“Don’t be sorry,” I told him. “Go mingle and stuff. I’ll be fine. I need to check the desserts. Go have fun.”
“But—”
“Shoo.” I pecked a kiss on his lips. Then, I said low enough to where only he could hear. “Don’t make me spank you in front of all these people.”
He laughed, kissed me on the cheek, and then followed them over to a larger group. All had that scholarly look to them.
I studied the room, pleased to see people raiding the dessert platters. A few men devoured the pumpkin muffins, and ladies nibbled the petit fours, saying how cute and dainty they were.
Prince Sawyer was then announced, and I turned as he came down the stairs. He wore a white suit and lavender colored vest, as well as a thin, silver crown atop his blond hair. Spotting me, he came right over—as did the five guards shadowing him and probably would be for the entire evening. Sir Noah was one of them and nodded to me.
“Evan.” Sawyer stopped in front of me, a smile lighting his face. It showed in his eyes too, revealing a genuinely kind soul who deserved only good things in this world. “It’s lovely to see you.”
“And you.” I bowed my head. “I’m glad you were able to attend. You know, with you being a prisoner right now.”
He chuckled at that. “Did you receive my letter?”
“Yep. Well, Kuya stole it first. By the time I got to read it, it had drool and strawberry frosting on it.”
“Sounds like him.” Sawyer glanced around. “He should be here soon. I heard the servants had quite the challenge dressing him. He scratched one of them and bit another. And when they tried to put shoes on him, he bit them again and ran away. If it were up to me, I’d let him be barefoot and wear his normal clothes. Whatever makes him happy.”
Affection thickened Sawyer’s voice as he spoke. Kuya might’ve been a little terror, but he was Sawyer’s little terror.
The man announcing guests then called out again, introducing another member of the royal household.
I inwardly groaned as I spotted Prince Cedric on the grand staircase. He had a beautiful woman on each arm and wore a crown, this one bigger and more elaborate than Sawyer’s. Along with the arm candy, crown, and flashy suit, he also wore a smug smile. I wanted to wipe it off his lips. With my fist. Or a chair. Yeah, a chair would be better.
Once at the bottom of the stairs, Cedric turned to each woman and kissed them on the cheek before dismissing them. They hurried over to a group of ladies who all squealed. Like being escorted to the ball by His Royal Douchiness was an honor or something.
Sawyer watched his brother for a moment before guiding me farther away. He clearly didn’t want to chat with him either. Sir Noah and the other knights followed us over to the dessert table. Some of the displays had been pecked clean already. I smiled.
Peter grinned at me as he made his way over with a platter to refill the petit fours and cookies. Alice wasn’t far behind him. I greeted them both and thanked them for their work.
“You’re very kind to your workers,” Sawyer said once they’d left again, the platters in their hands now empty. “Not that I expected anything less.”
“I see us as a little family,” I responded. “They’ve done a lot for me. When I was kidnap—er, I mean, when I was… missing for a few days, they held down the fort and kept things running.”
Sawyer’s expression fell. “You have my deepest apology for that incident, Evan. If I thought for even a moment you’d ever be targeted because of me—”
“Please don’t feel guilty,” I interjected. “It wasn’t all bad. Mostly.” Remembering a certain auburn-haired thief with topaz eyes made my heart wobble. Dammit. “Besides, it’s not your fault I was mistaken for you. If you ever need a stunt double, you know who to call.” I jutted a thumb to my chest.
Sawyer cocked his head. “A stunt double?”
I was just about to explain to him what it was when I sensed someone behind me.
“Well, if it isn’t my favorite commoner.”
I cringed at the voice before turning and coming face to face with the last person I ever wanted to see. “Prince Cedric.” I bowed my head to him and kept it lowered probably longer than necessary before lifting it again.
“I suppose you aren’t merely a commoner now, are you?” Cedric’s golden hair was cut short, the crown sitting on top. One even fancier up close, with rubies inside the silver. He had the same eyes as Sawyer but stood several inches taller with larger muscles. “You’ve made quite the name for yourself since we last spoke.”
Sir Keegan stood a few paces behind him, his hands behind his back and stare firm. He was Cedric’s personal knight and had red hair and a lean build.
“You honor me, Your Majesty.”
“I only speak the truth.” With a smile I definitely didn’t trust, Cedric stepped close enough for our chests to touch and tilted his head down to speak directly in my ear, “However, I hope you remember your place. You may have been polished and now shine brighter than before, but beneath that new shiny suit you’re still a meager pebble my brother found on the side of the road. Don’t forget that.”
A pebble? Seriously?
