Page 37 of Façade

My fists clenched. “Is this all a game to you?”

“You didn’t really believe you were the only one allowed to have fun at the other’s expense, did you? I’m compelled to agree with your earlier point: pretending is exhausting. Just as you no longer have an incentive to continue our earlier charade, neither do I.”

I could only stare. “You were pretending too?”

Mischief caused his mouth to lift into another half smile. “Considering we’re married…for now, you still have a chance to find out.”

The teasing lighting his eyes deepened, rendering me incapable of responding. The light filling his manner was so different to how he normally behaved, making me wonder if the man I’d come to know as Ryland wasn’t the real him in the same way I hadn’t been the real princess.

Whatever game we seemed to be playing was muddling our relationship, blurring the lines between friend and foe…which only made my situation all the more precarious. I hoped I could navigate these uncertain waters long enough to protect Estoria from a man becoming more dangerous with every interaction…and not for the reasons I’d initially suspected.

For the longer I spent with him, the more I wanted to discover who the real Ryland truly was, a truth I must never allow myself to find out, not when the cost of doing so was far greater than any I could afford.

CHAPTER13

RYLAND

The fire filling my wife’s expression was far more alluring than it had any right to be, a spirit that lit up her hazel eyes in a way that really shouldn’t be so appealing considering it made her look as if she wanted to kill me—and would take great pleasure in doing so. It made her appear rather pretty, a rather annoying observation, considering if I had my way, she wouldn’t be my wife for much longer.

Her floral perfume drew me closer, another part of my wife it’d be in my best interest not to notice. “That’s a rather dangerous glint. Should I be concerned thatyouwill killme?”

I couldn’t resist teasing her, anything to earn one of her amusing reactions. Sure enough, her mouth fell agape in shock, even as she looked somewhat tempted by the notion. The smirk I’d been fighting finally escaped.

“Me, killyou?Though I don’t like you, you’re not worth the effort.”

Her words stung far more than they should, but I forced myself to shrug as if unaffected; I had much more pressing matters to concern myself with. “You can’t blame me for being uncertain; you eyed the pocket containing my rock with a look like you intended to confiscate it and wield it as a weapon. Should the temptation to do me in become too great and our pleasant interaction result in violence, I feel it’s prudent to remind you of your earlier promise to instead use a pillow for the deed.”

She nibbled her lower lip, as if truly considering the prospect. “As unsatisfying as that would be compared to using a rock, I suppose a pillow would be less messy…”

I barely managed to disguise my guffaw with a hasty cough. The girl was far more amusing now than she’d been a few weeks ago. Rather unfortunate, really.

Surprise rounded her eyes at the sound, evidence of another falter in my usual effort to contain my emotions…but just as she no longer had any reason to continue her charade, there was no further need for me to hide them any longer.

“You seem well-versed in murder,” I continued teasingly. “You might not be a princess, and you’re most definitely not a spy, so I’m left to wonder whether you might be an assassin.”

Her indignation swelled as she stood on tiptoe to increase her petite height. “I’m not an assassin…though you’re admittedly tempting me to pursue that very path, with you as my first target.”

Once more I fought my escaping smile, a battle so frequent around her I now almost considered it my new hobby. I resisted the impulse as best I could, both intrigued and a little afraid what her reaction might be should I push her too far.

Her amusement vanished as quickly as it’d come. “In truth, I’m not entirely sure what I am…only what I’mnot. If only I weresomething.”

Remorse wrenched my heart at my insensitivity in teasing her about such a thing. No matter my own frustrations, the last thing I wanted was to hurt her. I ached to apologize, but the words remained trapped against my will, held back by the reminder that regret was pointless considering my future intentions towards her.

When had I become so unscrupulous?It’s all for the sake of Brimoire. But the necessary reminder did little to alleviate the ever-present guilt I’d do anything to dispel.

My fingers reached into my pocket to graze the familiar surface of the rock I’d tucked away, a nervous habit. I took greater comfort from the touch than normal and tried not to consider the possibility that Evelyn having so recently held it had anything to do with it. Unbidden, I recalled the memory of her studying it with enough concentration to create a rather adorable crease between her brows. I found it amusing how suspicious she’d been of a rock; she must truly not trust me.

In truth, the rockdidrepresent one of my secrets, just one far different than she likely imagined. How immensely entertaining it was to lead her astray. Not that I could blame her for her suspicions; if I’d been in her position, I’d do all in my power to investigate me in an effort to prevent my plans.

The thought only reminded me of the unideal situation in which we now found ourselves. Father, Lucian, and I had decided that our best option on how to proceed after discovering I’d married a decoy, before we’d eventually concluded that our best option would be to travel to the magical monastery at the peak of the mountains bordering our two kingdoms and annul the marriage.

We’d kept our plans for the upcoming trip secret from Evelyn, making all preparations behind the scenes. They were finally near completion; we could leave as early as first light. The only question that remained was when to break the news to my wife. She certainly wouldn’t be happy. I doubted I’d be able to find a way to cajole her into accompanying me in a way that would allow me to maintain even a loose hold over the remaining sliver of my rapidly dwindling conscience.

Several days hadn’t been enough time for me to get over the sheer shock of my wife being an imposter. Though my own schemes gave me no right to the emotion, I’d alternated between annoyance at her plot and begrudging admiration for her cleverness and noble sacrifice despite her life-altering discovery. Prior to this interaction annoyance had been winning, but now…

In truth, the greater shock hadn’t been her exposure but my own feelings in the days that had followed when I’d steadfastly avoided her…only to realize how much I missed her. Though this interaction had satisfied my strange need to be in her presence, it’d only increased my growing curiosity over who my wife truly was, something that with our impending separation I’d never be able to fully discover. A simple annulment had never been so difficult.

Part of me was tempted to allow her to skip tonight’s dinner, considering the distance would only prove beneficial to us both, but until I tossed her aside, we had an image to maintain. I offered her my arm, but rather than accept it, she gave it a look like I’d just asked her to touch something poisonous.

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