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A territorial smirk graces my lips, and I don’t bother to quell it. He might not be mine forever, but he is right now.
Besides, it plays nicely into our charade, even if my stomach sours at the realization that when I leave, one of these ladies might get their wish after all.
Remy leads us to the seats near the king, taking the one next to his father, who immediately demands his full attention.
Without my alibi, it isn’t long before I’m being forced to engage with the other courtiers, telling them all about our happy marriage and my plans as a future royal.
It shouldn’t be so exhausting, considering I have crafted my entire life around the ability to lie with ease. This feels different, though, and the never-ending gushing about the future I won’t have is starting to grate on every last one of my nerves.
What would you be doing right now, if you had a choice?Remy had asked me.
Something true, this time. Something real.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FOUR
REMY
However much or little she may like this lifestyle, it’s clear that Aika was trained to live as a lady every bit as much as she was trained to do…all of the other things she does.
All throughout dinner, she makes gracious conversation and is the very portrait of a consummate royal.
It occurs to me that it’s too bad our marriage is a sham, because she actually would have made a hell of a queen one day, seamlessly navigating politics and expertly maneuvering courtiers.
My father watches her like he’s noticing the same thing. When she is distracted by Gisele, he leans over to ask me if I’ve given any thought to when I might want to ascend the throne now that everything else is in place.
It’s an effort not to blanch, knowing everything else that’s going on. The last thing I need is to be in a position of more power before we even know what Madame wants from our family.
“Surely you wouldn’t deny me a bit of peace with my new bride before we get into all that, Father,” I say with a forced grin.
He doesn’t argue, something I can thank the crowded, eavesdropping dining hall for.
Between Grandmère’s innuendos and Aika’s false lingering touches and my mother’s glares and my father’s disappointment, the meal seems to stretch on into eternity.
Then, Aika tenses and grabs my hand for an entirely different reason. I follow her widened eyes to where the monkey has apparently escaped her bag and is staring mischievously at the sparkling bracelet on my mother’s wrist.
He’s still under the table, where no one else can see him.
I catch a giggle from my right and amend my statement. No one but Gisele, who has apparently caught a glimpse of him, but she would never rat me out. I shake my head at her, and she schools her expression, turning to distract my mother.
Gratitude swells up in me for my youngest sibling. Meanwhile, Aika is trying to catch the monkey with her foot, but he’s expertly hopping out of her way.
“Monkey!” she hisses in a low tone, and I cough to cover up the sound.
But the monkey doesn’t budge.
She looks around the table with feigned nonchalance, but I feel the tension emanating from her. Her gaze stops on the roasted pumpkin. Casually, I reach out to grab a piece, placing it on her plate.
Aika nods her thanks before discreetly holding the morsel under the table. The monkey, however, is singularly focused on my mother’s wrist. He ignores the food entirely, making a quick dive for the other side of the table.
“Pumpkin!” she says more loudly, and the monkey stops.
Unfortunately, so does the rest of the table. They turn to look at her, and for once, I’m not sure if her blush is for show.
“Pumpkin,” she says sweetly, but no less insistently. It takes me a moment to realize she is belatedly addressing the word to me.
“Yes, cupcake?” I can’t help the smirk that crosses my lips, especially when Chloé snorts into her glass.
“I only wondered if you might refill my wineglass,” Aika asks, trailing her fingers along my shoulder.
