Page 21 of Betraying Korth

Her eyes, which had been unfocused, suddenly sharpened.

“Good morning,” I greeted her, holding my hand out to her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

She squinted her eyes again, but this time, it was as though she could see right into my very soul, and she didn’t take my hand.

“Stay away from my grandson,” she hissed. Her innocent, babbling demeanor suddenly changed, and I withdrew my hand, thoroughly unnerved.

“Wh-what?” Korth stammered. “Nona, this is Princess Odette, my fiancée.”

“Thiswomanwill bring you nothing but heartache.” Her former wispy tone had vanished, replaced by something cold and waspish.

I laughed nervously. “What makes you say that?”

“I can always tell.”

I’d never felt so wrong-footed and unnerved in my life. She had no way of knowing my true intentions; our plot hadn’t beendiscovered. But what could I possibly say that wouldn’t come across as insensitive but still help me defend myself?

“I wouldn’t do that to Korth.”

“She’s right, Nona. Odette and I are getting married soon. We care for each other.”

“I don’t like her.” Korth’s grandmother was becoming increasingly upset. Her pale cheeks took on patches of blotchy redness, and her fingers shook worse than ever. “I don’t think you should marry her. Pick someone else.”

My heart hammered and my throat suddenly felt parched. Unsure of what to do with my hands, I wrapped my arms around myself like a protective covering, shielding me from the wrath of Korth’s grandmother as the nursemaid moved in and sat next to her patient.

“Nona,” Korth began in a consoling tone, “you just met Odette. You don’t know her yet. If you get to know her, I’m sure you’ll like her.”

The sharpness faded from her eyes and she slumped back against her pillows, docile once more. “You’re a handsome young man. You look just like my son, Orion. Have you met him?”

Her lucidity vanished just as quickly as it had come, but my apprehension remained. What if Korth trusted his grandmother’s judgment? Surely not if she couldn’t even remember her own grandson anymore. But she had remembered him at that point… I couldn’t stop myself from retreating several steps to give Korth privacy with his grandmother, wishing I could fade into the background and avoid being detected again.

I was confident I would be able to convince Korth that his grandmother’s judgment of me was not to be trusted, but if the experience was repeated over and over, who knew how quicklyseeds of doubt would be sowed? I couldn’t afford to let Korth develop any reservations about our relationship.

Korth, clearly torn between defending his fiancée and showing respect for his elders, continued to talk quietly to his grandmother for several more minutes.

“You’ll come see me again, won’t you, Orion? I miss you.”

“I’m Korth, but yes, I promise I will come see you again tomorrow. I always visit you, and your son will come by later this evening.”

“Goodbye, Orion!” she trilled.

“I’m sorry about that,” Korth apologized later. “I don’t know what came over her when I introduced you. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” I ran my tongue across the smooth fronts of my teeth, wondering if it would be better to ask Korth if he believed his grandmother’s mistrust or if I should assume he wouldn’t believe the ramblings of an old, forgetful woman. “I didn’t enjoy being accused, but I suppose it is similar to the servant girl I brought. Sometimes she thinks things that aren’t true as well. It’s unfortunate, really.”

Korth nodded sadly. “It’s the main reason I wanted the family you brought to stay together. I know how difficult it is to have a family member forget things. Nona used to be well-known as an excellent judge of character, but her memory has been fading more and more lately. Tess and I have an easier time with it, but it has been a struggle for my father in particular.”

“I’m sorry. I can only imagine how painful it would be to have a parent unable to remember their child.”

“I don’t want you to ever feel unwelcome here,” Korth said with a backward glance at his grandmother’s fading door.

I smiled graciously at him. “I’m here for you, and no family is perfect. If they all acted perfect, I would wonder if you were hiding something.”

“I would never hide anything from you. I’m glad I can trust you to do the same for me.”

I made sure to show my dimples as I returned his fond expression. “I’m glad I can always trust you to be honest.”

CHAPTER 11

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