“Are you hurt?” Helene asked with a furrowed brow.
Silence hung in the air as Princess Amelia mirrored her confusion, looking towards her brother with a flare in her eyes when she glanced down at his side. She abruptly laughed. “Oh, he’s just teasing,” she swatted the air. “He likes to be dramatic.”
It sounded like a light-hearted jest between the two, but the high pitch of the Princess’s voice, as well as the genuine distress painted across Alexander’s eyes, convinced Helene something was really wrong.
“Your Highness?” Helene questioned, watching closely as Alexander tried to smile.
“Amelia has an unusually sharp elbow,” he whispered playfully. “You don’t want to be in her way when she’s got those bony arms flinging around.”
It would have been easy to go along with his witty response, but the tension in his jaws and the way he clenched his fists made her hesitant to follow. Even so, she politely upturned her lips, uncertain as to why it stirred suspicion in the back of her mind. Why did it seem like she was missing something?
“He pokes fun at me any chance he gets,” Amelia huffed. “Don’t pay him any mind. Oh, look, here comes Edward!”
Helene turned to find Lord Edward rushing through the crowd.
“My Prince!” he called, briefly nodding his head towards her in greeting. Running up to his side, he whispered something into the Prince’s ear. Helene could have sworn a flash of relief flitted through his wavering eyes.
“I’m ashamed to do this to you, but something calls my attention, Princess. I’ll return as soon as I can,” he muttered, taking her hand to gently squeeze in apology.
“No worries, Your Highness,” Helene assured him.
As Princess Helene watched the two walk away, she didn’t see the blood seeping through the fabric of Alexander’s suit or the scowl on Lord Edward’s face.
“We just stitched you up. How is it bleeding?” Edward hissed under his breath.
“Amelia’s elbow,” he murmured, as if that alone was enough explanation.
Alexander threw a diplomatic smile towards the blur of people calling out in greeting when he passed through. He gritted his teeth as the pain overwhelmed him, his vision temporarily blacking out. Edward’s grip steadied his stagger, inconspicuously dragging him away from the Gardens and into a room he couldn’t even recognize.
As soon as the door slammed shut, he stumbled into a wall, gasping in agony. Edward ripped the cloth of his suit off and used the strip of fabric to press against the inflamed gash bursting in fresh blood.
“Damn it,” Edward cursed. “We need to call Smyth again. I’ll be right back.”
Before he could dash off, Alexander clutched Edward’s shoulder. “While you’re at it, get one of the guards to throw Lord Cedric out of the Palace. I don’t want that damn bastard here.”
“Well, now that we’re alone, I want to hear everything.”
Helene blinked. “Everything?”
Amelia linked their arms together, walking with her towards a nearby fountain. She leaned in to whisper. “What you think about Alexander. What happened between you two after your little escapade from that dreadful Ball. Everything.”
Helene’s lips twitched when she saw the Princess wiggle her eyebrows suggestively. Like everyone else, she wanted to know the dirty details that never happened, but for some reason, she didn’t dislike the Princess’s questions. In fact, just like her brother, it was easy to like her.
“Would you like to hear the truth, Your Highness?”
Amelia nodded her head with passion.
Helene bent closer, acting as if she were about to impart a particularly lurid secret. “Absolutely nothing happened.”
Amelia stopped them in their tracks. “Lies.”
“It’s true. We spent our time together in silence, hiding away in the Library.”
“Hot and heavy silence with lots of sweating and moving?” she asked hopefully.
Her first genuine laugh escaped her. “No. Books and napping silence.”
The Princess gasped in horror. “At least tell me you cuddled together!”
Helene shook her head in amusement,
She had known Prince Alexander had a sibling, but similar to her surprise with her betrothed, his sister was nothing like she imagined. Young, bright, and beautiful, she guessed they were around the same age. Although she still felt hesitant to let down her guard, an odd sense of comfort alleviated her.
“I knew my brother had no game, but to think it was as dire as this,” Amelia muttered to herself, following when Helene started walking again. At the sound of her chuckle, Amelia studied her with a pleased expression. “I like you, Helene. It’s okay I call you that, right?”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
“Amelia,” she corrected.
When Helene opened her mouth to object, the Princess stared her down firmly. “I want us to be friends. Therefore, I will not have my friend call me so formally.”
Friends. She had them in Haven, as Ani, but Helene? They were scarce in her life. But she often imagined it would feel like this. Easy laughter, kindness, and comfort. Was this friendship?
Before she could try calling her name, the moment shattered.
“Helene.”
Morgan.
Biting her tongue, she stood rigid as her half-sister and a noble lady she didn’t recognize walked up to them.
“Your Highness,” Morgan chimed, swirling a glass of wine in her hand.
“Princess Morgan, Lady Erika,” Amelia greeted, already familiar with the two. “I didn’t know you two were acquainted.”
Lady Erika, a tall, lean woman with blonde hair and green eyes, smirked. “We met last night at the Ball. With the guests of honor missing, we were all so curious about the Prince’s betrothed. As she is the Princess’s sister, there was so much to learn from her.”
Helene didn’t miss the bite behind her words. She could imagine all the backhanded comments Morgan would spout about her in her absence. Even now, she saw an unpleasant leer from her sister.
Amelia frowned at first, opening her mouth to say something back, but her gaze caught somewhere in the distance. When Helene followed her line of vision, she saw a brief flash of Lord Edward rushing past with a grim look on his face. Shortly after, two Imperial Guards silently parted the crowd and took a flustered Lord Cedric by the arms.
“What is the meaning of this?” he cried, thrashing as they wordlessly took him by the elbows to drag him away.
The tallest one with a scar running down the left side of his face threw a venomous look in the Lord’s direction. That shut him up quite effectively.
As people all around started to whisper in scandal, she felt a hand at her wrist. “I’ll be right back, Helene. I just need to check on something,” Amelia muttered.
Watching another companion depart from her, she couldn’t get rid of the strange sense of suspicion again. What were they hiding? And why did she care?
“I guess even the Princess can’t endure your company for longer than a few words,” Morgan sniggered.
Helene flicked a glance at both women laughing at her. Morgan she expected this from, but Lady Erika was a complete stranger who knew nothing about her. Yet, there she stood, glaring at her the same way.
“Well, then, I shall do us all a favor, and be on my way,” Helene coolly replied, content to dispose of their company.
“Tsk,” Morgan clicked her tongue, circling around her with Lady Erika. “Don’t be like that, baby sister. We’re just having a bit of fun. Besides, you have so much to tell us.”
She closed her eyes, taking a breath. It was barely midday and she was already so exhausted. And impatient. It felt foolish dealing with such trivial matters when she had her own mission to focus on.
Morgan leaned in until the stink of her wine breath wafted into her face. “Tell us, Helene. How did it feel whoring yourself to the Prince to gain his favor?”
Her eyes shot open, looking straight into the blue depths of her wicked sister. “What did you say to me?”
“Lady Erika,” Morgan called without breaking her gaze. “Did you know you and my sister share an intimate secret?”
Helene looked towards the yellow-haired woman, who wickedly chuckled behind her hands. “Oh, Your Highness. I’m mortified.”
She didn’t like where this was going.
“I think you’d be very interested to know, Helene,” Morgan started in delight. “That both you and Erika share a lover in common. What was it you said, Erika? Just a few nights ago, the Prince was shoved deep in your —”
“Morgan, that’s enough.” Prince Ian walked up to them. “You don’t want to shock her with such crude words.”
A dry smile spread across Helene’s face. I just can’t catch a break, can I? “Don’t worry, brother,” she pleasantly said, turning to his tall form with a cool smile. “I find nothing from her lips surprises me anymore.”
Morgan barked a harsh laugh. “Oh, I see how it is now.” She leaned in. “You think you’re special. You think you met a man who could truly fall for an imposter like you. But, you’re wrong. You’re just another notch on his bedpost, and when you’re married, he’ll only add to it for sport. You have no idea how delicious that sounds. Maybe I’ll even contribute a ride. He looks delectable enough to enjoy for a night or two.”
Helene told herself none of this was a surprise. This was what she had expected, wasn’t it? Yet those words caused a twinge in her chest she didn’t want to further examine.
He means nothing to me.
I don’t care.
I will never care.
Do I care?
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