Page 30 of Princesses & Pastries
"But I thought you said you didn't feel any desire to do that with anyone?" She eats the rest of her chocolate.
"I don't. That doesn't mean I haven't tried it. I wanted to know what all the fuss was about, so I slept with a visiting ambassador's son maybe three or four years ago."
"And?"
"And what? He left. Father got his treaty. Everyone was happy. Though I don't think those things correlate," I respond.
"I meant did you like it?"
"It was all right," I respond. "So then I slept with a woman, just to make sure that I wasn't more into that. But it was more or less the same. It was fun in the same way riding a horse is. I don't hate it, but I'm not going out of my way to do it again."
"You are full of surprises today. I think I'm going to need to ring for more tea." She gets up to go over to the cord that will ring a bell somewhere else in the castle.
"Tisane," I say.
"What?"
"I'm drinking tisane, not tea."
"I don't really care what you drink."
Betsy appears in the doorway, curtsying to us both and soon hurrying off to get the tea.
"Is what I'm saying really that interesting to you?" I ask my sister as she retakes her seat.
"Yes, absolutely. This is the best thing I've heard all week," she responds. "So what made you decide that those two people were the ones you were going to sleep with?"
"They looked nice, I guess. And they didn't have a bad smell."
Amusement is plain on her face. "You're not going to win any awards for giving praise with compliments like that."
"It's the truth. I also knew that they wouldn't want, or wouldn't be able to have, anything more than that."
"Do you not want to fall in love?" she asks, leaning forward and grabbing one of the remaining chocolates. "It's going to be a shame when Nate goes back to Wafeland. These are delicious."
"It'll be a shame because he's gone," I say firmly. "And yes, I want to fall in love."
She looks as if she's studying me intently. "What do you think about how Nate looks?" she asks slowly.
I frown. "He looks like Nate."
"Yes, but do you like the way he looks?"
I contemplate the question for a moment, glad when Betsy returns with a tray of new refreshments. She clears away the old ones and replaces them. My lady's maid curtsies and leaves the room. She won't have gone far, but it's the most privacy we'll get as princesses.
"He looks nice," I say. "I like watching him bake."
"Mmhmm. And what do you think about how he smells?" Veronica asks as she serves herself from the teapot. "Would you like some?"
I nod and she pours me a cup.
"I like the way Nate smells. It's comforting."
"You don't have to answer this question now, or maybe at all to me, but I have to ask it," she says, sitting up straight and looking far more serious than I think I've ever seen her.
"Ominous," I mutter.
"Are you in love with Nate?"
