Damien glanced up again. “The boots he was wearing?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re surprised he didn’t stop by to kiss you good night?”
“Damien!”
“Sorry! You ran away earlier, too. Both of you need time to cool off,” Damien reasoned. “Get some sleep and talk to him in the morning. Leo has to come back if we’re supposed to go to Lochmatten tomorrow.”
“What if he doesn’t let me go?” Evelyn worried aloud. “What if he forces me to stay here?”
“Issetting his clothes on firenot an effective strategy to get what you want?”
“As much as I enjoyed it, I don’t think I can keep doing that.”
Damien gripped Evelyn’s shoulders. “You are aqueen. If Leo tries to leave you here, find a faster ship of your own.”
“And whose ship will you be on?”
He cocked his head. “I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.”
Evelyn shrugged out of his hold.
Damien drummed his fingers on the back of the couch. “Funny that you wait until after the wedding to start spreading rumors about me.”
“I’m not spreading rumors,” Evelyn argued.
“What did you tell Viviane this afternoon? That youbeggedme to love you?”
“You were being an ass! She’s right, you like bossing everyone around.”
“And how often do I give bad orders? How many times have my instincts been wrong?”
“You think very highly of yourself.”
“You told your husband you want to marry me.”
Evelyn blushed. “That’s not what I said!”
Damien smirked. “I should get out of your room before the king comes home. Good night, Princess.”
“Evelyn?”
She pried her eyes open, woken from a fitful sleep. Leo was sitting on the edge of the bed, fully dressed and holding a sheet of parchment. The oil lamp on her nightstand had been lit. The dark sky glowed with the earliest hint of dawn.
Evelyn sat up. “Leo? Where have you been?”
“I want you to trust me, Evelyn. I want you to feel respected here. I know there’s a lot that I need to get better at, and I will. I thought maybe this would be a good start.” Leo handed her the parchment.
“What is this?” she asked.
“It’s my promise not to hurt you again.”
By the order of King Alexander Ducasse,
The Kingdom of Gryon will honor a change in the law of succession within the royal family. Effective immediately, the ruling King and Queen will be granted equal rank within the kingdom. Upon the death of one monarch, the other shall remain in power. An heir (by blood or appointment) will not take the throne until the preceding King and Queen both die or abdicate. At the time of this writing, the change in law means that Queen Evelyn would remain as the sole ruler of Gryon should King Alexander be returned to the gods.
Evelyn read the proclamation twice. “Is this real?”
