"One more thing, Your Highness."He paused, and something flickered in his expression that I couldn't read."I've been reviewing the marriage contracts.There are some provisions regarding Princess Bettina's role that may require...clarification before the ceremony."
"What kind of clarification?"
"Nothing you need to concern yourself with.I'll handle the details."His smile was perfectly pleasant and completely unsettling."Focus on your lesson.And perhaps consider telling the princess the truth before someone else does."
He turned and walked away, leaving me with the uncomfortable feeling that I'd just been warned about something more than my romantic deception.
"Who was that?"
Betty had brought Celeste back to a walk and was approaching the fence where I stood.
"Lord Chancellor Renaud," I said, forcing my voice to remain casual."He had a message about tomorrow's schedule."
"He looked like he was delivering bad news.Or possibly a death threat."
"That's just his face."
She laughed, but there was curiosity in her eyes."He called you 'Your Highness.'I heard him from across the arena."
My heart stopped."What?"
"When he first walked up.He definitely said 'Your Highness.'"She tilted her head, studying me."Is there something you want to tell me, Peter?"
This was it.The moment I'd been dreading and hoping for in equal measure.The moment when I could finally stop lying and start being honest.
I opened my mouth to tell her everything.
"He probably mistook me for someone else," I said instead, because I was a coward."The Lord Chancellor is very formal.He addresses everyone with excessive titles."
Betty looked at me for a long moment, and I could see she didn't entirely believe me.But she let it go, either because she trusted me or because she wasn't ready to hear the truth.
"If you say so."She turned Celeste back toward the arena."Now, are we going to work on canter transitions or are you going to stand there looking mysterious and slightly constipated?"
"I do not look constipated."
"You kind of do.It's the furrowed brow.Very intense.Very 'I'm thinking deep thoughts about horse training.'"
We worked on transitions for another thirty minutes, and by the end, Betty was smoothly moving between walk, trot, and canter like she'd been riding for years instead of days.Every success made her face light up, and every lighting up of her face made me more certain that I'd made a terrible mistake.
Not the mistake of falling for her.That had been inevitable from the moment she'd made her first sarcastic comment about being royal.
The mistake of waiting too long to tell her the truth.
When the lesson ended and she dismounted, her hand found my arm to steady herself and then stayed there a moment longer than necessary.
"Thank you," she said."For this.For all of it."
"You did the work.I just pointed you in the right direction."
"That's not what I mean."She looked up at me, her green eyes serious for once."I mean thank you for making me feel like I'm not completely hopeless.Everyone else here looks at me like I'm a problem to be solved.You look at me like I'm a person."
The trust in her voice made something crack inside my chest.
"Betty," I said, and her name came out rough."There's something I need to tell you."
"Okay."She didn't move away, didn't drop her hand from my arm.Just waited, open and trusting.
I took a breath."I'm not—"
