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, knowing 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.”