Page 21 of Mistaken as His Royal Bride

‘He would not be distracted in this instance. Not if it’s a request from me.’

Maddi shrugged minutely. ‘Well, you know him better than me. I’ve never met him.’

Aristedes stood up and paced back and forth, muttering to himself—something about it not being like Dax to just disappear. Secretly, Maddi wondered if Laia had anything to do with it. Maybe he’d tracked her down and she’d managed to disable him in some way?

Aristedes turned around and glared at her. Maddi felt a very illicit throb of awareness.

‘Are you sure you don’t know anything about this?’

She lifted her hands. ‘No phone. No means of communication.’

Aristedes made a sound of frustration and sat down again, flicking out his napkin before laying it across his lap.

Maddi felt guilty then, and leaned forward. ‘Don’t worry. I’m sure he’s okay.’

Aristedes made another sound—a snorting one. ‘Oh, I don’t doubt that. He can handle himself better than my most experienced security guards.’

A staff member came in with plates of salad, light and zesty, served with fresh crusty bread. Maddi’s mouth watered, but she stopped herself from falling upon the food. She hadn’t eaten much over the last two days, with all the lessons and fittings and beauty treatments.

When they were alone again she asked, ‘You’re close to your brother?’

He looked at her suspiciously for a moment before saying, ‘Yes, very. It was just the two of us.’

‘This must have been a fun place to grow up. Hide and seek could take days.’

As if she’d caught him by surprise, he said, ‘We did have fun...but when we played hide and seek it was usually us hiding from our nanny or the security guards.’

Maddi smiled. She could imagine two dark-haired imps turning the hair of everyone around them grey. ‘I bet you were handfuls.’

‘We were—until I had to be prepared for inheriting the crown one day.’

‘How old were you?’

‘Eight.’

Maddi sucked in a breath. ‘So young.’

His gaze narrowed on her. ‘I was happy to bear that responsibility.’

‘I can’t imagine what that must have been like.’

She’d had a carefree childhood. Unlike Laia. And Aristedes. They had that in common. She felt a prick of jealousy and quickly quashed it.

‘Do you have brothers and sisters?’ Aristedes asked.

Maddi avoided his eye. ‘I grew up an only child.’ That was factual, at least.

Before he could quiz her on her meaning, their plates were cleared and main courses brought in. Sea bass in a delicious herb sauce with new potatoes and vegetables. Maddi concentrated on eating to avoid making conversation.

‘You like your food. I don’t remember Laia having such a healthy appetite.’

Maddi swallowed a mouthful and fought back a wave of self-consciousness. She wiped her mouth with the napkin. ‘I appreciate food, yes. I enjoy cooking it too.’

He arched a brow. ‘A cook and an impersonator? That’s impressive.’

That stung. But it was a fair comment.

He went on, ‘What else do you do? I have a feeling you could turn your hand to pretty much anything.’

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