Page 45 of Façade

His frown deepened with every step as he followed. “I’ve been waiting for you to attempt a ploy to delay our arrival at the monastery.”

I batted my eyes in a show of innocence. “You have little reason to complain when you’re fortunate I’m accompanying you at all.”

“You’ve been strangely cooperative, giving me every right to be suspicious.” His questioning gaze invited a response, as if he was truly naive enough to believe I’d share my reasons with the likes of him.

I simply shrugged. “I have no reason to trust you with my secrets.”

For some reason he looked almost disappointed by that, but he hastily pushed the fleeting emotion away. I used his momentary distraction to step into the stream; the cool water instantly soothed my feet.

He sighed. “Evelyn, we really need to—”

“I understand your worry for your kingdom, but I doubt a short delay will infringe on your plans to help them. Perhaps the break will dispel your tension enough to clear your thoughts so you can better focus on finding a solution for the problem at hand.”

“I already have one: marry the crown princess of Estoria and…borrowher magic.” He spoke through gritted teeth, as if barely maintaining hold over his emotions.

I gave him an exaggerated smile. “It appears you’re still under the false assumption I’ll ever allow that to happen. It’d be in your best interest to come up with a course of action that doesn’t rely on someone whose own interests directly conflict with your desires.”

He glared at me a moment before seeming to realize he’d lost this particular battle. He heaved an exaggerated sigh. “For not truly being a princess, you seem keen on getting your way.”

The reminder of my lost identity slashed across my heart, but I did my best not to betray how much his words had affected me. “Regardless of my true status, I was raised royal. One cannot toss aside a trait they’ve grown accustomed to as easily as you seem to believe, else you’d have long since overcome your pigheadedness.”

Rather than the insult hitting its mark as I hoped, amusement once again caused his lips to twitch. “I suppose you can claim to be royalty considering you’re still married to me…for now.”

My heart prickled again, this time with a different pain than the first, one I was afraid to examine too closely for what it might mean. “As loath as I am to be stuck with you forever, I won’t give up so easily; I’ll keep myself chained to you forever in order to protect Estoria.”

He set his jaw and glanced back at his horse with a longing look.

“You can continue the journey if you like,” I called as I waded farther. “Just be warned I not only have little motivation to continue the journey on my own, but I have a tendency to get lost, and unfortunately for you, you can’t annul our marriage without me.”

He silently weighed his options before muttering a dark oath that I doubted would have passed his lips if he believed me to be both the real princess and a wife it was in his best interest to maintain peace with. “You’re so stubborn.”

“I no longer have any reason to pretend to be demure, especially when I have little incentive to try to please you.” We still had a long journey ahead of us, and the thought of embarking on it while playing a part felt utterly unbearable.

We had a silent stare-down that I eventually won. With a sigh, he conceded the fight and took in the tranquil clearing. “I suppose we should rest from our journey.” He nodded to himself, as if he’d been the one to come to such a conclusion.

I rolled my eyes and returned to my wading, determined to enjoy my victory in this most recent battle to its fullest…but the man seemed determined to get his revenge when, after informing the guards we were taking a short break, he balanced himself against a nearby tree to yank off his boots.

“What are you doing?” I demanded.

Triumph filled his smirk. “I thought we were resting from our travels in order to go wading?”

“Iam, but you’re certainly not. I extended no invitation for you to join me.”

“It appears that’s where you’re mistaken; your obvious delight for my company makes it impossible for me to refuse you.”

He finished tugging off his boots and proceeded to roll up his trousers. I heaved an exaggerated sigh so there’d be no mistake how much his actions annoyed me…as well as to convince myself I didn’t feel a secret thrill at the thought of him joining me.

“I never would have thought you one for wading. It appears the Prince of Brimoire isn’t as dull as I thought.”

“It’s as you said several days ago: there’s no longer any reason for either of us to pretend, considering our arrangement isn’t to last.”

I turned so my back faced him, but even him being blessedly out of sight did nothing to calm my frantically pounding heart nor the energy of his proximity stretching across the water dividing us.

I struggled to focus my thoughts away from the odious man so I could better enjoy the lovely scene, so different from the confining walls of Ryland’s castle. The sunlight glistened across the stream that created a twisting trail through the trees, reflecting across the water’s surface in hues of green and even the ruby gold of approaching autumn.

In this tranquil moment, I no longer felt consumed by the uncertainty created by my identity as a false princess; instead I was simplyEvelyn. I cradled this moment close to my heart to later store on an invisible shelf in my mind beside the discarded crown I’d tried for so long to make a part of myself. I allowed myself to settle into the surrounding stillness to enjoy the beautiful surroundings—the rushing sound of the water, the breeze’s soft caress, the trill of nearby birdsong, all a healing balm for my constant insecurities and worries. All was as it should be…

…with the exception of a prince at my heels, an unwanted aggravation in an otherwise perfect moment. I increased my pace to get a little farther ahead. He fell out of sight as I rounded a bend.

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