Page 71 of A Tale of Treachery

When we entered the office, Aiden was sprawled in a high-back leather chair behind his desk, shuffling through papers. He wore trousers and an open robe that bared his chest. I lowered my eyes to the floor, unwilling to give him false hope.

Nausea swirled in my gut when my former friend backed up to leave, and I threw him a pleading look. He was my friend, regardless of how mad he was. He couldn’t leave me alone with an angry and betrayed Aiden. George shrugged as the door snicked shut behind him, leaving me alone with the prince.

“I’m waiting.” Aiden’s voice cracked through the deafening silence of the room, causing me to flinch.

“Oh—I—Sorry.” I curtseyed, remembering that he wanted me to bow when entering. Rising from my curtsey, my eyes remained glued to the floor. “Good morning, Your Highness.”

Aiden clucked his tongue. Rising, he made his way around the desk until he stood before me, his feet spread wide, arms crossed. “You can do better than that."

I curtseyed again, this time deeper, and Aiden studied me.

“My father was right. I’ve let you run around unchecked for too long. You’re too familiar with the way you speak to George, to Brandon, to me. You need to learn how to treat us with the respect our titles allude to. No more using of first names, no more hugs and playful banter. You need to start acting like a lady.”

He’d been the one to tell me it was all right to call them by their first names, all those years ago. He’d been the one to initiate the horseplay and hugs. Sure, we’d always faced backlash for our familiarity, but his father was the only one to ever speak out about it.

“Go on. Remember what I asked of you and make your requests for the day.”

My eyes widened in shock, his words from last night ringing in my ears. He wanted me to kneel, to beg for permission to leave my room and go about my life. Sure, he was angry, but he couldn’t meanthat. Frustration coursed through my veins, and I pinched my brows, searching his expression for some hint of humor. “You’re serious?”

“Deadly,” he snapped, glaring at me condescendingly.

I shuffled my feet, knowing I should kneel and play my part until he tired of this game, but the urge to rebel crept through me. I stood, unmoving and frozen with indecision.

“Hurry up. I don’t have all day.”

The tone of his voice made me wince. Never in a million years would I have imagined we would be here, two strangers in a battle of wills. But he was the prince, and unfortunately, I was his subject.

I smoothed my clothes, and on shaking limbs, slowly lowered myself to the floor in supplication, bending one knee and refusing to grant his full request out of pure stubbornness. My voice came out shaky and unsure.

“I have plans to go with Redmond and examine the portal today. It’s very important that I accompany him.”

I glanced up and noted his indecisiveness.

He didn’t want me to go.

“He can’t study the portal without an assistant, one who knows what they are doing. It’s a matter of avoiding the destruction of our world. You must allow me to go with him,” I blurted before he could shut down the idea. It was imperative to make it to the portal and see why Malachi and his hellspawn could not cross over into our world. Malachi needed to stay there.

I softened my voice and gazed at him pleadingly, letting the old Dahlia, who was in love with him, filter through the smallest bit. It wasn’t difficult since I still cared for him.

“Please, Aiden. I know you’re upset with me, and despite all of that you still want to keep me safe, but it’s just as important that I help Redmond figure out why the world hasn’t turned to dust and ash. If we can understand why the shades haven’t been able to exit the portal, we can ensure it stays that way. I promise that I will be safe and come back unharmed.”

His gaze softened at the sudden change in my demeanor, and he reached out to stroke a hand through my hair for the briefest moment. He removed his palm and sauntered back to his desk, taking a seat with his robe still open to reveal a glimpse of toned abdomen. He ran a hand through the golden threads of his hair.

“You may get up now.” His voice was soft and kind, like the old Aiden.

I approached his desk with trepidation, slowly lowering myself into a chair across from him. His eyes lit with hope, and his sweet smile returned to his face. I relaxed at his sudden shift to the Aiden I knew and loved, missing this version of him.

“This will be the last time you accompany Redmond on an assignment like this. I understand he needs you, but he will have to train a new assistant to take your place. I can’t have my mistress gallivanting into dangerous territory, dressed like a commoner.”

And there he was again, giving me whiplash with his personality changes. I tried my hardest to be understanding. After all, it was my fault his heart was broken. So, I smiled and issued every ounce of formality into addressing him as he wanted. “Yes, my prince.”

“Speaking of how you dress…your ladies-in-waiting are going through your closet and updating your wardrobe to match your new position. When you return tonight, everything should be in place. I expect you to wear one of your new outfits to my room.”

“But you already got me new outfits. They were busy tossing out all the dresses that you supplied me with this morning. What kind of new wardrobe could you possibly get? There are only trousers or gowns. There’s no in-between.”

“You’ll see,” Aiden said with a shrug.

I didn’t like the sounds of that one bit. But I bit my tongue and nodded in understanding. I needed to leave immediately, before losing my composure.

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