His fickle heart might be his greatest flaw. It was no secret that the heir dallied with women who were born into the high society. The power and the good looks that he inherited from his bloodline made him the object of desire for many. Ever the person who would not waste an opportunity, the prince quickly learned of the effect he had to the opposite sex, therefore exploiting it to his gain. Soon, snapping a photo of him with a new woman hanging on his arm became a sport for the paparazzi. Needless to say, Luke was not content to stick with one woman, he did not believe in hailing a single individual as the queen of his life. Love was a senseless lie propagated by the media. 

He felt it when her hand clasped his, linking her fingers with his, quietly giving into the demand that was masked as a request. Deep inside, he was happy to have won that battle. It was a victory for him to have been able to stop the princess elect from running to Tobias for rescue. Much as he would like to deny it, but the ugly monster called jealousy taunted him every time his fiancee and his cousin would spend time together. The emotion was neither logical nor beneficial, Luke knew that, but it was real. It was yet again another product of his fickle heart. 

“No man is that friendly to a woman,” he murmured against her hair. His voice was soft like a gentle breeze on a summer day. “Take it from someone who knows how men approach women – from a certified player.” There was a hint of humor in his voice, as if he had accepted the portrait of him that the media had painted to entertain the whole kingdom. To be honest, it did not bother him the slightest, because it was true. He had broken hearts, played with emotions, left them hoping for something more than a casual encounter. He had caused the queen a great deal of trouble because of the alleged scandals and rumors about his behavior that was unbecoming of a future king. 

Sophia Keller had known Luke for years. She was an acquaintance casually introduced to him by a common friend at an awarding ceremony. Perhaps his stature drew her to him, or maybe it was his charms, but the actress was quickly promoted from being and acquaintance to a rumored lover. Of course, Luke would not be Luke if he would stick to just one woman. There were others in between, when he was not too preoccupied with work or when Sophia had other things to do. What’s unique with the odd relationship between the two was that they always find their way back to each other. But was he in love with her? Once upon a time, he thought he was.

Then he met Rhiane. “You should confide in Lia and Octavia instead. You women have your own language, therefore it’s not wrong to assume that they will understand you better.” He paused, stifling a yawn. She could not see his face, but the sluggish speech must have hinted that his eyes were closed, and he was fighting with all that he had against the effects of the sedative. “Don’t be thick-headed. Tobias doesn’t look at you the way he looks at me or Lia or Octavia, Rhiane.” 

His breathing had quieted down. He was no longer taking quick gasps of air, while being unable to breathe deeply, thanks to the painkillers. It allowed him to sleep on is back and for a while forget that he was injured. It made him comfortable enough as he leaned his weight against her and used the back of her head as his pillow. The next sound that escaped his lips were a jumble of murmured syllables. He was trying to tell her something else, but perhaps the realm of dreams had won the tug-of-war.