Page 58 of Façade

Rather than answer, I could only stare, fixated by the almost flirtatious smile that had appeared on his boyish features, causing my already pounding heart to escalate. “Are you flirting with your wife?”

He snorted. “Flirting with my wife, a ridiculous notion.” But crimson tinged his cheeks as he finally released me, leaving me chilled without the warmth of his touch. I fought to steady my shaky breaths as I watched him return to his own horse, desperate to regain my composure for the ride ahead.

It took several moments of our steady trot to ground myself, and several more to consider the myriad of problems occupying my thoughts. Though our interaction had been playful, the fact remained that I needed to dosomethingto thwart his attempts to sever our union and marry the true Estorian princess; a daunting quest, though not entirely for the reasons I’d initially believed.

An unpleasant sensation twisted my stomach at the thought of him marrying the princess, but I forced the emotions away in order to better focus on a means to stop him.

I had no doubt he’d make good on his threats to catch me should I run, and finding myself trapped within his arms felt far more dangerous than any other consequence that might befall me from attempting to escape. After silently exploring every option, I concluded that the best one would be to plead my case before the priests at the monastery; it seemed unlikely they’d go through with an annulment in which both parties weren’t in agreement.

That matter temporarily decided, I returned to the problem haunting my thoughts ever since last night—the strange phenomenon that had awoken me, which my interaction with Ryland this morning had effectively distracted me from. My only explanation for whatever had occurred wasmagic, but that was quite unlikely considering my circumstances. I’d need to investigate the power in hopes of better understanding it, something Ryland’s presence would make rather complicated.

I did my best to study the strange sensation tingling beneath my skin as we rode, analyzing it to see whether or not it could be magic, something difficult to determine when all my knowledge concerning the topic remained exclusive to book study. The force wasn’t as strong as when it’d woken me last night, but I couldn’t deny thatsomethingwas there, even if I didn’t currently have the means to discern what it was.

My best hope would be to sneak away tonight in order to examine this power more carefully…assuming my curling up against Ryland last night hadn’t put him on high alert. I spent the remainder of the first leg of the journey fighting not to think about last night, but unfortunately, in this instance my usual wandering thoughts felt stubbornly inclined to linger.

My gaze drifted to Ryland, riding slightly ahead. How strange we’d grown closer on the very journey meant to pull us apart. Despite the uncertainties that still lay ahead, I couldn’t regret our time together.

During our midday rest, I took a short walk under the careful watch of an accompanying guard to stretch my legs but instead found myself searching for rocks. There were a vast variety of different types to be found, and I made it my quest to discover the best one.

I crouched on my heels to poke my fingers through the mud, still wet from the morning dew. After a bit of searching I discovered what appeared to be a good rock, as far as rocks were concerned. The edges were smooth, the color and pattern interesting. I felt a strange thrill at the find.

My gaze was drawn away at the sound of approaching footsteps crunching the undergrowth. “What are you up to now, Evie?” Ryland ducked beneath a branch and appeared, looking far too amused at finding his wife rummaging in the dirt despite my still masquerading as a princess. I silently held out the rock I’d discovered and he stilled. He made no motion to take it, simply stared.

Paranoia flared. “Do you already have this rock?” Or perhaps he didn’t like it. I hated to admit, even in the privacy of my own thoughts, how much I dreaded such an outcome.

He immediately snatched it from me. “No, it’s not—I was simply surprised. I never expected you to go to such lengths as to actually encourage my dull hobby, but I deeply appreciate the gesture. Thank you, Evie.”

As if keen on avoiding my gaze, he returned his flustered attention to the rock. His thumb grazed its surface before he tucked it carefully away, not in the cloak pocket where his others cheerfully jostled one another but in his front pocket near his heart.

“I’ll treasure it forever.”

It took me far longer than it should have to recover my voice. “You’re welcome.” I turned my back to him to hide my own growing blush—which accompanied me far too often of late—and made my way back to our waiting horses, him following close behind. “How much farther to the monastery?”

“We’re close enough that if we travel quickly we could arrive as early as tonight.”

My stomach lurched. “So soon?”

It took me a moment to realize it wasn’t the annulment that I was dreading for the sake of my kingdom, but our impending separation for the sake of my own heart. My feelings for Ryland had shifted so subtly without my noticing.

“Indeed.” He hesitated. “However, it’d be best to maintain a less strenuous pace—we should make camp for the night and wait to complete the journey tomorrow.”

Silence settled back around us and continued long after we resumed our journey, more difficult to endure when absent our earlier comfortable conversation. It soon grew unbearable.

I cast him a sidelong glance to find him staring steadily ahead. “What rock did I find?”

He gratefully seized my sudden change in subject. “A form of marble that’s metamorphosed limestone.”

Marble? Metamorphosed limestone? It sounded interesting. That earlier proud thrill returned. “Is that a good rock?”

The corner of his mouth lifted as he finally cast me a sideways glance. “It’s a very good rock. It possess a large concentration of calcium carbonate, and often contains crystals of various sizes.”

Crystals?That was something I recognized. I lit up. “Crystals are pretty.”

“Indeed.”

I didn’t realized how tensely I’d awaited his judgement until these words caused me to relax. “Thank goodness. I hoped to find a good one for you.”

His expression softened as he eyed my relaxed posture. Though neither of us said anything more about it, gifting him the rock seemed to have broken the silence between us, allowing us to pass the remainder of today’s journey in conversation that, while not deep, was pleasant all the same.

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