Nina held up another outfit toward the younger brother suspiciously. “You would absolutely wear this while ruining someone’s life in every way.”
“That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
Meanwhile, another attendant approached me carefully, carrying a dress of deep black fabric threaded with silver patterns that almost resembled stars. I stared at it a second too long. My demon noticed my hesitation.
“You like it,” he said quietly.
“No.”
“You gazed at it softly.”
“That is not a real sentence.”
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly again.
The attendants moved quickly around the room arranging outfits across couches and tables while silver lantern light reflected against dark embroidered fabric. Palace servants kept sneaking glances toward me and my demon like they were witnessing the season finale of a reality show. At this point they basically were.
Nina had already disappeared behind one of the changing screens with three dresses and what sounded like aggressive determination. Meanwhile the younger brother lounged across the couch nearby watching her disappear behind the screen like he’d forgotten how blinking worked.
I stared at him not wanting to miss my best friend's demonic relationship
“So,” I said casually, “you’re staring again.”
He sounded almost proud. “She threatened a ruler and insulted our architecture within the same hour.”
“That is not romance. That is a concern.”
“It was the hottest experience of my life.”
From behind the screen, Nina yelled, “I HEARD THAT.”
“That was intentional.”
A shoe launched over the top of the divider toward his face. He caught it one-handed without even looking. Nina peeked around the edge of the screen afterward and froze for half a second after realizing he was still holding her heel in one hand while staring at her like a deeply inappropriate thought had just become sentient.
“…Okay wow,” she muttered. “That face again.”
The younger brother stood up from the couch afterward and walked toward the divider before casually hanging the shoe back over the edge.
Only, his hand lingered. Barely. Just enough that his fingers brushed against hers for a tiny contact. Still, Nina stopped talking instantly. And so did everyone in the room.
One palace attendant quietly whispered toward another, “The second prince is progressing rapidly.”
“I can still hear all of you,” the younger brother informed them.
“Respectfully, Your Highness, you are not being subtle.”
Meanwhile I had picked up the black dress from earlier despite myself. The fabric felt impossibly soft beneath my fingers while silver embroidery curled along the sleeves like moving starlight. Beautiful. Dangerously beautiful. My demon appeared beside me quietly a second later. Too close enough to make my heart flutter. And still careful enough not to make me uncomfortable.
“It matches your eyes,” he said softly.
I raised an eyebrow at him. “That was smooth.”
“I regret it already.”
“You should.”
But despite myself, warmth still crept embarrassingly into my cheeks.
