If her parted lips and breathlessness are any indication, she feels it too. Her chin tilts up as her fingers curl into my shoulder. The space between us shrinks to inches. To centimeters. Her breath is warm against my mouth.
Someone clears their throat.
“Excuse me!” Delphine appears out of nowhere, wedging herself between us and grabbing Addison’s arm. “So sorry, brother, but I need to steal my friend. Girl emergency. Very urgent.” She forces a grin but also gives me awhat the fucklook.
She pulls Addison away before I can protest with a grip that looks friendly but is clearly iron. Addison glances back at me over hershoulder. Her flirty smile is a mixture of frustration and relief, and then she’s gone.
I stand alone on the dance floor for a moment, aware of the eyes on me. We almost kissed in front of two hundred guests.
Shit, I lost control.
From across the ballroom, my mother is watching me. She’s gripping her champagne glass so tightly that I’m surprised it doesn’t shatter.
I return to the platform, where Tatiana is waiting with a forced smile.
“That was quite a performance,” she says as I take my seat.
“It wasn’t a performance.”
“No.” Her voice is almost sad. “I don’t suppose it was.”
The orchestra finishes another song, and the room erupts in applause so polite that it sounds like a prerecorded audio clip. My mother hands her champagne to a passing server and strides toward the microphone at the front of the room.
I notice the anger in her steps, and I wonder what well-rehearsed line she’ll give the room full of people. This is my mother taking back control after I almost ruined her entire plan.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” she begins, her voice carrying across the ballroom. “Thank you all for joining us this evening and for gracing these halls with your presence. It’s my great pleasure to welcome you to this celebration.”
I scan the crowd for Addison and find her talking closely with Delphine.
“Tonight is a very special occasion,” my mother continues, her voice carrying across the hall. “The future of Montclaire has always rested on more than politics or policy. It rests on partnership. On the strength of the bond between those who sit upon the throne.” She pauses, letting the words sink in as her gaze settles over the room. “My son has carried the weight of this nation’s expectations since he was old enough to understand what his birthright meant. And now, at last, he will not carry it alone.”
Adrenaline rushes through my veins, and everything around me happens in slow motion.
Addison shakes her head at Delphine as she backs toward the door.
“He’s searched for a woman who understands the weight of acrown before it ever touches her head,” my mother says. “Someone with the grace to navigate a world that offers no privacy and the strength to stand firm when that world turns unkind. I’m proud to announce that my son, the crown prince of Montclaire, has made his choice.”
Tatiana rises from her seat beside me, smoothing her silver gown. She’s not going to end things. Whatever deal we made, whatever words she rehearsed, she’s abandoning them. Instead, she’s openly and publicly accepting the engagement to trap me in a marriage I never wanted.
Addison pushes through the door and disappears into the corridor beyond. I want to follow her. I want to run after her while my mother orchestrates another humiliation.
But everything is happening too fast.
“The woman our prince has chosen”—my mother gestures to Tatiana with a graceful sweep of her arm—“will make a magnificent queen. And now, to celebrate this momentous occasion, I present the official engagement portrait.”
Someone steps forward and grips the edge of the white cloth.
“Ladies and gentlemen”—my mother’s voice rings with triumph—“I give you the future king and queen of Montclaire.”
The cloth falls away, and the entire ballroom freezes for three entire heartbeats.
No one moves or speaks.
I stare at the portrait, my mind struggling to process what I’m seeing.
The painting is of me in the conservatory, with the late afternoon light pouring through the windows. The brushwork is exquisite, every detail perfect, the shadows and highlights blending together the way only she can make them.
And beside me is Addison.
