Renna pursed her lips together.
Drake gave a quick glance at Renna, then turned to Trev. “Actually, there’s quite a lot to do. Prince Ezra and I discovered a pond nearby that is excellent for swimming. When we’re in the area, he visits often.”
Trev’s eyes widened. Seriously? Did Drake have to bring that up right now?
The king huffed at the mention of swimming, and Queen Mariele turned her sharp gaze to Trev. “Really? Wellenbreck Pond?”
Trev cleared his throat. “No. Drake is mistaken.” He flashed an annoyed look to his friend. “It’s only a pond. One of many. I find everything about that area to be completely unremarkable.”
Renna stood abruptly, her chair loudly falling backward to the floor. “Your Majesty, if you will excuse me, I’m not feeling well and would like to retire to my room for the night.”
Without waiting for the king’s answer, she turned briskly to leave. Her skirts swooshed against the fallen chair, tripping her up slightly, but she somehow managed to escape the room without falling.
Jen-something let out a very unladylike snort at the scene, then quickly brought her hand to her mouth to hide it.
Trev felt awful. He needed to go after Renna to apologize. He didn’t care what his father or anyone else thought. He scooted his chair back, but Drake’s voice halted his movements.
“I better go make sure Miss Degray is taken care of,” Drake interjected.
I’m sure you will.
“It has been a fascinating evening.” Drake stood up and bowed toward the women. “Queen Mariele, Princess Seran, I do hope we can continue our conversations tomorrow.”
The women nodded politely.
All Trev could do was watch as Drake ran after Renna.
14
Renna
Dinner had gone horribly wrong on so many different levels. For one night, couldn’t Renna have been the epitome of a perfect lady? No. She had to behave like typical Renna. Her mother was going to freak out.
And then there was Trev.
His constant jabs had rattled her, each insult disguised so no one but her knew what he really meant. She hated him. Or at least, she wanted to hate him.
She didn’t care about Trev. Which meant she should probably stop calling him that. Prince Ezra. His name was Prince Ezra. He was Seran’s Prince Ezra.
Renna leaned her back against the wall in the hallway outside the great hall. Trev had looked so amazing tonight, from his perfectly tailored blue suit to his intentionally tousled hair. Everything about him exuded confidence and charm. Even when she had fought with him before dinner, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about how good he smelled and how perfect his strong features looked when he was angry.
So he was incredibly handsome. Who cared? There was more to love than physical appearance.
Love.
Why had she used that word? Attraction was more accurate.
She was attracted to Prince Ezra. But who wasn’t? He wouldn’t be a prince if he wasn’t painfully attractive. Renna had never even heard of an unattractive prince. They probably didn’t exist. But then, if all she liked about him was how he looked, her feelings would be easy to overcome.
Deep down, though, Renna knew it wasn’t just his looks that made it impossible for her to stop thinking about Trev. She liked the easy way they had joked and conversed at the pond, and she liked the way her heart had exploded when he’d touched her or looked at her. It was electric. That’s how she had always imagined love would feel.
She looked to her left and then to the right. She had no idea how to get back upstairs to her room. Where were all the servants? There was no one around. She had come down the stairs inside the great hall and could find her way back if she used those same stairs again. But that would mean re-entering the room she had just so clumsily left. She turned and stared at the door.
She took a deep breath. This was going to take courage.
The door swung open suddenly, and Drake appeared. He was taller than Trev by a few inches and slightly bigger, but he looked to be about the same age. His brown hair was shaggy on top and in the back, and it had a waviness to it that Renna assumed was from the length, not natural curl.
“What are you doing?” he asked, watching her as he closed the door behind him.
“It’s not what it looks like,” Renna stammered as she pushed herself away from the wall.
“It looks like you’re staring at a door.”
“I was staring at the door, but I wasn’t waiting. I mean, I was waiting, but not waiting for someone to come after me.”
“Uh-huh.” He folded his arms in front of his chest. “Then what are you waiting for?”
“For enough courage to go back in.”
He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Why would you go back in there?”
Her shoulders sank in defeat. “I’m . . . lost.”
“That is a problem.” He looked around. “Luckily, I know my way around this place.” He nodded down the hall. “I can get you safely back to your room if you’d like.”
She sighed. “Officer Vestry, if you can get me back to my room without more embarrassment, you will be my favorite person in Albion.”
He grinned at her slyly. “If I’m your favorite person, you should probably just call me Drake.”
“The last time a man told me I could call him by his first name, he ended up being a prince.” Renna shrugged. “One engaged to my stepsister.”
“We should probably talk about you and the prince,” he said as they walked in unison down the hall.
She cast Drake a sly look. She bet he wanted to talk about Trev, so he could run back and tell him everything she said. She appreciated Drake’s kindness, but his loyalty was to the prince. She couldn’t forget that.
So she lied.
“There’s nothing to talk about. I met Trev at Wellenbreck.” She quickly corrected herself. “I mean, Prince Ezra.”
“You know, his friends all call him Trev. He didn’t lie to you about that. And he really did think you were the princess. He was crushed when he found out you weren’t.”
Renna’s breath caught in the back of her throat. He was crushed? “It doesn’t matter. We talked a few times. It wasn’t a big deal. I never expected to see him again.”
More lies.
“In fact, I haven’t really thought about him since Wellenbreck.” Renna hoped she sounded convincing.
She couldn’t tell if Drake believed her or not, but he didn’t ask any more questions about Trev, so she quickly changed the subject. “Are you an officer in the king’s guard?”
“Technically, I’m head of security for the royal family, but my family is also good friends with the Trevenna family.” The hallway opened up into the entryway. Drake stopped in front of a large staircase. “If you take these steps to the top, you’ll find your room down the hall.”
Renna recognized her surroundings from when she had first arrived. The marble banister had caught her eye—the way it looked dull and unassuming until the light shone on it, then it glistened expensively. “I guess it’s good I’m going to bed early. Who knows what kind of entertainment your prince has planned for Seran tomorrow.”
“We’re going horseback riding tomorrow.”
Renna perked up. Horseback riding was definitely something to look forward to.
Drake continued, “I believe it’s a tour of the countryside so the princess can see what her future lands look like.”
“Oh.” Renna’s perkiness faded away.
Her future lands.
She started up a few steps and then turned toward Drake. “Thank you for everything tonight. I think you were the best part of my day.”
His smile was genuine as he turned to walk away. “Consider me part of your personal welcoming committee.”
Renna’s room was dark and empty as she entered. Nora wasn’t there, but that was no surprise; Nora wouldn’t have expected her back so soon. Renna dressed for bed and climbed under the covers, kn
owing sleep wouldn’t come easily. She was consumed by what Drake had told her.
Trev was crushed. Crushed.
Drake had no reason to lie to her. Which meant it really had been a big misunderstanding. Trev had thought she was the princess. Renna’s anger had blinded her when he’d first claimed as much, preventing her from seeing Trev’s side of the story. Still, he should have known that Princess Seran wasn’t the daughter of the queen. Questioned her when she said her name was anything but Seran. He should have realized.
She didn’t want to be angry anymore. It was exhausting fighting Trev, and right now, she needed all her strength to fight her feelings for him. But her anger made her heart feel safe, like if she stayed mad, she couldn’t get hurt again.
Tomorrow was a new day—a new chance to forgive and forget the prince.
Maybe she would have better luck then.
15
Trev
Trev woke late and headed down to breakfast. He meant to talk to Renna and apologize for the way he had acted the night before. Last evening had made Trev uncomfortable. He never treated people like that, and now he regretted it. He had been the worst kind of host. He had been the worst kind of everything since he’d found out Renna wasn’t the princess.
By the time he made it down to breakfast, everyone had finished eating, and the servants were cleaning up. He grabbed a croissant, hoping he would get a chance to talk to Renna before the entourage went out riding.
Trev walked to the stables. He could hear people talking outside, already gathered for the ride, waiting for horses to be brought out by the servants, but he didn’t feel like mingling with anyone in the entourage, at least not yet. Instead, he ducked inside the stable before anyone saw him, stopping short when he heard a familiar sound. Renna’s laughter echoed through the stalls as though it were bouncing from one barrel of hay to the next. He rounded the corner to see her talking cheerfully with a stocky young stable boy.
When the boy recognized him, he immediately bowed. “Your Highness.”
Renna turned to Trev, and her smile faded. Her hair was weaved into a single braid that was flipped over one shoulder. She wore a long, burnt orange skirt with a fitted matching top. She curtsied slightly. “Prince Ezra.”
Trev hated the formality of it all. He wanted to go back to when things were easy between the two of them.
“Good morning, Miss Degray.”
She barely acknowledged his address, instead turning to the horse in the stall beside her.
“What brings you to the stables?” He tried to make his voice sound normal, cheerful even.
Her voice was decidedly not cheerful. “I had some extra time before the excursion. I thought I would see what kind of horses you keep here.” She looked up at him pointedly. “Is there anything wrong with that, Your Highness?”
“You’re free to do whatever you want during your visit,” he said sincerely. She turned her attention back to the horse in front of her, but Trev pressed on. “Do you ride?”
She squared her shoulders. “Of course.”
“Boy, fetch the lady—”
“His name is Jamison,” Renna inserted, and Trev winced at the judgment in her tone. Apparently, she wasn’t impressed with the fact that he didn’t know his own stable hand’s name.
The boy visibly beamed with appreciation. That, or he was smitten with Renna too.
“Jamison,” Trev tried again. “Will you please fetch Dara for Miss Degray to ride this morning?”
Jamison’s eyes went wide with surprise. “Dara? Your Highness, I thought she was promised for—”
“It’s all right.” Trev kept his eyes locked on her. “She’s perfect for Renna.”
The boy bowed and scurried off. Renna turned her attention back to the horse in front of her, stroking the mane and whispering into his ear. For a brief moment, Trev wished he was the horse. It was a laughable thought.
With each passing second of silence, his nerves grew worse.
“Are you going to talk to me?” he asked.
“That depends on whether you are going to act like a complete jerk again.”
“I wanted to talk to you about that. To apologize for how I behaved last night.” His voice lacked his normal confident tone.
“Which time?” She turned to face him, anger burning in her eyes. “There are so many bad moments to choose from.”
“For it all. For the things I said. I don’t know what came over me.” He could see by her flashing eyes that he wasn’t getting very far with her. “There is a lot of pressure surrounding this marriage alliance. But when I thought you were the princess, I was excited for my future. Then you weren’t actually the princess, and I didn’t know how to handle my frustrations, so I acted like—”
“An ass.” She cut him off before he could finish, her eyes searing into him.
“Yes, an ass,” he said quietly.
Her expression was still stern as her focus went back to the horse, stroking his snout evenly.
He wished she would look at him so she could see how sorry he felt. “I really did enjoy our time together.”
Her hand paused its gentle movements as a new emotion swept across her face, but she quickly wiped it away. She cleared her throat and turned back to Trev. “I told myself last night that I didn’t want to be angry anymore, so . . . I forgive you. I can see how it was all just a silly misunderstanding,” she said, extending her hand for him to shake. “And I’m sorry for the assumptions I made about you.”
Her forgiveness was guarded and judging by the formal handshake she extended to him, things weren’t quite back to normal. But then, their normal had been so charged with attraction. They would have to find a new normal. Was that even possible?
He took her hand and immediately chills formed on the back of his neck, which made his heart start racing faster. He didn’t let go of her hand—just kept it there—the current spreading like fire between them.
“Friends?” he managed to get out.
“What else would we be?” Her words came out in a whisper.
What else could they be?
Nothing.
“That is, if you can handle being friends with me.” Her playful banter was coming back. That was a good sign.
He smiled with relief. “I’m sure I can handle it.”
Hearing sounds of Jamison’s returning, they both dropped their hands and shuffled apart from each other. The boy entered the stable with a stunning mare in tow, her coat sleek and black.
“So this is Dara?” Renna asked, admiring the beautiful dark horse.
Jamison led the black mare to where they stood. The horse seemed uneasy with her surroundings, pulling her head back against the reins.
“Hey girl,” Renna calmly whispered to the horse as she leaned in closer. “I’d like to be friends with you. I just became friends with the prince.” She eyed him with a whimsical gleam. “So maybe we can be friends too.”
Being friends is better than nothing, Trev told himself as he watched her.
The mare settled with each of Renna’s soothing words. “I think she likes me,” Renna said, her smile big and animated.
It’s impossible not to like you.
“My Lord, which horse should I prepare for Princess Seran now?” Jamison asked.
“This horse was meant for Seran?” Renna asked with guilt.
“Yes.” Trev nodded. “But I think she prefers you. Jamison, find Princess Seran a different mount. It looks like Dara and Miss Renna are friends.”
Jamison nodded and left.
Renna leaned her forehead into Dara, and Trev noticed the smile on her face. He had made her happy. Things were definitely looking up from yesterday.
“I feel bad taking Seran’s horse,” Renna said, still staring into Dara’s eyes.
“Don’t. We have plenty more.” Trev admired her as she stroked the horse’s thick mane. It was just another part of her that was attractive—the way she could put anyone or anything at ease.
“She’s great, you know.”
“Dara?”
“No. Seran,” she said, finally looking at him.
Trev swallowed. “Yeah, she seems wonderful.”
“Did you guys talk much at dinner?” After she asked the question, her face colored a bit like she remembered the dinner fiasco all over again.
Trev pretended not to notice. “I didn’t have a lot of time alone with her to talk.”
“Well then I hope you get a chance today.” Renna nodded, her smile tight.
He respected the way she was trying to turn his attention to Seran, but at the same time, it hurt. Somehow her efforts at being a good sister made him feel rejected.
“So do you ride as well as you dance?” he joked, wanting to get back into their usual banter.
Renna straightened her back. “I do dance well, but I am even better at riding.”
“Right,” he teased. Without even thinking, he took a stray lock of her golden hair and tucked it behind her ear. His hand brushed down her ear and then to the side of her neck unnecessarily. Her breath caught beneath his touch.
Behind them, someone cleared their throat, startling them both. They turned, and Trev recognized the guard who had found them at Wellenbreck standing in the stable doorway. It was like an alarm went off in this guy every time Trev touched Renna. Which was good, since he shouldn’t be touching her at all.
“Miss Renna, your mother requests an audience with you.”
“Miss Degray is joining the entourage for a tour of the countryside this morning,” Trev said to the guard with perfect timing.
The guard gave a stiff nod. “Of course, Your Highness. I will let her majesty know to expect her daughter later this afternoon.”
“Thank you, Mangum,” Renna said.
Trev raised his eyebrows in interest. So this was Mangum—the guy Renna had pretended to drown for. This made Trev like her even more. Unfortunately.
“Princess Seran is waiting just outside the stable for you, Your Highness,” Mangum said with a stern, pointed look at them both. Then, with a quick bow, Mangum disappeared out the barn door.
The Promised Prince: A YA Dystopian Romance Page 11