“Can you trust any of the other men?” I ask.
“Some of them, possibly. But I’m not always the best judge of that.”
I wince, but he does too.
“I didn’t mean it to come out like that.”
“But it’s true. It’s something that will always be there between us.” I brush against him as I walk back the way I came.
He follows behind me. “What do you think of Nate?”
“He’s hiding something, for sure,” I say. “But I have this strange feeling that he’s not dangerous.”
“This is from the same woman who dated the prince of Iskvaland?” he asks skeptically.
I glance over my shoulder. “It’s coming from the same woman who saw the good in you.”
The wind cuts through my dress like a knife as soon as we’re back outside. Nate is holding the door open for us and I hurry inside, rubbing my hands on my arms to send the chill away.
“Hot chocolate?” Antonia suggests.
“Great idea,” Genevieve says.
“I want to go find Elliot. He should be finished with training,” Charlotte says, scurrying away before any of us can question her.
“Is that going to be an issue? I’m happy for her, but should she be so open about it?” I ask the other two.
“No. There’s not really a rule against her dating a guard. It’s just not done often,” Antonia says.
“I can talk to the Emperor for her,” Brevan suggests. “Perhaps he’d give them his blessing?”
I shake my head. “I don’t think we need anything else he can hold over my head.”
Nate clears his throat. I’d forgotten he was there. I turn to him. “Caiden is holding my best friend hostage to get me to do what he wants.”
The guard’s eyes widen.
“Princess,” Brevan hisses a warning.
I ignore him and glance over at Nate. “And now you’re one of us.” I don’t need to tell him all our secrets, but if he thinks he’s part of the inner circle, I suspect I’ll eventually get whatever he is hiding out of him.
“Not sure that was the best way to handle that, princess,” Brevan whispers.
“It can’t be that much of a secret,” I say.
“True,” Brevan concedes.
“Kitchens are this way,” Antonia says. “They have a table in the back near a window where they’ve let us sit a few times.”
“There’s something I must attend to. I’ll find you later,” Brevan says, then he turns to Nate. “Stay with them. Keep them inside the estate.”
Nate nods.
I stare after Brevan until I can’t see him anymore. Genevieve loops her arm through mine. “I want to hear about the wedding. And the ball.”
My cheeks heat. She’s reminding me to play the role. I’m a married woman, not someone who should be obviously pining after the enforcer. Still, I can’t help but give her an exasperated look.
“What? It was supposed to be my first royal Darkfall ball and it would have been my only royal wedding. Unless, of course, Juliette’s new flame becomes serious. You can give a girl some details.” She’s smiling, and I can tell she’s genuinely curious while also distracting me.
