Page 40 of The Promised Prince
She looked to her left and then to the right. She had no idea how to get back upstairs to her room. Where were all the servants? There was no one around. She had come down the stairs inside the great hall and could find her way back if she used those same stairs again. But that would mean re-entering the room she had just so clumsily left. She turned and stared at the door.
She took a deep breath. This was going to take courage.
The door swung open suddenly, and Drake appeared. He was taller than Trev by a few inches and slightly bigger, but he looked to be about the same age. His brown hair was shaggy on top and in the back, and it had a waviness to it that Renna assumed was from the length, not natural curl.
“What are you doing?” he asked, watching her as he closed the door behind him.
“It’s not what it looks like,” Renna stammered as she pushed herself away from the wall.
“It looks like you’re staring at a door.”
“I was staring at the door, but I wasn’t waiting. I mean, I was waiting, but not waiting for someone to come after me.”
“Uh-huh.” He folded his arms in front of his chest. “Then whatareyou waiting for?”
“For enough courage to go back in.”
He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Why would you go back in there?”
Her shoulders sank in defeat. “I’m...lost.”
“Thatisa problem.” He looked around. “Luckily, I know my way around this place.” He nodded down the hall. “I can get you safely back to your room if you’d like.”
She sighed. “Officer Vestry, if you can get me back to my room without more embarrassment, you will be my favorite person in Albion.”
He grinned at her slyly. “If I’m your favorite person, you should probably just call me Drake.”
“The last time a man told me I could call him by his first name, he ended up being a prince.” Renna shrugged. “One engaged to my stepsister.”
“We should probably talk about you and the prince,” he said as they walked in unison down the hall.
She cast Drake a sly look. She bet he wanted to talk about Trev, so he could run back and tell him everything she said.She appreciated Drake’s kindness, but his loyalty was to the prince. She couldn’t forget that.
So she lied.
“There’s nothing to talk about. I met Trev at Wellenbreck.” She quickly corrected herself. “I mean, Prince Ezra.”
“You know, his friends all call him Trev. He didn’t lie to you about that. And hereallydid think you were the princess. He was crushed when he found out you weren’t.”
Renna’s breath caught in the back of her throat. He was crushed? “It doesn’t matter. We talked a few times. It wasn’t a big deal. I never expected to see him again.”
More lies.
“In fact, I haven’t really thought about him since Wellenbreck.” Renna hoped she sounded convincing.
She couldn’t tell if Drake believed her or not, but he didn’t ask any more questions about Trev, so she quickly changed the subject. “Are you an officer in the king’s guard?”
“Technically, I’m head of security for the royal family, but my family is also good friends with the Trevenna family.” The hallway opened up into the entryway. Drake stopped in front of a large staircase. “If you take these steps to the top, you’ll find your room down the hall.”
Renna recognized her surroundings from when she had first arrived. The marble banister had caught her eye—the way it looked dull and unassuming until the light shone on it, then it glistened expensively. “I guess it’s good I’m going to bed early. Who knows what kind of entertainment your prince has planned for Seran tomorrow.”
“We’re going horseback riding tomorrow.”
Renna perked up. Horseback riding was definitely something to look forward to.
Drake continued, “I believe it’s a tour of the countryside so the princess can see what her future lands look like.”
“Oh.” Renna’s perkiness faded away.
