“I thought your mother might enjoy the chef’s recipe,” he murmurs.
I meet his smiling eyes. “You sent her the instructions?”
“There’s a car on its way to Rugosa with a large pot.”
Warmth spreads across my chest. Gestures like this are why it’s so hard to shield my heart from Prince Kevon. “This is very thoughtful.” I meet his searching, dark eyes that seem to memorize my every expression. “I can’t stop thanking you.”
He shakes his head. “It’s me who should be thanking you.”
Unease settles over my shoulders like an itchy cloak, and I shift in my seat. Days ago, I might have dug further to understand why he lavishes me with so much attention, but I can’t afford the luxury of basking in Prince Kevon’s affection.
I push away thoughts of Queen Damascena’s guards stationed outside the family home, continue my meal, and try to forget he’s watching me eat.
When my stomach bulges, I make the mistake of raising my head and reaching across the table for my water glass.
Prince Kevon places his hand on mine. “Zea.”
“Yes?” I raise my eyes to his face.
He holds my gaze for several heartbeats longer than normal, making my breath quicken. “When I offered you a long engagement, it wasn’t to force a relationship before you were ready.”
Words shrivel in the back of my throat, and I can only respond with a nod. I should turn my head, pull my fingers from his gentle hold, but his touch feels like the only thing keeping me from splintering. I can’t tell if I’m thrilled with his attention or terrified of its consequences.
Queen Damascena is probably listening to us speak or she has handed the work to one of her henchmen. Either way, I’m failing her demands. She wants me to sway Prince Kevon, but she didn’t specify which of the Noble girls she prefers.
Prince Kevon tilts his head to the side, and his brows draw together with an unasked question. I can’t help thinking that he brought up his suggestion to get engaged because he wants me to reconsider his offer.
I’ve got to say something to derail this conversation so that I at least sound like I’m taking notice of the queen’s threat. “All the violence and attempts on my life started because of your special attention.”
His Adam’s apple bobs up and down. “That’s true.”
“You need to give the other girls a chance.” The words burn my throat, and I drop my gaze to the half-eaten plate of paella.
Prince Kevon doesn’t reply for several moments. Maybe he’s waiting for me to look into his eyes, but I can’t. The pad of his thumb runs over my knuckle. It’s the gentlest of touches but he might as well scream his intentions into the hidden camera.
“What if I’ve already made my decision?” he murmurs.
Jerking my hand away, I rise off my seat and head toward the door. “Nothing has changed since I said no.”
The wood of his chair leg slides against the marble floor, and his footsteps approach from behind. Prince Kevon stops me with a hand on my shoulder. “Is this too much pressure?”
My head turns to the side. While I can’t see his entire face, his warm, spicy scent fills my nostrils. “I’ve never wanted to be the Queen of Phangloria.”
He flinches. “But you said—”
“They were just words,” I say with a sigh.
When I opened my heart to Sergeant Silver, I imagined myself at the side of Ryce Wintergreen leading the new democracy. It was a fitting ending to our bittersweet story. A boy and girl united by a terrible injustice and then fell in love fighting their oppressors. A boy and girl who turned tragedy into triumph. They were the idealistic dreams of a girl who hadn’t experienced anything outside the life of a Harvester.
“If I had known you were the prince, I would never have said them.”
He releases my shoulder and steps back. “Can you ever see yourself opening your heart to me?”
A lump forms in my throat at the amounts of times I have lied. Lied about my intentions for joining the Princess Trials. Lied about not despising the Noble Echelon for holding all the wealth and water, lied about my heart. Prince Kevon occupies so much of my affection, there’s hardly space for anyone new. But to save the people I love, I’ve got to tell one more lie.
Fighting off the sting of oncoming tears, I turn around and face the prince.
My hand drifts to his chest, and he stiffens. I place my palm over a heart that accelerates under my touch, and my insides twist. There’s no way to have the love of Prince Kevon and keep my family alive. Whatever I say next needs to carry enough conviction to convince everyone listening.
“Your Highness.”
His lips tighten. We’ve had this conversation already, and he knows my use of his title is deliberate. “Tell me,” he says through clenched teeth. “Look me in the eye and tell me how you feel.”
“I’ve never met a kinder person or a more noble soul.” My gaze rises to his cheekbones. “I know you’ll be a wonderful king.”
His face hardens. It’s the expression people make when bracing themselves for something painful. Despite this, Prince Kevon manages to nod.
A cruel voice in the back of my head gives me the exact words to say that will shatter his heart. It starts off as Carolina’s voice but morphs into Queen Damascena’s. If I start with a bold statement that I could never love him—ever, he would look elsewhere for his future partner. If I said that the words I’d once told him were about someone else, he would leave. I can’t do either of those to Prince Kevon.
“I’m grateful for your kindness and generosity, and you’ll always be my dearest friend.”
“Friend?” he
