She stepped up beside him, examining her own reflection. “Figures you have a full-length mirror in your royal waiting room,Your Grace. As if you need it.”
She turned side to side, assessing the white off-the-shoulder dress. The delicate silver beading on the bodice shimmered as she moved. “Did Grace come to give you a pep talk before you introduce all the competitors?”
“I’m not introducing them this year,” Teddy snapped.
She ignored the deflection, her assessing gaze sliding over him as the connection in his chest pulsed to life at her presence. “That’s a very fine tunic even by royal standards.”
“Competitors are supposed to wear their finest to be presented to the godly gamemaker. What else would you expect me to wear?” Teddy asked.
She stilled. “You must be joking. You’re going to enter the contest, too?” Stella shook her head and barked out a disbelieving laugh. “I won’t take pity on you because you’re the prince of Argaria and our parents are friends. I’ll put you on your ass in front of both of our kingdoms and I won’t feel bad for doing it. That favor is mine.”
“So you can what? Ask King Marcos to marry his son?” Teddy laughed at the thought.
But Stella crossed her arms and stared at him.
Teddy blew out a laugh. “Women don’t ask for the hand of princes.”
“Perhaps they should. No surprise that you’re unimaginative and old-fashioned. Just when I think you can’t be more boring, you say things like that.” Stella shook her head. “You and I are playing for the same thing. The chance to marry the people we love. How is it so normal for you but so odd that I’d want the same thing?”
“Because you are not bound by the same responsibilities. Yourplan is flawed,” Teddy snapped. “You’re a lady playing dress-up. This isn’t another fairy tale. You’re not a warrior.”
She moved so quickly that he barely blocked the swing she took at his face. He caught her hand and smirked at her, just in time for her left fist to slam into his cheek. The impact drove his teeth into his lower lip.
She winced as his pain hit her through the bond. That flinch was just enough for him to catch the knee she brought up to thrust into his groin. He lifted her and slammed her onto the table beside them, only to find a dagger pressed to his throat.
Her furious eyes narrowed on him.
“Not bad.” Teddy licked his lip and tasted blood. “Guess you drew first blood.”
“Doubt it will be the last,” she said, her gaze dropping to his lips.
The bond in Teddy’s chest did a strange sort of squeezing.
“Going to let me up,Your Grace? Or do I have to fight my way out in this dress?” she taunted.
Teddy slowly extracted himself from Stella.
She sat up and held out a handful of dried chamomile. “Why are your pockets full of tea?”
“Why are you rifling through my pockets like a common thief?”
Stella grinned. “You can learn a lot about a man by what he keeps in his pockets.”
Teddy arched a brow. “How many pockets are you groping around in?”
She glared at him. “Why? Are you jealous?”
She was so irritatingly evasive.
“You never know when you’ll need an exchange for a spell,” he said.
Stella cocked her head to the side, her dark brown curls bouncing with the movement. “The future king of Argaria is casually practicing spells? I never would have dreamed of such a thing.”
Teddy looked away. “Sometimes Grace has trouble sleeping and the soothing spell helps her.”
What he didn’t want to say was thathehad trouble sleeping and used it on himself most often.
“That’s sweet.”
