I turned to Clement and mouthed ‘young’? He pushed me away.
She tipped her goblet so it now pointed at me. “You do still need to learn manners. We need all the help we can get around here, and I know you’re able to do it, girl.” Girl? I snorted again, eyeing the now empty wine goblet and the single curl of gray hair that escaped her white cap and hung around her face. “You practically sing your respects to me.” She poured more sweet red wine into her goblet from the carafe and grinned at me.
She was grinning at me? Clement was right, this dinner was weird, but amazing. “That’s because you practically ooze authority, ma’am.” I pressed my hand to my heart. “And I'm a teeny bit afraid of you.”
She nodded into her wine and hiccupped.
“What about me?” asked the prince.
I shrugged. “You’ll get there.”
He threw back his head and roared with laughter. Clement gave me an exasperated look, but he couldn’t hide his smirk even beneath the thick stubble. Matron’s words from our first meeting about being forgettable and Clement’s repeated warnings to stay under the prince’s radar trickled to the forefront of my mind. A bit too late for that.
I glanced at Lilyanna who smiled politely. She cut a tiny piece of potato and pushed it onto the back of her fork, her attention disproportionate to the task at hand.
As if sensing the shift, the prince scraped back his chair. We all stopped and focused on him. He held out both hands toward Lilyanna, palms open and empty. Then he closed his fists and spun around, the tails of his jacket flying out behind him. When he reached her again, he dropped to his knees with a flourish and held out a ring.
“Lilyanna, my love, let us make this official. You are my chosen one.”
My stomach clenched. This is what she wanted, what she thought she needed. But had it sealed her fate? I needed to get her out of here, to drag her with me. I’d accompany her back home to tear up that stupid contract and be on my way.
I shook my head hoping she’d see, and Clement kicked me again. I glared at him before painting a smile back on my face.
I wouldn’t let anything happen to her.
Lilyanna threw herself at him, draping her hands around his neck. He kissed her with such surprising intensity that I was almost jealous for a second. The dimples popped in his cheeks and his eyes came alive as he beamed at her. He really did seem to be in love with her. Maybe he would leave with her if I could get them both out of here and away from the city?
Although, without the threat of the murderous castle hanging over us, I could concentrate solely on my mission and see if he was really guilty before I acted. He’d done nothing but be welcoming and kind thus far with his behavior that of a normal, innocent man. Maybe that’s why Siobhan sent me? She wanted to see if I’d obey her, even if the assignment was grossly unfair.
The Sheriff’s warning echoed in my ears. There must be some truth in the rumors about the prince for him to risk coming out of hiding and travel all the way up here, and there was still the reaction of my cowering magic to consider.
Distracted, I twisted the bangle around my wrist, the smooth gold cold against my skin.
“Do you like your gift?” Clement asked.
“Yeah, I do.”
“I picked it myself.” I stared at him, and he blushed. “I mean, the prince sent me for it...I...Look.” He turned my wrist over and pressed on the diamond clasp. A needle thrust out of the gold, its tip a rusted green. “It’s not as effective as that kitchen knife you stole, but the venom on that needle will incapacitate a full-grown man.” He pressed the clasp again and the needle sucked back inside the bangle. “Or kill someone of your size.”
“Wow. Well, I like it a lot more now.” His thumb brushed my wrist, sending tingles up my arm. “Don’t you think you should’ve told me first though? A little dangerous if you ask me.”
He chuckled, the sound rushing as coils of warmth through my body. “I think you can handle it. And as you seem intent on doing everything I tell you not to, I thought you may need the extra protection.”
He was worried about me? That was novel. “Thank you,” I mumbled. “So, are you happy that I’m still here, or are you still plotting to have me thrown out?”
“I’m growing used to having you beside me.”
“What a lovely sentiment.”
He kept his fingers loose around my wrist, his grip soft but firm enough to keep me from pulling away. “You’re different.”
I sucked in a breath. “This just keeps getting better and better. Please go on.”
He grinned. “And that’s what I like about you. You’re the only one here who openly speaks their mind. I find it…interesting.”
I should have rolled my eyes or tutted, but the way he said it, with a hint of color brushing his cheeks, made warmth bloom in my chest. He squeezed my hand and leaned in closer. For a second I thought he was going to kiss me, before the prince loudly cleared his throat and Clement swerved.
He gently replaced my hand on the table, and we both sat and listened to the conversations around us, neither of us really paying attention. My sole focus was the closeness of his thigh to mine, the faint scent of pine I was coming to recognize on instinct as his, and the growing pressure that hummed in the air between us.
