Chapter Two Hundred-Three
Keira adjusted the screen on her laptop, grateful for a moment of privacy in her suite. Her fingers traced the sapphire ring on her hand as she waited for her sisters to answer her call. So much had happened in just a few days.
When Blair and Sutton's faces appeared on screen, splitting her monitor in half, Keira felt a rush of homesickness and the need for her sisters.
"There she is!" Blair exclaimed, her face lighting up. "The future princess herself!"
"I always said you were a princess… this now proves it." Added Sutton.
Blair laughed.
"Don't start," Keira groaned, but couldn't help smiling. "It's been totally crazy. I feel like I should pinch myself."
Sutton leaned closer to her camera. "Show us the ring. The photos online are blurry."
Keira held up her hand, the sapphire catching the light. "It was his grandmother's."
"It's gorgeous," Blair breathed. "And the blue matches your eyes." They all had the same eye color, cornflower blue.
"Okay, spill everything," Sutton demanded. "And why didn't you tell us he was going to propose?"
Keira had let her sisters know in a message before the video call that Alexei had proposed for real and told her he loved her. They had demanded the video call for all the details.
"Because I didn't know," Keira admitted, settling more comfortably against her pillows. "The engagement announcement was planned, but the actual proposal on the terrace was completely unexpected. He knelt down and everything. We told each other how we felt."
"Prince Charming after all," Blair teased.
"Hardly," Keira rolled her eyes. "But it was... perfect somehow. Private, just the two of us away from all the cameras."
"And you're happy?" Sutton asked, her expression growing serious. "This is all happening so fast."
Keira's fingers played with her ring. "I am. It's crazy and overwhelming, but when I'm with Alexei, life is more interesting. And really you two are the last to talk about everything happening fast."
"What about the media coverage?" Blair asked gently. "We've seen some of the headlines."
Keira's smile faded. "It's brutal. They're calling me everything from a gold-digger to a social climber who trapped him during the kidnapping."
"That's ridiculous," Sutton said firmly. "Anyone who knows you would know that's not true."
"That's the problem… no one here knows me," Keira replied. "I'm starting a charity tour tomorrow. Reading to children, meeting with designers who might work with Warner's Industries, charity appearances."
"The full royal makeover," Blair observed.
"Pretty much. Amelia's been amazing through it all," Keira said. "She understands because she went through something similar when she married Niko. Not as brutal or harsh."
"Speaking of royals, how are you getting along with the rest of the family?" Sutton asked.
Keira laughed. "The King is... intimidating but sometimes not. Niko and Amelia are lovely. And then there's Maria."
"She is still a problem?" Blair's eyes narrowed.
Keira explained. "She's been less than welcoming. Actually, she called me a common gold-digger to my face to name one of the insults. I told you some of it. But yesterday morning I got her to confess in front of Alexei."
"Do you need me to find any dirt on her?" Sutton's protective instincts flared visibly.
"Don't worry, I handled her," Keira assured them. "Told her to keep her hands off my man."
Both sisters burst out laughing.
"That's our Keira," Blair said proudly. "Taking no prisoners."
"Have you thought about when you'll be home?" Sutton asked. "Miles is missing his auntie, Keira."
A lump formed in Keira's throat. "I miss you guys so much. We haven't set a date yet, but I'm hoping to bring Alexei back to New York soon. Before the wedding."
"Wedding," Blair repeated, shaking her head in wonder. "My little sister is marrying a prince."
"Trust me, I'm still processing that part myself," Keira admitted. "I'm not sure how long it takes to plan a frigging royal wedding."
"Do you have to curtsy to the King?" Sutton asked, clearly curious.
"Yes, but not all the time and bow my head when entering a room after him," Keira rolled her eyes. "There's a whole truckload of things I have to learn."
The balcony doors slid open with a soft whisper of sound, startling Keira from her video call with her sisters for a second. She turned to see Alexei stepping through. Her heartbeat quickened instinctively at the sight of him, but she kept her conversation going as if nothing had changed. She wanted him to see how close she was to her sisters.
"I think it’s like being at a really strict private school," she continued to her sisters, watching Alexei from the corner of her eye as he moved silently into the room. "I'm sure I'll get the hang of it very soon. I'm a fast learner."
Alexei smirked at that, closing the balcony doors behind him. Rather than interrupting, he simply moved to her bed and stretched out beside her, careful to stay out of the camera's view. Keira forced herself to focus harder on her sisters, trying to cover how distracting his presence was.
"Just remember to wear comfortable shoes," Sutton advised through the screen. "If you're going to be on your feet all day at these charity events, your feet will be killing you in those designer torture devices they keep putting the royal brides in."
"Trust me, I plan on being smart about this." Keira replied, trying to focus on her sisters while Alexei's fingers traced idle patterns on her calf. "I'll start keeping flats in my purse for emergencies."
"Smart girl," Blair laughed. "So, when's the next big royal thing you have to attend?"
Keira shifted slightly as Alexei's hand moved higher up her leg, his touch feather-light but unmistakably deliberate. "I have about four things on my calendar just for this week. I have a whole team that manages it for me."
Alexei lay down beside her, his body a warm presence that made it increasingly difficult to concentrate. His hand settled on her thigh, just below the hem of her shorts, his thumb tracing circles on her bare skin.
"Keira? Are you okay?" Blair asked, peering at the screen. "You look flushed."
"Fine," Keira managed, shooting a warning glance at Alexei, who merely gave her an innocent look that didn't match the mischief in his eyes. "Just a little warm in here."
Alexei's hand slid higher, disappearing beneath her shorts. Heat pooled in her belly as his fingers traced the edge of her panties, just barely touching where she was already growing wet. She shifted, trying to move away without being obvious, but he followed, his touch more insistent now. She felt like kicking him.
"Sutton was just asking about the wedding date," Blair prompted when Keira fell silent for too long.
"Right," she cleared her throat. "We haven't set one yet. Alexei and I haven't even talked about it."
Alexei removed his hand from Keira's shorts but stayed close beside her on the bed, clearly enjoying her discomfort. She tried to focus on the conversation with her sisters, though her body hummed with awareness of his presence.
"We're thinking early spring," Alexei called out, leaning into frame and waving at her sisters. "Wystovia is beautiful then. The palace gardens are full of blossoms."
Blair and Sutton's eyes widened at his sudden appearance.
"Prince Alexei," Blair recovered first, smiling warmly. "It's nice to finally meet you, even virtually."
"Please, just Alexei," he replied, settling more comfortably beside Keira. "I've heard so much about both of you."
"All terrible things, I'm sure," Sutton quipped, studying him with undisguised curiosity.
"On the contrary," Alexei smiled, his arm slipping around Keira's shoulders. "Though she didn't mention how much you all look alike."
Keira rolled her eyes. "Don't charm them, they're immune."
"We're really not," Blair laughed. "But we are protective. Especially after everything our family's been through."
Alexei's expression turned serious. "I understand that. And I promise you, I'll take good care of her."
"She doesn't need taking care of," Sutton pointed out. "Keira takes care of herself."
"Trust me, I'm well aware," Alexei grinned, squeezing Keira's shoulder. "It's one of the things I love most about her."
Keira felt her cheeks warm at the casual way he expressed his feelings, especially in front of her sisters. She hadn't expected him to be so open.
"Spring wedding sounds lovely," Blair said, gracefully changing the subject. "Will we need to learn any special Wystovian customs?"
"Just don't wear white," Alexei joked. "That's reserved for the bride."
The conversation flowed easily after that, with Alexei fielding questions about the palace, the wedding traditions, and his family with charm and humor. Keira watched him interact with her sisters, feeling a strange mix of pride and relief at how naturally they seemed to get along.
When they finally said their goodbyes, promising another call soon, Keira closed her laptop and turned to Alexei.
"That went well," she said, unable to keep the surprise from her voice.
"Did you think it wouldn't?" he asked, pulling her closer.
"I thought you'd be more... I don't know, formal with them."
"They're your family, Keira," he said simply. "That makes them important to me too."