Thirteen: The Prince Gets Scolded Like a Puppy

Valentin’s lips pursed.

Oh, shit. Really?

Beatrice’s face slowly went from pink to a deep, furious red. “Did you set up that fucking engagement with that disgusting piece of – ”

“No,” Valentin interrupted sternly. “Our parents decided that; there was nothing I could do… And don’t curse.” He added the last part quietly.

Beatrice slapped the table so suddenly that Valentin and I both jumped. “Nothing you could do? You couldn’t investigate him even a little bit before – ”

“I tried,” Valentin interrupted again, which was very bold of him given the way Beatrice’s mongoose eyes were almost bulging out of her face. I certainly wouldn’t risk it. “I tried,” he said again, softer. Coaxing. “But everyone I sent in to investigate legally came back with nothing to report, and everyone I sent in undercover came back saying he was clean. He was able to sniff out every single person I sent in and hide his tracks before they could discover anything.”

Beatrice gestured at me. “He managed it somehow. What, you’re saying your spies aren’t even as good as the match breaker?”

Hey, I thought, but I didn’t say it, because unlike Valentin, I had a brain.

Valentin glanced at me, mouth twitching into a sneer, as if this was my fault. I raised an eyebrow at him, silently saying, ‘I’m not the one that couldn’t protect my own sister.’

Valentin appeared to read my psychic message. His lip curled, baring his teeth, but Beatrice smacked the table again, and his expression obediently went blank. It was almost cute.

“You set me up. You didn’t want to protect me from a bad marriage, you just wanted to catch him.”

“No,” Valentin said sternly. “I argued with our parents for weeks to get them to change their minds. But the Count is distantly related to the royals in Albbari, and our parents wanted to use that connection to negotiate trade routes. They were thinking about the country.”

“I know father doesn’t give a shit about me, but you couldn’t have thought of any other way to get me out of that engagement?”

Valentin glanced at me. “…As you can see, I did think of a way.”

Beatrice’s nostrils flared. Yikes.

“And to thank him for doing what you could not, you kidnapped him?”

It was somewhat satisfying to know that the princess hadn’t betrayed me, but I kind of wished she wouldn’t point out how much more awesome than Valentin I was. I know I had just silently mocked him for that, but those beastly eyes were flashing at me again. How unpleasant.

Bad doggy.

“If he just got to run off after all that, how would we explain to the people that the princess of Pansolum colluded with the match breaker? There were many witnesses in that restaurant. They would have figured it out sooner or later.”

“Well, maybe you should have thought of that before tricking me into hiring him,” Beatrice fired back.

As the siblings were arguing, I was slowly inching back towards the door. Thus far they hadn’t noticed. Every time one of them glanced in my direction, I froze.

Go, stop. Go…stop. Go, stop.

Man, this would be a fun children’s game.

“It was your choice to do that. I didn’t force you to.”

“But you knew how hopeless I was! I cried on your shoulder! And then the very next day you go to the library – where you knew I was – and talk loudly to the captain of the guard about the ‘scourge’ that is the match breaker and how he’s never been caught but he’s broken up so many engagements – ”

“I didn’t know what to do either, Beatrice!”

“Frame Ewan, find another connection to Albbari, do something!”

Valentin went silent, and just as I was setting my heel back another step, he looked at me again and I went still. 

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” he spat at me.

“Don’t curse,” Beatrice mocked. Valentin twitched. “And why shouldn’t he leave? Who cares if the people know I hired the match breaker? The way I see it, he’s done a hell of a lot more for our people than you have, crown prince.”

Ouch. That’s gotta sting.

Valentin went silent, expression smoothing out into a wall of steel.

Pansolum had had these archaic engagement laws for centuries. People have called for them to change for years, but no ruler has yet listened to them. I was profiting off of Pansolum’s misfortunes in this area, but it was also true that I was providing a valuable service for them.

If I remembered right, while Valentin had never personally called for any changes regarding engagements, he had put forth several plans into the court to change other things, like setting the minimum age of marriage to twenty-one instead of the sixteen it used to be, as well as general welfare plans that would benefit the lower classes. Few of which had been accepted, unfortunately, but Valentin couldn’t be entirely blamed for that. His father was a real asshole.

Valentin was trying to help his people, but he was being blocked at every turn. Beatrice must know this as well, but she was blinded by rage, and poked at his pride as the future ruler of the nation. I didn’t like Valentin, but as a fellow man, I sympathized with how that had to hurt.

And as someone who often fraternized with lower and upper classes alike, I knew what they whispered about this crown prince. His initiative in changing the age of marriage made them hopeful that once he took the throne, he might finally be the ruler that changed things for good.

“What’s done is done,” Valentin finally said quietly. Beatrice was still breathing hard with rage, but she kept her jaw shut, perhaps realizing the harshness of what she’d said. “He’s here now, so we’ll deal with the aftermath. Father already knows about him. Obviously, he’s not Darren Faraman, so we’re telling the people he’s a commoner that you had an affair with, and the king is granting you an engagement with him out of pity given what’s come to light about the Count.”

Beatrice’s eyes widened. “I don’t want to marry him, either!”

“You’re just courting right now. We’ll come up with some excuse to break it off later, but for now, we have to keep up appearances. So, little sister, unless you actually want to be punished for hiring a criminal to break your engagement, I suggest you play along.”

Pansolum engagements usually had a few steps. Before noble families decided who they wanted to marry their kids off to, they would often set up courting dates with random nobles to see if there was anyone their children were particularly compatible with. Or at least, that was the excuse they gave. Really it was just so the two families could mingle and decide if they got any benefit out of joining families before making the decision for their children regardless of how compatible they were.

Once the engagement was decided, there were usually a couple pre-marriage dates, mostly for appearances, and then the marriage itself. Some unfortunate engaged couples went straight to marriage without meeting at all.

Given the way things had gone between the princess and ‘Trevor’ it made sense that the king and queen would allow them to court, but not to get engaged right away. It appeased the people without outright allowing a commoner’s blood to mix into the royal family line, which would undoubtedly anger the nobles of the court.

Beatrice apparently didn’t have an argument for this. Her jaw clenched, and she stared at Valentin like she was considering how he would look in a coffin.

Well, it was too quiet now, so I couldn’t continue retreating without them noticing. I rocked back and forth on my heels, wishing these siblings would figure something out so I could find another opportunity to escape.

“That’s what I thought,” Valentin mumbled when Beatrice stayed quiet. Her eyes flared like she was going to punch his lights out, and, as though sensing the threat, Valentin quickly stood up from the table and put some distance between himself and her.

Which is exactly what I needed.

Before Valentin could come over and grab me, I darted to the princess’s side. In a flash, I had my metal-cutting blade at her throat. She gasped and grabbed my arm, but her strength was no match for mine.

Valentin took one step towards us then stopped, eyes falling on my blade. His eyelashes trembled.

“Now that you two are done squabbling…let’s talk.”