Page 24 of Ties of Deception

He smiled his wide, charming smile. “Purity, may I have a moment of your time, please?”

I nodded, distracted a little by the pleasantness of his face and mannerisms. When he turned his full attention on me, he exuded warmth and magnetism.

“I wanted to make an unorthodox request of you. As you may have heard, my mother intends for me to choose a Grace as a bride to Bless our family and ensure the longevity of our descendants. She approved a small list of Graces for me to consider. Beginning in three weeks, there will be rounds of events so I can get to know the candidates better and to see if love blooms between any of us.”

I held my breath waiting to see what this had to do with our clandestine meeting.

He looked down and sighed. “I’m afraid you’re not on that list.”

The news wasn’t surprising—and I wanted no part in this competition—but still, it brought a strange mix of relief, shame, and disappointment.

“Mother has decided that any approved Grace has to be at least five years old so as to guarantee their character and their emotional control.”

He gave me a lopsided apologetic smile and reached out to squeeze one of my hands. I was too surprised to pull it free. I spluttered a reply. “I doubt I have given the empress a good impression anyway. I don’t think she would have chosen me even if I had been around for five years. Besides, I know you spend a lot of time with Constance.”

The prince chuckled. “I think Mother’s worried that if I ever upset you or broke your heart, that you’d bring the whole palace crashing down on us.”

Hmm. Yes, that sounded like something I would accidentally do.

Prince Sebastian chuckled again. “But here’s the thing, Purity. I want you to be one of the candidates. Could you be one unofficially? It could be our little secret. You’re so beautiful, and I would love to get to know you better—far more than half the Graces on Mother’s list. Even if we just ended up as good friends.”

I blinked in surprise. “But…what about the structural integrity of the palace?”

He laughed, his voice open and full. “Well, if we decide to further our relationship, I’ll just have to be very careful to make you happy in every way, won’t I? But I’m sure I could think of many, many ways.”

His warm brown eyes were becoming intense, both drawing me in and making me uncomfortable. “I…I don’t know if…”

He squeezed my hand. “Just say I can spend some time with you. There’s no commitment on your part. No expectations. Just a chance for us to get to know each other, even if it’s just as friends.”

I licked my lips, then decided to nod instead of speaking. He grinned and bent down to kiss my hand. “Purity, our conversation has been a pleasure.”

I stared after him as he disappeared back through the bushes. Why hadn’t I said no? Constance had helped me, and I didn’t want to repay her for kindness by competing for the man she liked. But when he spoke like that, as if it were a simple request for friendship, he was too hard to refuse. I would have to keep him to his terms. Secret. And just to get to know each other as friends.

I pulled my hands through the roots of my hair. I’d barely been here a few months, and I was already tangled up in far more things than I could manage.

I peered farther into the maze and squinted. A strip of fabric lay tangled near the base of one of the laurel trees, disappearing around the edge of a corner. I walked closer, wondering if somebody had dropped their shawl.

I rounded the corner and screamed.

Serene lay on the floor, curled slightly on her side. She stared blankly at the hedge. A dagger protruded from the bottom of her chest, its hilt clutched in her hands.

Chapter

Ten

Ifelt like I was submerged underwater. Muffled sounds and blurred images surrounded me as Amazones led me into a small room. Every time I blinked, I saw Serene’s pale lifeless face.

Somebody was speaking to me, but I found it hard to focus on their words. A cup of something cool was placed in my hands.

“Purity!”

I blinked and looked up to see the empress standing in front of me. I opened and closed my mouth, trying to remember what I was supposed to say when I greeted her.

A woman I didn’t recognize who was dressed in an apron stepped to one side of me. “She’s in a degree of shock, Your Majesty. She may need a little longer to process what she saw.”

The empress began to pace. “Has the physician finished examining the body?”

“He should be here soon to give his preliminary report.”

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