I almost felt guilty enjoying not just my duties, but every aspect of royal life. Was loving any part of this masquerade a betrayal to my true self?
“Yes, but you’re clearly a natural at your position. You’re doing so well.” He looked both envious and incredibly proud of me. Despite this all being an elaborate charade, he was right. No one was more surprised than me that I was rather proficient at being a princess.
I squeezed his hand assuredly. “You’re doing a wonderful job, too.”
“Only because of you. I feel like I can accomplish anything with you at my side.”
I felt the same, for meetings weren’t my only duty with this diplomatic visit—I was also acting as hostess, for the queen wanted me to practice the duties that would one day be expected of me. Unlike the other duties I was gradually acquiring and growing used to, entertaining royalty sounded daunting.
Liam read the apprehension in my expression. “It’ll be alright. Your brother will arrive tomorrow, and in the meantime, Eileen can keep you company. I know you’re well acquainted with her and Aiden so there’s no need to fret.”
“Well…” I didn’t know the nature of the princess’s relationship with the Sortileyan royalty, nor any of those due to arrive tomorrow. It made navigating these tumultuous waters of my upcoming performance all the more frightening.
Before I could spend too much time entertaining my worries, a footman entered the parlor and executed a crisp bow. “May I present Their Highnesses—Crown Prince Deidric, Crown Princess Eileen, and Prince Deidric.”
We both stood in greeting, Liam tucking my arm securely through his. Prince Aiden—as he was known to Liam—and Princess Eileen entered, with a baby several months old propped on the princess’s hip. Liam’s face broke into a wide grin.
“Welcome. You know I like surprises, and this is a splendid one. I’d heard there was a new prince of Sortileya.” He beamed at the young prince. “It appears congratulations are in order.”
Prince Aiden smiled with fatherly pride as his young son looked around with wide, blue-eyed curiosity. “We wanted to show him off at your wedding, but it didn’t seem the appropriate time.” He cast a nervous glance between the two of us, as if to assess how it was going. He took in our linked arms with a furrowed brow.
Liam noticed his friend’s puzzlement and laughed. “It appears I have my own surprise. You can’t be the only one to have all the fun.” He wrapped his arm around my waist and nestled me against his side before once more turning a wide grin to the infant. “Deidric, is it? A surprising choice, coming from you.”
Prince Aiden sighed. “I was outnumbered. It appears I’ll never escape my given name.”
“While it’s not fitting for you, dear, it fits him perfectly.” Princess Eileen stroked Deidric’s dark hair.
Prince Aiden chuckled. “The name is growing on me considering how much my wife likes it. It does suit him.” He stroked Deidric’s cheek, earning a toothless smile.
Liam held out his arms. “May I hold him?” Eileen relinquished him and Liam’s grin grew as he cradled him close. “He’s a strapping young boy.”
He began to bounce him gently, earning a delighted giggle from Deidric and a warm smile from me. While Deidric was cute, it was nothing to watching Liam dote on the boy. He’d make an incredible father one day. Yearning to experience that with him filled me, but I tried to push the desires away, for it was yet another experience with Liam that wasn’t mine to have.
Liam cooed at Deidric before turning an apologetic look to our guests. “It probably wasn’t wise to bring him. Between him and my wife, I doubt you’ll get little if any of my attention.”
Prince Aiden raised his eyebrows at that. I couldn’t blame him for his confusion, for last he’d seen us together, Liam had behaved as if our wedding were his execution. The prince glanced at me and did a double take, studying me closely.
“Princess Lavena?” he asked slowly. My heart tightened as cold fear trickled up my spine. I took a deep breath to steady my voice.
“Yes?”
He continued staring before blinking, giving a slight shake of his head, and offered a tight smile. “It’s a pleasure to see you again.”
“The pleasure is mine, Prince Aiden and Princess Eileen.” I smiled at her and she hesitantly returned it. I took another calming breath, willing my heartbeat to slow. Hopefully, my hostess duties would prove an adequate distraction from my escalating nerves. “Please have a seat. I’ll send for some tea.”
They accepted my invitation. After I’d spoken to a servant, I sat beside Liam, who, seeming to sense my lingering nerves, promptly wrapped one arm securely around me while keeping Deidric on his lap. The boy became preoccupied with investigating Liam’s shiny gold buttons.
Liam led the conversation, beginning with inquiring after our guests’ journey, but I felt too on edge to join. Instead I analyzed each look the prince and princess gave me, each more bewildered than the last. I knew my shyness was only making me a less believable Princess Lavena, but I was too tense to play the game.
I shifted nervously on the settee and stole several peeks at Liam’s face, each glimpse relaxing me further, and it didn’t take long before he noticed. We shared a smile as he gave my hand an affectionate squeeze, a gesture not lost on Prince Aiden and Princess Eileen, whose perplexity continued to grow.
The conversation soon shifted to young Deidric, who was being rather spoiled with Liam’s attention. “He’s a good-looking lad,” he said as he bounced the infant on his knee. “Aren’t you, Dee Dee?”
Prince Aiden choked on his tea. “What did you call him?”
“Dee Dee,” Liam said. “Come on, Aiden, Deidric is far too formal a name for such a child. As the boy’s doting Godfather, it’s my duty to remedy that.”
Prince Aiden’s expression darkened. “You’ll do no such thing, Liam. I won’t have my son be called such a ridiculous—”
“Oh, I think it’s adorable!” Princess Eileen gushed.
Prince Aiden gaped at her in horror. “Are you in jest, darling?”
She gave him a guilty smile. “I’m afraid not. I think it’s rather cute.”
Liam smirked in triumph while Prince Aiden leaned his head back with a groan. “Thanks a lot, Liam. I’ll get my revenge when you have a child.”
Liam’s smile grew, seeming nothing but delighted with the threat as he continued bouncing and cooing at Deidric. It was a rather adorable display.
“You’re besotted with him,” I said fondly.
“I can’t help it.” He pulled a funny face, earning a giggle from Deidric and another smile from me. He laughed and met my gaze, his own pleading. “Darling, we need one of these.”
My face ignited and yearning once more fluttered in my stomach, a longing I was sure filled my eyes as we stared at one another for a beautiful moment. When we looked away, we found Prince Aiden gaping at us once more, clearly flabbergasted.
His bafflement only increased as Liam proudly told him all the details about his recent building projects. After he’d enthusiastically shown off every battle wound he’d ever received from his hammer, he began sharing my own accomplishments, and how at my encouragement we were planning to conduct regular tours to all areas of the kingdom. His praise caused my face to burn and Prince Aiden’s gaze to become more suspicious as he looked at me as if he’d never seen me before. Little did he know he actually hadn’t.
After several more minutes witnessing our affectionate exchanges and hearing Liam speak of me with unabashed fondness, it seemed Prince Aiden couldn’t contain his curiosity any longer. He turned to his wife.
“Darling, you haven’t had a chance to see much of the Dracerian palace. The grounds alone are unparalleled. Perhaps Lavena would show them to you?”
Princess Eileen immediately picked up on Prince Aiden’s subtle hint that he wanted to speak with Liam alone. “I do want to see the gardens.” She stood gracefully and reached for young Deidric, still being bounced and cooed at on Liam
’s lap. “May I trouble you for a tour, Lavena, after I put Deidric down for a nap?” For the boy’s eyes were beginning to droop.
“Can I play with him later?” Liam asked as he relinquished the infant with adorable reluctance.
Princess Eileen smiled. “If you survive whatever interrogation my husband has in mind.” She swept a kiss across Prince Aiden’s cheek. “Don’t be too hard on him, dear.”
“It’s just a friendly chat.” He squeezed his wife’s hand where it rested on his shoulder before she led the way out of the parlor. “We’ll be in the nursery,” Princess Eileen called over her shoulder.
I followed reluctantly, my curiosity compelling me to remain behind in order to overhear Prince Aiden’s conversation with Liam. He undoubtedly planned to inquire how well things were going between us and I was quite anxious to hear Liam’s response. But the bowing footmen closed the doors behind us, barring me from the private conversation I so longed to hear. The moment we were in the corridor, Princess Eileen gave me an expectant look, waiting for me to lead her.
“I’m afraid I don’t know where the nursery is,” I said.
“That’s alright.” She turned to one of the footmen. “May I trouble you to show me to the nursery?”
He obeyed with a crisp bow and guided her down the hallway and out of sight, leaving me alone outside the parlor. Temptation tickled my sense of propriety, encouraging me to seize the opportunity I’d just been given. Ignoring the baffled look from the remaining footman, I crouched on my heels and pressed my eye to the keyhole.
I could only catch glimpses inside the parlor. Prince Aiden searched Liam’s expression, as if trying to decipher his friend’s wellbeing through his perusal. He leaned forward, eyes concerned. “So how are things going between you and Lavena?”
“Wonderfully,” Liam said.
Prince Aiden raised a skeptical brow. “Really? You aren’t just putting on a show for Eileen and me?”
Liam grinned. “Nobody’s more surprised than me. At this point in my marriage, I expected to either be dead and buried or a murderer myself, but as you can see, things haven’t turned out that way at all.” His look became quite tender. “Things have turned out quite wonderfully, much differently than I’d expected.”
Prince Aiden gaped at him before shaking his head. “I’m admittedly quite shocked, especially in regards to Lavena herself.” His forehead furrowed, as if he were trying to work out a complicated puzzle. “Are you sure that’s Lavena?”
I stiffened and scooted closer to the keyhole.
Liam laughed. “What a ridiculous question. Of course I’m sure. I know my own wife. Who else would she be?”
Prince Aiden was silent a moment, pondering. “She certainly looks like Lavena, but she’s so...altered. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for you. Eileen and I have been worried about how things were going. It’s just that...she’s completely different than the Lavena I know.”
“Maybe it’s her secret twin.” At his snigger, the worry tightening my insides slowly eased knowing that Liam wasn’t taking the prince’s doubt seriously.
“Obviously, it has to be Lavena, but her change is certainly dramatic.”
“I agree, but now that I understand her reasonings for who she was before, it all makes perfect sense,” Liam said. “Like me, she became a hardened version of herself in order to try to wriggle out of an undesirable engagement. Now that we’ve married, we’re both trying to make the best of it. And it’s going well.” Liam’s expression softened. “Actually, it’s going extremely well.”
Prince Aiden smiled. “You genuinely care for her?”
“Very much. If I’d known who my wife really was, I never would have resisted our union, but would have made her mine as soon as possible.”
Prince Aiden stared at Liam in disbelief. “You’re falling in love with her.”
Liam’s grin grew and the most affectionate look filled his eyes. “I’m pretty much already there.”
My heart swelled at his beautiful words and I beamed. Even though I’d known he felt that towards me, I loved hearing his precious feelings confirmed. But as wonderful as they were, I ached to hear more. In my desperation, I pressed my ear even more against the keyhole.
“Lavena?”
I straightened with a gasp. Princess Eileen had returned from the nursery with surprising speed.
“Yes?” I squeaked.
Her gaze shifted from me to the keyhole that up until moments ago I’d been pressed against. She raised her eyebrows. “Eavesdropping?”
My face burned in shame as I lowered my eyes. I ached to deny it but there was little point. “Yes.”
“I see.” Amusement rather than disapproval filled the princess’s tone. “I don’t blame you. I doubt I would have been able to resist myself, especially when the perfect opportunity presented itself.” She crouched down to peek through the keyhole herself. “What are they talking about? Anything good?”
“Your husband wants to be sure Liam isn’t suffering too terribly being married to me.”
Princess Eileen peeked up at me, a question in her eyes. “And is he?”
I beamed girlishly, unable to contain it. She smiled in return.
“I see. I suspected as much when I saw the way he looked at you; unlike Aiden, I didn’t need to corner him for a private interrogation. Men.” She rolled her eyes before peering back through the keyhole. I shifted restlessly, itching to take another peek myself.
“Are they discussing anything interesting?”
Princess Eileen sighed. “Unfortunately not. They’ve moved on to dull matters.” She straightened. “At least you got the information you wanted.”
My grin grew. “I certainly did.”
She surveyed my bright expression, her own rather confused. “I realize we don’t know one another well, but you do seem a bit…different.”
My smile instantly melted away. I nervously fiddled with my ring. “Different?” I squeaked. “How so?”
Her frown deepened. “You seem more…amiable, but it’s more than that. I can’t quite put my finger on it…” She pressed her thumb to her lips and surveyed me for a thoughtful moment before shrugging. “Forgive me, I’m being rather rude. I still haven’t gotten the hang of this princess thing, even though it’s been well over a year. Though it has gotten much easier, and I find myself enjoying it more than I used to.”
I understood that all too well, for it was how I’d felt at the beginning of the charade. I saw in Eileen a kindred spirit. If only I could confess to Princess Eileen who I really was. The ring gave a threatening throb, dashing my wishes.
The princess was awaiting my response, almost with a look as if she expected an insult on her performance. “Liam says you’re doing very well considering you’ve had no royal training before,” I said.
Her eyebrows rose in disbelief and she studied me again, her look suspicious. My heart pounded. Too late I wondered if perhaps I was being too friendly towards her. If she’d ever interacted with the real Princess Lavena, I was certain the experience hadn’t been a pleasant one.
Thankfully, Princess Eileen’s expression cleared. “Thank you, Lavena. Now, we better take that tour of the gardens before our husbands emerge from the parlor and catch us eavesdropping.”
She looped her arm through mine and I let her lead me outside. With each step the tension tightening my chest slowly eased. I’d survived another encounter with someone who knew Princess Lavena. Each one gave me confidence that despite my fears, perhaps the façade wouldn’t be exposed after all.
The following day, I paced the sitting room, wringing my hands anxiously while Liam leaned back in his seat—the picture of ease—and watched me with bemusement.
“Are you sure my parents won’t be coming?” I asked for what must have been the dozenth time.
His lips twitched. “Yes, I’m sure. Shall I repeat the answer a few more times in response to the next several times you’ll ask?”
I knew I was being ridiculou
s, but I couldn’t help it, not when my nerves gnawing my insides made it impossible to relax. “But are you sure?”
“Yes, darling.” His smile faltered and his previous amusement transformed into concern. “Do you really miss them so much?”
Oh dear, I hadn’t meant for my agitation to make Liam believe I missed Their Majesties. Seeing them was the last thing I wanted. They’d detect my switch with Princess Lavena the moment they saw me, and then I’d lose Liam forever.
“Not particularly,” I said, knowing the answer sounded rather heartless, but it was better than Liam arranging for a surprise visit with the King and Queen of Lyceria. He frowned, clearly puzzled that my words and actions contradicted one another. As he sat in confusion, I managed to pace the perimeter of the room a few more times.
“Your pacing is making me anxious. Come sit with me, darling.”
He motioned me over and, despite feeling far too restless to hold still, I joined him. He wrapped his arm around me as if to keep me from escaping and nestled me close so I was tucked quite comfortably against his side. As usual, he had a calming effect on my frazzled nerves.
“There. Feeling better?”
I rested my head on his shoulder with a sigh. “I will when this horrible state dinner is over. When is Nolan due to arrive?”
“Any moment now. Are you excited to see him?”
Yes and no, for I wanted to confront him about why he’d allowed this charade and at the same time ask him not to expose me. It was all a complicated mess, but the thought of losing Liam was my motivation to continue.
Liam was still awaiting my answer so I nodded. He smiled. “I had no idea you and Nolan were so close.”
I didn’t respond. Lying seemed more difficult when my nerves were stretched taut over tonight’s dinner. All too soon a footman announced the arrival of Crown Prince Nolan of Lyceria and he was shown in. He froze when he spotted us snuggling together.
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