Page 73 of Façade

Guard Silas’s frown deepened at my hesitating silence. “It’s unfortunate you saved him from the disappearing curse; things would be so much simpler if you’d just let him die.”

Aversion to the thought of losing him wrenched my heart, leaving me breathless even as it confirmed just how far I’d allowed my forbidden feelings to progress. “Don’t say that,” I pleaded. “Please.”

His eyes narrowed suspiciously as he studied my expression. I fought to mask the depth of my feelings for my husband in an effort to hide just how entangled I’d become in our marriage of convenience, but by my guard’s widening eyes, I realized the effort was futile.

“Oh, Princess.”

I moaned and buried my shame in my hands. A heavy silence followed, thick with his disapproval.

“He’s using you, Princess.” His tone was achingly gentle, as if he hoped to soften the sting of his pronouncement…yet I still flinched. “Even if you remained married to him, you could never give him what he needs, which would only lead to him eventually hurting you.”

Tears clogged my throat. Our tentative friendship and my growing love couldn’t dispel the obstacles vying to keep us apart. I’d always known Ryland had only married me for my magic and intended to toss me aside now that he believed I couldn’t give it to him, yet it still hurt.

After revealing my true self and having him accept all of me, quirks and all, the thought of having to hide myself all over again felt unbearable, though not as torturous as the thought that for the sake of my safety and that of Estoria I needed to let him go. My heart protested against the thought even as I knew duty dictated it must be done; as much as I yearned to remain with him, it’d be too dangerous.

I now had a new façade to perform: I must feign being a decoy in order to protect my magic until our marriage could be annulled, all while finding a way to cease resisting his plans without rousing his suspicions as to the true reason for my change of heart. Heartbreak aside, the task felt utterly daunting.

“Do my parents know I married Prince Ryland?” I asked Guard Silas.

He shook his head. “I’ve not informed them. They’re already consumed with the threats at the palace, the decoy, and their own worries over your welfare. They still believe you’re within Estoria’s borders, which are enchanted to offer some protection to the royal family. As soon as you sever this marriage, we will return to Estoria so you can remain under the kingdom’s magical guardianship until the threats surrounding you have completely passed.”

I’d longed to return home for so long, but now that the time was near I only felt…empty, for without Ryland no place could ever truly feel likehomeany longer.

My emotions swelled, causing a spark of magic to suddenly emerge. I hastened to smother this enchanted flash but it’d already slipped free, unable to be contained. It glistened in the air as it floated before me; now that I knew it wasroyalmagic, it seemed to hum with greater energy, appearing more beautiful, powerful…and all the more frightening for all it represented.

It eventually flickered away. Guard Silas frowned. “You must do your best to hide your budding powers, a difficult feat when they remain so new. Their Majesties hoped their arrival would remain delayed until you were safe, but we’ll find a way to protect you despite them. Unfortunately, the magical connection binding you to your marriage has already allowed your husband to siphon some…unknowingly and unintentionally, for now, but the moment he realizes what he’s doing will prove disastrous.”

My hand lifted to my head, currently free of my recent headaches even as it pulsed at the memory of all my past ones. “My unexplained illnesses?”

Mouth thin, Guard Silas nodded gravely. My mind whirled with this revelation. To think that every memory of my draining powers, headaches, fevers, exhaustion had been caused by myhusbandbroke my heart anew. “What is he doing with it?”

“I suspect each stolen drop is going to the curse poisoning his kingdom, but it’s too great a force for your still weak powers to have much effect…except for hurting you. He mustn’t realize you have magic before he severs the union, else his desperation will lead him to steal far more than you’re capable of giving; I fear the danger you’ll be in should he take much more.”

Dread pooled in my stomach. This revelation only confirmed that I needed to separate myself from Ryland before I put my throne and kingdom at greater risk, yet my heart still resisted the idea.

I scarcely heard Guard Silas’s discussion of our potential plans moving forward or the information he’d managed to acquire about the situation in Estoria through the spies he was in contact with—how my parents were working with the decoy to discover the source of the danger, and that other than their managing to narrow the threat down to one of the visiting royals and nobles who’d arrived to meet the “real” princess, there was little information to be found.

Instead my every thought focused on Ryland and how I couldn’t bear to say goodbye to him, even as I understood the necessity of our separation. I’d only be able to keep my powers hidden from him for so long; they were so out of control that one slip would expose them. The thought that he might betray me should he discover the truth was far more agonizing than that of losing him now.

For the first time, despite having finally regained all I’d once lost, I wished that my parents’ lie had been the truth: that I’d been a decoy all along.

CHAPTER24

RYLAND

Astrange sense ofnothingnesssurrounded me, as if I’d been submerged in a sea of fog that slithered through my subconscious to erase every sense, making it difficult to discern where I was. Other faint sensations made their way through this surreal mist, barely discernible through the thick nothingness surrounding me—whispers that caressed my hearing without quite penetrating my understanding, the softness of a warm and gentle touch, a familiar and intoxicating floral scent.

I focused on each of these details as I remained trapped in this limbo. Time held little meaning, seeming to stretch endlessly in every direction. I ached to escape the depths of my unconsciousness, drawn by a desire beckoning me from beyond my current state; with concentrated focus, I slowly fought my way to the surface. The closer I drew, the more vivid everything became to shade the blurry, dark outlines with color and meaning.

I finally surfaced to slowly open my eyes and almost wished I could submerge back into the nothingness away from the pressing pain—the aches, burning throat, piercing headache, and heated fever, all accompanied by a familiar presence at my bedside.

I blinked rapidly, and gradually the woman beside me came into sharper focus.Evie. She seemed even more lovely than I remembered. Her head was slightly turned away, offering me a pleasant view of her gentle profile. She spoke with someone I couldn’t see, and though I remained too shrouded within my foggy confusion to understand her words, her voice was soothing and provided an anchor that kept me from drifting back into my previous unconsciousness.

The more I focused on her, the more aware I became of my surroundings. The first thing I noticed was her hand cradling mine while her other hand absently ran her fingers through my hair, a touch more alluring than any I’d ever experienced.

Whoever she’d been conversing with left, and Evie turned away from the door to pick up the book resting in her lap, pausing when her gaze met mine. For a moment she simply stared before she gave a little gasp of surprise and yanked her hand away. I missed the feel of her soft skin the moment she withdrew; I yearned to ask for her touch again, but found I couldn’t speak.

“Ryland!” She leaned closer, her hazel eyes wide with relief. “I’m so relieved you’re finally awake. You were unconscious so long I feared—“ Her voice caught and my heart gave a twinge at the sound, a puzzling reaction considering normally I didn’t notice my heart doing much of anything.

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