“I’m sorry we didn’t meet before this afternoon, Olympia.” Yeah, no kidding. “My duties take me away from the palace often, but I hope you have enjoyed your stay so far?”
I join Prince Alden beside the sofa. When he gestures to sit, I sink down on weak legs. “It’s—it’s lovely.”
“And your sister?” The prince spins a tea cup by its handle then pours hot fluid with a practiced hand. It smells like lemongrass and ginger. “Is Beatrice well?”
“She’s good.” Oh god, I’m such a liar. Beatrice is not freaking well, and I’m not Olympia, and this is all going to end in disaster.
Sitting beside my sister’s fiance, I can’t help but notice the warmth of his muscled body, or the toned forearms beneath his rolled shirt sleeves. The sofa dips slightly beneath Prince Alden’s weight, tipping me toward him, and why oh why did Olympia want ascubainstructor more than this man?
He smells freaking delicious. Like fragrant soap and crisp parchment.
If he weremyfiance, you’d have to drag me away.
“Olympia?”
With a jolt, I realize he’s been talking to me. Asking me questions in that deep, resonant voice of his while I stare at his firm jawline and the column of his throat.
“Um.” My etiquette teacher would tear her hair out by the roots if she could see me now. “I’m sorry?”
But the prince just smiles, one corner of his mouth tugging up higher than the other, then he settles back against the sofa, tea cup in hand, one ankle crossed over his knee.
The sight of him relaxing helps me to settle too.
“I asked how your show jumping is coming along. That’s your sport of choice, yes?”
That’s Olympia’s sport of choice, sure. Me, I’m deathly allergic to horses, and I prefer not to get too near big jerky animals that want to kick me into next week.
“It’s… great.” Damn it, why didn’t I pay more attention to my sister’s competitions? I don’t even know what any of the terms are. “I got my last one, uh, pretty high.”
The prince’s grin stretches wider. Like he’s teasing me. “I’m glad to hear it.”
Lord save me from my own idiocy. “Do you ride, Your Highness?”
“Alden,” he corrects cheerfully. “And no. No, I’m afraid I never took well to horses.”
Me neither, I almost say. God, I’d be a terrible spy.
The thing is, I’m not a liar. I suck at it so badly that no one ever even believes my white lies, and though my sister and I swapped places to pull pranks when we were kids, we’re grown now. I haven’t pretended to be Olympia in years.
And beyond all that, something about Prince Alden makes me want to open up. To bare my soul. Maybe it’s his probing blue eyes, or the soft caress of his deep voice, but this is a man I instinctively want to confess all my sins to. To whisper all kinds of secret things in his ear.
I need to get out of here. This charade has gone on long enough. I’ll get back to the suite and call my freaking sister until she answers, and at the ball tonight Alden won’t even notice he’s dancing with a different girl. We’ve only spoken for a few minutes.
I gulp down my tea, lemongrass and ginger searing my throat.
The cup rattles as I place it back on the saucer.
Alden
For twenty two years, I’ve been betrothed to Olympia. Even at ten years old, when my parents first sat me down to tell me of their plans, it made perfect sense to my boyhood brain. Everything in my life comes down to duty, and my marriage will be no exception.
She’s the daughter of a powerful family in a neighboring country. Our union will strengthen the ties between our nations.
I knew it would happen. I committed myself to this path.
But I never dared dream I’d be so…affectedby her.
I’ll admit, I’ve done my research on my future bride. Who wouldn’t be cautious? And the things we found, the cases of wild behavior and scandalous headlines—they left me unsettled.