Page 31 of The Promised Prince
“Not at all. Thank you,” Renna’s mother said with perfect grace. “King Bryant sends his regards. He wasn’t able to come with us at this time, as he had to attend to some pressing business back home. He’ll arrive in a couple of weeks for the wedding.”
Renna couldn’t help but smile. From this interaction, no one would ever guess that her mother spent most of Renna’s childhood locked in her room, depressed. Today, she stood as regally as any woman ever had. Pride surged inside Renna. Her mother had come so far.
King Carver nodded. “May I present my son.” The king turned to his left and gestured behind him, where a man with curly, dark hair stepped forward, his head down, and his eyes focused on the ground. As he raised his head, their gazes locked for a brief moment.
A jolt of shock shot through Renna.
Trev.
The king’s next words took her breath away. “Ezra Trevenna, Prince of Albion.”
The color drained from Renna’s face. She had been so focused on finding Trev in the line of soldiers that she hadn’t seen him standing at the king’s side.
Until now.
Ezra Trevenna. Trev.
It was clearly a mistake. It had to be. But no one protested that the wrong man had been named. To everyone else, nothing was amiss.
Trev wasn’t dressed in black pants and a plain white shirt like most soldiers wore—like hehadworn with her. No, now he was dressed for the part of a prince in a pair of perfectly tailored dark blue slacks, a brown leather belt, a light blue dress shirt with navy pinstripes, and a solid yellow tie. Colored clothes or not, he looked good.
Renna watched in disbelief as Trev stepped forward and kissed her mother’s hand. “Your Majesty. It’s a pleasure to be in your company. Our kingdom has never beheld such beauty.”
Her mother inclined her head and smiled, eating up every last word of his cheesy line.
He stepped toward Seran, and the reality of what was happening finally started to sink in.
Trev is the prince of Albion. Trev is Seran’s Prince Ezra. Seran is marrying Trev.
He must have said something charming because Seran’s ringing laugh brought Renna back to reality. “You’re charming and good looking?” Renna heard Seran say. “That’s a dangerous combination, Your Highness.”
“I’m afraid my charm gets me in trouble often.” His eyes darted to Renna as Seran laughed.
Renna’s chest constricted, a muddle of emotions threatening to take over. Confusion. Hurt. Anger. Embarrassment. Her mind couldn’t even keep up with the storm swirling inside her. Why hadn’t he told her?
“Well, I hope not too much trouble.” Seran’s shoulder dipped closer to Trev as she spoke. “At least now that I’ve arrived.”
“Now that you’ve arrived, everything will change. I can assure you of that.” He glanced at Renna again.
His words were like a slap across Renna’s face.
He moved in front of her. She did her best to mask everything, her face turning to stone.
He greeted her in almost a whisper. “Miss Degray.”
She wondered if she could knee him in the groin but decided against it, knowing she’d probably be arrested.
He took her hand and kissed it, just as he had with her mother and Seran, but now his touch enraged her. He was the prince, and he never told her.
Everything between them had been fake.
Renna stood frozen in anger, unable to even pull off a decent curtsey. Trev didn’t seem to notice, quickly turning away and resuming his position at his father’s side.
That’s it?He didn’t have anything else to say to her?
Where was the ‘I’m sorry that I never told you I was the prince of Albion’? Or, ‘sorry for almost kissing you and making you fall in love with me when I am practically married to your stepsister’? Not that Renna expected him to say all those things in front of his fiancée. But his eyes could have conveyedsomething.
Anything.
