“Who did you think I was?” Braxton lifted a brow.
“Nobody,” I said evasively.
A muscle twitched in his jaw.
“Do you have a lover, Madelyn?” His voice was clipped.
“How is that any of your concern?”
He blinked, looking away, and then said, “I have no idea. My apologies.”
“It's forgotten,” I said airily. “What can I do for you, Your Highness?”
“Well,” he fumbled for words, “I...wehave been searching for Lily again.”
“Yes?” I smiled sweetly.
“Um, I'm not sure why I'm here.” Braxton sighed. “For some reason, you make me feel better, and I've had a very frustrating day. I rode here in a furious state, but as soon as I saw you, I felt instantly better.”
“That's strange,” I noted. “Do you want to sit down?”
I waved a hand toward the garden bench, just a dirty, crumbling piece of stone, and he scowled at it. I hid my smile, thinking he'd surely refuse to sit on such a mediocre piece of furniture. I went over and took a seat, and his expression changed immediately. He hurried over and sat beside me.
I pressed my lips together so that I wouldn't smirk.
“Do you want to tell me about your day?” I asked him.
“I suppose,” he whispered as he stared at me. “You have this look to you ...”
“How are you searching for Lily?” I asked him before he studied me too closely.
“Uh ...” Braxton blinked rapidly and then suddenly remembered. “Oh, yes, the slipper.”
“The slipper?” I asked.
“Lily left a shoe behind. It fell from her foot as she ran away,” he explained. “It's quite unusual and also very small.”
“Small?” I huffed. “Why do you say that?”
“It is.” He shrugged. “We noticed right away. Lily is the most beautiful, delicate woman I've ever met, and her feet are just as dainty as the rest of her.”
“Really?” I chuckled, absently patting the weight of the slipper in my apron pocket.
“Yes, indeed,” he said earnestly. “I know how this sounds, but we've been taking the slipper to every maiden in the kingdom, asking them to try it on.”
“You've what?” I gaped at him. “Why the hell would you take my–er–theslipper to all those women? Can't you tell if you've found Lily just by looking?”
“Honestly”–he sighed deeply–“it's all become a bit of a blur to us. She was there, and we held her, and then she ran away. I can just remember the curve of her cheek if I concentrate... hard ...” he trailed off as he stared at my cheek.
“Prince Braxton?” I snapped my fingers in between us.
“Huh?” He looked up into my eyes.
Braxton's ultramarine eyes went even bluer as he stared at me. They distracted me for a moment, as did the angles of his cheekbones until I remembered that I was trying to stop him from staring and had ended up doing the very same thing.
“Why are you making these women try on the glass slipper?”
“Oh, because it's so tiny, no one can fit it.” He smiled brilliantly. “We're certain that our Lily will be the only one who can fit the slipper, and when we find her ...” he trailed off again. “I never mentioned that the slipper was made of glass.”
