Chapter 124
Jack
Today is my introductory ball.
My official debut as "His Royal Highness Prince Jackson Carter Albrecht the Third," which sounds less like a name and more like a tax bracket I have no business being in.
Apparently, my etiquette lessons, speech rehearsals, posture corrections, and hours of "stop glaring like a criminal, Your Highness" have finally paid off.
I am now deemed "acceptable for public display," which feels a lot like being a well-groomed show dog.
It's exhausting, but I endure it.
I endure the stiff collar trying to strangle me, the perfectly tailored suit that fits a little too well, the thick crowds of nobility who bow too low and smile too wide.
I endure the useless small talk, the empty compliments, the political undertones hidden behind every word.
A gangster—no, a former gangster turned loan shark—standing under chandeliers worth more than my childhood house.
