Instead he turned to Maxon, his eyes cold and his voice sharp. It had struck me as odd that the king didn’t bark out a command for his son to follow when he exited, seeing as that was his usual method of instructing. We need to be firm on this one.” He stood, throwing his napkin on his plate, and made his way to the door. I thought we’d settled all this months ago. “Another problem with the trade agreement?” she asked quietly. “Sorry, Amberly, it looks like I’ll be leaving within the hour.” The king took the letter and read it quickly. He carried an envelope on a silver platter, and he bowed before placing it in front of King Clarkson. I was about to swoon or clutch my stomach or do anything to get me out of the room when a butler came in. I wasn’t going to suffer through a day like this. I risked another glance at Maxon, and even though he wasn’t watching me, he was still suppressing a smug expression as he cut his food. If I’d had any level of success last night, then I could justify my actions as it was, I couldn’t even fake being proud. She sat up a little straighter and continued eating. Just leave me alone.”įor a moment, she looked as if she might fight back, but I guessed I wasn’t worth it. “What in the world has gotten into you?” she hissed.ĭejected, I gave up. “Glad to see you in actual clothes today,” Kriss spat. As he chewed his food, he winked at me and I ducked my head again, pretending to be very interested in my quiche. When I finally peeked at him, he was watching me, grinning. I could barely look at Maxon when I entered the dining hall, but I walked tall at least. It was flowery and cheerful, the opposite of last night’s getup. The neckline was a bit higher than the ones we typically wore in the warm Angeles weather, and it had sleeves that went nearly to my elbows. Based on that request alone, they knew not to ask about the night before. In hopes that I could erase some of what I’d done, I asked my maids to put me in the most demure dress I had. But if I went downstairs at least, if I could just be present, maybe he’d give me some credit. That wasn’t a particular strength of mine. Then I thought of Maxon and how he always talked about putting on a brave face. Really, anything to get out of going to breakfast. Sighing, I went around the room, blowing out candles and wondering how I was supposed to face him tomorrow. He knew what I was trying to do from the second he walked through the doorway.
My hair was too perfect, my makeup too heavy. Even Celeste wouldn’t have gone this far.
Why in the world did I think I could pull that off? Maxon may not know everything about me, but at the very least he knew my character-and this? It wasn’t me. “I’m sorry I have to go.” Even the way he stood held a sense of amusement. “I always wondered what it would be like to see you try.” He started laughing again. “Of everything you’ve done, this is by far the most entertaining!” Maxon bent over, hitting his knee as he laughed. “What’s so funny?” I asked, horrified, trying to think of an inconspicuous way to check my breath. His hands lingered there for a moment, and I was seconds away from just asking him to unzip it when he burst out laughing. Sliding my hands down Maxon’s arms, I guided his fingers to the zipper on the back of my dress, hoping that would be enough.
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