Page 33 of Façade

“Simple,” she said in a sugary tone that didn’t at all match the fire filling her eyes, a betrayal of her true emotions. “It was greed. You wanted my magic so desperately that your desires consumed all sense, causing you to make an impulsive decision that will now be very difficult for you to wriggle yourself out of.” Her lips curved into an even darker smirk, one uncharacteristic if not for the situation. “I’m no fool; I knew it couldn’t last forever. But it didn’tneedto last forever, only long enough to protect my kingdom from you and your plans to bleed our magic dry.”

Her words pierced the conscience I much preferred to remain dormant, causing my anger to rise. Fists clenched, I spun on her. “It wasn’t for myself, but for my people. With the blight inflicting the land…what was I to do?”

“Oh, so you’d have me believe there really is some horrible blight afflicting your land, though you’ve said nothing of it and I’ve seen no evidence of it in all my time here?” Her attempt at composure finally faltered, leaving her expression almost wild in her emotion. “Well, what of my people? You speak of your need to help your kingdom without even considering the cost doing so will have onmine.”

“They’re notyour people,” I snapped. “Because you’re not their princess.”

It was as if I’d slapped her, leaving me instantly regretful for my harsh words. Yet my escalating frustration was too strong a force, one that encouraged my stubborn determination to maintain the upper hand by not taking them back. Even if I’d been inclined to, she didn’t give me a chance to pursue a more honorable choice of words. She snapped to her feet, the fire in her sharp glare piercing the last of my faltering defenses.

“Just because I’m not a princess by birth doesn’t mean I can’t care for those I’ve spent my entire life serving. Such feelings aren’t reserved exclusively to those with a title. I challenge you to have your entire identity stripped away and yet no longer care about the supposed curse you claim is afflicting your land…but in truth, you’re too cold to care about anyone other than yourself.”

With that final attack, she spun on her heels and stormed away, leaving me staring after her feeling hollow and very, very lost.

CHAPTER12

EVELYN

Ever since my exposure several days before, I’d become acutely aware of the hastily dwindling sand in the hourglass representing my marriage and possibly my life, measuring the time I had left. I wasn’t sure how many grains remained, nor did I know what would happen when they finally ran out. The thought only increased my tension, already a constant companion, as I waited for Ryland to sever the union that could no longer satisfy his purpose.

Surprisingly, he kept the fact that I was an imposter a secret from the court, nor did he make any immediate plans to rectify the disastrous situation in which he now found himself. I couldn’t even begin to imagine why he would wait, but I suspected his motive for this delay was solely to prevent scandal rather than out of any true consideration for me—a different type of façade than the one we’d previously been living—yet I felt grateful for the reprieve nonetheless.

I’d taken to avoiding my husband. Whenever we were forced to interact for the sake of appearances, our words and manner remained stiff, as if we were mere diplomatic acquaintances rather than husband and wife. Despite his dutiful politeness, I sensed his resentment towards the precarious position my carefully woven lies had placed him in, one that acted as a seemingly impenetrable obstacle for his ambitions.

The easiest solution would be for him to order my execution, and though I didn’t want to die, a secret part of me didn’t resent such a fate befalling me if I’d at least carried out my façade long enough to prevent his marriage to the real princess and save my kingdom in the process. If he instead tossed me aside, I’d be forced into the unwanted position I’d been in previously—a life without identity or purpose, an uncertain future that encased my heart with fear.

Another anxiety had already laid claim upon me: my worth had vanished the moment the façade cracked, causing me to realize just how much value I’d unintentionally placed upon our arranged marriage. With Ryland I’d begun to wonder whether I’d finally found a new place in which to belong, only to now realize it too had only been a charade, just like my entire life.

I almost took comfort in the inevitable fate looming over me like an executioner’s ax. I could only hope I could find a way to thwart his plans for my kingdom before it was too late. But until my husband’s resentment eventually ended my role as his wife, I could at least use the time I had remaining to uncover any information that could be of use to Estoria so that I could protect my kingdom from his plot even after my role as a decoy officially came to an end.

Now I just had to hope that Ryland would allow me to live long enough for me to be of any use.

I spent every spare moment acting as a spy, with little results. No matter how many times I attempted to infiltrate it, his study remained stubbornly guarded, so instead I resigned myself to searching other rooms or listening in on the tedious gossip of the court, none of which yielded anything useful. When I’d exhausted all my options, all that remained was a dangerous path forward, one well worth the risk considering my life had already become endangered the moment I was discovered as an imposter.

The only location I hadn’t searched was his bedroom, a place I’d avoided up until now. It proved surprisingly easy to enter, considering unlike other areas of the palace, I didn’t have to bypass the guards flanking the door from the corridor but could instead access it through the unguarded door connecting our two rooms. To my surprise I found it unlocked, as if the man was inviting me to search his private quarters.

The door swung silently open, allowing me to tiptoe inside. I glanced around for any helpful signpost that would guide me to the information I sought, but unfortunately it was an entirely ordinary bedroom. Even so, I felt a strange anxiousness to be inside the placewhere my husband slept. I sensed secrets beyond those pertaining to his scheme to steal Estoria’s magic hiding within every corner, awaiting my discovery.

It took considerable effort to maintain control of my thoughts in order to focus on the matter at hand rather than explore the curiosity compelling me to seeks hints of who my husband truly was…yet I couldn’t help pondering the mystery as I rummaged first through his wardrobe, then his desk drawers. The room was so pristine as to almost seem uninhabitable, offering me few clues as to his personality…save for a single one adorning his nightstand, where I found myself lingering despite knowing I had little time to waste.

Here I finally discovered a few personal effects—not only a book of poetry, which was a surprising in and of itself, but also a volume on petrology. Curious as to why Ryland would be studying rocks, I flipped through the hefty tome, even turned it upside down to shake for any loose sheets of parchment, but the only thing that fluttered to the ground was a bookmark.

I set the book down and started to bend down to pick up the bookmark…but paused upon noticing a large rock decorating the nightstand beside a leather-bound notebook, quill, and ink. Puzzlement creased my brow. The prince seemed too old to still attend lessons, which made me wonder if the notebook contained something else…secrets, perhaps?

With bated breath I casually flipped through it in hopes of discovering any details concerning his schemes, but unless he’d hidden the information within an encrypted message, it appeared to only contain notes about rocks.

Before I had a chance to investigate these unusual contents further or try to decipher the potential code protecting his secrets, footsteps sounded in the corridor. I tensed and was just frantically scanning the room for a place to hide when the door opened and he stepped inside.

He froze upon seeing me. For a long moment we stared at one another, my heart pounding wildly from the force of his gaze that left me rooted in place with the condemning notebook in hand. This was the first time we’d been alone since my exposure. Tension crowded the void between us, eclipsing the progress we’d made in our relationship up until that point, lost to the deceit that had torn us apart. Even so, I couldn’t help but notice howrightit felt to be with him again, a surprising emotion that made me realize just how much I’d missed the dull prince.

Too late I realized I still held his notebook. I hastily dropped it onto the nightstand and clasped my hands behind my back with an innocent air. I expected my ridiculous attempt at coverup to compel him to send for his guards standing just outside, but rather than the hostile reaction I expected, his eyebrows only rose, a glint of amusement in his eyes.

“You’re not a very good spy. Are you, Evelyn?”

My shoulders slumped in defeat before I resolutely lifted my chin. “I’ll improve.”

His lips twitched at my fierce look, as if he found my determination amusing…admittedly not the reaction I expected after him discovering my snooping red-handed, giving me reason to doubt his sincerity, especially when trust had never been an aspect of our relationship.

He closed the distance between us and reached around me to pick up the fallen notebook to examine it front to back. When he discovered nothing, he flipped through it, as if checking to ensure I hadn’t ripped anything out…something I admittedly would have been tempted by should I have discovered anything of worth. The fact that I hadn’t testified of my poor espionage skills. Discouragement crowded my heart, leaving me almost on the brink of tears.

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