Kinley nodded. “You get it. Whatever his hopes and dreams might’ve been over the years, they took a backseat to whatever the king wanted. It’s his job, sure, but at the same time, that’s so much to give of oneself. You know, you’re about the age he was when he started here. If you want my theory, it’s that having you here has reminded him of what it was like to be this age, to have his youth in the palm of his hand, his future still yet to be lived.” She shook her head. “Anyway, it’s just my theory, as I said.”
I’d assumed that our hookup had been the reason for Luc showing the sunnier side of his personality. What Kinley was saying made total sense, however. What if my being here had shown him a part of life that he’d forgotten about? After all, it didn’t seem like romance came with the territory of being the king’s right hand.
Kinley made one more adjustment to the dress, backing away and nodding when it was done.
“Want to take a look?”
“I don’t know, do I?”
She laughed. “It’s not so bad, Princess. Trust me.”
She led me by the hand over to the three-panel mirror in the closet. I stepped onto the platform and looked into the mirror.
“It’s pink,” I said. “Very, very, very pink.”
I looked like a head and arms and feet poking out of a big cloud of pink and lace.
“I mean, it’s pretty,” I said. “But still…”
“It’s not your style, I know. The king’s going to love it, though, if that’s any small consolation.”
Only a short time remained until I’d be making my big debut in front of the entire kingdom. I should’ve been more focused on that. But all I could think about was Luc.
Chapter 22
Luc
I’d planned on a quiet night in, my usual evening routine of a book in front of the fireplace, a glass of wine close at hand. I’d turn in around ten, up in time for my morning run before starting the day. I still craved Ava. There was no denying it. But my conversation with Alaric weighed heavily on my mind. I had to make myself scarce when it came to the princess.
“Hey!” She called out to me from down the hall, waving her hand, an eager expression on her face. If she was upset at me for avoiding her over the last two weeks, she sure didn’t show it. The moment I laid eyes on her I got the sense that my anticipated quiet evening of relaxation had something different in store for me.
Ava, dressed in her usual outfit of jeans and a loose-fitting band T-shirt, a pair of white Chuck Taylors on her feet, hurried over without waiting for me to utter so much as a “hello.” She looked so good it hurt. I’d been doing my best to ignore her since our tryst, but it was near impossible. Over and over again I’d found myself thinking of her, the way she’d felt, the tight expression of pleasure on her face as I took her virginity.
“Good evening, Princess,” I said, trying to maintain my composure.
She laughed. “Listen to you!” Ava puffed out her chest and formed a comically serious expression on her face. “‘Good evening, Princess.’ You’re talking to me like you’re the head butler or something.”
“That’s not too far from my actual job,” I said. “And I’m trying to be professional.”
She grinned. “What, making up for all of the times you’ve beenunprofessional?” The look on her face made it clear what she’d meant by that.
“Princess!” I hissed, keeping my voice low and looking over my shoulder to make sure that we were alone. Thankfully, no other members of the staff were in the hall with us. “You know better than to talk like that out in the open.”
“Good point. Then let’s talk in private, yeah?”
“No. I have duties to attend to.”
“Come on, you’ve been ignoring me over the last couple of weeks and it’s starting to drive me a little crazy. I just want to talk.”
Part of me wanted to refuse and get on with my night. Another part wanted more than anything to speak to her again. It was almost scary how easily she was able to get me to ignore my duties, to say nothing of the king’s orders.
“Fine. We’ll talk—but with the door open.”
“Probably a good call, right?” A sly smile was on her face.
Without responding to her comment, I stepped over to the nearest balcony door and opened it. It was only around five, the sun setting in the west and casting the sky in brilliant oranges and reds. Though I’d lived in Edoria all my life, the sunsets still managed to take my breath away. Down below, various members of the royal court, along with groundskeepers, were in the gardens. The lights of the towers of the financial district in downtown Lausanne were beginning to twinkle on for the evening. Off in the distance, the autumn colors of the trees spread out into the horizon. The air carried the perfect amount of briskness. It was another perfect night.
“What is it, Princess?” I asked, making sure the door stayed open.