Page 22 of How Not to Marry a Prince

Amador took her hand and dusted a kiss to her knuckles. "Congratulations on your engagement, my lady."

"You are a scheming schemer." Marcellette fluttered her fan and hooked her arm through his. "You will join me for tea and tell me exactly what you did to make him cooperate where no one else could. You've not been here even two weeks! I do believe, sir, that you have out-mischiefed me. I would be most cross, but you have given me the only thing in the world that I want, and for that I will forgive you anything and everything."

"All I did was throw money at the problem," Amador replied, nearly panting to keep pace with her.

They finally came to a stop in a little parlor overlooking a garden he hadn't seen yet, a tea service for three being arranged by a couple of servants who paused briefly to bow as they saw him.

Before Amador could even catch his breath, the door opened and Vladlena strode in—not in uniform, but in dark blue breeches and a jacket in a lighter shade of blue, a diamond broach on one lapel, a diamond ring similar to Marcellette's on her finger.

She smiled as she saw him and tipped into a deep bow. "Your Highness, I do not know what you did to convince the Baron—err, my father, to acknowledge me and take me as heir, but I am eternally grateful. It's an honor to make your acquaintance properly. I've heard much of you from Prince Nazaire and Marci."

"The honor is mine," Amador replied as the servants faded off, and they took their seats. "I hadn't realized he would say anything about what compelled his decision."

"Not much, but the few things he did say, it wasn't hard to put together that he was talking about you," Marcellette replied as she poured tea and put a few slices of sandwich on her plate. "Tell me, tell me, tell me."

Amador laughed as he nibbled at a sandwich of his own. "Not much to tell. There are few problems in the world that money cannot solve. I offered him funds more than sufficient to save his drowning estate and bring it back to flourishing. My condition was our good sergeant here."

"You asked for Vladlena to be his heir? That's it?"

"Why does everyone keep asking that? What could I possibly need from him? I just wanted to help a friend. Well, someone I consider a friend."

"We are most definitely friends, you silly man," Marcellette said, waving her fan about until Vladlena deftly snatched it from her and set it out of reach. Marcellette pouted. "Give that back."

"After I've finished my tea, so I don't get whacked while I'm drinking," Vladlena retorted. "Again."

Marcellette huffed. "It was one time, and frankly, you deserved it."

Vladlena rolled her eyes. "Incorrigible."

"Yet here you are choosing to be stuck with me," Marcellette said, smug and so happy all Amador could do was sit there smiling as he watched them.

"Maybe I just want to make off with your fortune and please my father," Vladlena said loftily.

Marcellette just giggled in that engaging way of hers and went back to her tea and sandwiches.

Vladlena turned her attention to Amador. "Truly, Your Highness, I cannot thank you enough. My father and I have never gotten on, for obvious reasons, but I think matters will improve greatly from here on. It certainly doesn't hurt that I have you for support, though no one is more surprised than me, and that I've landed the catch of the season."

"I just want to see my friends happy," Amador said softly. "It was an easy enough matter to resolve, as I said. All anybody ever wants is the freedom of choice, and while he probably did not feel he had any choice at the moment of signing, I suspect by now his lordship is realizing just how many choices he now has. I am happy to serve."

Marcellette smiled mischievously. "Happy to impress, too, I bet."

Amador gave her a puzzled look. "Who is there for me to impress?"

Not having her fan, Marcellette toyed with her teacup instead. "Hmm, let me think. Tall, handsome, beautiful green eyes, commanding presence, a tendency to be overprotective and managing, has not stopped asking questions about—oof. Stop that!"

"You stop that," Vladlena retorted.

Marcellette folded her arms across her chest. "I'm only speaking the truth."

"I am here simply as part of my tour before returning home to do as my parents bid me," Amador replied. Gods, was he that pathetically obvious, fawning over Sohan so openly? Here he thought he'd managed to keep his nonsense to himself.

"I still say that if your choice is between that pustulant toad Ottokar and being homeless, you should go with homeless," Marcellette said, setting her teacup down with a sharp clack. "Not that we'd ever let such a thing happen. The stories of all you've done in your travels grow and grow."

Amador gave them a puzzled look. "All I've done? I haven't done anything."

Vladlena returned the puzzled look with an incredulous one. "No? What about Princess Arlanda?"

"What about her?" Amador asked.

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