Page 31 of Façade

He considered. “It will be tricky, especially since it needs to be accomplished in a timely manner so that you can go to Estoria and woo the real princess before someone else claims her hand.”

My overwhelm rose, threatening to engulf me. Both tasks seemed utterly daunting, and to do them both at once? Annulling the marriage would require a lengthy journey to the holy mountain that contained the magical monastery that bordered our land, a journey through a kingdom afflicted with a curse. But whatever we’d be forced to endure during such an arduous journey felt far preferable to the thought of going to Estoria to woo another princess.

I tried to convince myself it was simply another step in the deception I still regretted even as I understood the need for it, and yet that assurance didn’t make me feel any better, especially when part of me—buried too deeply to allow myself to analyze—begrudgingly realized that I feltsomethingfor my wife, an admiration that’d developed despite the dull, conventional path of our early relationship. Each moment we’d briefly strayed from it had connected us—a thin thread, to be sure, but a thread nonetheless.

So to suddenlysever it…my stomach knotted at the thought, but I forced myself to push the emotion away. I couldn’t allow anything to dissuade me from the duty to which I’d been born, especially a decoy and her rather endearing quirks.

I lifted the purpose that had guided my every decision up until this point to the forefront of my mind: our kingdom currently faced a blight which threatened our people, and the only way to fight magic was with magic itself. As someone nonmagical, I could only access such power if I married into it, and that meant marrying the true crown princess of Estoria—not only for her powers but those that filled her land, ones only the royal family could access.

As much as I understood these justifications, guilt still accompanied them. Desperation had led me down a path I’d never imagined walking—first to marry a woman still practically a stranger with plans to exploit her for the greater good of our kingdom, and now to the one that led to the true princess of Estoria. No matter how reluctant I was to walk such a course, the repercussions ofnottaking it were far too great, leaving me little choice.

With a heavy heart, I excused myself and went in search of my wife. With every step my shock began to subside, replaced with searing anger—I’d been tricked by the very woman I’d once viewed as sweet if a bit naive, foolish enough to be manipulated for her own ends.

I quieted the whisper of my conscience that reminded me I’d done the exact same thing to her.

After much searching I found her in the garden, not sitting daintily on a bench like any other princess would have done, but sprawled on her back on the lawn to watch the clouds. I stopped short, taking in the image that went entirely against every proper expectation amongst the court that I’d long grown bored of.

For the briefest moment my heart gave a strange twinge, even as my lips ached to curve into a smile. The image she presented was…refreshing. Whereas before I would have questioned it, now it all made sense—she didn’t always behave as expected for the very fact that she wasn’t a princess at all.

Every drop of amusement faded at the thought and I gritted my teeth, annoyed by both her duplicity and my having missed every sign pointing to it. Looking back, there’d been several cracks in the façade she’d presented, but having met and courted her as Princess Evelyn for years, I’d had no reason to suspect she was an imposter. Even now I failed to comprehend the thought.

My frustration with the situation I now found myself in was enough to push through my usual predisposition to avoid confrontation. With a wavering breath I approached her. The sound of my footsteps alerted her to my presence, and with a startled gasp she scrambled to a sitting position. After blinking at me a moment, she remembered herself and quickly arranged her skirts to hide her bare feet I’d already caught a glimpse of.

“Ryland!” A pink blush tickled her cheeks, a startling sight that for a moment gave me pause. With her alluring blush, bright hazel eyes, and the way the sunlight glistened across her light brown hair, I found her…rather pretty.

I gave my head a rigid shake. If there was ever a time to notice such a thing about my wife, it wasn’t when I was about to confront her about her façade and begin the process of severing myself from her.

Concern furrowed her brow as she took in my hardened expression. “What’s wrong? Are you alright?”

Her adorable fluster and sweet inquiry certainly weren’t helping matters. I took another steadying breath. “My father has returned…Evelyn.”

“He has?” Her eyes widened, leaving me to wonder if she knew the nature of what we’d discussed in his office.

“He has. We just finished an interesting discussion about his journey toEstoria.”

Her flushed cheeks immediately went deathly pale and she swallowed. After a long moment of searching for her voice, it finally emerged as nothing more than a timid squeak. “Your father…was inEstoria?”

Jaw rigid, I nodded. For a moment she could only stare before she took a shaky breath.

“I see. And were his travels…pleasant?”

I’d planned on stretching out this confrontation a while longer, petty revenge for the humiliation I’d suffered at her hand. Yet in this moment I felt a strange urgency that I didn’t quite understand to put her out of her misery.

“What’s your real name, Evelyn?”

Her breath hooked and for a moment she could only stare, eyes wide with fear, as if I’d just announced her execution. Her sharp intake of breath was quickly followed by her resolute lift of her chin. “My name is Evelyn.”

I rolled my eyes. “There’s no need to pretend any longer; I know you’re nothing more than a decoy. My father told me as much after he discovered therealprincess in Estoria when he went to attempt to renew negotiations between our kingdoms.” I kept silent about the plans we’d already made to rid ourselves of the inconvenience she’d caused. “Which returns us to the question: what’s your name?”

“Evelyn,” she repeated stiffly.

“Stop with the theatrics,” I snapped. “We both know that isn’t true.”

Rather than the accusation intimidating her, she only glared. “I’mnotpretending. That’s my name; I know of no other.”

I blinked at her sincerity, momentarily confused…before I realized what she meant. “You have no other name than the one you’ve assumed to be yours your entire life?”

Jaw stiff, she managed a nod.

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