fifty-eight, and Mother is fifty-six this year. While they aren’t ancient by any standards, the plan for your coronation has been set in motion for a while now.”

“But—”

“Leonardo,” his mother interrupted him, which effectively shut him up. “I won’t be abdicating this year or next, but I do hope to step down by my sixty-fifth birthday. You father and I want to spend more time with Jacqueline and Alexander instead of filling our time with various engagements related to the monarchy.”

He glanced at his five-year-old twins, Jacqueline Evelynne Winthrope and Alexander Leonardo Winthrope, who were now staring back at him. He understood his parents loved his children very much, and he was aware of how protective they were toward the twins, especially after the scandal that rocked the House of Winthrope due to Elaine’s indiscretion with a Hollywood movie director. The whole situation was blown out of proportions for multiple reasons. Not only was Elaine the wife of the future King of Gefrington and the mother of the future Queen of Gefrington, she was also the daughter of a Baron. Moreover, she cheated on him with a famous director, which guaranteed front page news all by itself.

The media had hounded him and his twins for months after the news broke about Elaine being caught on camera when she exited from the hotel in the early morning hours in the arms of a then-unknown man. In light of Elaine’s infidelity, the divorce procedure was expedited, and Elaine lost everything, including the title and wealth bestowed upon her when the two of them got married to each other six years ago. Elaine was also disallowed from meeting up with the twins in private until they reached eighteen years of age. In addition, her parents were so ashamed of her extramarital affair, they disinherited her. She was, for all purposes and intents, nothing more than a commoner now.

However, he was simultaneously angered and heartbroken on behalf of the twins when Elaine didn’t even bother to contest her visitation rights to her children. Instead, she simply packed up her personal belongings and turned her back on the children before leaving the palace for good less than a year ago. Now, she was about to get married to the man she had committed adultery with. He had informed the twins about their mother’s upcoming wedding, but he had no idea if they could comprehend him completely. He didn’t know if he should be relieved or concerned that they didn’t seem to care about her or her upcoming nuptials. Besides, he had other issues to contend with, such as his impending coronation to become the next ruling monarch of Gefrington.

“The monarchy is willing to accept your next spouse even if it is a man.” His father’s declaration startled him out of his reverie. “The recent poll also shows the majority of the citizens of Gefrington are much more open to the possibility you may someday marry a man instead of a woman.”

He gazed at his parents and younger brother. “I know. I read the news online. It was also broadcast on several TV channels.”

“What’s holding you back?”

He couldn’t respond to his mother’s question. At least not in front of his twins. After all, he had some pent-up anger related to Elaine, and he didn’t want to lash out about his ex-wife and the mother of his children in front of Jacqueline and Alexander. “I’m simply not ready.”

His mother gave a gentle nod. “I hope you will consider the future carefully. After all, you’re next in line to the throne.”

He was irritated at being reminded of his role. It wasn’t as if he could ever forget about who he was and who he would be, not when he lived in the palace and had the servants and guards at his beck and call. He bit his lower lip, which was a horrible and unseemly habit for a royal member of Gefrington, but he couldn’t be bothered with protocols at the moment. It wasn’t as if he was out in the public’s eyes at the moment. After a moment, he turned to his mother and nodded. “I will.”

He heaved out a sigh of relief when his parents shifted their attention toward Isaac, who was currently dating Vivian Cathleen Wells. It might be selfish of him, but he wished Isaac would hurry and wed Vivian, who was one of the daughters of a Viscount from another European royalty. After all, Isaac and Vivian had been together for nearly three years. Most importantly, his brother’s potential wedding would divert the media’s attention away from him and his twins. Granted, the public was much more fascinated with him since he was the next ruler after his mother abdicated the throne, but a royal wedding would take some heat off of him. He desperately needed a break from the paparazzi at the moment.Any temporary respite would be a blessing for sure.