Page 43 of Vale of Dreams

His dark eyes find mine. “Was it after her death that your father developed a fondness for so much ale?”

“Not ale, just mead. He was always that way, but it got worse when she died, then worse again with the famine.”

“How does he afford it?”

I shrug. “Oh, he doesn’t buy it. We never leave the farm. So, he makes his own mead. We keep honeybees and produce our own honey.”

He slides the painting back on the nightstand. “Show me the apple grove.”

This must be how it is with royalty, I suppose. They don’t ask questions or suggest things. They just issue orders and declarations, and everyone falls in line.

Particularly when you had the reputation of being an absolute monster.

CHAPTER 15

Ilead him downstairs again, through the kitchen, where Nivene stares wide-eyed. She takes a step closer. “I can show you the farm.”

Talan’s expression is ice-cold. “Nice of you to offer, but I’m sure you have dinner to prepare.”

“We could show you the farm together,” Nivene says, her eyes desperate. The jealous sister, upset at being left behind.

“Nivene!” Meriadec snaps, staggering. He grabs her by the arm. “You heard His Highness. Nia will show him the farm. Make us some food.”

She scowls at her father, and I pluck a coat off the hook on the wall.

As we step out, I hear Nivene arguing with Meriadec, hysterically yelling at him that it’s not fair. He’s howling arguments in return, calling her worthless. I want to roll my eyes. I almost feel like they’re enjoying this.

I glance over my shoulder to see that the two armored soldiers are following closely behind us. In the cold air, I pull my cloak tighter around my shoulders.

Just to the right, on the farm’s rolling hills, is the apple orchard, its trees gnarled and dark. “Strangely pretty here,” Talan murmurs.

“It’s my favorite part of the farm. Come spring, it’ll be a sea of white blooms. But the apples don’t grow anymore, just the flowers.” I’m making pleasant conversation for the benefit of the soldiers.

“Let’s walk there for a bit,” he says, then turns to look at his bodyguards. “Boys, you can keep back. The young lady and I would like to be alone.”

One of them smirks at the other, not even bothering to hide his amusement. I wonder how often the prince does this.

When we’re far enough from them, he leans in and whispers, “I chose the guards carefully. Most of the palace’s guards are terrible gossips, and these two are probably the worst. By tomorrow, everyone will have heard about how the prince fell for a farm girl.”

“Will they be shocked?”

He walks with a casual grace. “Some will, but no one expects me to make good decisions.”

My lips quirk. “Because you rarely do?”

“Precisely.”

I whisper, “And is our fake relationship one of those bad decisions?”

He flashes me a disarming smile. “Oh, I’m sure it will be a complete disaster, but I don’t know how yet, and that’s always interesting.”

We reach the apple grove and walk deeper between the bare trees, as far as we can from the soldiers. Finally, I stop by one of the trunks and lean back against it. “What now?” I whisper.

Talan turns to me, cocking his head. “Pretend you find me captivating. Imagine I’m Lumos.”

Talan is about a million times better looking than Lumos, but I think I hate him more. “What makes you think I find Lumos captivating?”

“He was able to persuade you to sneak into my castle to see him in the middle of the night.”

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