Page 34 of Beacon

“I didn’t offend—” But the prince’s denial was cut short when he noticed my wounded expression. “Did I upset you, Marisa?”

I hesitated before nodding. His shoulders slumped.

“Oh.” He was quiet a moment. “I didn’t mean to. I’m just so nervous.”

“That is obvious,” Prince Jaron said. “But confidence will make your performance more realistic. If even that’s too difficult, then you best accept your fate with Princess Lavena.”

Prince Owen determinedly set his jaw and made to try to put his arm around me again, this time less reluctantly and more stubbornly, only pausing when Prince Jaron held up his hand.

“Don’t do itnow; it’ll look exactly like what it is: I’m advising you on the proper way to treat a woman, which will only make you look suspicious and more likely give you away. Wait a few minutes after I leave.” He started to stand but paused to give his brother one final mischievous look. “If you really want to be convincing, exchanging a kiss certainly wouldn’t hurt your cause.”

My stomach gave an unnecessary but rather pleasant jolt at the thought of kissing the prince while Prince Owen’s cheeks darkened. “A kiss? We can’t—”

But Prince Jaron only winked before returning to his former seat. Prince Owen stared after him a moment before releasing a heavy sigh. “As much as I hate to admit it, he’s undoubtedly right. Not about the kiss!” Even as he spoke his gaze flickered down to my lips before he hastily looked away, his blush deepening. “Not that I object to the idea. I’m sure the experience would be…lovely…but we shouldn’t—”

He seemed to have run out of his fumbling words. He groaned and buried his face in his hands, where he stayed for an uncomfortably long moment, only timidly peeking up when I gave his arm a reassuring pat.

“Kissing aside, the rest of his advice is sound. To think I had to get it fromhim…” His disgruntled expression softened as he glanced uncertainly at me. “Did I really upset you earlier?”

I looked down at my lap, embarrassed about being hurt by such a trivial thing.

His earlier regret deepened. “I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to. I know the entire scheme was my idea, but I’m just so anxious about the entire thing.”

If he thoughthewas anxious, that was nothing to how I felt. I wrinkled my nose, the easiest way to indicate my thoughts on the matter, and Prince Owen sighed.

“I deserve such a rebuke for allowing my desperation to lead me to come up with such a stupid plan. I hate the thought that you’re suffering on my account; the last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable. I will do my best to treat you honorably and avoid hurting you in the future.”

I managed a small smile, which seemed to encourage him. My heartbeat escalated as he scooted closer.

“Does your smile mean I have not only your forgiveness but also your permission?”

I hesitated before managing a breathless nod.

“Then, if you’re truly amendable to the idea, I suppose…we must do this.”

He took a wavering breath, gathering his resolve…only to make no move to touch me. Despite knowing what was expected, he continued to sit rigidly, taking several shallow, nervous breaths before managing to stir enough to wrap his arm stiffly around my shoulders.

I stiffened at first, not used to the intimacy of such a gesture. Though the sensation was strange, the pressure of his arm around me was rather comfortable. The longer his arm remained the more rapidly my heart seemed to pound. Eventually, I gradually relaxed and even found myself melting into his touch as the tension left my body, causing me to lean more fully into him.

His breath hooked. “You’re…much better at this than I am.” His voice was strangely airy. Only then did I notice just how much I’d snuggled closer to him. I tried to pull away but his hold around me kept me firmly in place. “No, it’s fine. I…don’t mind.” His brow furrowed, as if the admission puzzled him. He leaned closer, keeping his head tilted so as to look like we were sharing an intimate conversation. “This position is ideal considering Princess Lavena is watching. Try to relax.”

The feel of his breath against my cheek caused a heated blush to tickle my skin. I risked a peek at the others in the room to find them watching us with various measures of surprise…except for Prince Jaron—who gave a subtle nod of approval—and Princess Lavena, whose look was difficult to decipher but seemed to be almost…calculating.

She continued watching us another moment more before finally turning away. Prince Owen slowly released the breath he’d been holding. “She seems to have bought it. Despite its initial hiccups, I believe the first step of our scheme has been a success.” His whisper was followed by a quiet laugh. “One hurdle down, several dozen more to go.”

I wasn’t entirely sure things had gotten off to as good a start as the prince seemed to believe. Even if they had, it seemed too soon to celebrate, especially with the princess’s repeated glances, far too frequent for her not to be at least a little bit suspicious of our supposed relationship.

Eventually, she rose to join us on our side of the room, causing both of us to stiffen. Prince Owen barely had time to quietly groan before she was upon us with a smile far too tight to be sincere. “I was under the impression you chose to sit apart from everyone in order to enjoy an intimate conversation…but from what I’ve observed there’s been very little, if any, between you two the entire evening.”

She quietly accepted the cup of tea a servant was serving the guests and took her seat beside us. The prince and I exchanged a wary glance before he explained. “Marisa doesn’t talk.”

The princess paused in adding sugar to her tea mid-stir. “Pardon? Is she shy?”

Prince Owen hesitated. “It’s not that…Shecan’tspeak.”

The princess’s surprise quickly changed to a glimmer of interest that pierced her stoic expression. “At all?” At Prince Owen’s nod she blinked in surprise. “How…unusual. Was it an accident, or was she born that way?”

She directed the question towards the prince. Though such a thing occurred frequently, for some reason in this instance, her exclusion stung.

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