I instructed Sariel to give Ivetta the day off for my birthday so I could take her into town to see Belle, but I still slept in that morning. It was my birthday, after all, and what I had planned wouldn’t take all day. A quick lunch in my room, and then I was on my way to the library, guessing Ivetta would be there studying even though she should be taking the opportunity to relax. I was right. Her guards were at the entrance, and she was standing in front of one of the dullest sections of shelves, her back to me as I entered.
“Planning for another late night?”
She jumped and turned around, her hand flying to her heart. “Chevalier, why must you sneak up on me like this all the time?” she gasped.
I cupped her chin in my hand, smirking as my thumb rubbed her rosy cheek. “I can’t imagine.” We shared a brief kiss, and then I took the book she’d been looking at. “Who are you meeting next?”
“The Howards have invited me to a tea party tomorrow. I was looking for some background information on their duchy.”
I closed the book and looked back at her. “This is for tomorrow. Come.” I put the book back on the shelf and took her hand.
“Don’t tell me you took the day off for your birthday?” she asked, surprised.
I only smiled in response, leading her to the front gate where a carriage awaited us. We sat side by side, my arm around her waist, her head leaning on my shoulder. I was suddenly tempted to tell the coachman to keep driving until we reached the countryside chateau in my family’s territory. That was where I’d decided to take her for our honeymoon. Belle and Rio didn’t know we were coming for a visit. It was my birthday, and I was the king. Why shouldn’t I throw out all the dusty, pointless traditions and marry her right now?
“I was just thinking,” she said, pulling me out of my fantasy, “that all these ceremonies are annoying, but they bring everybody together, and then we have these nice little dinners or baking sprees where everybody can just relax and have fun. It’s a nice way to break up the monotony and the work of everyday life.”
So much for that fantasy.
The carriage came to a stop in front of the bookstore where Belle and Rio worked, and I helped Ivetta out onto the sidewalk. Her green eyes took in the glass door and display windows, moving up to the sign hanging far above and completely missing Belle racing to the door.
“Ivetta!” she exclaimed, bursting onto the street and giving Ivetta a hug before she even had a chance to react.
Rio held the door open behind Belle with his own wide smile. “Your highnesses,” he said, bowing with a flourish, but then his smile faltered. “Should you be here?”
Ivetta pulled free from Belle and turned back to me. “He’s right. You’re not allowed any further contact with Belle. Sariel is not going to be happy.”
“After she fulfilled her role of Belle, she lost the title. Thus, the Belle Covenant no longer applies to her,” I replied. “And I have already informed Sariel.”
Ivetta’s face lit up, and Belle clapped her hands together with glee. “Now that’s settled-” She took Ivetta’s hand and led us into the shop.
“So this is your bookstore,” Ivetta said, taking it all in. I, too, looked around with interest. The plain wooden room was larger than my private library, but smaller than my bedroom. Every spare inch of space was covered in books. The shelves alone probably contained double the amount in my library, with ladders stretching up to the ceiling, and additional display tables and counters stacked with even more volumes.
“Oh, it’s so good to see you again!” Ivetta exclaimed, giving Belle another hug.
“What is that?” Rio asked, catching sight of Ivetta’s ring. She stepped back and proudly displayed her hand.
“It’s gorgeous,” Belle gasped. “My turn,” and she shyly presented her own left hand and the ring on her finger. It was significantly less grand than Ivetta’s, but neither woman seemed to care. The months they’d spent apart vanished in an instant, and they talked and laughed all afternoon while I perused the bookshelves. Rio eventually suggested going to a nearby cafe, reminding the ladies only briefly that he and I existed. After the tea and pastries arrived, we were forgotten again. He and I exchanged glances and smiled. This afternoon wasn’t for us.
“Oh, I’m so silly,” Ivetta burst out at one point, looking over at me. “Today is Chevalier’s birthday.”
“Happy birthday!” Belle and Rio exclaimed in unison.
“So, how old are you?” Belle asked.
“Thirty-one.”
Belle gasped. “I didn’t realize you were so much older than Ivetta!”
“How old is Ivetta?” Rio asked curiously.
“Eighteen,” Ivetta said, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
“Wow, that is quite a difference. You sure you want to be stuck with this old man?” Rio teased.
“He’s not old!” she protested.
“He’s thirteen years older than you, Ivetta,” Belle pointed out.
“Oh, I get it. If I really wanted you to stop pestering me about him when I was trapped in a sickbed, I should have told you his age,” Ivetta teased, her green eyes sparkling as they met Belle’s.
It was Belle’s turn to blush. “I didn’t pester you that badly.”
Ivetta tilted her head to the side and gave Belle a knowing look. “Don’t lie, Belle. It’s too late now, anyway. You got what you wanted, didn’t you?”
Belle shrugged, grinning broadly. “I guess so. It took you long enough to see some sense.”
“I could say the same for you,” Ivetta teased.
Rio threw his arm around Belle’s shoulder. “And I got what I wanted. How about you, Chevalier?”
Ivetta looked at me shyly, her blush deepening.
I shrugged and smirked. “I have no complaints.”
Hours passed, and finally it was time to go. Belle and Ivetta hugged again as we left, and Ivetta invited the couple to our upcoming engagement ceremony. Ivetta was still beaming as we sat side by side in the carriage, heading back to the palace.
“I thought you would enjoy this,” I commented.
“Oh, yes, I really did. It’s nice to not be a princess - just for a little while, anyway. And they’re engaged! Poor Rio has been waiting so long for her to come around to him.” She sighed, her words temporarily exhausted, and she leaned back against me.
“I forget how young you are sometimes,” I said, wrapping my arms around her waist.
She crossed her arms over mine. “Sorry.”
“There is no reason for you to be sorry. Perhaps you should act your age more frequently.”
I didn’t get to see her like this at the palace very often. It put me in mind of the Foundation Day festival, the way her green eyes shone, the radiance of her smile. Her youthful innocence was almost maddeningly attractive. All afternoon, I’d watched her and regretted my decision to spend the afternoon in the company of others when I just wanted to get her alone. The carriage ride back to the palace wasn’t long enough. I brushed her silky black hair away from her neck and kissed her soft skin, trailing more kisses along her neck as she leaned her head to the side to offer me more. My urgency increased with each kiss, with each slight shiver of her skin, and I made my way up to her chin, catching it with my fingers and turning her face to the side so I could reach her lips.
“Chevalier,” she giggled, “what’s gotten into you?”
“It’s my birthday, Ivetta,” I said, silencing any further explanation with another kiss.
She giggled again. “Yes, and you’re thirteen years older than me today. Show some restraint, please,” she said teasingly.
I was showing restraint, and I had been for quite some time. It was driving me crazy. I took her wrist and started kissing her fingers, lingering on the one that bore the engagement ring.
“Is that a problem, Princess?”
“No, it’s never really been something I thought about. People have always assumed I’m older than I am.”
I paused between kisses as Clavis’ and Nokto’s comments about her probable virginity sprang to mind unbidden.
“Except when it comes to romance. You’ve always been particularly youthful and innocent in that regard.”
She blushed furiously. “Well, other than books, I never had any experience in that department until you, Chevalier.”
I needed to change the subject. She was tantalizing enough in the enclosed space of the carriage without us talking about this.
“Not even a kiss?” I asked before I could stop myself.
She squirmed uncomfortably in my arms, sending a jolt up my spine. “Not on the lips,” she said slowly.
Of course, bringing the topic around to her difficult past was usually an effective way to cool me down.
“Where and who?” I asked, kissing her hair lightly to hide my frown.
“It…it really doesn’t matter, Chevalier.”
I kissed her hair again, considering if I should push for more information. But it was all in the past, wasn’t it? And she was here, now, in my arms, and it was a safe assumption that nobody had ever kissed her like I did. Like I wanted to. Like she enjoyed. I started kissing her again, from her hair down to her ear, and the way she leaned her head back against my shoulder told me everything I needed to know. She sighed and closed her eyes as I rained kisses down on her cheek and her neck, and then I shifted in my seat to push her back against the cushion and capture her lips.
“You’ve pretty much got it covered,” she gasped before I kissed her again, cupping her cheeks in my hands as her fingers clutched my shirt. She gasped again as I kissed down her throat to her collarbone, sliding my hands down her neck to her shoulders, then around to her back, pushing her up against me as I sought every inch of exposed skin.
“Ch-chevalier…” she moaned, tilting her head back and wrapping her arms around my neck.
“It’s not enough, Ivetta,” I said huskily, my heart pounding with anticipation.
Suddenly, she shoved me away, moving as far away as the seat would allow. I sagged back against the seat as frustration rose in my throat again. Her cheeks were bright red, and she looked down at her hands, fidgeting in her lap. What was it this time? Jack? My own words?
I sighed and reached out to catch her chin, tilting it up until her nervous green eyes met mine. Nervous, but not frightened. That was progress, at least.
“I’m not going to push you, little dove, but please tell me what’s wrong,” I said softly, my thumb involuntarily stroking her lip.
“It’s…” She visibly swallowed and pushed my hand away, looking back down at her lap. “It’s complicated.”
I was aware of that. “Jack?” I prompted.
“Not this time, but before…yes.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “I was raised to believe that certain things are reserved for marriage. This was important to my mother, and my church, and…and I’ve been thinking about it, and…I want to wait until we’re married.”
And I thought palace traditions were frustrating.
“We’re engaged, Ivetta. Marriage is coming.”
She shook her head firmly.
“I know, but I think this would be best. I…I probably need more time to deal with…” Her fists clenched, and she opened her eyes to look up at me, pleading with me to understand. “This is hard for me, too, but after what happened in your room - I don’t want to see his face, I want to see yours, and I’m just not ready.”
That certainly explained her reaction in my bedroom. The ghost of Jack still haunted her - and me. I slid my hand across the seat to take hold of hers.
“I can wait until you’re ready, and if that means waiting until our wedding night, I’ll manage.”
“Thank you, Chevalier,” she said, relief evident in her voice and the tension leaving her shoulders.
If only I could feel that relief, lose the tension that kept every muscle rigid and tight. Suddenly, the carriage ride couldn’t end soon enough.
She dropped my gaze again, and then she uttered the most ridiculous words possible: “I’m sorry.”
“There is no reason for you to apologize,” I replied, rubbing my thumb back and forth over her hand.
“But there is,” she said softly. “You’ve done so much for me, and I don’t even deserve you, but you’re willing to put my needs above yours without ever asking for anything in return.”
I reached over and caught her chin, looking deeply into her eyes. “You are the only woman worthy of the king’s affection, and you will not denigrate yourself anymore. I do as I see fit, and I have determined that you are far more valuable than anything else to me. Do you understand?”
She stared at me, her green eyes wide with shock.
Why did that come as a surprise to her?
“Chevalier…” She reached out tentatively to cup my cheek in her hand, and then she nodded. “I understand. And you are the only man who can have my affection. Just not all of it - not yet.”
Having part of her was better than having none of her. I leaned in for a kiss, starting in soft but rapidly deepening and intensifying as she responded, somehow managing to stop after just one. There wasn’t enough space in the carriage. The heat was suffocating as I pulled back from her and looked out the window. We were too close, physically and emotionally, and I needed to get further away from her to cool down. Fortunately, the pale gray stones of the palace walls were passing us by, and the carriage came to a stop. I helped her out, but did not maintain my grip on her hand as we entered the palace, and I didn’t check my strides for her benefit.
Forget the engagement ceremony. Sariel needed to start planning the wedding ceremony. The day after, if possible.
Which wasn’t possible.
I slammed the door to my room and went straight to the bathroom, starting a cold bath and stripping the oppressive layers of clothes away, half expecting steam to rise when my toe touched the water. I lay back in the tub, closing my eyes and breathing deeply. Whatever she had planned for my birthday was still to come. Probably an innocent dinner and a present. I sighed, dragging my hands across my face. A month until the engagement ceremony, and probably at least that long again for the wedding. Maybe I could just move to the Michel estate and attend to my duties as king there until the honeymoon.
Except I’d rather continue torturing myself by seeing her as often as I could than endure the agony of being away from her for an extended period of time.
At least she’d come up with a better reason for making me wait than church tradition. I was fairly certain that had just been an excuse to try to keep from telling me the truth. As if I had ever accepted anything less than the truth from her.
She didn’t really believe in that nonsense, did she?
Not that it mattered what she did and didn’t believe. All she had to do was look at me with those pleading, desperate green eyes, and I would consent to whatever she wanted. Anything to make her smile.
The water was lukewarm when I finally left the tub and dressed. It was almost dinnertime, and she would be here soon. And I would control myself. There would be no mistakes tonight. She’d given me her answer, and I had to respect that.
Her distinctive knock came to my door far too soon.
“King Chevalier,” she called. “Would you care to join me for dinner?”
I opened the door and found her standing there in my favorite dress, smiling innocently up at me. The cold bath immediately lost all effect, and my firm resolve wavered perilously.
“I suppose.”
She clasped her hands behind her back as we walked down the hallway, her fingers twisting around her wrist, the movement drawing my eyes to her swaying hips.
“We’ll be dining in your library. I hope you don’t mind.”
“There’s no reason to be nervous, little dove,” I said quietly, forcing my eyes forward and resisting the urge to spin her into my arms and kiss her.
“I just wanted us to have our privacy, but I didn’t think our rooms were good options.”
Definitely not. An empty hallway was temptation enough.
I held the door open for her, and her wide green eyes told me she, too, was seeing the rearranged room for the first time. The usual furniture was tucked in a corner, replaced by a small table for two with a dainty lace tablecloth in the center of the little room. A single candle graced the middle of the table, and two place settings were artfully arranged in such a way as to maximize space and aesthetic appeal. Silver dishes covered the hot food, and a wine bottle with two wine glasses completed the effect.
“I wasn’t expecting all of this! I just told the servants we would be having dinner here,” she exclaimed.
I led her to a chair and pulled it out for her. “I believe the head maid is eager to please her former employee.” She sat down, and I bent over to kiss her neck, realizing my mistake too late. I managed to stop at just one and took my seat across from her.
“You’re probably right, but even so, this is amazing.”
I uncorked the wine and filled our glasses. “Then let us not waste it.”
It was fortunate that a single glass of wine didn’t affect either of us. I knew my limits, and I was staying well clear of them tonight. She never had more than one glass, to my knowledge.
I kept silent for most of dinner, letting her talk about her lessons with Sariel and her busy social schedule, watching the candlelight dance in her eyes. This would all be easier if she weren’t so attractive. No, that wasn’t true. It wasn’t her looks that attracted me to her in the first place, and the scars that horrified my brothers weren’t off putting to me at all. And how many times had I laid in bed when she was my maid, pretending to be asleep so I could listen to her voice when she was relaxed and comfortable?
It was hopeless. There was no easy answer. My choice was to avoid her or to deal with her.
We finished dinner, and she retrieved a little box hidden on one of the shelves, handing it to me with a shy smile.
“I hope you like it,” she said, taking her seat again and holding her breath.
That was virtually guaranteed. The amount of thought and work she’d put into the gift baskets for the goodwill gala demonstrated how seriously she took the art of gift giving, and that was for three men she’d never met before. How much more effort had she put into getting the right gift for me, her fiancé?
I carefully untied the bow and unwrapped the decorative paper, anticipation building as each layer fell away. Inside the box was a wood carving of a dove, skillfully painted and almost appeared lifelike.
“I didn’t know what to get you, other than me,” she said apologetically.
My eyes met hers and I smirked, trying to ignore my suddenly racing heart. “Is this supposed to satisfy me until our wedding, then?”
She blushed, as I knew she would. “That wasn’t my intention when I bought it, but if you want to look at it that way…”
“And what was your intention?”
I shouldn’t have asked that. I knew as soon as the words left my mouth, but it was too late. She was silent for a moment, thinking through her words, words that would undoubtedly light the embers that had been temporarily doused not so long ago.
“Clavis was the first one to call me that - ‘little dove.’ I took it as an insult - that I was a frail little bird that accidentally flew into the palace, pretty enough, but ultimately worthless and easily replaceable - and maybe that’s how he meant it at first. Then everybody started calling me that, and I came to see it as a term of endearment. But you say it differently. It’s the same words, but a much deeper meaning. I just wanted you to know that I’m not everybody’s ‘little dove,’ even if they all call me that. I’m willingly giving myself to you and you only, and you’re the only one who will ever have me.”
I knew I shouldn’t have asked.
“You’re teasing me, Ivetta.”
She looked down at her hands, too embarrassed to meet my eyes. “I don’t mean to.”
I stood up and came to her side, pulling her out of her seat and into an embrace. My fingers caught her chin and gently tilted it up until our eyes met. Her shy green eyes contrasted violently with the red in her cheeks, and she bit her lip unconsciously, irresistibly. I kissed her harder than I intended, pulling her tightly against me.
“Happy birthday, Chevalier,” she breathed in the brief moment our lips parted before I kissed her again. Her response was eager, too eager, and I was acutely aware of every point of contact between our bodies. This wasn’t enough. Her sweet kisses were just an appetizer, her soft curves impossibly tantalizing. I wanted more. But she wasn’t ready, and I forced myself to release her and turn away, picking up the dove on the table.
“If we are to wait until the wedding, we’ll need to set some strict guidelines,” I said, my voice sounding husky and strange to my ears.
“I think you’re right,” she replied, her voice trembling.
“We’ll discuss the matter tomorrow.” I didn’t look at her as I headed for the door. For the first time, I felt the heat in my cheeks, too.
“That sounds like a good idea. Goodnight, Chevalier.”
“Goodnight, Ivetta,” I replied stiffly.
The bathtub wasn’t even dry from earlier, but it was about to see use again.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB3sErrUfaA
