Page 31 of Betraying Korth

By the end of the day, the storm had blown itself out, but it took several more days for the ground to dry out enough for Korth to deem it suitable for walking outside. Instead of the gardens on the sodden days, he gave me a tour of the east wing, where their historical records were kept near the library, as well as the chapel, the armory, and the council room.

On the first truly dry afternoon, after a great deal of coaxing on my part, Korth led me through the town. Decorations in the form of colored paper lanterns were strung up across the street, crisscrossing overhead and painted with cheerful, bright illustrations. The chatter in town carried a palpable aura of great anticipation.

“What is everyone so excited about?”

“They celebrate the summer solstice with a masquerade each year,” he informed me, nodding toward a booth that had dozens of masks on display, all arranged by color. Some were basic fabric eye coverings with a band and little other decoration. Others were elaborate, with feathers, beads, and even some full-face masks that gave the wearer the appearance of an animal.Looking at them was similar to staring at a textured rainbow. “It’s called the Night of Masks festival.”

“So it’s a masquerade ball?”

Korth pondered. “Not quite a ball. I believe there is some optional dancing, but it is more like a week-long festival.”

“Haven’t you ever been? It seems like a big event.”

He shrugged. “It would be late and I have a trade delegation to host tomorrow morning, and there is a criminal trial beginning soon that a sovereign needs to oversee. The testimonies usually take a week by themselves.”

I used my fan to swat his chest lightly. “You, Prince Korth, need to learn to have a little fun.” I took an exaggerated glance at our chaperone doggedly following us several paces back, then lowered my voice. “If you-know-who wasn’t around, I’d love to have some fun with you.” I trailed the fan up his chest, then opened it to flutter in front of my face, raising my eyebrows suggestively.

Korth’s ears flamed bright red and his mouth worked, trying to find the correct response. I couldn’t resist smiling. It was so easy to get a reaction from him when I flirted, and a strange, heady thrill surged through me each time I managed to get him to stumble over his words and lose his rigid composure. It felt powerful to know that I could control his thoughts. The idea that he was thinking of me, and only me, was intoxicating, leaving me wanting to flirt with him more often and more boldly. How long would it take for him to break down completely?

He certainly didn’t seem to be losing interest. If anything, each flirtation was driving him a little crazier, and I reveled in it. Other men would have gloated over having such attention, but not Korth. He was wrong-footed in the most adorable way. If only I could get him alone to test his resolve, away from the prying eyes of our dratted chaperone.

Korth and I strolled hand in hand through the sprawling gardens on the way back, and I caught sight of a wide swing whose ropes were covered in flowering vines. “Look!” I tried to tug on his hand, but he resisted.

“We aren’t supposed to walk on the grass. It was just trimmed.”

“Right. You said that before. I just—oops!” I fumbled the fan I held, and as Korth released my hand to pick it up for me, I darted across the lawn to the swing.

“Odette!”

It took a matter of seconds for me to reach the swing, then I shot a mischievous look back at Korth. “Oh no. Who’s going to stop me?” I ran my hand along the painted seat and sat on it, threading my hands through the sweet-smelling plants adorning the cords that hooked the seat to the branch above. The ropes were just far enough apart that I could reach them without fully extending my arms, but it was close. Two small people would easily be able to sit side by side.

Korth teetered on the edge of the path but then finally stepped onto the grass and crossed to me, gingerly setting each of his feet down so cautiously I wondered if he would write an apology letter to the gardener.

“There’s no grass here,” I told him coyly, nodding down at the two grooves worn into the dirt where people had dragged their feet. “We aren’t the only rebels.”

Godfrey seemed similarly conflicted, poised at the edge of the path and biting his lip but unwilling to step onto the manicured lawn.

“While we’re here, you may as well give me a push.”

Hands wrapped around my own as Korth pulled the swing back then gave me a shove, pushing me each time my body swung back so I soared higher and higher. My stomach swooped joyfully as my body curved through the arc of theswing’s trajectory, and I reveled in the weightless sensation I experienced as my feet brushed the low-hanging leaves. I leaned back so that I caught a glimpse of Korth upside down as my toes reached the pinnacle of the arc. He smiled as he watched my long hair brush the ground below, raising his arms to prepare for the next push.

“Get on with me,” I called as his arms propelled me forward once more.

“It isn’t made for two,” Korth objected, shooting a glance at Godfrey, who still diligently watched us from a distance.

I dragged my feet to slow the swing to a halt. “You and your rules. It’ll be fun; come live a little!”

It didn’t take too much more convincing to persuade Korth to join me. His taller frame made it easy for him to hold the ropes, but the seat groaned in complaint as he settled his weight onto it. “It’ll break,” he fretted.

“Only one way to find out.” It was a tight squeeze with both of us on the painted wooden plank, and I nestled against Korth’s side, wrapping one arm around his torso and the other around the rope.

Korth stepped backward, then let us swing forward. Instantly, I heard the ropes let out an ominous groan as our combined weight increased the pressure on the swing, but it held.

“Higher!” I commanded, stretching out to pump the swing to greater heights. The creaking from the seat and ropes became more pronounced the higher we went, and I heard Korth let out a nervous laugh. “Keep going,” I urged, fully aware of Godfrey hurrying forward in alarm and not wanting to cut Korth’s laughter short. Though the situation, of the crown prince swinging with his fiancée on a weathered old swing, wasn’t particularly funny by itself, the knowledge that we were causing so much stress to our chaperone delighted both of us to thepoint that we broke out in peals of laughter, unable to stop as we swung back and forth.

A snap from above made both of us look up. The rope was starting to fray.

“I think it is going to—” Korth’s words were cut off when the seat split cleanly in two as we approached the height of the arc, breaking the swing’s trajectory and catapulting us onto the grass below. Korth was dumped unceremoniously onto the ground and got grass stains on his breeches. I attempted to land on my feet beside him, but my weight came down on my ankle, and I yelped in pain.

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