You are being provided with a book chapter by chapter. I will request you to read the book for me after each chapter. After reading the chapter, 1. shorten the chapter to no less than 300 words and no more than 400 words. 2. Do not change the name, address, or any important nouns in the chapter. 3. Do not translate the original language. 4. Keep the same style as the original chapter, keep it consistent throughout the chapter. Your reply must comply with all four requirements, or it’s invalid.
I will provide the chapter now.

48
BRIDGET
FOR THE NEXT MONTH, I LAUNCHED INTO CAMPAIGN MODE TO WOO, OR
threaten, enough ministers into voting yes on a repeal. Some were an
easy sell, others not so much. But one hundred phone calls, eleven
in-person visits, twenty-three media interviews, and countless public
appearances—both scheduled and “candid”—of me and Rhys later,
the big day finally arrived.
Rhys and I sat in my suite, watching the vote play out on TV. I’d
stress-ate my way through two packs of Oreos while he sat next to
me, his face impassive but his body vibrating with the same restless
energy tunneling through my veins.
The current vote count: ninety yay, thirty nay, and two absten-
tions, with fifty-eight more votes to go. We needed one hundred thir-
ty-five yays for a repeal. It looked good, but I wasn’t counting my
chickens until they hatched.
“Lady Jensen.” Erhall’s sour voice rang through the mahogany-
paneled chamber on-screen.
“Yay.”
“Lord Orskov.”
“Yay.”
I squeezed Rhys’s hand, my heart thumping. I’d slotted Orskov
into the maybe column, so his vote was a big win.
“They’ll pass it.” Rhys’s quiet confidence soothed the frayed
edges of my nerves. “If they don’t, we have our backup plan.”
“Which is?”
“Burn down Parliament.”
I huffed out a laugh. “How’s that supposed to help?”
“I don’t know, but it’d be damn satisfying.”
Another laugh, another easing of nerves.
Fifty-seven down. Fifty-six. Fifty-five.
The vote continued until only two ministers were left and we
were one yay short of a repeal. If either of them voted yes, we were
home free.
I squeezed Rhys’s hand again as Erhall called on the next
minister.
“Lord Koppel.”
“Nay.”
I deflated while Rhys let out a stream of curses. I hadn’t expected
Koppel to vote yes, but it was disappointing nonetheless.
Regret rose in my throat. I should’ve dug out the blackmail file
on Koppel. I’d tried to keep my campaign aboveboard, never out-
right threatening any of the ministers except Erhall, but perhaps I’d
miscalculated. I wouldn’t be the first person in history who’d gotten
screwed over by their conscience.
You did what was right.
The hairs on the back of my neck prickled. I straightened and
looked around my suite, but it was empty save for Rhys and me.
Still, I could’ve sworn I heard a soft female voice whisper to me…a
voice that sounded suspiciously like my mother’s, based on the old
tapes I’d watched of her.
This is what I get for staying up late. I’d been too wired to sleep
much last night, and I was clearly delirious from exhaustion.
On-screen, a smug smile slashed across Erhall’s face, and I could
tell he was praying for the repeal to fail. He’d opened the motion as
promised, but his glee had been visible every time someone voted
nay.
“Lady Dahl.”
I gnawed on my bottom lip.
Dahl was the last minister left. She had one of the most unpre-
dictable voting records in Parliament, and she could go either way.
None of my calls to her had yielded anything more than a polite
Thank you, Your Highness. I’ll think about it.
The restless energy emanating from Rhys tripled until it was near
audible in the thick silence of my suite. The Oreos sloshed in my
stomach, and I wished I hadn’t binged on so much sugar in such a
short time.
Dahl opened her mouth, and I squeezed my eyes shut, unable to
watch the moment that would change my life—for better or for
worse.
Please, please, please…
“Yay.”
Yay. It took a minute for my brain to process that one word.
When it did, my eyes flew open in time to see an irritated-looking
Erhall say, “With a final vote count of one hundred thirty-five yay,
forty nays, and five abstentions, Parliament officially declares the
Royal Marriages Law of 1723 repealed. The chamber…”
I tuned out the rest of what he said. I was too buzzed, my skin
racing with tingles of electricity and my head dizzy with disbelief.
My stunned gaze met Rhys. “Did that really happen?”
His eyes crinkled into a small smile. “Yeah, princess, it did.”
Fierce pride and relief lined his face.
“We did it.” I couldn’t wrap my head around it. The law had
been the bane of my existence since I became crown princess, and
now, it was gone. I could marry whomever I wanted without giving
up the throne. I could marry Rhys.
The import of what happened fully sank in.
“We did it!” I squealed and flung myself into a laughing Rhys’s
arms. Everything went blurry, and I realized I was crying, but I
didn’t care.
So many months of agonizing over the law, so many early morn-
ings and late nights and conversations that made me want to tear my
hair out…all worth it, because we did it.
I’m proud of you, honey. The soft female voice returned, and emo-
tion welled in my throat.
It didn’t matter whether the voice was real or a figment of my
imagination. All that mattered was it was there, closer than it’d ever
been.
Thanks, Mom. I’m proud of me, too.
Rhys, my grandfather, and Nikolai had all reassured me I could
do my job as queen, but I hadn’t quite believed them until now. My
first real victory in Parliament. I hoped my relationship with the
ministers would be more cooperative than combative, but I wasn’t
naïve enough to think it’d be smooth sailing from here on out.
There’d be plenty of uphill battles to come, but if I won once, I could
win again.
Rhys captured my mouth in a deep, tender kiss. “You did it. I’m
just along for the ride.”
“Not true.” I snuggled closer to him, so euphoric I would’ve
floated right off the ground had he not secured his arms around my
waist. “You were there for everything, too.”
The interviews, the meetings, the public appearances. All of it.
A deep sound rumbled in Rhys’s chest. “Looks like you’re stuck
with me, princess.” He grazed his knuckles over my spine.
“Should’ve thought this through.”
“Am I?” I adopted a thoughtful expression. “I could always
break up with you and date someone else. There’s a movie star I’ve
always—” I squealed again when he stood and tossed me over his
shoulder.
“Rhys, put me down.” I was smiling so big my cheeks hurt. “I
have calls to answer.” I waved my hand in the general direction of
my phone, which had been vibrating with new messages and calls
since the vote concluded.
“Later.” Rhys’s palm landed with a hard smack on my ass, and I
yelped even as heat seared through me at the impact. “I need to
teach you a lesson about joking with me. Especially about other
men.”
Was it wrong my panties dampened at the way his voice lowered
into a possessive growl? Perhaps. But I couldn’t bring myself to care
as he kicked the door to my bedroom fully open and tossed me on
the bed.
“What kind of lesson?” I was already so wet my thighs were
sticky with my arousal, and Rhys’s dark smile only made me wetter.
“Get on your hands and knees,” he said, ignoring my question.
“And face the headboard.”
I complied, and my heart crashed against my ribcage when the
bed dipped beneath Rhys’s weight. He yanked my skirt up with one
hand and my panties down with the other, the movement so forceful
I heard the unmistakable rip of silk tearing.
I needed to set aside a monthly budget to replace all the under-
wear he’d ruined, but I wasn’t complaining.
“We’ll celebrate the vote later.” Rhys dragged his finger through
my slickness and over my sensitized clit, and a tiny whimper es-
caped my mouth. “But for now, let’s see if you still think you’re fun-
ny after I’m done with you.”