Chapter 10
“How dare you!” I cried, all but barrelling after Lord Evergreen. My voice rolled off the walls impatiently. “How dare you! You don’t like me, and yet you compliment my face?”
He scoffed, but he didn’t stop or turn around.
“I don’t believe I’ve said that, Your Highness,” he said.
“You did! I heard you! You said no face as–”
“That I didn’t like you,” he corrected.
I scoffed. “That’s just it. Youhaven’t.You haven’t said more thanthreewords to me since I arrived here in Chalke if you don’t include the square, which I hardly think we should, considering you blatantlyliedto the Prince about meeting me. You’rewelcomefor not outing you, by the way!”
“Youdidout me!” We faced off. “Youtoldhim we’d met!”
“I meant that I did not tell him you knew my name!” I said. “You knew my name and my rank and that I was–”
He stared at my finger in his face until I dropped it. He said, “Iapologizeif I have insulted you, Your Highness. I simply mistook you for someone else.”
“Mistook? You mistook me? Don’t you spin your yarn at me, Lord Evergreen! Itoldyou who I was, and I know you heard it!You let me make afoolof myself, introducing…myself! Ugh! And now I sound like an idiot, thanks to you!”
“I don’t think I can take credit for that,” he said. “That’s a natural ability, it seems.”
I gasped.“I beg your pardon?”
“I said nothing,” he lied.
“You—! You did say it! Just like you said I was fair! How dare you complimentandinsult me so satirically! I don't know whether I should be angry with you, or, or-”
“Again, I apologize,” he said. “It was a joke.”
“A joke!” I huffed. “A joke, he says, immediately after calling me a fool! You must truly think it.”
Cyrus started walking again, and I followed him past several members of the staff, through the hallway, and out into the gardens.
“Would you slow dow–Ah!” He turned to meet me. “Yes. Thank you.” I preened. “Will you not apologize?”
“I didn’t call you a fool; I agreed with your observation about yourself,” he said.
“You—”
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere I have to be,” he said.
“Another lie, I’d bet,” I croaked. When he had no answer ready, I half smirked, crossed. “I’ve caught you, have I?”
“Your Highness,” he said.
“I have, and I have figured you out, sir,” I told him.
“Oh, have you?” He squinted.
“Yes,” I said.
“And I bet you’re pretty proud of that, aren’t you?” he asked. “Took you long enough!”
“You don’t like my father!” I snapped. I took a strong posture with the cry. I wasn’t wrong. “It’sveryobvious. And yes, I am quite proud.”
Cyrus laughed; he doubled over, and then settled into a nod that let me know that didn’t cover the half of it.
