“What?”

“You just told me the princess offered you a job. Levi, we couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to drop in our laps,” Director Palmer said. “An invitation for one of our operatives to work intimately with the royal family, and in a security capacity, no less. You’ll be able to feed us everything we could possibly need to know about the region.”

“You’re assigning me to Sereno for my next post?” Hope took flight within him only to be tempered by reality. He could live close to Cassie, but he would forever be torn between what was in her best interest and what the Central Intelligence Agency needed to know.

“That’s right. I want you to go undercover working for the royal family.”

“You want me to spy on Princess Cassandra and her family,” Levi corrected.

“Is that a problem?” Director Palmer asked. “This is what you’ve been doing in Meridia for the past two years.”

“No, I’ve been working with the Meridian royal family to protect the interests of both countries,” Levi said. “It’s been a while since I’ve done undercover work without my host knowing who I really am.”

“I suppose that’s true, but in essence, your job will be the same. Learn everything you can and feed us everything we need to know to ensure stability within the region. How soon will you leave for Sereno?”

“Between a week and ten days.” Levi started to mention the contract negotiations that would soon be underway but then focused on the practical. “I have a few more details I need to put in place before I’m willing to take Princess Cassandra back to Sereno.”

“Keep me informed.”

“Yes, sir.” Levi hung up, a new weight settling over him. The knowledge that Cassie’s father harbored a grudge against the United States had settled deep into his subconscious, and Levi had managed to ignore it until now. He didn’t want to think about what Cassie would think if she knew his true nationality, nor had he wanted to contemplate what would happen once Cassie and her family were finally safe.

The possibility of working for her security force gave him hope that they would be able to continue seeing each other, but what kind of relationship would they have if it was built on lies? And would he even be able to date her if he was in the employ of her country’s security service?

A cloud of despair settled over him. Cassie might be the central focus of his life right now, but they were living in a dream world. Soon they would enter her reality, and he suspected that he would quickly become a fading memory as far as the princess was concerned.

Could he function in his new assignment in Sereno knowing he would see Cassie every day? He knew how royals worked. He wasn’t in her class, and he had no doubt her countrymen would point that out to her if their relationship became public. More importantly, how could he continue a relationship with her when he would forever be torn between his feelings for her and his duty to his country?