He met her eyes, sunlight catching his emerald irises. His mouth lifted at both corners. “Thank you for bringing me here.”
Her shoulders tensed as a sudden wave of self-consciousness swept over her. She hadn’t considered the implications of bringing him to a special place to have their private chat. To be honest, she hadn’t thought of where to take them until they were several minutes into their forest stroll. It was the only place she could think of that was close enough for the guards not to make a fuss but far enough away to give her the time she needed to mentally prepare for the matter at hand.
Teryn faced her fully. His throat bobbed once. Twice.
She held her breath, knowing what he was preparing to say…
“Why didn’t you meet me in the garden at Verlot Palace that night?”
She blinked a few times. Those weren’t quite the words she’d expected, but they filled her with no small amount of anxiety. She opened her mouth to answer, but her eyes darted to the side, taking in the bored postures of the two guards who stood several feet away.
Teryn released an aggravated grumble and addressed them. “Can youpleasegive us some damn privacy?”
The guards exchanged a glance but begrudgingly obeyed, taking a dozen or so paces out of the clearing to flank the forest path instead.
Teryn returned to face Cora, brow raised in question.
It seemed he wasn’t going to let her off that easy.
She resisted the urge to fidget and hid her hands in the folds of her skirt. Only then did she realize she still wore her apron and her dress was embarrassingly plain. She’d had to borrow it from a servant just to have something comfortable enough to work in. She was likely covered in salt, herbs, and soot as well. Not to mention what her hair must look like. Meanwhile, he was dressed like a true prince. A man who’d almost been king. His dark trousers were clearly made for riding, but the way they hugged his thighs told her they were custom tailored to the finest precision. His waistcoat was leather, but not in the style worn by a hunter. His was of a supple blue suede, embossed with Menah’s eagle sigil. Not even the rolled-up sleeves of his shirt or the cravat hanging loose around his neck belied his title.
Hewas a distinguished royal.Shewas a witch playing pretend until she’d served her purpose as a princess.
Besides, it didn’t matter what either of them looked like.He was only here for politics. It was better that way. She’d already determined that a political alliance was all she could commit to. A love match represented danger. The potential for heartache. She wasn’t yet ready to let go of the life she’d had with the Forest People. Of freedom. The Arts. If she married for love, she’d have to give that all up. Be Princess Aveline forevermore.
But isn’t Teryn the one person I can be both a witch and a princess with?
She banished the thought and reminded herself he was still waiting for an answer. She supposed he deserved one.
Forcing herself to meet his eyes with a neutral expression, she said, “I didn’t think it was proper to meet with what I assumed was a married man alone in a garden at night.”
“You thought I’d married Mareleau.”
Cora shrugged. “She was your fiancée.”
“No, Cora, everything changed?—”
“I know what changed. I know about Larylis and Mareleau. Or…her pregnancy at least.”
Teryn frowned. “You do?”
She let out a halfhearted chuckle. “One of the queen’s maids—well, I suppose she’s my maid now—isn’t the keenest when it comes to discretion. Or even logic.”
Teryn looked relieved that she’d freed him from the burden of having to explain. Perhaps she should free him from the rest of his burdens too. They might as well get this over with.
Turning back toward the edge of the cliff and the bright meadow beyond, she said, “I know why you’re here, and I know what you came to say. What you came to ask me. I agreed to an alliance with Menah, one that will be solidified in a peace pact at the end of the month. Its terms include a betrothal to Menah’s prince and will result in an official marriage one year from now. But there’s been a change of groom. Now I must be engaged to you to secure trust with my allies. Marrying you is the only way my brother’s council will recognize me as his heir. Until Dimetreus remarries and has children of his own, I’m the only heir he has. Which makes our engagement necessary on all fronts.”
Teryn was silent for a moment. Then he came up beside her. She could feel his gaze burning into her profile, but she refused to meet his eyes.
“You don’t have to marry me, Cora,” he said, voice low, somber. “You have a choice. Should you wish to refuse me, I’ll convince Verdian of some other way to secure trust. I promise.”
She let out a humorless laugh. “Have you learned nothing about the folly of making empty promises? King Verdian is your queen’s father. He’s threatened to take my brother’s birthright away if I so much as step out of line. You can’t go up against him.”
“Try me.”
Cora couldn’t help but look at him then. His expression held no jest. She didn’t dare open her senses to him, to feel the intensity hidden behind his words.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said, forcing her composure to remain cool. Calm. Disconnected from emotion. “My answer is yes.”
