Page 74 of Façade

It took considerable effort to arrange her words into any semblance of meaning. I’d been unconscious? Why? And for how long? “What…happened?” I murmured groggily, each word a struggle.

“You were infected with the disappearing curse spreading throughout your kingdom.” Distress softened her voice and concern filled her gaze as she looked at me, emotions I rather liked seeing from her. “You weredisappearing.” Tears glistened in her eyes, and my heart gave another peculiar twitch, a desire to do whatever I could to make her pain go away.

“I don’t remember that.” I did remember some things in barely discernible patches—the feeling of Evie’s body pressed against mine as I held her protectively close, worry so acute I nearly felt sick. I was relieved I at least remembered the essentials, precious moments with my wife that were becoming my most cherished memories.

She bit her lip in a way I found thoroughly distracting. “I wonder if the memory disappeared.”

How could I forget something so horrifying? I closed my eyes and struggled to push my thoughts back as far as they’d go. At first I only encountered walls or dark, impenetrable corners…but eventually I caught a glimmer of the events she described. The longer I struggled to reach them, the more I was able to remember—the cool sensation like water trickling over my skin, the terror that seized me in its relentless grip as I lifted my hand and noticed my fingertips had vanished, the quick way the curse robbed me of all sensation, and the darkness that seized hold of me to pull me into the all-consuming nothingness.

The memory felt so vivid, so real, that I startled and lifted my hands to examine them. They were there, as were my arms, my face, my torso…each touch assured me I was still here. I ceased my frantic movements when Evie gently took my hands.

“It’s alright, we caught the curse in time. You won’t disappear.”

Despite her soothing reassurances, my heart continued to pound rapidly, my breathing sharp and frantic as my panic lingered from the horror of nearlyvanishing.

“I remember. It was horrible, as if my very self faded away like vapor.” To think such a curse afflicted my people…I needed to do all in my power to stop it. Yet this fierce determination wavered when I met Evie’s eyes and found myself getting lost in them, a much less frightening feeling than the fog that had previously consumed me. “How am I still here?”

She hesitated, and in her pause I sensed there was more to her story than she was willing to divulge. “The guards helped me bring you to the monastery,” she finally said. “Thankfully we were close enough for a healer to tend to you. You hadn’t caught as much of the curse as we’d initially feared, allowing them to save you.”

She lightly brushed some hair off my damp brow, a touch that left a trail of goosebumps. My heart immediately picked up speed, this time for an entirely different reason than my earlier panic.

“Thank you for saving me.” After everything I’d done to her, I would have fully deserved for her to allow me to disappear. The mystery furrowed my brows. Whyhadn’tshe? “All your problems would have been solved if you’d just let the curse consume me.” I wouldn’t be able to marry the true princess and exploit Estoria’s magic if I ceased to exist.

“That may be true, but the moment I saw you vanishing, I couldn’t—“ Her voice caught and she looked away, but not before I glimpsed her tears.

My heart warmed that she cared enough to cry forme; seeing my supposed enemy’s concern only deepened the reality of the danger I’d been in.

She rested a gentle hand on my brow, a touch that felt strangely tingly. “You’re a bit warm. How are you feeling?”

It was difficult to think when most of my senses remained trapped in the murky darkness I’d so recently struggled to emerge from. My heart beat wildly at her proximity when she leaned closer to better examine me. The scent of her floral perfume enfolded me like an embrace, compelling me to lean closer, and I experienced the strangest urgency to touch her and discover if her skin was as soft as it looked. Such thoughts hadn’t afflicted me before the disappearing curse, as if the curse lingered to erase all sense, leaving me entirely at this bewitching woman’s mercy.

“I’m…fine.” My lie created an upheaval in my heart that was both agonizing and rather pleasant. All the lingering symptoms of the curse were nothing to the allure of her touch…one that seemed to be shifting the longer it remained. I couldn’t explain the change, only that the sensation of her skin on mine gradually grew warmer, causing the fog shrouding my thoughts to fade along with my lingering pain.

Evie suddenly gasped sharply and rapidly withdrew, taking with it the sensation I’d enjoyed from her skin on mine along with the relief that seemed to come from her. Her eyes were wide as she took in her hands, examining them front to back.

“What’s wrong?” I managed distractedly, finding myself more concerned by her distress than the fact that I didn’t feel as good now that she’d pulled away, though much better than before she’d touched me.

She hastily hid her hands behind her back. “Nothing! Nothing at all.” She didn’t meet my gaze, instead staring fixedly at where her touch had grazed my skin. It might have been my imagination, but that patch almost lookedshimmery, likely a trick of the flickering candlelight.

I frowned as I took in her panic. Whatever bothered her clearly wasn’tnothing. Her behavior piqued my curiosity…along with an urgency to discover what distressed her in order to help her. Her eyes were so wide and fearful that I didn’t want to upset her with further inquiry, so I reluctantly nodded, dropping the subject…for now.

She relaxed and returned her concerned attention to me. “How do you feel?” This time the question felt more urgent, as if she genuinely feared that my well-being had declined within the past several minutes.

“I felt better when you were touching me.”

She stiffened. “Oh? How strange.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. Even in my state of delirium I could tell she was hiding something. It took every ounce of discipline not to ask her about it; at least my patience hadn’t been stolen by the effects of the disappearing curse.

She seemed desperate for a distraction. Eager to please her, I cast my gaze about the small, unfamiliar room of stone walls and simple furnishings in order to give her one. “Where are we?”

As I hoped, she relaxed at this change of topic and jumped into it rather enthusiastically. “We’re in one of the monastery’s guest rooms.”

My heart lurched. “Themonastery?” I had a vague memory of her telling me this before it’d been swallowed by my earlier delirium.

She sobered and nodded. For a moment neither of us spoke, but words felt unnecessary when our previous conversations filled the tense silence with discussions of annulments, decoys, curses, and the magic I desperately needed from the real princess, a need that had only grown.

I’d never given much thought to my duties, but now they brought a heightened sense of urgency and regret, making it feel impossible to accomplish what I’d set out to do…especially with Evie’s presence beside me. For a long moment I lost myself in her. Something about her seemed different—whether it was a trick of the light glistening against her slightly messy brown hair, her gentle features that grew lovelier the longer I knew her, the tenderness filling her gaze as she looked at me, or the comfort from her presence. Whatever it was, I found myself mesmerized.

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