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My teacup rattles against the saucer as I drop it to the table. Thankfully, it wasn’t hard enough for it to break or spill.

“Sorry,” she says, a bit sheepishly. “I was asking to be polite, but I already know that Lock will be escorting you. I just figured I’d let you tell me, but I don’t want you to think you need to lie or hide it. Not from me at least.”

“How do you… did you talk to him about it?” Hope lifts the end of my sentence. I wonder if maybe he might’ve asked Aria for advice, or felt the need to talk about it with someone. Felt the need to like I have but have been keeping tamped down.

But that is burst when she says, “No, I heard from my father. Harold told him.”

“The King knows?” The moment I say it, I feel silly. Of course he knows. Lock probably had to run the idea by him first.

Aria dunks her biscuit into her tea. “I think the whole palace knows, but yes, the word has spread amongst the family. They’ve all been waiting for Lock to make his move and get himself a wife.” She takes a bite. “Which, I think most of us assumed it would be someone like you.”

I pause. “Someone like me?”

“Well, it was obvious it’d be someone close to the family and approved by Harold and Hilda. And with how close the two of your fathers are…” She trails off, taking a sip of tea. “I figured it would be you once—” As if catching what she was about to say, she cuts herself off with another deep sip. She averts her eyes away from mine.

Just like everyone else does when the topic of my dead sister comes up.

“Once Beatrice died?” I fill in for her.

She reaches a hand across the table, laying it on mine. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to sound like that.”

I flip my palm right-side up and give hers a gentle squeeze. “You don’t have to apologize. And you don’t have to be scared of bringing her up. I like hearing people talk about her.” Really, only my parents ever do anymore. Most of my friends I have in my life now are ones that only knew me after Beatrice’s accident. My mother doesn’t have any family nearby, and my father being an only child meant that our family unit is quite insular.

“And your assumptions aren’t wrong,” I say, quickly glancing from side to side to ensure no one is close enough to overhear. “It would’ve been Beatrice that Lock invited. I should’ve been her. But now…” I run my thumb around the smooth lip of the cup. “Now he’s asked me.”

Aria leans closer, lowering her voice as if she too realizes the turn of conversation is only meant for our ears. “How do you feel about it? Did you expect it? Have you been seeing him for awhile now? You can tell me. Trust, anything you say between us stays that way.”

I give her an appreciative smile. She might be the only person I could talk to about this and know that it’ll be kept private. Aria knows the pressures of this life. She’s also a part of the family and would never sell out a secret about her cousin and his potential relationship.

“We’ve not been seeing each other,” I tell her. “In fact, I haven’t seen him for over a year. When he called me at Mrs. Kleine’s, that was the first time I’ve spoken to him over the phone.”

Aria’s eyes flash. “I knew something was weird with that call and how you were acting when you came back inside! I just didn’t think that maybe it was because of him.”

“He called to ask to escort me, and to apologize about missing out this summer on the charity tour.”

“He was supposed to do that with you?”

I nod. “Now Beau is attending instead.”

She snorts at that. “God, I bet it’s never dull with him around there. I’m shocked he didn’t mention it the other night.”

“Oh, do you see him often?” I can’t help the curiosity that piques in my head at the thought.

“Not as much as we used to, but work’s been keeping me busier than ever.”

As much as they used to? I had no idea Beau and Aria were the type to hang out together.

She picks up on what I’m not voicing aloud. “I’ve been careful about being photographed out and about with Beau and his friends over the years, because unlike him, I can’t afford to have a drunken photo out there of me. God, my boss would kill me. But out of all my family, he’s the one I enjoy spending time with the most.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s easy.” She pours herself another cup. “He doesn’t take himself so seriously. I can be honest and say what I think without being told to hush or remember my place.”

I lean my elbows on the table, frowning. “People tell you that?” I’ve heard it growing up, but I would’ve assumed Aria, who is in line to the throne, wouldn’t be told that.

“To remember my place?” She snorts. “All the time. Being fourth in line doesn’t come with a whole lot of respect in the family. Why do you think I work in marketing? Just for the fun of it? I have to make my own plans for my life, my own money, because once I get pushed further and further down the line, the less anyone is going to care about me. As long as I continue to show up to events, smile, and don’t cause trouble, I’m fine. But I make sure not to step out of line as far as the higher-ups are concerned.”

“That sounds sort of… terrible.”