Natalie sighed. If she tried to deny it, her stomach would probably betray her and give its loudest rumble yet. She hadn’t eaten since arriving in the capital, and she was starving.
She sent a final glance toward Leo. But there was little point trying to spend time with him if his cousin was determined to hover at her side, laughing at her the whole time. She would have to find another opportunity.
“Lead on, then,Luca,” she said in a resigned voice.
Luca offered his arm courteously, but Natalie ignored it, starting toward the refreshments alone. Luca laughed quietly and caught up in two strides.
When they reached their destination, Natalie gave a quick glance back toward Leo and caught him looking in her direction. But he immediately turned back to the duke, showing no inclination to end his conversation and join them.
A fleeting thought whispered in her brain.Who exactly had Luca been rescuing?
She shook it off. Leo and Luca might have run wild in their younger years, but he had grown up now. He wouldn’t have been left in charge during the new king and queen’s absence unless they judged him sufficiently responsible. There was no way the crown prince was trying to avoid the foreign princess who had just arrived for a diplomatic visit.
Natalie piled her plate high, refusing to dwell on Leo’s distance. The food looked too good not to be enjoyed in the moment.
As she turned from the table with a full plate, she was abruptly reminded of Luca’s presence. He stood, watching her with an appreciative gleam in his eye while his own plate remained empty.
“It’s nice to see that our Lanoverian chefs meet with Arcadian approval,” he said.
“That has yet to be seen,” Natalie said loftily, fearing that he was once again laughing at her for making a mistake. Were princesses supposed to confine themselves to eating lightly at royal functions? “I haven’t tried any of it yet.”
Luca laughed. “My apologies for making assumptions.”
“Do you do that a lot?” Natalie asked tartly.
Luca’s eyes gleamed. “I may have been guilty in the past, but you’re already confounding all my assumptions, Princess.”
His casual use of the false title sent a pang of discomfort through Natalie, so she turned away without a word and found a nearby seat. He followed her despite her rude departure, his own plate now full.
They ate in silence for several minutes before Natalie gave up her attempts to take only small, occasional bites and dug into the food properly. She didn’t like to pander to the second prince’s already comfortable ego, but justice prompted her to retract her earlier qualification and compliment the food.
“There’s no need to sound so delighted about it,” Luca said with a suppressed laugh. “I promise not to take it as a personal compliment, given I had nothing whatsoever to do with either the menu or food preparation.”
His words surprised a laugh out of her. Once again, he had seen her too clearly, and she should have been even more annoyed. But somehow, she couldn’t muster the feeling this time.
“If nothing else, I’m fair,” she said. “No one could find fault with this food.”
“You clearly haven’t met Puss.” Luca gave a private chuckle.
“Puss?” Natalie asked, intrigued in spite of herself.
Luca launched into a string of tales about the talking cat from the Palace of Light who made occasional visits to Lanover. Clearly the mischief-loving princes had delighted in the creature’s arrival, while their parents were less enamored by Puss’s presence.
The cat’s exploits—aided by a young Leo and Luca—were so amusing that she entirely forgot any remaining irritation with the second prince. Before she knew it, she had finished her plate,her stomach too full to allow another bite. At least not while wearing that dress.
Someone called for Luca’s attention, and Natalie took the opportunity to slip away. She would use his distraction to seize another chance with Leo.
But the crown prince was no longer talking to the duke, and it took Natalie several minutes to find him. When she did finally locate him, he had Rose stuck in a back corner, trapped in conversation with him.
Natalie grimaced. It was only the first evening, and she was already failing in her half of the arrangement. Rose had given Natalie her position so that Rose wouldn’t end up stuck spending all her time with the prince she was determined not to fall in love with.
Natalie started toward them, resolving to rescue Rose and achieve her own purposes at the same time. But she was once again intercepted before she could reach her goal.
“There you are!” Luca exclaimed. “Some of the courtiers are less mobile than others, and I’ve been tasked with delivering you to them.”
“I’m occupied right now.” Natalie’s short response barely sounded civil, but it did nothing to discourage Luca.
“You don’t look occupied.” His look of innocence made her want to shake him.
