Page 10 of Will You (Not) Marry Me

“Welcome,” said King Josef as their parents stepped aside and Eva and Magnus came forward to be greeted. She noted that Magnusstillkept just an inch or two behind her, another small offering from brother to sister.

I’ll thank him later, Eva thought.Still kick his backside for being an idiot in public. But I’ll throw a thank-you in there somewhere too.

“A pantsuit?” said the queen by way of greeting, looking Eva up and down in surprise. But her face was kind as she said it.

Eva forced a smile. “I find it much more comfortable, ma’am.”

“Well youhavetraveled quite a way to be here,” said a smooth voice.

In her determination to not sit down on the floor and put her thumping head between her knees, Eva had missed the lithe figure standing off to the side. While Eva wearing a pantsuit was pushing every conceivable boundary in terms of royal protocol, Crown Prince Finn Baumann appeared to be the poster child for rule-following. He was the tallest man in the room, his warm brown hair slicked back effortlessly from his face as if by magic. His slacks were perfectly pressed, his patent leather shoes buffed to a reflective shine. His off-white dress shirt was just the right mix of formal and casual, the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, perfectly symmetrical.

At least she knew that the photos she’d been shown of him weren’t photoshopped. She may not want to marry the guy, but she had to admit he was more attractive than he had any right to be.

“The journey from Skärov can often feel long, can’t it?” the king said kindly. There was a twitch in the muscles of his face that Eva promptly ignored.

“The princess traveled here from New York, though, didn’t you?” said Finn, addressing her directly this time.

Interesting. He actually knew something about her.

“Yes,” Eva said, not liking how limp her voice sounded. “New York to Skärov, and then on to here.”

“I hardly think we can blame you for wanting to be comfortable for such a long journey, now can we?”

Both sets of parents were beaming at the exchange becauseof coursethe guy was charming. He was a crown prince. He would have been trained since birth to be charming, much like Magnus had. Though Magnus had used his powers of charm to get into trouble more often than not.

Right now, Eva just couldn’t think of anything decent to say, let alone something witty and charismatic or even salty and rude. She really didn’t feel good. And not just because of the whole arranged-marriage thing. Maybe if she threw up on their carpet, that would be enough to get the whole thing called off.

“Yes,” she managed to spit out, her ingrained royal training taking charge over every other instinct. “Much more comfortable.”

Finn’s head tilted ever so slightly, and Eva, an expert in reading the most minute of facial expressions through years of practice, noticed the subtle concern that had clouded his smile.

“I must apologize on behalf of all of us, then,” he said, still sounding cheerful but with eyes firmly on Eva, not acknowledging the rest of her family. “Sometimes protocol gets in the way, doesn’t it? Let Mathilde show you to your room. You must be exhausted. Mathilde?”

A servant stepped forward, a petite young woman with neat black hair. She gestured towards the door, then waited patiently, a small, kind smile on her face.

Servants saw more than anyone else in the palace. Knew and understood more than most dignitaries and royals ever would. Eva had no doubt that Mathilde could tell she wasn’t feeling right. Not just that, but Finn knew the servant by name. In palaces like these, with the number of staff that went through the doors, that was impressive. So he was obviously smart, had a good memory and was clearly kind… Why couldn’t he just have been a complete jerk and made this easier to get out of? Was that so much to ask?

“That would be good, thank you,” Eva said, more to Mathilde than anyone else, and followed her towards the door.

“Perhaps we can have a proper meeting tomorrow morning, then,” said her mother, giving her a pointed look.

Try not to look so desperate, Mother. They might catch on.

“Of course,” said Eva, forcing a smile and bobbing a small farewell curtsey to her hosts. “That would be lovely,” she lied and promptly turned and followed the young servant out of the greeting room. The last thing she saw before departing was another flash of concern on Finn’s face.

Maybe she didn’t want this marriage, but it seemed like he actually might. Great. Just great.

Once they were out in the hall, walking to wherever it was that Eva would be staying, Mathilde turned to her and very shyly spoke up.

“Shall I send for some ginger ale, ma’am?” she asked in a small voice. “And something light for you to eat?”

She seemed to speak from kindness more than duty. Suddenly, Eva missed Abbie so much that it hurt. They always looked after each other when they were sick. She just wanted to go home, but that was on the other side of the world… a lifetime away.

Eva couldn’t trust herself to speak so just nodded.

After a slight hesitation and throwing protocol to the wind, the younger woman laid a gentle hand on Eva’s arm, much like Magnus had before her, and Eva had never been so grateful for anything in her life.

* * *

---