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Breakfast was off.
The first explosion I heard was Clavis throwing a potion to slow Yves and Leon down. Unfortunately, he threw it as he rounded a corner and ran into the Simmons family, and as I heard it, he barreled through them, toppling Lady Simmons and the oldest daughter to the ground without even slowing his pace or shouting an apology over his shoulder. To make matters worse, the potion had a…unique effect. When the twins and I arrived, the Simmons were all back on their feet, and Lady Simmons was spewing angry complaints interrupted by random chirping. Her daughters were chirping, too, their faces red with embarrassment as they hid their mouths behind their hands.
I could only manage a straight face while I stayed for damage control because of my sobering conversation with the twins and the equally sobering realization that Clavis’ stunt could have more serious consequences than ridding himself of an unwanted marriage proposal. Lord Simmons’ far-reaching influence was not something to be taken lightly, and I’d put in a lot of work to improve his family’s relationship with the Michel family and, by extension, the royal family as a whole. So, I didn’t even crack a smile as I ushered the chirping women back to their rooms, apologizing profusely and explaining my honest intention for arranging breakfast with Clavis the next morning was to show them his unsuitability as a husband before he pulled something like this. I’d almost calmed them down when the second explosion knocked Lady Simmons to the ground again just as the livid Lord Simmons joined us, and any chance of salvaging the situation vanished. Her frenzied words broken by equally frenzied chirping only made her husband angrier, and although I couldn’t blame them for being upset, I was relieved when the family stormed out of the palace with orders to send their baggage later.
Theresa and my guards appeared during that debacle to assist in my efforts. The twins disappeared.
I escaped to the library as soon as I could, pausing only to look through a window when I heard the third explosion. The princes were all down in the gardens surrounding a cloud of smoke, and when it dissipated, there was Clavis, strung up from a tree branch by his ankles and laughing hysterically. They’d stripped him of his jacket and were rifling through it, and when Leon pulled back his arm to lob something at Clavis, I knew it was a potion before Clavis disappeared behind another puff of smoke. I smiled and shook my head, turning my attention to scan the laughing crowd for the twins. Luke and Arianna had joined the bunch, although Arianna stood off to the side, awkward and hesitant, probably wondering what she’d gotten herself into. I knew the feeling.
Nokto was there. Licht wasn’t.
The smile faded from my lips. I turned away and resumed my path to the library, retreating into the back room before I encountered anybody who wanted to stop and talk.
Licht had three means of escape. The two everybody knew about were fleeing the palace for a lengthy horseback ride on his bay stallion, Marron, and intense sword training. But when he was really upset, when something triggered the guilt that ate him alive, he disappeared into his room, and only I knew what he did there.
I told myself he might not be there now. Maybe he went for a ride on Marron. I had no way of knowing that wasn’t the case unless I checked the stables for his horse. Or maybe he was in the training arena, practicing his swordsmanship, although that was unlikely. Whenever Keith came to visit, he and Licht liked to train together, and I’d seen Keith among the princes in the gardens.
No, I knew better. I saw the way he withdrew into himself when I told him and Nokto I knew about their mother. He was in his room right now, cutting more marks into his arms with a dagger, bandaging supplies at the ready for when he felt like he’d hurt himself enough. I wanted to go there and stop him, but I wasn’t sure if that would just make things worse, so I forced my attention to the spines of row after row of Chevalier’s books in front of me, selecting a book at random and pulling it free from its neighbors without really seeing it.
Why was I here, browsing Chevalier’s collection, when I had stacks of new books in my room?
Because if I went back to my room, I’d see that portrait of my parents, and I’d be a sobbing mess all over again.
“You’re taking a long time to decide, little dove.”
I jumped and spun around at the sound of Chevalier’s voice in my ear, clutching the book to my chest. “Chevalier! What are you doing here?”
His smirk and the look in his crystal blue eyes made me blush even before he boxed me in, resting his hands on the shelves on either side of my face. “This is my library.”
“No—what I meant was—I thought you’d be working late,” I said, fumbling over my words as he leaned in closer. My heart was still racing from his scare, and it didn’t show any signs of slowing down as the smell of roses enfolded me and fine strands of his blonde bangs brushed across my face. I closed my eyes and leaned back against the bookshelves, and he followed me, stepping closer for the kiss, his body not quite touching mine.
“What’s wrong, little dove?”
I opened my eyes to meet his and swallowed nervously. Where to start? The twins? The Simmons? The day spent dodging questions about our wedding date and answering questions about his brothers? Or Gilbert and the kiss that shouldn’t have happened? The kiss that felt a lot like the kiss Chevalier just gave me, I realized with a start, as had the way he cupped my cheek in his hand and brushed his thumb across my skin. Chevalier’s touch was warmer, even through his cool leather gloves, and it woke the butterflies in my stomach like nothing else could, but I’d felt the same affection from Gilbert, and I’d seen the same fondness in his eyes.
There was no way I was telling Chevalier about that.
“It’s been a long day,” I finally said.
His smile faded as he studied me. I hoped he couldn’t actually read my mind, or that it was at least enough of a mess for him to overlook that bit about Gilbert. He sighed and leaned in again for another light kiss.
“You can tell me,” he murmured between kisses.
“Not now?” I pleaded.
Everything felt right when we were like this. His hand on my waist, his other sliding down my cheek to tilt my chin up, our breaths mingling in this quiet little corner of a hidden back room, where his tall form and the white cloak draped around his broad shoulders blocked everything else from view. I could almost believe we were alone in the world. For a few minutes, nothing else mattered.
“You’re distracting me,” he breathed. He pulled back a little, the smile on his lips mirroring mine.
“I don’t mean to,” I said shyly.
“I know.” His thumb traced my bottom lip, but his eyes flicked to the book still clutched to my chest, and the left corner of his lip turned up in a smirk when his eyes met mine again. “Interesting choice.”
“Oh, I didn’t really pay much attention,” I admitted, looking down at it and tilting it so I could see the foreign title on the cover. “Obviously. I can’t even read this.”
He pressed a kiss to my forehead and took my hand, giving it a light tug. “Come. Bring that.”
“O…kay?”
My heart was still beating far too fast as I followed him back into the main library and out into the hallway, fully aware from the warmth in my cheeks that my face was bright red. I resisted the urge to duck my head and instead held my chin up high, although I clung closer to his side than usual as we walked through the busy halls. Servants hurried past us with platters loaded high, food going to the dining halls, dirty dishes returning to the kitchens. I hadn't eaten because of my worry for the twins, but when Chevalier glanced down at me and smiled, I forgot all about them in the flurry of butterflies swirling and whirling up to my head and clouding my thoughts.
Who was distracting who, again?
And what was I distracting him from? Didn’t I have something I wanted to talk to him about, too?
“Oh, Chevalier, you knew about the portrait, didn’t you?” I asked, smiling up at him.
“Yes, but I had already planned our day off before Gilbert told me about that,” he replied. “So my stated purpose remained the same.”
“Mm hm,” I hummed knowingly. “And the bridge wasn’t a factor in your plans?”
There was that smirk again.
“I always consider as many variables as possible.”
“Well, whatever variables you considered and whatever your reasons, thank you,” I said, squeezing our intertwined hands. “Have you seen it?”
“No. It was your gift, not mine.”
He stopped abruptly, and I looked ahead to see a pair of guards pulling the twin rings of a single massive throne room door. Two other guards stood at attention before the matching door that remained closed. The flight of the butterflies took a nervous twist. Chevalier led me past the bowing guards into the large, empty room, where the rich red carpet muffled our footsteps, and the door boomed closed behind us. I bit my lip, scanning the tan marble decorated with red and gold tapestries until my eyes landed on the throne atop the dais.
“I feel like I shouldn’t be here,” I said softly.
Chevalier chuckled. “First my library, now my throne room. Have you forgotten I’m the king? I go where I please.”
“I didn’t say you shouldn’t be here,” I replied, our footsteps echoing throughout the room as he led me off the red carpet to our left. “The last time I saw this room was during your coronation ceremony, and you looked like you belonged on that throne, like it and the crown and everything else had been made just for you. It was very intimidating.” Especially since I’d only been a princess for two weeks, and that was my introduction to international high society. As the new king’s maid-turned-lover.
He stopped before a row of portraits lining the wall and turned toward me, catching my chin to make me meet his warm blue eyes. “I chose you, Ivetta. You have as much right to be here as I do.”
He was so good at reassuring me.
“Well, not yet,” I reminded him, smiling again. “We’re not married yet.”
He leaned in for a quick kiss. “Would you like your own throne after we are married?”
“Oh, please no. You can handle all the politics. I only want to know whatever I need to keep me from committing social faux pas at every turn.” I pulled free from him and turned my attention to the paintings on the wall. “So, these are the former kings?”
We strolled past them at a relaxed speed, giving me time to study the unfamiliar faces while asking an occasional question here or there. They were all so different. The clothing changed over the years, of course, but their general appearance was different, too. Different hair and eye colors, strong and weak jaws, long, sharp noses and wide pug noses, thin lips, full lips—bigamy combined with the Belle system had ensured quite a variety of kings.
“Oh, this must be your father,” I said, stopping in front of a very familiar likeness. “Luke with Jin’s eyes, just like you said.”
The man in the portrait was older than Luke, his face marked with maturity, but he had the same boyish grin and the same bright red hair, cut short and neat. Instead of Luke’s leaf-green eyes, his were the same unusual burgundy as Jin’s, the color of a fine red wine, with the corners turned up just slightly in the same way, too. The same broad, muscular build as the oldest and youngest princes, the same relaxed, confident carriage—there was no mistaking he was their father, which was convenient, since they were illegitimate children born outside of the palace to commoners.
“The rest of you look nothing like him,” I mused.
Chevalier’s arms slipped around my stomach and hugged me back against his chest. “Thank you,” he murmured, kissing my cheek.
“When are you getting your portrait done?” I asked, still staring at the painting. It was hard to believe that smiling man caused so much damage to so many people.
“When I find an artist who can do you justice.”
“Me?” I exclaimed, turning my head to look at him.
He smirked and stole a kiss from my lips this time. “Shouldn’t the queen have a portrait as well?”
My stomach did a complete somersault. “I-I’m not the queen yet,” I stammered.
Suddenly, my feet went out from under me, and I squealed and threw my arms around his neck for stability as he scooped me up, realizing belatedly that the book was probably digging into his neck. He carried me across the room and up the dais without complaining, though, and he sat upon the throne, cradling me on his lap. I pouted, looking away from his smirking face at the book and tracing the letters on the cover with a finger.
“I’m sure I’m not supposed to be here.”
“And I’m sure you are.”
He caught my chin and coaxed me to look up at him, and I couldn’t hold the pout or the book as our lips came together. It fell to my lap, abandoned and momentarily forgotten.
“As your king, my word goes,” he breathed between kisses.
“What if someone sees us?” I asked, wrapping my arms around his neck and tangling my fingers in his hair.
His lips smiled against mine. “No one will see us. We’re not supposed to be here.”
“I knew it!” I pulled back with a triumphant grin and poked an accusatory finger at his chest. “You’re misusing your authority, your highness.”
He smirked and took my wrist, bringing it up to his face and placing a kiss on the back of my hand without taking his eyes off of mine. “Then you’d rather take this back to your room.”
A mixture of embarrassment, excitement, and anxiety jolted through the butterflies.
“M-maybe you should tell me why you wanted me to bring this book first,” I said, picking it up and showing it to him. “I’ll probably become a sobbing mess when I see that portrait again.”
He took the book and stole another kiss. “Then this should wait as well. Let’s go.”
“What…?”
“Unless you’d rather I continue misusing my authority?”
I jumped off his lap before he could kiss me again. “You don’t play fair.”
He stood, too, and headed for the doors, slipping an arm around my waist as he passed me. “I seem to recall you saying I make and break rules as I see fit.”
“Yes, well, I was complaining about you doing that, not encouraging you to do it more often,” I retorted, steeling myself for another walk through the palace with a bright red face and an obnoxious king I adored with all my heart.29Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqwbI3MxUf
