Chapter 5
“Natalie! There you are!” The warm, confident voice of Prince Leo broke through Rose’s panic.
She latched onto his voice like an anchor in stormy seas, turning to beam at him. She had no idea why he was looking for her, but she would accept any rescuer come to pull her from the mire of her own making.
Both Lanoverian girls turned to face him, their expressions transformed into welcoming smiles. Prince Leo was clearly popular within his own court.
“Ah, Lady Trina, Lady Rachelle,” he said.
“I see you’ve already met our special guest from the mountain kingdom.
I’ve been looking forward to talking to Natalie all evening.
I’ve been fascinated by her kingdom ever since we first established contact.
” He transferred his blinding smile to Rose.
“I had to take care of duty first, but I’m free at last.”
Her answering smile came instinctively. She was all too familiar with the necessity to put duty before interest.
“Luca tells me you prefer Posey to Natalie,” he added, still giving her the smile that scrambled her thoughts.
“Yes,” she managed. “That’s right, Your Highness.”
“And you must call me Leo, Posey,” he said warmly. “Any friend of Princess Rose is a friend of my family.”
Rose pulled herself together and managed a more polished response. “I appreciate your warm welcome, Leo. Lanover is already proving just as beautiful and welcoming as the stories claim. Your gardens and palace are stunning.”
From the corner of her eye, she caught the look that passed between the two Lanoverian ladies.
In one easy exchange, the prince had taken all the fire on her behalf.
His words had extended over her the mantle of respect owed to Princess Rose of Arcadia while also establishing her as a person of individual interest. It had been very smoothly done.
Both girls were already looking at her with an entirely different type of interest. Clearly she would now be welcomed—not because of her own efforts or merit but because Leo had painted her as someone who belonged.
At the start of the evening, she might have resented that fact. But after her abysmal performance, she felt nothing but overwhelming gratitude and relief.
Leo offered her his arm. “You really must come into a quiet corner with me and answer all my questions about the mountain kingdom.” His eyes twinkled down at her. “I’ve heard there are enormous white bears.”
Rose sucked in a breath. She didn’t want to get drawn into a long conversation about a place she’d never been, but she couldn’t rudely reject her rescuer. Especially not when his friendly smile was already indicating to Trina and Rachelle that they were dismissed—all without breaking its warm tone.
The girls excused themselves graciously, and Rose cautiously slipped her hand into Leo’s arm. His nearness was having a strange effect on her legs, but his support was reassuringly steady.
She had known the Lanoverian family were stunning—Queen Celeste of Northhelm had once been a Lanoverian princess, and Rose had seen her transcendent beauty with her own eyes. So she should have been more prepared for Prince Leo’s appearance.
But she didn’t think any amount of mental preparation could have inured her to the combined effect of his tousled black hair and golden skin, nor his angular jawline and cheekbones.
Not to mention his height and the breadth of his shoulders, or the easy, elegant way he moved.
Leo was every inch a crown prince, confidence in every line of his body, while Rose had never been more wrong-footed in her life.
No, she would definitely be better off with more distance between them—despite the anchor of his supporting arm.
When his eyes flicked to the plate stashed in the dirt of the nearby pot, she wanted to sink into the floor and disappear from sight completely.
But he made no comment about the oddness of the plate’s location.
He merely flicked his finger, catching the attention of a nearby servant.
A second small gesture directed the man to retrieve and clear the plate away.
The tightness in Rose’s chest relaxed. Her embarrassment melted away in the familiarity of the subtle interaction. Back home in Arcadia, it could have been her in Leo’s place, and it made it easy to guess at the thoughts behind his actions.
In his place, she would have been distressed to see a guest to Arcadia so awkward and confused.
As their host, she would have blamed herself rather than blaming the guest in unfamiliar surroundings.
And she would have been eager to show them that Arcadia knew how to be hospitable and to put people at their ease.
Remembering those feelings, she extended herself some grace. She had only been playing the role of Natalie for a few hours—of course she would start by being lost and confused.
Rose glanced sideways at Leo and then wished she hadn’t.
He was smiling down at her, and it did strange things to her breathing.
She needed to rein in her gratitude. He had saved her, but he had done it because he was the host and she was a guest. He wasn’t actually interested in her, and he was literally the last person at the Lanoverian court who she wanted to spend time with.
She needed to keep their conversation short and escape as soon as possible.
She had already achieved the ideal outcome when Leo established her position at court.
Trina and Rachelle would ensure the information about her status spread rapidly among the other young people, and she would have an easier time with any future interactions.
There was no need for further prolonged conversation with Leo himself.
But when Leo tucked them into a back corner, his interest seemed genuine, rather than just a pose assumed for the sake of the noblewomen.
Unfortunately, that interest was focused on the mountain kingdom, and he had a stream of questions for her.
Rose could only be grateful she and Natalie had spent so many hours exchanging information in the carriage.
And Leo was no longer touching her, at least, which made it much easier to think. Gradually, her confidence returned as she managed to keep up a sensible conversation.
“Thank you for rescuing me back there,” she finally said with a self-conscious laugh. “I promise I’m not usually so awkward.”
“Then all the more blame lies with Lanover for making you so,” he said swiftly, confirming her earlier reading of his thoughts.
“Oh no!” she said. “It’s all my own foolishness.”
“I suppose you must be unfamiliar with royal functions,” he said politely, but she could read the curiosity in his eyes. He wanted to know how a commoner girl from the mountains had become friends with the Arcadian princess, but he was too polite to ask prying questions like Trina had done.
“I’m actually friends with Gwen,” she said, remembering to refer to Queen Gwendolyn as Natalie did. “So I do have some experience of court.”
She didn’t mention Natalie’s banishment from court because it seemed safe to assume Natalie wouldn’t bring it up.
And it was better for Rose to give Posey a history with court functions.
She had far too much experience with them to make it easy to feign complete ignorance.
Hinting now that she was used to mingling with nobles and royalty might save her if she forgot herself in the future and said something too revealing.
Leo’s eyes glowed with interest at her casual mention of the mountain queen, but he didn’t press her for more information.
“Given your kind words about Lanover earlier,” he said instead, “I have to assume that Luca was more welcoming than Lady Trina. I’m glad we haven’t entirely disgraced ourselves.”
“Actually, I think Luca was more interested in Princess Rose than me,” Rose said, nearly tripping over her own name.
“But your welcome has been far more than I deserve.” She wanted to apologize for pushing herself into the Lanoverian court in the first place, but she hesitated to bring up the subject.
She still hadn’t worked out an acceptable reason for Natalie’s presence.
“Was he, indeed?” Leo laughed softly and added something so quietly that Rose barely caught the words. “He isn’t usually so obedient.”
Her brows drew together as she tried to make sense of his words, but he quickly smiled.
“I was utterly fascinated when I heard the news that a kingdom had been discovered deep in the mountains. As a child, I was always convinced those mountains couldn’t be as impassable as everyone claimed. If I hadn’t been a prince, I think I would have attempted to cross them myself.”
Rose’s eyes widened. “I’m glad you are a prince, then. You wouldn’t have been the first one to disappear into the mountains and never return. A proper pass exists now, but outside of it, the mountains are just as deadly as claimed.”
He smiled. “Don’t worry. As a lad, I wasn’t bothered by thoughts of duty, but I’m crown prince now, and far too responsible to go off adventuring.”
Rose bit her lip and looked down. Was that a criticism aimed at her brother—who had done just that despite being crown prince?
Leo watched her, frowning in confusion, and she remembered that she wasn’t talking to him as Rose. Of course he hadn’t meant it as a slight on her brother. She had already lost track of the role she was playing.
Rose forced herself to look up and smile. “Duty can be a heavy burden, but sometimes it protects us as much as it takes from us.” Her experiences in the last hour had certainly demonstrated that.
“That’s an interesting way to view it,” Leo said. “I’ve never thought of it quite like that. But as a royal, I can certainly see your point. Our duty is heavier than most, but so are the benefits we receive from our position.”
Rose winced internally. She had been so eager to cover up her momentary awkwardness that she had spoken from her own experience without thinking.
“I can imagine it must be difficult,” she said softly.
Did Prince Leo ever feel the way she did? Did he ever want to escape his title and his role?
“Sometimes it can be difficult,” he acknowledged, his eyes warming as he smiled at her. “But this is not one of those times. It has been a great pleasure to monopolize the time of our newest guest.”
She looked away, trying to fight the flush warming her cheeks. The supposed princess was a new guest as well—shouldn’t he be spending his time with her?
How had she forgotten her intention to cut their conversation as short as possible? She was supposed to be enabling Natalie to spend time with Leo, not spend time with him herself.
She stood abruptly. Leo stood as well, concern in his eyes.
Rose forced a smile and dropped him a shallow curtsy. “You have been more than gracious, Your Highness.”
His brows quirked, a confused smile on his lips. “Leo, please.”
“Leo,” she murmured in acceptance.
“It has been a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Posey.” He took her hand and bowed over it in a mirror of her own formality. But unlike with his cousin, Rose had no difficulty feeling his lips against her skin—the sensation shot through every nerve ending in her arm.
She snatched her hand away. “I’ll be sure to let Princess Rose know about your kindness to me. I know she’s looking forward to getting to know you.”
Something that could have been disappointment shadowed his eyes, but he smiled graciously and assured her that he looked forward to spending time with them both.