Page 30 of Falling Princess

A chill ran through me. I forced a laugh; it came out shaky and breathless. I combed one hand through my hair, suddenly very aware that I wore nothing but a thin T-shirt and sleep shorts. It was far too little clothing to be wearing while discussing such serious matters.

“As the recipient of that oath, I release you from it. Please. Continue your practice.”

“Not to you, Princess,” he said, reprovingly.

Right. To my father, even if I was the one who accepted his vow. Because even in this modern world, I’m still property of the Auralian crown. My body. My life. Everything I am belongs to Auralia.

Fuck that.I would never say it, but I think it at full volume.

“Stay on the team. Please. If my father finds out you quit because I couldn’t get up in the mornings, I’ll never hear the end of it. I promise I’ll do better.”

His gaze cuts away. “What will you do when we start going to meets?”

“Meets?” I asked, unable to keep the horror out of my voice.

He nodded, and if I’m not mistaken, there’s a wry smile crinkling the corners of his eyes and tugging at his mouth.

“Every weekend,” he said. “We get up at four on Saturday mornings and travel to other schools to compete, if it’s close enough. If not, it might be a full day of travel. Sometimes they come here, and we can sleep in until five-thirty.”

Four. In the morning. On Saturdays. I gaped at him. “You and Raina do this for fun?”

He chuckled. The sound is soft as though he’s accustomed to hiding it, but genuine enough to make something flutter in my abdomen. “For glory, more like.”

Exactly what Raina said.

“I’m sorry, I guess you’ll have to quit the team after all. I knew Raina was dedicated to her sport, but that’s ridiculous.”

A sudden shyness slammed into me. We’re having an actual conversation. Exchanging words. And it isn’t terrible. Lorcan of Tenáho is as sweet as everyone claimed—thoughtful and considerate. I experienced a pang of regret that I haven’t been an easier charge.

Then again, I don’twantto be his charge. As long as he is tasked with watching my every move, there’s no chance of us becoming friends. I carry too much resentment.

“It’s all right.” Lorcan gets out of his seat and collects his things. I glimpsed messy handwriting, with clever little sketches in the margins. A daydreamer. Who would’ve guessed that?

Not me.

“—not my sport, anyway.”

“What isn’t?” I asked, still distracted by the state of his notes.

Lorcan’s cheeks turned the faintest shade of pink. He tucked the notebook away as if he’s a little embarrassed. “Swimming. It’s Raina’s thing. They just needed someone to round out the men’s team, and she recruited me.”

“But you... how is that possible? You took a medal at the Olympics, where you were up against people from all over the world.”

People who train for years to compete on the international stage, like Raina did. Kenton, too, although it was a different sport—one Lorcanalsoexcelled in.

“I had a good day.”

Guileless. Modest. I shook my head. This guy cannot be real. “You competed in multiple disciplines. That’s highly unusual.”

Even I know that much. Most athletes train in a single discipline; rarely, they go on to compete in a second. I trained for years to make it into the jumping division, not that I had much choice in the matter, hence my dismal performance despite my truly magnificent horse. Lorcan competed in three: archery, swimming—don’t ask me which race, I know there are different lengths and strokes but I have never bothered to learn the details—andequestrian jumping, all in the same year. His was a record achievement, deserving of recognition.

Yet here I am, forcing him to quit because I can’t drag my posh posterior out of bed in the morning for a few weeks. My stomach turned queasy. Maybe I have been selfish.

But why should he get everything he wants, while I get nothing?

He sold me out to advance his own ambitions. I can’t forgive him for that.

Lorcan gave another noncommittal shrug. “Auralia doesn’t have the depth of talent that other countries do. It wasn’t hard to get onto several teams. I expect that will change if your father continues to open up to outside influences. Or you, when you take over. More people will want to compete.”

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