“About whom I spend my time with, sir!” I explained. “Lord, you’re mad.”
He eyed me closer. “Additionally, you’re not like the other women I’ve been with. You’re…”
“Oh, spare me! Is this where you tell me I’mspecial?Like this special rose? Am I supposed to swoon at how significant I must be?”
That earned a smirk.“Dangerouswas my choice.”
“I’m dangerous?” I asked.
“Aye. Extremely. A major risk, bearing major consequences for someone like me to suffer, when we are caught in this affair.”
“If.”
“I could gethurtfor kissing the Prince’s wife. Worse for worse.”
“I wouldn’t let that happen,” I said.
“You’ve told your knight about us,” he said, nodding toward his and Miss Josie’s path. “Two men can’t keep a secret unless one of them is dead.”
“Oreian men are different,” I told him. “You should understand that, try as you might to escape your heritage, you never will. Further, Ser Willoughby is my cousin. He’s not just my guard. He won’t divulge anything that happens between us, butifhe did, andifwe were caught, I would make sure everyone heard that our connection was amutualconnection and nothing malicious.”
“Your reputation would not recover,” he explained. “I could not do that to you.” He shook his head. “And Sam… He would be marred.”
“Sam would not care,” I said.
“You don’t know him like I do, Princess. He would care.”
“Thenifwe were caught andifhe were upset, I would cite Miss Agatha, and he and I would be even, and that would be the end of that conversation.”
“We’ve been close since youth,” he said. “Sameer was my first friend here. And though you might not want to hear it, he is a sensitive sort. He would care. He would be hurt.”
“I will refrain from commenting further, out of respect for you and your opinion of the Prince, but I do want it noted that your sensitive Sameer does not worry formysensitivities, now does he? Besides,we’refriends. You and I. I wouldn’t… I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. You’re doing me a service.”
“A service, eh?”
“Yes. Of friendship.”
“Ser Elías knows, too,” he added. “Does he subscribe to ourfriendship?”
“He won’t be a problem,” I said.
“He wasveryclear with his disapproval the last time I saw him. It makes me nervous to learn that both of your Blades are aware there is something between us.”
“Elías wouldn’t hurt a fly,” I insisted. “He’s a big cuddly wildcat.”
“He’s asoldier.His job is to hurt. And, not to mention, wildcats are natural killers. Did you mean to use that analogy?”
“He hurts in the way ofduty. Why does everyone keep saying he’s heinous?”
“If two or more see it, it’s not a mirage, Princess.”
“Mr. Evergreen, please. Iswear. I would not let you get injured and Elías and I are very close. He would never hurt me. Hurting you would hurt me. He knows that. He- I’ve-” I had to stop myself. “Why am I fighting you for attention anyway? I respect myself far too much to beg you to like me.”
“No one’s begging,” he said. “We’re discussing.”
I shook my head. “No, I’m begging and I’m repulsed. We should head back.”
“I didn’t-” He caught my arm as I tried to turn away. He let go the moment I noticed. “I don’t want this to stop,” he said.
