Partners.
To find out now that he had imagined the wrong girl was a blow.
“I gave in to her, Drake,” he said quietly, avoiding his friend’s eyes. “I let myself . . . feel for her. I thought she was going to be my . . .” Trev didn’t allow himself to finish. What was the point? He had been wrong.
“You’re going to make the best of it, Trev. Besides,” Drake rested a hand on his shoulder and gave a light shove, “there are worse fates than yours. Princess Seran is . . . stunning. A ten out of ten.”
He was right. Seran was gorgeous, polished, and confident. But none of that seemed to matter right now. She wasn’t Renna.
Where was Renna now? What was she doing? Was she as upset about their situation as he was?
He needed to forget about Renna and move forward with Seran. But no matter how hard he tried, his head couldn’t convince his heart to let her go.
12
Renna
Renna awoke to her maid’s gentle voice. “M’lady?”
Her tears had eventually given way to a deep nap, but as consciousness returned, the ache inside her throbbed to life again. Sleep hadn’t smothered it away for good.
She had been careless with her heart. It wouldn’t happen again.
“I’m sorry to wake you,” Nora tried again, “but it’s time to get you ready for the welcome feast.”
A feast? Renna cracked an eye open. Now that was something she could get excited about. She hadn’t had a decent meal since she’d left Wellenbreck Farm, and her stomach ached for the finer food dinner would offer.
She rolled over, sitting up at the edge of her bed. She watched as Nora shuffled around the room. Her tiny little body rushed back and forth, gathering from Renna’s bags the things she needed to do Renna’s hair and makeup.
“You must be tired, miss! All that traveling really takes it out of you.”
Renna forced a smile as she climbed out of bed and walked to the vanity.
“Being here is so exciting! A new palace. New dresses. And isn’t Prince Ezra handsome? I never thought the princess would find someone as attractive as she was, but I was wrong.”
Renna frowned as she sat down at the vanity. Nora had always been a chatty maid. They were about the same age, so usually her collected gossip was entertaining. Not today, though.
“He’s okay. If you like arrogance.”
“Okay? You must have had dust in your eyes because he is better than okay.” Nora fussed with Renna’s hair. “He looks so strong. Can you imagine what is hidden under his shirt?”
Renna could imagine.
“And then those curls! Don’t you just want to run your fingers through them?”
She did, actually.
“I bet they’re soft. Not full of hair products.”
Renna grunted noncommittally. It was like she was inside Nora’s personal fantasy with the prince.
“And his blue eyes! I mean, bright blue eyes are so cliché, but the prince pulls it off, don’t you think?”
“I guess.” Renna tried to sound uninterested.
Nora continued to ramble, and Renna listened politely as she talked about what a perfect match Seran and Ezra were and how beautiful their children would be. Renna might’ve tried to escape her incessant chatter earlier, but Nora had a firm grip on her hair as she twisted it into fine weaves. Besides, Renna wanted to look her best for dinner.
She convinced herself that her desire to look nice was purely for herself, not Trev. But if she was honest, she couldn’t deny wanting to look beautiful to show Trev what he was missing.
She quickly chided herself, shaking her head to chase the thought away while Nora fussed at her to keep still. Renna was stupid to think that Trev would even notice her with Seran in the room. She had enjoyed his focus for a few days, but all that would change now.
But then, why had Renna had his focus at all?
He was engaged the whole time back at Wellenbreck. She even asked him if he had a girlfriend, and he had lied about it. Her lips pursed together in anger. Was she just an easy target? Someone he could flirt with and kiss and never see again? Well, now she was stuck here with him.
“All done, miss,” Nora declared after a few minutes, stepping back to admire her work. “You look lovely, if I say so myself.”
Renna looked in the mirror and had to agree. Despite her stern face, she looked good. Strands of hair wove in and out of each other in a braided pattern around the crown of her head, accentuating the different shades of gold throughout. It was some of Nora’s best work.
Nora held up a green fitted evening gown with long sleeves. The silk fabric nipped at the waist then hung straight to the floor. She helped Renna step inside and fastened the back. Nora added a gold necklace to adorn her collar, complimenting the square, lace neckline.
Renna stepped in front of the vanity mirror and gave a low whistle. “Nora, I don’t know how you did it, but now I look like I actually belong here.”
“Of course you belong here, miss! Now go and find yourself a prince of your own.”
Renna had already found a prince. A lying, backstabbing one that she couldn’t stop thinking about.
13
Trev
Trev hid behind a stone pillar down the hall from Renna’s room, feeling absolutely ridiculous. How had it come to this? To skulking about in the dark corners of his own palace? But he had to see her. He had to explain the mix-up.
Her door opened, and a tiny maid hurried out with a pile of laundry. Renna followed soon after, stepping into the hallway and closing the door behind her.
Trev had to catch his breath. She looked like a completely different person from the girl he’d met at Wellenbreck Pond. He thought about the many different versions of her he had seen—the witty comedian, the nervous Renna, the unpolished lady, the angry girl—but standing before him now was a dignified beauty. The fabric of her dress curved over her body in ways that he would never forget; the memory would likely drive him crazy all night. Her hair was pulled up, revealing the striking base of her neck and shoulders. But the worst part was how the green dress set off her eyes perfectly.
He swallowed a frustrated groan.
She headed down the hall in his direction. As she passed his hiding place, Trev grabbed her arm and pulled her into the shadows behind the pillar where they wouldn’t be seen. She almost screamed, but the alarm in her eyes softened when she recognized his face.
And then her eyes iced over.
“What are you doing?” Her voice was loud and stern.
“Shh!” Trev couldn’t be discovered with her. He looked around to see if anyone was coming, then took her hand and dragged her back to her room. He shut the door behind them and shoved her farther into the room, causing her to stumble just a bit. Feeling bad, he released her and backed away. He hadn’t meant to be so forceful with her.
Renna whirled around to face him. “Are you insane?”
“I’m sorry.” He raised his palms, signaling he was there in peace. “I just want to explain.”
“How kind of you to squeeze me in before you have dinner with your fiancée,” she huffed.