The servants came to retrieve the bowls of soup so they could serve the next course. Renna was still sipping hers as a young girl reached between her and Drake to clear it.
“Oh, I’m not quite done!” Renna awkwardly reached for the bowl as the girl lifted it onto her tray. She managed to dip her spoon in for one last bite and carry it to her mouth, but not before a large drop fell onto Drake’s shoulder. Everyone around the table held their breath at the spectacle.
A sardonic laugh escaped from Seran’s blonde friend. Trev couldn’t remember her name. Jen-something?
“I’m so sorry!” Renna choked through her mouthful of strawberry bisque. She grabbed the napkin in her lap with her free hand, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and awkwardly fumbled to wipe the stain from Drake’s shoulder.
Drake batted her napkin away good-naturedly and used his own napkin to dab the stain. “Leave it. This actually couldn’t have worked out better.” Renna looked mortified and confused, as he continued, “You see, I love the smell of strawberries. For the rest of the night, the smell of this soup will stay with me. I can literally turn my head and smell strawberries.” Drake’s face remained completely serious. “In fact, people will wonder why I smell so good.”
Another reason to kill Drake. The list was getting long.
Renna let out a small laugh and then looked to the king to recover. “Forgive me, Your Majesty. You have an excellent chef here.”
King Carver’s brow furrowed in what could only be disgust.
The young servant girl still hovered over Renna’s shoulder, squirming uncomfortably.
“That will be all. Thank you,” Renna said when she recovered enough from her own embarrassment.
“My lady, I need your spoon,” the girl replied in a quiet voice.
“Yes! Of course!” Reaching up, she handed the girl the spoon, and the servant quickly scurried away. Trev noticed Renna’s cheeks burning again.
“Renna, have a care for manners, please.” Queen Mariele laughed nervously. “I shouldn’t have to remind you who we are dining with.” She picked up her glass and raised it toward King Carver before lifting it to her lips.
Renna’s embarrassment seemed to turn to irritation. With a cautious glance at Trev first, she leaned over and whispered to her mother loud enough for Trev to hear. “Don’t worry, Mother. It’s not like I’m here to marry the prince.”
Trev choked on his drink—sputtering out a series of coughs.
“Are you all right?” Seran put a concerned hand on his shoulder.
He cleared his throat. “Yes, I’m fine.”
King Carver spoke. “I heard you stopped a day at the border.” He looked at Queen Mariele. “Near the city of Vassel?” His question was an obvious attempt to appear engaging.
Queen Mariele dabbed at her lips with her napkin before answering. “Yes, we stayed one night at an extensive property there.”
The king continued, “And did you enjoy yourselves?” He looked at Seran for an answer.
Seran’s dark eyes turned to the king. “It was nice to rest from our travels, but Wellenbreck was a bit too quiet for my tastes.”
From down the table, Jen-something piped up. “Wellenbreck Farm was completely boring. There was absolutely nothing to do there.”
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.