The marriage contract was sixty-three pages of legal Arabic and English, spread across Khalid's desk like a map of everything that could go wrong. His lawyer, a sharp-eyed man named Rashid, pointed to clause after clause while Faisal sat across from them, watching.
"Standard provisions for royal marriages," Rashid explained. "Financial arrangements, property rights, succession protocols. But there are some unusual additions."
"Such as?" Khalid scanned the document.
"Clause seventeen. Mental competence requirements. The marriage can be annulled if either party is deemed mentally unfit by a panel of three physicians."
Khalid looked up sharply. "That's not standard."
"Prince Faisal requested it," Rashid said carefully.
Khalid turned to his uncle. "Why?"
"Protection. The woman comes from a criminal family. We need assurances that she's stable and competent, not a liability." Faisal's tone was matter-of-fact. "It's simple risk management."
"It's insulting."
"It's practical. The clause applies to both parties. If you become incapacitated, she has the same protection."
Khalid read the clause again. It was technically balanced, but the implication was clear: Faisal wanted a legal mechanism to remove Lucia if she became inconvenient. Three doctors could be bought, pressured, or simply ordered to declare her unfit.
Mental competence. Such a clean way to destroy someone.
"I want this removed," Khalid said.
"Absolutely not. This is non-negotiable." Faisal leaned forward. "Khalid, why are you so concerned about protecting this woman's interests? She's a business arrangement."
"She's going to be my wife. That deserves basic dignity."
"Dignity?" Faisal's expression hardened. "You're already protecting her. This is exactly what I warned you about. Don't start caring about a weapon. That's how you get cut."
Khalid met his uncle's gaze steadily. "Remove the clause, or I'll recommend alternative contract terms that Her Highness Princess Amira helped me draft. Terms that might raise questions about why you're so interested in declaring my future wife mentally incompetent."
The room went silent. Rashid suddenly became very interested in his papers. Faisal's expression was stone.
"You're making a mistake," Faisal finally said.
"Then it's my mistake to make."
After a long moment, Faisal nodded to Rashid. "Remove clause seventeen."
That evening, Khalid called Lucia's private number. She answered on the second ring.
"I received the contract," she said without preamble. "Sixty-three pages. Your lawyers are thorough."
"Too thorough?"
"Actually, surprisingly reasonable. Separate finances, property rights, and autonomy clauses. Better than I expected." She paused. "But there was something odd. Clause seventeen is about mental competence. Why was that there?"
"It's been removed. You'll receive the revised version tomorrow."
"You removed it? Why?"
"Because it was insulting. And because I don't like being told how to treat my wife." Khalid heard her sharp intake of breath. "Lucia, if we're doing this, we do it with actual respect. Not legal weapons disguised as protection."
"Your uncle wanted that clause."
"How did you know?"
"Because it's exactly what someone like Faisal would want. A way to remove me if I become inconvenient." Her voice was calm and analytical. "Thank you for removing it."
"You would've noticed anyway."
"Yes. But you removed it before I had to fight about it. That means something."
They were quiet for a moment. Then Lucia said, "The contract says six months before consummation. Old-fashioned."
"Or strategic. Gives us time to decide if we can actually stand each other." Khalid leaned back in his chair. "No one benefits if we're miserable from day one."
"Spoken like someone who's thought this through."
"I've thought about little else." He hesitated, then asked, "Why would you negotiate for my financial independence? You could control everything."
"Because I'm not interested in controlling you. I'm interested in seeing what you do when you're free." Khalid kept his voice level. "Power isn't about control, Lucia. It's about loyalty. And you don't earn loyalty through coercion."
"That's... not how most men in our world think."
"I'm not most men."
"No," Lucia said softly. "You're really not."
They spent another hour discussing contract details—financial arrangements, public appearance schedules, and how they'd handle family pressures from both sides. It was practical, businesslike, and somehow more intimate than any romantic conversation could have been.
"So we're doing this," Lucia finally said. "Actually getting married."
"Apparently. Any second thoughts?"
"Dozens. You?"
"Hundreds." Khalid smiled despite himself. "But I think we're smart enough to make it work."
"Or we'll destroy each other spectacularly."
"That's always possible."
"At least it won't be boring."
After the call ended, Yusuf appeared in Khalid's study, carrying a tablet.
"Intelligence reports," Yusuf said, setting it down. "The Marchettis have been expanding into Saudi business interests. Port acquisitions, shipping contracts, tech partnerships. All in the last six months."
Khalid studied the data. "Before the marriage was proposed."
"Yes. They've been positioning themselves for this alliance longer than we realized." Yusuf's expression was grim. "Which means either Victor Marchetti is more strategic than we thought, or someone in that family has been planning this for a while."
Khalid thought about Lucia's intelligence, her careful questions, and how she'd known exactly what Faisal would do with that competence clause. "Or someone's been preparing for multiple scenarios."
"Should you tell her we know?"
Faisal thinks I'm being weak, Khalid thought. He doesn't understand that power isn't about control—it's about loyalty. And you don't earn loyalty through coercion. You earn it by giving people something worth protecting. I'm gambling that Lucia is smart enough to see the difference.
"No," Khalid said finally. "Not yet. Let's see what she does with the freedom I'm giving her."
"That's dangerous."
"Everything about this situation is dangerous. At least this way, if she's planning something, she'll reveal it herself."
Yusuf nodded reluctantly. "And if she's not planning anything? If she's genuine?"
"Then we'll have started this marriage with honesty. Which is more than most royal marriages get."
After Yusuf left, Khalid sat alone, reviewing the intelligence again. The Marchetti expansion was sophisticated, carefully timed, and expertly hidden. It showed planning, resources, and intelligence that Victor Marchetti's public persona didn't suggest.
But Lucia's education, her capabilities, and her careful performance—those suggested exactly that kind of strategic thinking.
Is she the architect of this? Khalid wondered. Has she been planning this marriage since before we ever met?
The thought should have alarmed him. Instead, it made him respect her more.
Because if she had orchestrated all this—the alliance, the timing, the positioning—then she was playing a game far more complex than anyone realized. And Khalid had always appreciated a worthy opponent.
His phone buzzed. Text from Lucia: The contract looks good. I'll sign tomorrow. Thank you for... everything.
He typed back, "Thank you for being worth protecting."
Her response came quickly: Careful, Your Highness. I might start thinking you actually like me.
Would that be so terrible? he sent.
Long pause. Then: Probably. But I think I'm willing to find out.
Khalid set down the phone and looked at the intelligence reports again. The Marchetti expansion, the strategic positioning, and all the evidence that this marriage was more calculated than coincidental.
And he realized he didn't care.
Because calculated or not, Lucia was brilliant and dangerous and the first person in years who'd treated him like an equal rather than a title.
That was worth protecting. Even if it cost him.
Especially if it cost him.
The office door opened. Faisal stood in the doorway, expression unreadable.
"You removed the clause," Faisal said.
"I did."
"You're protecting her already." Faisal stepped into the room. "Be careful, nephew. Caring about a weapon is how you get cut."
"She's not a weapon. She's going to be my wife."
"In our world, wives are weapons. You'd do well to remember that." Faisal moved to leave, then stopped. "The girl is smart. Educated. But don't confuse intelligence with loyalty. The Marchettis serve their own interests. Always have."
"As do we."
"Exactly. Which is why this marriage will either secure our position or destroy it completely." Faisal's eyes were cold. "Make sure you know which before it's too late."
After his uncle left, Khalid sat in darkness, phone still showing Lucia's last message.
"I think I'm willing to find out," she'd said.
So was he.
Even if it destroyed him.