Page 47 of Façade

His words abruptly faltered, swallowed by another blush. “My apologies, I’m getting carried away.”

I shook my head. “On the contrary. I doubt I’ll ever look at a rock the same way again.” Nor him for that matter, for his words had not only brought his hobby to life but polished his once dull personality to transform a seemingly ordinary rock into a precious gem.

Nor would I ever be able to look at rocks andnotthink of him…which was rather unfortunate considering how commonplace they were, which meant the prince would likely never leave my thoughts even if he eventually got his way and we went our separate ways.

He did like to find ways to aggravate me.

Try as I might not to give much thought to his unusual hobby, I found myself intrigued all the same. I yearned to see it through his eyes in order to better understand why he’d find something as common as a rock worthy of his interest. My purpose shifted so that rather than enjoying the scenery I began investigating the stream for more rocks.

It was as if an entirely new world had opened up. I’d never paid them much mind, so I’d never noticed how many varieties lay just beneath my feet. I crouched down, unbothered by my soaked skirts as I searched beneath the surface with my hands. Exploring with my fingertips caused me to realize just how many unique shapes and textures existed. Fascinating.

The water sloshed as Ryland waded closer, his eyes bulging as he watched me. “What are you doing?”

“Searching for rocks. You can’t be the only one to have all the fun.”

“But for a princess to—“ He cut his words short.

I glanced over my shoulder to cast him a mischievous grin. “How is that any different from aprincebeing interested in such a thing? Besides, haven’t you forgotten? I’m not a princess.”

His lips curved up in a rather endearing half-smile that caused a strange sensation to tickle my stomach. “Yet Iama prince. Surely you now think less of me.”

“On the contrary. You should have told me about this hobby of yours earlier so I wouldn’t tire of your company as easily; you were rather boring before.”

He gave a short, disbelieving laugh, a sound that caused warmth to trickle over me and dispel the coldness brought by the water.

Slightly flustered, I forced myself to resume my search. After a bit more exploration, I discovered something interesting and laid the small rock across my palm to better examine it—smooth, reddish brown in color, with some unusual patterns.

After a bit of study I showed it to Ryland, who took it with boyish eagerness, like a child who’d just been offered a sweet. “Jasper.” Reverence filled his whisper. “It’s an opaque rock, part of the quartz class. Its unique patterns in the original sediment arise during the consolidation process or from volcanic ash. The most common color is red, but it can also be found in yellow and various other shades.”

He lifted it up to the light to help me better see the hexagonal patterns, something I might never have noticed if he hadn’t taken the time to show me. “It’s…lovely.” To my own surprise, it wasn’t even a lie to appease him.

“Isn’t it?” He was practically gushing, and I’d be lying if I claimed it wasn’t adorable. “It’s one of many types of rocks that can be found within creeks.”

“What others are there?”

“Depending on the geology of the area: quartz crystals, chert, agate, petrified wood, amethyst, and garnet. That’s not even taking into consideration ordinary rocks worn smooth by the rushing water, which have their own appeal.”

He returned to investigating the stream, as if hoping to discover more, and gave a boyish whoop when he found one. He soon had quite a handful of various rocks, one which only grew when I found myself contributing to it, drawn to this activity in a way I hadn’t with any of the others we’d been forced to endure during the short sojourn of our marriage. It only confirmed that he’d also hid his true self behind a mask, just as I had. It made me wonder what else he was hiding…and if I dared allow myself to discover it.

Ryland finally glanced up and blinked in surprise at my sudden glare. “What is it?”

“We should never have wasted so much time discussing such dull matters asthe weather. If you ever bring up such an irrelevant topic again, I’ll…”

I struggled to come up with a dire enough threat, but my prolonged silence only caused amusement to twitch his lips. “I find myself rather curious about what a punishment from you might entail.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “You act as if you’re looking forward to it.”

“Immensely. I’ve always found you more interesting when you don’t hide your emotions.”

“Princesses must remain poised at all times.”

“Then perhaps it’s a good thing that outside our marriage, you’re not really a princess.”

This time the painful reminder didn’t attack my heart like it usually did. Instead, it feltfreeing. My lips quirked up. “Indeed I’m not. Thus you have no right to complain when I do something likethis.” And I splashed him.

For a moment he simply stood blinking at me with water dripping down his stunned expression, looking far more handsome than he ought. His shock quickly faded, replaced by a wicked grin that should have frightened me but only made me feel alive.

“Oh, you are mischievous. You might think my royal title protects you, but though I may be a prince I’m certainly not a boring one. Thus I see no need to resist seeking revenge.”

---