Page 49 of Façade

Unfortunately, he’d been the sole occupier of my thoughts after our excursion wading through the stream and the strange interaction that had transpired—from his peculiar fascination with rocks, to his playing along when I’d splashed him, to the rather intense moment that had followed when our gazes locked and we found ourselves staring at one another.Thatinexplicable moment in particular had occupied my thoughts the most.

Since then something had shifted between us. What had begun as a boring day of travel filled with tense silence punctuated by brief moments of strained conversation had ended in an entirely unexpected way, and I still struggled to process this change.

Try as I did to ignore him, I found my gaze repeatedly drawn to the prince. Our earlier interaction seemed to have had another effect—his usual rigid posture seemed more relaxed, his usual front discarded. While I’d occasionally caught glimpses of this Ryland in our time together, it’d never lasted so long…nor had I allowed myself to study him so closely, fascinated with this rare glimpse of the man beyond his stoic mask.

The rosy golden light of dusk illuminated his handsome features, rather gentle when relaxed. He’d allowed me to rest while he’d assisted the guards with setting up camp and preparing our makeshift meal, which we’d eaten in a more comfortable silence than what it’d been before, a change I both preferred and felt wary of.

Now he washed the dishes. At first I contented myself with watching him as he crouched in front of the stream carefully scrubbing each plate, his willingness to work such a contrast to the arrogant royal I’d believed him to be for so long.

After only a few minutes of sitting still, my knee bounced restlessly up and down and I began to fidget, movement which quickly drew his concentration away from his task. He cast me several glances, seeming both unsurprised and perhaps even a little amused by my display of restlessness.

Each glance was warm and open, absent the hostility I’d come to expect between us, an invitation for me to join him should I wish…and I found I did, not just for something to do but because a part of me that I didn’t quite understand wanted to be near him, and opportunities to do so were fading the closer we traveled to our destination.

Before sense could persuade me otherwise, I approached the stream to settle beside him, disregarding the muddy bank’s damage to my skirts. He cast me a rather soft sideways glance before handing me a spare sponge. I happily accepted it and picked up one of the dirty plates to begin scrubbing. It was all I could do to allow the task to distract me from the rather alarming temptation to steal a glimpse of him; his warm proximity was already distracting enough, making me more aware of him than I’d ever been before.

I didn’t notice the humming that accompanied each of my movements until it caused Ryland to slow in his work. “You seem cheerful.”

I nodded as I dipped the soapy dish into the stream to wash off the suds. “I like having a task.”

“Because any task is preferable to sitting still.” His observation didn’t sound like the criticism it often had when given by the members of the court or my tutors, more an observation such as one might make about the scenery or the weather.

I finally gave in to the strange lure tugging my gaze towards him, his expression as open and friendly as his words. I liked this look on the prince and wished he had it more often…though if he did, it might make me actuallylikehim, something I simply couldn’t afford.

“A typical princess would shy away from such a chore; your embracing it only makes you more interesting. I never tire of being surprised from what I expect from you.”

A gentle smile accompanied the words, and while he surely meant the observation as a compliment, I couldn’t help but remind myself it was easier for him to accept my eccentricities when he wouldn’t be forced to remain married and live with my quirks. Even so, my cheeks still warmed.

“The surprise is mutual; I didn’t expect you to enjoy anything more stimulating than collecting and studying rocks.”

His chuckle caused my skin to tingle, a sensation I pretended not to notice. “I find the chore meditative, and I could use the time to think considering I have a lot weighing on my mind.”

Silence settled back around us as we resumed our task, one I longed to fill. I found myself curious about the prince who studied rocks and enjoyed menial chores, curious about the thoughts he pondered to create the concentrated furrows in his brow that somehow made him even more handsome. For once I missed my usual meandering thoughts and wished my daydreams would rescue me from a moment that felt surprisingly dangerous considering we were merely washing dishes side by side.

It was almost a relief to finish and seize a much-needed break from his presence to catch my breath. In the time we’d been working, the guards had set up our sleeping arrangements. The clearing wasn’t very large, allowing just enough room for the guards to remain along the circumference with their horses in a cocoon of protection…with a makeshift bed comprised of a thin mattress and blankets set up in the very center.

My breath caught. A single bed. For two. Dread seeped over me as I stared before sending a covert glance in Ryland’s direction. He too gaped at it, looking unnaturally pale. I pushed through the embarrassment encouraging our distance in order to sidle closer, the situation too dire to allow my shyness to paralyze me.

“Why is there onlyone?” Even in my mortification I had enough sense to keep my voice lowered so that the attending guards didn’t overhear.

“I—“ A rather adorable blush enveloped his pallid shock to tinge his cheeks. He rubbed the back of his neck and avoided my gaze as he looked everywhere but at me and our bed. “Though the circumstances are less than ideal, wearecurrently married. And married couples traditionally…sleep…in the same…” Mortification swallowed the remainder of his words.

That was true. Considering the guards had little reason to believe our marriage wasn’t conventional or that the motive for our trip to the magical monastery was to sever our union, they had little reason to think wewouldn’twant to share a bed.

I wanted to ask Ryland if he could make arrangements for another bed, but if I didn’t sleep near Ryland, the cramped clearing would force to sleep near a guard. Though I had no reason not to trust them, I’d much rather sleep near my husband. Apprehension knotted my stomach at the thought…along with a rather pleasant emotion that seemed even more frightening.

Ryland finally summoned enough courage to cast me an uncertain glance. Upon seeing my wariness, his own nervous manner softened. “You appear just as distressed by our predicament as I am.”

I felt tempted to make a quip about our finally agreeing on something, but I’d never been less inclined to tease him than I did now. “Is there a way to avoid it? Couldn’t we—“

“Even if we didn’t have an image to maintain, there’s little room to set up another bed without forcing some in our party to endure less comfortable accommodations within the trees.”

I could never ask any of our loyal attendants to make such a sacrifice. “I could sleep there. I don’t mind—”

He interrupted my suggestion with a rather exasperated look. “No matter the state of our relationship, I could never allow my wife to camp out alone; if either of us should do it, it’ll be me.”

That idea felt far too impractical considering the lengthy travel awaiting us on the morrow, leaving only one path forward. “I suppose…it wouldn’t hurt…to spent just one night together…”

Embarrassment choked my words. Other than the night I’d taken refuge from the assassin, in the entirety of our short relationship we’d never slept in the same room, let alonenext to one another. To think we’d be forced to do so while on the journey to annul our marriage…

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