“King Carver!” Nalissy interjected, picking up bits and pieces of their conversation.
“I believe in you,” Seran said. “And I will stand by you. I’ll help you win the election. And together, we’ll rule the kingdom honorably.”
He appreciated Seran’s loyalty and unwavering support, but it came with a fresh dose of guilt centered around Renna. On paper, it all seemed so perfect. So easy. But nothing about Trev’s situation felt easy.
He spent the next hour with Seran and Nalissy talking about silly things, laughing, and playing until the transporters arrived to take the children back into the city. Seran waved at the little arms and hands stretching out from the windows until they all disappeared down the royal drive and out the gates.
“That was fun,” she said as they walked back across the lawn toward the palace, servants already bustling around them to collapse tents and gather up lawn games. “Usually I’m not fun in settings like these.”
Trev shook his head. “I thought you did great.”
Seran hesitated like she was trying to find the right words. “Sometimes I worry so much about being dignified that I don’t connect well with people. I try so hard to be a princess that I forget to be a person.”
“I think everyone struggles to be themselves in front of others.”
“You don’t seem to, and neither does Renna. She’s always herself. You’re very similar in that way, and I sometimes wonder if you would have been better suited marrying someone with a personality like hers.”
Trev’s stomach dropped. How was he supposed to respond to that? “Renna and I do get along well. She’s easy to talk to, so we’ve become friends.” At least, he was trying to put her in the friend category; he wasn’t making much progress. “But if our friendship makes you feel uncomfortable, I can . . .” What? Try harder? Lock her in her room? Put a blindfold on whenever she was near, so he didn’t notice the nuances of her facial expressions? There was no right answer.
“I can avoid her,” he said finally.
I think.
“That won’t be necessary.” She pursed her lips together into a slight smile. “Renna is harmless.”
He was starting to think she didn’t know Renna that well because she definitely wasn’t harmless. She was harming his thoughts, his sleep, his work—pretty much every aspect of his life.
Seran straightened. “I just hope that I can complement your life in the way you need me to.”
Trev tried to offer a reassuring smile. “I hope to do the same for you.”
Seran nodded before changing the subject. “Any word about the missing girls from Axville?” The concern in her eyes was apparent.
Trev shook his head. “Nothing yet. We sent a letter to King Adler last week, but it’s still too soon to have received his response. I don’t want to go to war with Tolsten. I just want to resolve this peacefully.”
She gave him a reassuring smile. “I’m sure it will all work out.”
They reached the palace courtyard, and Seran grabbed his hand, lacing her fingers through his. Besides the fake kiss, they had never touched this intimately before. Trev wanted to like the way her hand fit in his. He wanted to like the feel of her skin against his. He wanted to feel something, but the gesture felt forced.
Is this how the rest of his life would feel?
26
Renna
Renna craned her neck to see out the transporter window as the vehicle rolled to a stop.
“I’m so happy to get out of the palace!” Jenica said, fluffing her hair, preparing for their exit. “We’ve been cooped up in the palace for two days while Seran got to have all the fun.”
“I don’t think Seran would say visiting nearby estates for the past two days was fun,” Lizanne said.
“But Prince Ezra accompanied her; I’m sure something fun happened. If you know what I mean.” A guard opened the door and reached for Jenica’s hand.
Patiently, Renna waited for her turn to exit the transporter so she could get a look at Albana’s market day. Dying grass crunched below her shoes as she stepped out of the vehicle. Tables and stands were set up in rows with products skillfully displayed, enticing prospective customers over. Market peddlers lined the edges, their pushcarts full of goods and supplies. The sounds of buyers haggling over prices filled the square, adding to Renna’s eagerness.
As a young girl, she’d loved going to market day in Vassel with her father. She would help him set up their booth and attractively align their crops so customers could see what they offered.
Today’s market day was different. Renna had arrived in a transporter with the royal entourage, flanked by palace guards. There were no goods to sell or trade, no bottom line that her father had to earn to keep their household running through the winter. Instead, Renna would spend a few hours shopping at the market—just for the fun of it. The stark contrast with her old life sent a wave of guilt over her.
Renna slowed her steps, letting the group of girls walk ahead of her. The crowd around her was dense, forcing her to turn down the first aisle of goods. Ahead of her, Trev and Seran stopped at a vendor, rummaging through hats. Trev’s back was to her, but everything about the ordinary moment paralyzed Renna. She couldn’t move, only watch.
“How much for this hat?” Trev asked the seller, picking up a straw hat with a black ribbon.
“No!” Seran protested.
“Why? You’d look cute in it.” He placed the hat atop Seran’s head and nodded to himself.
Seran twisted her shoulder and dipped her chin in a brief pose.
“See,” Trev said, slightly adjusting the hat. “You look amazing.”
Something about the way Trev complimented Seran scraped Renna’s heart like the ground skinned her knees whenever she fell as a child.
“I don’t know. What do you think, Renna?” Seran looked past Trev right at her.
Trev turned around, his sapphire eyes showing something like embarrassment.
“I think,” Renna said, swallowing the ache in her heart, “the hat suits you.”
Seran shrugged at the vendor. “I suppose if Prince Ezra likes it, then I’ll get it.”
“Great.” Trev forced a smile, handing the man some money for the hat.
“What about you, Renna?” Seran pointed to the table. “Would you like a hat? I’m sure Ezra won’t mind.”
Renna shook her head. “You don’t need to buy me anything.”
“I would love to buy you something,” Trev said with intense eyes that awakened butterflies in Renna’s stomach.
“What about a bracelet?” Seran offered, pointing to the table next to them.
She backed away from them. “Really, I’m good.”
“I know what Renna needs.” Trev’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Follow me.”
Renna followed hesitantly after him, partly to avoid being rude and partly out of curiosity. They stopped in front of trays of rolls and frosted bread lining a table. The sweet scent of fresh-baked dough wafted around her.
“Which one do you want?” Trev gestured to the table with a knowing smile.