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“Even so.” Ann looked a little embarrassed, which was at least a small consolation. “You should demand an apology. The absolute gall of the man! I’ve never seen a squire behave that way with his knight.”

“He did what was required to protect me. That’s exactly what I’d expect a squire to do.”

Ann gaped at me. “Don’t tell me you … you enjoyed it?”

I felt a hot blush rising up my chest. “I certainly didn’t enjoy being injured.”

“No, but you enjoyed being saved.” She grinned, and it reminded me of when we were little, and she would let me into her bed after the candles were blown out, to hide under the covers and share secrets until her mother yelled at us to go to sleep. It was before she decided I was the enemy. This was the most genuinely sweet expression I’d seen from her in years. “Admit it, you thought it was romantic.”

“Fine, it was a little romantic,” I blurted, but even I couldn’t hide my grin. “But trust me, it was more enjoyable in retrospect than in the moment.”

“So what are you going to do? Have a relationship with him while wed to the king?”

“I don’t know.”

Ann raised her brows. “You don’t know?”

“Of course not,” I amended quickly, though I felt my cheeks grow hot.

I was the wife of the king. No matter what Kat said, it would be wrong to have relationships outside of my duty.

Except, my duty wasn’t what a traditional marriage demanded. So perhaps …

“Just be careful,” said Ann. “Any man who touches you that way clearly wants more than you should give.”

I didn’t know if I should tell her that this morning wasn’t the first time he’d taken the liberty of touching me. I laid my hand on my stomach, where his had pressed the day of my wedding. That touch hadn’t been meant in love, or even affection, though it’d made me blush, but it had been protective all the same. “I don’t even know if he likes me that much.”

“He behaved that way in front of me, and you think he doesn’t like you? He very much more than likes you.”

I felt giddy all of a sudden but tried not to show it. “Do you think he’ll confess?”

“He can’t. You’re married to the king, you ninny,” she said, a tinge of her former bitterness setting in. “But Beric is positively horrid and has the terrifying look of a mercenary, and I have it on good authority that the wicked ones are always good kissers. So there’s always that.”

I laughed. “Nonsense. Where did you hear that?”

“My friend Alyssa. She once kissed a thief.”

“That’s the biggest lie I’ve ever heard.”

Ann scoffed. “No, me pretending to be a squire is the biggest lie. I mean, look at me. I’m nobody’s servant. I should be married to royalty.”

“Is the duke a good kisser?” I asked—if only to take the conversation away from more of her bitter jealousy. There was no point in her dwelling on me being married to the king instead of her, and the quicker she forgot about it, the quicker she’d settle into being a duchess.

“Shame on you, Cali,” Anise said, although she was blushing. “We haven’t kissed yet! I’m going to tease him until the wedding. Withholding will bring about a faster proposal, you know.” She stood, checking her reflection. “How do I look?”

“Lovely.”

“Future duchess lovely?”

I grinned. “Like you were born to be one.”

She smiled, clearly smug, and for once I didn’t mind. “I must say, your taste in men is questionable, but…” She took a moment, as if debating with herself whether or not she would finally say something nice to me. “It seems we’re both going to have our fairy-tale endings, doesn’t it?”

I smiled, my heart singing. I nodded. “It seems we are.”

She hesitated, but I didn’t push her to say anything more and she left. It was by far the nicest conversation we’d had in months, and I was glad she hadn’t added anything awful at the end, as she always did. Maybe she truly was happy, or at least happy enough, with this duke.

And maybe …