Page 109 of Façade

“If trust in the royal family is still difficult for you to render, then for the moment you may rely on mine: Princess Evelyn will keep her promise, I assure you.”

Of course he had no reason to doubt me—if I went back on my word, he’d murder me; I needed no better motivation to keep my end of the agreement.

Blair searched his eyes before the tension in her posture slowly eased and determination replaced her previous defiance. “Luke is quite adept at investigations and has been assisting me in tracking down our quarry. We believe we’re quite close to the target, but will need a bit more time. Now that I have your word you’ll uphold your promise to grant me my freedom in exchange for the suspect, we’ll close in.”

Luke nodded. “It’s time to finally finish this.”

He opened the door for her with the grace of a proper gentleman, their exchanged look warm…more evidence their relationship ran deeper than mere co-conspirators. The question that remained was what such a relationship meant for me, and if we could truly trust their word in whatever name they brought forward. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any other choice.

Luke allowed Blair to exit first before glancing back at me. “I’m sure you’ll keep your end of the bargain, Princess.” And with a final wink he departed.

The moment the door closed behind him, the exhaustion I’d barely been able to hold back overcame me in a rush of emotion. I slumped against Ryland, whose firm arm hooked around my waist to keep me upright.

Silas glared after the assassin with gritted teeth. “That little—“ It seemed to take him considerable effort to contain the bitter curse vying to escape, held back by the possibility that the Shadow would somehow hear it…and with his legendary skills, perhaps he would, as if he was in league with the room’s shadows charged to report every overheard word to their master.

“Is everything alright, Guard Silas?” Mother asked.

He seemed too tormented to answer, bound by his duty to do all within his power to protect me even if it meant withholding such vital information from his king and queen; we couldn’t even risk whispering it just in case Luke listened just outside the door. We likely wouldn’t have any opportunity to disclose the information to my parents until this was all over.

“Everything is fine, Your Majesty.” The lie seemed almost painful for Silas to speak. Upon her nod, he leaned down to whisper in my ear. “Until that…that…scoundrelis caught, you will not leave my sight. Do you understand me?”

Unfortunately I did. Mouth dry, I nodded.

“Luckily, his exposing his identity gives us some advantage so we won’t be caught unawares. He did so at considerable risk; he must be desperate to secure the decoy’s freedom.”

Even without his threats compelling me, I found myself invested in granting my cooperation. No matter what Blair had done or that she’d been coerced to protect me, in the end she’d faced exceeding danger for my sake.

I turned to my parents with a firm look. “We must keep our promise to Blair.”

“Of course we will,” Mother said. “We never intended to break it.”

Then why had the Shadow feared that they would? As a master of retrieving information, he must have uncovered something that had led to his doubt. Something more seemed to be going on, one of many mysteries I wondered could possibly be solved.

For the moment, I basked in my parents’ tender looks and loving smiles. “You handled the situation with the true bearing of a future queen,” Father said. “Not only today, but when you did all within your power to protect your people by marrying Prince Ryland when you believed yourself a decoy. You’ve always been a capable ruler, but you’ve grown so much…and we know you’ll only continue to do so. We’re so proud of you, Nymph.”

My heart swelled. My parents had always believed in me; I just hadn’t recognized it until I’d come to believe in myself. I resolved to do my best to continue to believe in my capabilities as a princess and live up to the role I’d been born to fulfill.

As comforting as my parents’ presence was, my attention remained on Ryland standing nearby, watching our interaction with love, joy, and a hint of sadness that tainted my own happiness from our beautiful reunion. Now that I’d nearly been restored to my throne, would I regain what I’d once lost only to lose him in the end?

CHAPTER35

If only magic could slow down time or stop it completely, anything to prevent Ryland’s impending departure now that his presence at the palace was no longer needed. He’d already left shortly after our arrival in Estoria, but had only been gone a few days before returning to check on me, a brief separation that was nothing to the pain of our impending forever the next time we parted.

The closer his departure drew, the more desperately I yearned to cling to him. Ever since we’d overcome our last obstacle of broken trust and fought together side by side, my love that had been steadily growing throughout our charade fully blossomed into the most precious bloom…one our separation would uproot, leaving me broken.

With the lingering threats I navigated with my parents and the decoy from the shadows where I was forced to remain hidden, there was no time for distractions. In that sense, Ryland’s departure would be for the best. Yet just the thought of his absence left a void in my heart that felt impossible to fill. The pain deepened every moment I spent with him—every look and exchanged word, his presence beside me, each special moment the last in an endless forever.

The emotions grew too unbearable. Following our final meal together I slipped out into the night, as if I could escape my yearnings before they overcame me completely…but they only followed me, pressing against my heart as I leaned against the balcony railing to overlook the star-shrouded garden.

Footsteps sounded, interrupting the surrounding stillness as Ryland’s familiar dear presence approached, the very man my heart had been reaching for, as if my longings had summoned him.

“Evie?” His soft voice drew my gaze towards him. My heart warmed to see him, illuminated by the light tumbling through the castle windows to fall across us in glittery golden pools that mingled with the silvery moonlight casting a sheen across the velvety night. “Do you have a moment?”

I had as many moments as he wanted to claim, but I knew that with our circumstances, tonight was likely our very last. “Granting you one seems an apt reward for your finding me.”

The corner of his mouth lifted. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d suspect you chose a poor hiding place on purpose.”

How true that was.

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