The air between them felt oddly charged, as though his sudden appearance had disrupted the usual rhythm of her morning. For a few moments, the only sounds were the clink of his spoon against his cup.
“Besides, I have to say that you left me with quite a bit of… curiosity, the other night. I suppose I have questions of my own.”
Violet looked up at him in surprise. “It is rare that you ask me any questions, so I welcome the opportunity.”
He nodded taking a sip of his coffee. “I suppose I am still a bit stuck on the whole Prince Charming notion you mentioned.”
Violet chuckled softly, though her cheeks flushed. “Ah, yes. That. It seems rather childish in hindsight, doesn’t it? I apologized already for bringing it up.”
“Not so childish,” he said, “It’s a common enough ideal. I suppose I am interested in knowing what this Prince Charming looks like to you.”
Violet blinked, her teacup pausing halfway to her lips. “You’re interested in that?”
“Why not? It’s not every day one gets to hear a duchess describe her childhood ideals. Indulge me.”
“I’m not sure it would be very interesting to you,” she said carefully, still caught off guard by his sudden curiosity.
“I’ll be the judge of that,” he replied smoothly, lifting his coffee cup to his lips. “Go on.”
Violet hesitated, then let out a soft laugh. “Well, I suppose he was everything a Prince Charming ought to be—kind, brave, and impossibly handsome, of course.” She glanced at him, her cheeks tinged pink. “And naturally, he was madly in love with me.”
He paused for a moment. “Naturally.”
She rolled her eyes at his tone. “It was all very typical, I assure you. The sort of nonsense young girls dream up after reading too many fairy tales.”
“But is it nonsense if you still believe in it?” he asked sharply.
She did not know how to respond. His sudden interest in the topic was strange to her. She had only mentioned the vow in passing. Never could she have imagined that he would demand such details from her.
Yet, here he was.
“I suppose both things can be true, Your Grace.”
“Nicholas,” he corrected.
“Both things can be true, Nicholas,” she repeated. “But I do not see the utility in discussing these things at length. If you are feeling curious this morning, you may instead ask me other questions about my life. I would prefer them, actually.”
“What would you have me ask?”
She glanced at him warily, unsure if his sudden compliance was genuine or just another trap. “I don’t know,” she said, her tone guarded. “Something sensible, perhaps. Not something rooted in childhood fantasies.”
He pondered over her words for a moment.
“Tell me about your childhood,” he finally settled on a topic. “I don’t believe we’ve spoken much about it. What was it like for you before… all of this?”
Violet was not sure what brought about this sudden interest, but she did not mind either.
“It was ordinary, I suppose. You have already met my brothers,” she shrugged. “We were close. They doted on me though they never missed an opportunity to tease me mercilessly.”
He nodded. “And your father? That is someone whom you have not mentioned before.”
Violet felt a pinch in her chest at the mention of him. It had been years since she had spoken of him last.
“He loved telling stories at bedtime. Elaborate ones about brave knights and daring adventures,” she admitted. “But I do not have any memories of him in my later years. He, as you know, passed when I was only a child.”
“That must have been difficult—for you and your family.” Nicholas’ expression softened at her words.
“I suppose we managed,” Violet replied. “It has been a long time now.”
