The table was set with wine, tea, and snacks, and although Luke looked longingly at a plate of cookies, he made no move to take any. I took my seat and instructed Ivetta to sit at my right hand. Clavis sat on her other side, leaning over to whisper in her ear as he sat down. Probably complaining about her taking his spot. He would have to get used to it. The coronation ceremony was in one week, and not only was her gown ready, the ring had been resized and was tucked away in my bureau. One week until I proposed.
And officially became king. Odd how the singular goal I’d worked toward my entire life was rapidly meaning less and less to me.
As I’d planned, we had a few minutes before the foreign dignitaries arrived for her cheeks to resume their normal color. She was always acutely aware of her own blushing, which only made her blush more. I didn’t want her to be overly nervous about this. There was nothing of true importance to be discussed in this meeting. It was more of a glorified party, really, with some political banter to lead off. I glanced over at her and was pleased to see her calmly sipping her tea, without any trace of the anxiety Clavis and Nokto had been intentionally provoking.
The diplomats shuffled in and took their seats, and after introductions were made, the meeting began. She listened carefully as we talked. This friendly relationship with Obsidian was young enough that any error was not likely to be overlooked, and there was a definite tension in the air. When the official business concluded, that tension snapped like a twig. Everybody began filling up their plates and topping each other’s wine glasses off. Servants appeared with lunch, and the whole affair had indeed become a party.
If it weren’t for Ivetta, I would have left as soon as the political discussions were complete. Small talk was certainly not my strong suit, but I knew she was quite good at it, and I was interested to see how she would handle this. She was immediately pulled into conversation, at first with my younger brothers, who were now on their best behavior and trying to help her feel at ease. Their efforts were largely unnecessary. She played her role perfectly, as if she had been doing this her whole life. In a way, she had. She had always been perceptive, easily adapting her manner to suit the situation, effortlessly charming everyone she met. Princes, shopkeepers, frightened children - nobody could resist her. That natural talent, combined with Sariel’s rigorous lessons, virtually guaranteed her success in this situation. She was a princess. Of that, there could be no question. More than that, she was enjoying herself. It was for that reason that I chose to stay longer than I had intended, but after the talking and eating had gone on for about an hour, I tapped her lightly on the arm and stood up.
“It has been wonderful meeting all of you today, but I’m afraid Chevalier and I have other business to attend to. I hope we can expect to see you all at the coronation ceremony?”
“Of course, Princess Ivetta,” replied the leader of the delegation. “And, if I must say, it was a delightful surprise to see you here in attendance. Prince Gilbert requested that I deliver this letter to you in person.” He reached into his jacket and removed an envelope, handing it across the table to her.
I was careful to control my expression, but that letter bothered me. She was still very much on Gilbert’s mind.
“Why, thank you,” she said, pleasantly surprised as she took the letter. “You’re too kind. Please, don’t feel the need to leave on our account. You are all welcome to stay as long as you like.” She stood up and took my arm, looking up at me. I made no effort to disguise my pride as I met her gaze. “Shall we go?”
She let out a sigh of relief after the door closed behind us, suddenly exhausted and leaning heavily on my arm.
“There will be much more of this to come,” I reminded her as we walked.
“I know.”
She didn’t ask where I was taking her, which was, naturally, my private library. It was a special place for us, and I’d ordered a new chair for her to be added to the room. I was looking forward to her seeing it.
After a little while, she said, “I'd like to let you in on a little secret.”
I glanced down at her. “Go on.”
“When I first started working here, I had to learn to talk and act a certain way. I started calling it the mask and the dance. When I walked into the palace, I put on the mask and started the dance. It’s different now, but it’s also very much the same. I just have a new mask to wear and a new dance to learn.”
“You are an accomplished actress,” I commented.
She rested her cheek against my shoulder. “It’s nice when I get to take the mask off and rest, though.”
Her statement gave me pause. I had grown up as royalty, and I knew nothing else. It was natural, easy for me. Not for her. She was having to change significantly to fit into my world.
“Do you still want to wear it?”
“Of course,” she said, looking up at me with a bright smile. “I have no regrets.”
She was nothing if not honest. I opened the door to the library and led us through, feeling a sense of relief at her words. In the back room, her new chair was positioned next to mine. I glanced down at her and was pleased to see the sheen of delight in her green eyes.
“Sit.”
She sat in my chair, looking up at me mischievously. I scooped her up and deposited her in the new chair.
“In your own chair,” I added, leaning in so close our noses almost touched. “Is this suitable?”
“It’s perfect,” she said, running her fingers across the plush velour seat that matched her eyes.
“Good. Now open that letter.”
“You’re not jealous, are you, Chevalier?” she teased.
I kissed her and took my seat next to her. “I will reserve judgment until I know what it says,” I said, smirking.
She smiled as she examined the envelope, labeled ‘Princess Ivetta’ in neat script. “This is from the writing set I gave Gilbert. I’d asked if I could write to him with any questions about the journal, but I wasn’t expecting him to send a letter first.”
He’d used the same stylized paper to send me a letter three weeks ago. It hadn’t occurred to me that it was from the gift she’d given to him.
She carefully broke the seal and opened it, unfolding the letter inside. It wasn’t long, but it clearly pleased her. “You don’t have to worry about anything, Chevalier. He sends his congratulations for my new position as princess, he thanks me for the lovely gift basket, he apologizes for his behavior surrounding the ball, and he expresses how glad he was to be able to participate in my rescue.” She passed it over to me.
I scanned the letter and handed it back to her. “He also repeated his invitation for you to come and visit him.”
“With Yves,” she added. “Which is a very important detail that you left out.” She tilted her head to the side and smirked up at me. “You are jealous.”
“And you are not going to Obsidian without me.” I leaned over and kissed her again. “Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?”
She folded the letter up and slipped it back in the envelope. “None at all. It’s your day, so you get to decide.”
I put my elbow on the arm of my chair, resting my cheek in my hand as I looked over at her with a smirk. “How very foolish of you, to place such blind trust in the Brutal Beast.”
She shrugged. “Maybe so, but I’ll take my chances.”
I reached over to twirl a lock of her silky black hair around my fingers. She had no idea how such a simple statement affected me. But I remembered her response to my advances this morning, and I redirected my thoughts in a more chaste direction.
“Perhaps we could read in the gardens.”
“That sounds lovely,” she replied. She stood up and put the letter behind her back, twirling in front of me coyly. “You know, it was so sweet of Gilbert to send this. I’ll have to write him a reply right away.”
She was making this more difficult than she realized. I stood up and backed her into the door, drawn after her like a magnet. “I thought you said it was my day,” I said, sliding my hands around her waist to her back and pulling her in close for a deep kiss. She responded as eagerly as ever, completely distracted so I could easily snatch the envelope from her hand.
“Chevalier!”
I turned away and stood on tiptoe, setting the envelope on a top shelf while she grabbed at my arm. The feel of her gloved hands on my arms wasn’t right. I knew why she wore the gloves, and I didn’t like seeing the scars, but she had a bad habit of trying to hide things from me. Today was my day, as she’d said. I turned back to face her again, leaning down for another kiss.
“Now take off those gloves.”
“My gloves?” she asked, all teasing immediately vanishing from her face as her eyes widened nervously.
“Your gloves,” I repeated. I hadn’t expected this simple request to bother her so much.
She bit her lip. “But…I don’t want anybody to see the scars,” she said hesitantly.
“I’ve already seen them, Ivetta.” I took one of her hands and started pulling at the fabric over her fingers. She didn’t pull her hand back, but she trembled slightly.
“Can it wait until we get to the gardens?” she pleaded. “In case we run into anybody else?”
I sighed and released her hand. She quickly looked down, straightening the glove, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. I frowned, unsettled by this new development. Did she really think my seeing the scars would affect how I felt about her? I caught her chin and tilted it up to face me, kissing her gently.
“You don’t need to be embarrassed.”
“I don’t like them,” she muttered, refusing to meet my eyes.
“They’re part of you, Ivetta. And I want all of you.”
“Really?” she asked in a small voice, tentatively looking up at me.
I slid an arm around her waist and pulled her up against me. “Really.”
Kissing her was addictive, especially when she melted into me as she did now. But I was even more convinced that I was going to be in for a long wait until she was comfortable enough to give me more. As if her past wasn’t enough to scare her away from anything more physical, now she was afraid of my rejection because of the scars she tried to hide.
“Let’s go,” I said, forcing myself to release her and head for the door. I needed to get her outside, in a corner of the gardens away from prying eyes, and get those gloves off of her.
“Aren’t you forgetting something, Chevalier?” she asked as I opened the door.
I turned back to her shy smile. The blush she wore was there for the right reason now.
“Books?”
“I suppose we may want them,” I said, smirking as I held the door open for her.
She picked up the two books on the end table and walked past me, looking back over her shoulder with an unmistakable come-hither smile. As soon as I shut the door, she giggled and ran across the library. Her teasing was irresistibly frustrating. I easily caught her at the next door, pushing her up against the wood and kissing her again.
“You know, it’s getting harder to remember that letter from what’s-his-name,” she said, smiling up at me. I didn’t respond, eager for her soft lips. “I thought you wanted to read, Chevalier.”
Read. Innocent girl. Did she really not know?
“In time,” I said before another kiss.
The doorknob turned, and the door shifted behind her. “Open up,” called Leon, knocking on the door.
We sighed in unison and separated. Leon opened the door and looked from me to her and back again. She was already flushed before that look, but she turned even redder under his knowing smile. I showed nothing but a genuine cool irritation.
“Sorry to interrupt, but I need to talk to Chevalier for a minute.”
“I’ll be in the gardens,” she said quickly, slipping past Leon.
Without me, and without her guard detail. Leon had better make this quick.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNWd7Bn5BJB
