Page 34 of Façade

He looked up and I suddenly realized how closely we stood, near enough I could reach out to poke him should I desire, an option that seemed strangely satisfying. Heat crowded the space between us, beckoning me closer; alarmed, I hastened several steps back.

He frowned. “Despite your mischief, I’m not going to hurt you.”

I lifted a skeptical brow. “I doubt that, not when you have every reason to have me killed.” Unless his anger inclined him to do it himself. It was a risk I’d prepared myself for when I’d taken on the role of the true princess and I was inevitably caught. I nervously eyed the sword strapped to his waist. We were alone, with no witnesses to the execution he had every right to perform, considering I was a peasant who’d broken the law by posing as royalty.

His careful stoic mask cracked, revealing raw horror. “Kill you?Why would I ever do such a thing?”

“I’m sure you have many reasons, the primary one being to make yourself available to marry the true princess.”

He gaped at me for a long moment before his shock faded into a weary sigh. “No matter our circumstances, I could neverkillyou.”

I blinked at him in surprise. “You couldn’t?”

He shook his head, looking offended by the idea. “Certainly not.”

“But then you’d be rid of me.” I wasn’t certain why I was giving him reasons to perform the deed, only that I couldn’t help but attempt to puzzle out the reasons he wasn’t choosing the most logical course. I’d been fully prepared to pay the ultimate price for my deception and couldn’t quite convince myself to the reality I hadn’t fallen victim to the fate I expected.

He frowned. “It pains me that despite our rough relationship, you thought for even a moment that I’d—” He couldn’t seem to finish.

I shrugged. “In our time together, we’ve come to know very little about one another for me to expect otherwise.”

His frown deepened. “Then I did you a disservice as a husband.”

He could think what he wanted, but I certainly didn’t regret our distance. The fewer entanglements with the enemy, the better.

“I suppose you’re right to be suspicious,” he finally continued in a tone that seemed to be more to convince himself rather than me. “We don’t know one another well, and admittedly, killing you would be the easiest course considering it’d prevent the possibility of you warning the true princess of my intentions. But despite the wisdom of such a choice, I cannot do it.”

“I suppose being awife murdererwouldn’t be good for the royal image.”

He gave me an exasperated look. “That’s not the reason driving my decision. Despite my many flaws and past mistakes, I’d like to think I’m a good enough person not to resort to such dishonorable tactics.”

“So your dishonor only extends to exploiting Estoria’s magic.” I narrowed my eyes in challenge, daring him to deny it.

He flinched, as if my words had struck him deeply. I smirked, finding something immensely satisfying in getting a reaction from his normally stoic manner, petty revenge for his intentions to ill use me.

A heavy, uncomfortable silence settled around us, eventually broken by his awkward clearing of his throat. “Now that we’ve established that I’m not going to kill you, let’s return to the matter at hand: what were you doing with my notebook,dear wife?Enjoying some interesting reading?” Mocking hardened his tone.

“Not particularly interesting, no.” Despite my attempt to feign confidence, my voice wavered.

He studied me a moment through narrowed eyes before the corner of his mouth lifted slightly. “I’d wonder if you were lying if you weren’t so terrible at it. That’s a relief.”

His gaze flickered down to the bookmark still littering the floor that in my distraction I’d forgotten to pick up. I bit my lip to suppress a sigh. Only amateur sleuths left evidence of their presence behind. He pursed his lips, but though he made no annoyed accusation, for the first time in our encounter I felt a twinge of remorse.

“I’m sorry I lost your page.”

His expression softened slightly. “Does this guilt extend to also feeling remorse for snooping in my bedroom?”

I didn’t even need to consider my answer. “Not particularly, no…though I do regret not finding anything useful.” I tilted my head to study the notebook he still held. “I still believe you’re hiding something. My current suspicion is that it’s hidden within a code.”

His lips twitched. “Too bad you were found out before you could attempt to crack it.”

I’d begun to doubt my admittedly far-fetched assumption…but his openness made me reconsider. His playing along was undoubtedly his way of toying with me as he seemed prone to do, using me as a means to entertain himself before he tossed me aside.

“And yet, encrypted or not, it’d be foolish of me to keep my secrets lying about for my curious imposter wife to discover.” He waved his notebook almost tauntingly.

I heaved a dejected sigh. “Things would be so much simpler if I’d married someone stupid.” Our conversations had remained uninteresting enough that I hadn’t entirely dismissed the possibility. How I hated to be proven wrong now.

“Why do you sound so disappointed? A stupid husband doesn’t sound very interesting.”

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