Arranged

7

I woke up and looked around the room. Edric was still passed out on the bed. We were alone though I could sense at least one guard outside of the door.

A switch flipped in me and I marched over to the bed. He was still dressed from the wedding though his shirt and tie were both loose. His hair was slightly askew and I wondered how it managed to stay so well groomed.

I shook his shoe to try to wake him up. Didn't move an inch.

I slapped the side of his shoe.

"Edric!" I hissed. "Wake up."

He jumped slightly and searched for the source of my voice. His eyes settled on me and he rubbed his face.

"What?" He demanded.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I shot back.

"Excuse me?"

He threw his long legs over the side of the bed, forcing me to step back. Edric rose to his full, impressive height and slipped out of his jacket.

"You can't ditch me to go get hammered."

"Stop talking," he mumbled and rubbed his face again, his hands running through his once tamed hair.

"No," I stated. "Being married to you gives me zero security. You know damn well I have to have your kid and I can't do that if you're out drinking every night."

His hands dropped to his side as a look of revulsion crossed his face. "You expect me to have sex with you? Are you out of your fucking mind?"

I had never felt lower than in that moment. The last few days had been overwhelming and emotional, but I refused to cry in front of him. It wasn't going to happen.

"That's exactly what I expect."

"You are a — "

"Child? Stop saying that. I think I made a pretty adult decision marrying you."

"Regardless. You are the last person in the world I want to have sex with. It would be best to get that through your thick fucking skull now."

He swiftly passed me and went into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

The familiar sting of tears in my eyes was nothing compared to the realization I was completely fucked and not in the way I needed. I was going to live a sexless life and be forever blamed for not producing an heir. I was bound to be replaced in the next few years if I didn't have royal kid. I didn't know what would happen to me; I feared the unknown.

I wiped my cheeks and took a breath before I went to the bedroom door. If he wasn't going to have sex with me, I wasn't going to pretend. I was going to make it glaringly obvious that my reproductive organs were not the issue.

Alexei stood outside of the door. The question lingered in his eyes, but I wasn't offering up any answers. I stalked by him in the direction of my bedroom.

"Your Highness?" Alexei questioned.

"What," I tossed over my shoulder, my tone sharper than I intended.

"Our instructions were to keep you in your bedroom."

"Good thing I'm going to my bedroom then. And since you're such great friends with the prince, you can tell him where to find me when he grows the fuck up."

I slammed my bedroom door shut and slid my back down.

I didn't know what to do.

I was scared and alone and the one person that could help me was dead. Just when I thought I was beyond my father's death, it hit me again with a vengeance.