Yearning fills my bones. It’s almost painful to admit how badly I want to hear those songs.
38
FRANCO
Istand outside the palace looking over the courtyard where the final touches for tonight’s festivities are coming together. The sun is just beginning its descent behind the mountains, painting the sky in rosy hues. It’s the evening of the Full Moon Frolic, and as soon as the sun fully sets, the grand event will commence. With every minute that ticks by, I grow increasingly anxious. Did I make the right changes? Am I doing the right thing?
“There’s the look of someone who’s desperately wishing he hadn’t burned a certain glamour.” Augie sidles up next to me and surveys the courtyard. “Are you sure you don’t want me to take your place again?”
I give the ambassador a sideways grin and wipe my clammy palms over the front of my pants—which reminds me that I still need to get dressed. “I’m sure,” I say with as much conviction as I can muster. “If this ends in disaster, I have no one to blame but myself.”
Augie shrugs. “I think the changes you’ve made to the ball will be good ones.”
“You really think so?”
“Sure. They’ve left more room for debauchery.”
I chuckle, although that’s not what tonight’s about. It’s about…something else. I can only hope my guests see things the way I intend.
He nods at the courtyard. “What made you decide to do things this way? Was the first ball really so boring?”
I furrow my brow, considering how to answer. My conversations with Em make me want to be more sincere, and the best place to start would be with my friends. Although I consider Augie a friend, we’ve never talked about anything serious outside of his ambassador duties. Even then, we usually find a way to make light of the subjects.
He snorts a laugh. “You don’t need to tell me. It’s your princess, isn’t it? You’re doing this for her?”
“No.” The word comes out with a hint of defense. I might have decided to make changes to tonight’s ball because of her, but I wouldn’t say I’m doing itforher. I’m doing it for me. For my people. Slouching to the side, I put a hand on my hip. “She was simply my inspiration.”
“I’m happy for you, Highness,” he says, slapping me on the shoulder. “I haven’t seen you this content with a potential lover for…years. Decades, maybe. Do you think she’s the one?”
“The one?” I echo, a tingling warmth spreading over my chest.
“The princess you’re going to choose as a mate and bride?”
A twinge of guilt sinks my stomach. Augie has no idea Em isn’t the actual princess. “I’m quite fond of her,” I say dismissively.
He rolls his eyes. “Your more than fond. That’s obvious to anyone who’s seen you around one another.”
“Oh, and how many times have you seen us together? Once?”
He begins ticking off his fingers one at a time. “In the coach on the way to the opera. At the opera before Seri and I returned to the coach. Twice while you strolled about the palace grounds. And then at Lake Artemisa. What were you even talking about in the rowboat? I couldn’t tell if you were about to kiss or yell.”
A corner of my mouth flicks up at that. His assessment might not be too far off, although my desire to kiss her has only been a recent discovery for me. “I had no idea you were even there that day. Where were you? Thumping Seri in the bushes?”
“Don’t try to change the subject. We’re talking about you. You like Princess Maisie, it’s as simple as that. There’s no shame in it. Isn’t that what your sister wanted?”
Another pang of guilt.Not exactly. “Of course it is.”
“Then she’s going to be so damn proud when she realizes you’ve found someone. And not just anyone. Someone you clearly like. Someone who is exactly what your sister wanted for you.”
Exactly what your sister wanted…
My throat feels dry. What I’m doing with Em is the opposite of what Nyxia wants. Instead of courting a princess, I’m playing charades with a lady’s maid.
My chest tightens.
No, she isn’t just a lady’s maid. She’s so much more than that.
Somuch more.
