Chapter 15
Natalie went to Rose’s room to talk to her before breakfast the next morning. But the princess was already gone, leaving Joanne to clean up the remains of her meal.
“Where’s Rose?” she asked the maid.
“I’m not sure.” Joanne looked concerned. “She’s been extremely busy lately, but she won’t tell me what she’s so busy with. I heard someone talking about a series of meetings, but that doesn’t make much sense…”
Natalie left, a furrow between her brows. What sort of meetings could Rose possibly be attending as Natalie? Natalie could make no more sense of it than Joanne. And she could hardly search the whole palace room by room.
At least Joanne had promised to inform Rose that Natalie was looking for her. And Natalie could stop by her room again later in the day.
But despite visiting the room twice more, Natalie had no success in locating Rose. After the third attempt, she returned to her own room, dispirited. Where could Rose be?
Hilary, Donna, and Cate ambushed her as soon as she was inside, locking the door behind her and fixing her with identical stern looks.
“There’s a royal ball tonight,” Donna said, firmly seating her at the dressing table and beginning to arrange her hair.
“It’s the final event of the season and is being held in honor of the Arcadian princess.
Her Highness left us strict instructions that you will not be allowed to disgrace Arcadia by turning up looking bedraggled—or not turning up at all. ”
Natalie meekly submitted, guiltily aware of the events she had missed in the last couple of weeks. Given Rose’s own absence, Natalie hadn’t realized the Arcadian had noticed.
“I really do need to speak to Princess Rose. Urgently.” Natalie met Donna’s eyes in the mirror. “Do you really not know where she can be found? None of you?”
“We have our suspicions,” Cate said with a giggle, but Donna shushed her.
“Right now she’ll be in her own room with Joanne, preparing for the ball,” Hilary said with confidence.
Natalie started up, but Donna pushed her firmly back down. “You’ll both be at the ball soon enough. If you’re so desperate to talk to her, you can do it then.”
Natalie winced. A crowded ballroom wasn’t the ideal location for a private conversation. But perhaps they could steal out into the garden for a few minutes.
Memories of the blackmailer and his knife flashed through her mind. She shivered. Just not too far into the gardens.
She didn’t protest again as the maids dressed her in a filmy lilac gown with a lace bodice.
It had always been a favorite of hers, and when they placed Rose’s golden circlet in her hair, she surveyed her appearance in the room’s full-length mirror.
She couldn’t find a fault. Based on her appearance alone, she really could have been a queen.
The illusion continued as she stood at the top of the shallow steps leading down into the ballroom, a fanfare sounding to announce her arrival. All eyes turned to her, and she had to fight not to shudder. Had this really been the dream she had cherished for three years?
Her ambitions seemed distant and foolish now, all her thoughts on finding Rose—and avoiding Luca until she’d done so. He’d want to know if she’d talked to Rose yet, and she didn’t think he’d be impressed to hear they’d both been too busy preparing for the ball.
Natalie prowled up and down the ballroom, avoiding any men who tried to approach her.
She wasn’t in the mood for dancing with random courtiers.
She didn’t even stop at the refreshment table, or step outside to examine the decorative lanterns that lit up the nearest stretch of garden.
But despite her efforts, she managed only one glimpse of Rose as she flashed past on the dance floor before being immediately lost among the whirling dancers again.
Twice she spotted Luca moving determinedly in her direction and had to dodge through the crowd. If the dancers didn’t disperse soon, she was going to run out of places to hide.
The music finally ended, and Natalie pushed through the wave of bodies leaving the dance floor, searching for Rose among the throng.
She turned left and caught sight of Luca, her eyes catching his before she could turn away.
She swerved abruptly right, bent on escape, and walked straight into Prince Leo.
He steadied her with a hand on her elbow. “Princess Rose.” He sounded oddly formal. “I’m glad to see you.”
“You are?” Natalie asked, too distracted to consider her words. Given the way he’d been avoiding her since her arrival in Lanover, she couldn’t imagine why he would be looking for her now.
He shifted uncomfortably as the strains of the next song began. Glancing around at their position in the middle of the dance floor, he said quickly, “Dance with me.”
“I—” She looked over his shoulder, still searching for Rose.
But he was the crown prince, and the dance was already beginning.
Who knew what rumors she’d start if she conspicuously rejected him in the middle of the dance floor?
“Very well.” She put her hand in his and let him sweep her into the dance.
He danced well, leading with confidence. But Natalie felt none of the fire she had felt when she circled the room in Luca’s arms. From the first moment, she had responded differently to Luca than to his cousin.
She shook her head at her own past foolishness. How could she have thought the heart was so easily bidden?
She tried to look for Rose as they circled, but they were twirling too quickly. Instead of Rose, her eyes locked on Luca. Her stomach twisted at the hurt on his face. Surely he didn’t think she was still chasing after his cousin?
Leo cleared his throat, and Natalie remembered she should be speaking. Did he find their silence odd? But he wasn’t making an effort to speak either. The entire dance was growing more awkward by the minute.
Their movements took them near the edge of the dance floor, beside one of the long windows that gave access to the gardens. Leo didn’t turn them back toward the other dancers, instead spinning her all the way to the edge of the room. He paused there, his hand dropping from her waist.
“Would you mind walking with me a moment, Your Highness?”
Natalie’s eyebrows rose. Your Highness? He was back to the formality.
She looked over her shoulder, still searching for Rose, but she couldn’t think of a reason to refuse to speak to Leo.
“If you like…Your Highness,” she quickly added, remembering to match his tone.
He led her outside, his stern expression discouraging anyone from approaching them. They were soon alone, close enough to the ball that they remained within the light of the decorative lanterns, but with no one in earshot.
“I realize I should have spoken to you sooner,” Leo said, still in the same stilted, formal tones.
Panic clawed at Natalie. Had Luca already spoken to him? What had he said about her?
“I’m aware that our parents had certain hopes for this visit,” Leo continued, “and that you may have come here with certain expectations yourself. I shouldn’t have waited so long to clarify my position, and I hope I haven’t caused any pain on your end.
While I value Lanover’s alliance with Arcadia, I have no intentions of pursuing a marriage alliance with you now or ever. ”
Natalie blinked. That’s what he wanted to talk to her about? She could have laughed.
Nothing in his behavior since her arrival had led her to mistake his intentions in that regard. She opened her mouth to assure him of that only to remember she wasn’t Rose. It wasn’t her place to give him assurances. He’d never been considering a marriage alliance with her.
Natalie looked awkwardly away from him and realized there was one person close enough to overhear them, after all. Rose herself.
Relief swept over her, and she waited for Rose to step in and say something. But Rose seemed frozen in place, her eyes on Leo.
Leo cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable with the lengthening silence.
“I mean no slight on your personal charm, of course. I know my cousin—” He cut himself off, looking guilty.
“What I mean to say, is that it’s not about you personally at all.
I know that as crown prince, my duty is to my kingdom, and I intend to dedicate my life to Lanover.
But I cannot love where I am instructed to do so.
I refuse to even attempt it. Love shouldn’t be about cold-blooded gain. ”
His words hit a little too close to home, and Natalie winced. She couldn’t let him keep talking, telling her his private thoughts on the matter because he believed her to be someone else—someone of his own rank who understood the burdens of royal life.
She threw Rose an apologetic look. She had wanted to talk to her first, but at least they were both there.
“Please stop, Prince Leo.” She stepped away from him, holding up her hand between them.
He stepped after her, looking worried. “I truly mean no offense.”
“None is taken,” she said swiftly. “At least by me. However, you might feel some offense when you hear the truth. So please bear in mind that I also meant no offense. Neither of us did.”
“Us?” He looked strangely relieved. “Are you talking of Luca?”
“Luca?” Natalie was momentarily distracted. “No. Why would I be—?” She shook her head. She needed to focus. It was time that everyone knew the truth.
“I’m talking about Princess Rose and me.”
He frowned. “I don’t understand. You are Princess Rose.”
She drew a deep breath. “Actually, I’m not. I’m Natalie. And she’s me. I mean—” She winced at the tangle of words. “I mean that the girl you know as Natalie is the real Princess Rose.”
“Posey is Princess Rose?” His face was devoid of all expression, as if he was working hard to conceal his true feelings.
Now Natalie was confused. “Posey?”
“That’s what Natalie said she preferred to be called…I mean….Rose said?”
They were both lost in the confusing mash of exchanged identities.
“You’re serious?” he asked, still carefully blank. “The companion who arrived in Lanover with you is the true Princess Rose?”
“Yes, Your Highness. I’m very sorry for deceiving you. We only intended to do it for a few days as a…game of sorts, and meaning no disrespect to you or the Lanoverian court. But then—”
She looked over at Rose, her eyes pleading for help. Leo’s brows contracted, and he turned, following her gaze.
As soon as his eyes met Rose’s, she unfroze. But instead of coming to Natalie’s rescue, she turned and fled further into the garden.
“No, wait!” Natalie called. “It isn’t—”
Leo didn’t hesitate, running after Rose without a backward glance for Natalie.
“—safe,” she finished, more quietly. Clearly neither of them was listening to her, but at least Rose wasn’t on her own.
What had just happened? She wasn’t sure, but Leo hadn’t exactly looked angry as he chased after the princess. So hopefully that meant there wasn’t going to be an international incident?
She sighed and turned back toward the ballroom. At least now she could stop avoiding Luca. He might even be able to shed some light on his cousin’s odd response.
Her gaze swept idly over the garden as she turned, skimming over the gardener who was unobtrusively working to clear party debris from the lantern-lit sections of the garden. Her eyes continued on to the ballroom before her mind caught up.
She recognized that face!
She swung back around to find the gardener had straightened and was looking toward her. Their eyes locked.
Her attacker.