"That's very sweet of you."
"Nate's the one who had the recipe. And the one who bought the freeze-dried raspberries."
"Well, I appreciate both of you. Which you should also tell him when you see him later."
I nod, but don't say anything as her attention is caught by Solana on her other side. I eat the rest of my tart, admiring the way the pastry crumbles. It truly is perfect.
Without meaning to, my mind strays to the thought of Nate rolling out pastry. I love watching him bake, the way he moves is so natural and graceful, like he's truly in his element. But it's nothing compared to how I feel when he smiles at me, or when he laughs because I've said something he finds genuinely amusing rather than because I've said something ridiculous.
"Thinking about Nate?" Veronica asks.
I startle, not having realised she'd finished her conversation with Solana. "No."
"You're a terrible liar, Evie."
"It doesn't matter if I'm thinking about him anyway. He's in love with someone else, he told me as much."
She raises an eyebrow. "Did he tell you more about them?"
"No. He hasn't really said much. He's been busy, especially since the meeting with Father and trying to get the right dessert for the banquet."
"As in you had a meeting with Father?"
"Well, Father and Artie. Nate was there too."
She gives me a look that I think I'm supposed to understand, but don't.
"You're going to have to use your words," I say.
"So are you," she mutters. "Who invited Nate to the meeting?"
"I suppose I did. He was suggesting making notes for me, but I thought he was suggesting that he came with me. Then he said he'd do that." I grimace. "I can't believe I made him do that."
Veronica bursts out laughing. "Oh, Evie. You can be so smart sometimes, but other times, it's like things go straight over your head."
"I know that," I murmur.
"He's in love with you."
"How could you possibly know that?"
"Think about it, Evie. He spends all his spare time with you, he's written to you at least once a week for five years, he has the patience to deal with all of your eccentricities, and he's a handsome, talented, well-paid member of the royal household, and he hasn't even looked at anyone else."
"What if it's all just a coincidence?"
She lets out a frustrated sigh. "It's not. Think about it. He went to a meeting with our father. As in the King of the entire kingdom, when you asked him to, because it would make you more comfortable."
"He said that it was always good to have a positive meeting with the King," I say, thinking back to Nate's reaction afterwards.
"Of course he did. Because he probably doesn't want to make you uncomfortable by pointing out that he did it for you. There's no way he needed to be in that meeting. He turned up to it because of you."
I consider what she's saying and think back over the past few weeks, and then further to the past few years. "He loves me?" I whisper.
"Yes."
"I have to go." I push back my chair and jump to my feet, so distracted that I no longer care about the tiara pinching the sides of my head, or the sash that itches against my skin.
"Evie! You can't go."
