My brother stands across from us, tapping his foot as he slides his arm around his companion’s waist. “Whatever are you doing out here, Sister?”

I glare at the two of them. While Lady Clarissa and I were both “contestants” in the pageant put on by William’s eldest brother, she did nothing to make me feel as though I was worthy of being in her presence during my time in Montovia.

My chin juts out the slightest bit. I don’t dare lift my nose at her—she would likely attack me. “I wasn’t aware the courtyard needed to be reserved, Brother. My husband and I were going to have dinner—”

“It looks like you’ve more than enough food for the four of us.” Reginald smiles. “Why don’t we join you?”

William strides to my side. “Actually, we were just leaving.” He slides his arm around my waist, matching what Reginald is doing with Clarissa.

“Ah, yes.” Reginald chuckles. “The newlyweds. Can’t keep your hands off him, Justine?” The tone in his voice makes me cringe—it’s almost as though he knows about the arrangement I have with our father, which may well be true by now. “You’ll have those four boys before you know it if you keep going at it like that.”

His words draw a cackle from Clarissa. “That’s not what I heard. I heard William couldn’t satisfy his wife on their wedding night.”

They both begin howling with laughter at her comment.

I pull away from William but only far enough to take his hand in mine. “Come, William. I—”

“Oh, as if that’s going to happen.” Reginald and Clarissa howl even louder at my inadvertent innuendo.

I tug on William’s hand. “Let’s go.”

His face is flushed and he’s frowning, glaring at the couple. He opens his mouth to say something, but I tug on his hand again.

“Let’s go,” I repeat.

He blinks a few times before nodding, and we walk back into the palace. As soon as we’re inside, I pull my hand away from him.

“We don’t… We can hold hands, can we not, Princess?” He arches an eyebrow at me.

I try not to roll my eyes. “After you take me on a ‘date’ to do nothing but accuse me of being a liar?” I give him a small shake of my head. “I think not.”

We walk down the corridor for a few moments before he speaks again. “Thank you.”

I don’t even glance over at him. “For what?”

“For defending me to your brother. I—”

“I did nothing of the sort. I was only defending myself.”

“No. You were defending me. Like it or not, Princess, you stood up for me.”

“Well, never fear. It won’t happen again.” Something twists in my gut, but I can’t really name the feeling. It certainly can’t be guilt at knowing at least something of the plans my father has for the man. Perhaps if he had treated me better, I would at least tell him our days of marriage are numbered. Of course, I did let my tongue slip last night, but William has no idea what it meant.

“We could continue our date, even without dinner—”

I stop walking and turn to face him. “So that you might insult me further? I think I’ll pass, Your Highness.”

“We could call a truce for the evening, then. So that we might enjoy each other’s company.” His playful smile returns. “I think that if you would give me a chance—”

“I’ve given you far more chances already than I should have, Your Highness.”

“Perhaps. Or perhaps not.” He tilts his head. “I think—”

“I think that you do not trust me. And I certainly do not trust you. I believe we are at an impasse.”

“We don’t need to be at an impasse, though. There are ways we can learn to trust the other—”

I interrupt with a sigh. “Yes, like you did to me on our wedding night? I really do think I will pass on your offer, Your Highness.”

He frowns. “I hope you know this is not the way I envisioned this night.”

“Oh?” I lift a brow. “How did you envision this night?”

“I thought…” His brows draw together. “I thought we might get to know each other better over dinner. And perhaps find some common ground. Something on which to build our relationship.”

“Ah.” I nod. “But I believe we’ve established we have no common ground, Your Highness. We—”

“We have that.”

My brow furrows. “We have what, exactly?”

“We’re both royals—noble people.” He nods. “We grew up in similar circumstances.”

I shake my head as I begin walking again. “I can assure you, Your Highness. We did not grow up in similar circumstances.”

He catches up to me in a few strides. “Something, then. There has to be something—”

I stop walking again and turn to him. “Why are you so certain? Why do you even want there to be something? Isn’t it better if we’re just civil to each other? If we learn to tolerate each other?”

“Yes.” His smile falls. “Yes, I suppose so.”

“Good. Then we’ve come to an agreement on something. There—you have your common ground.”

“Our common ground is that we’ll tolerate each other for eternity?” He frowns. “That doesn’t sound like much fun.”

“Welcome to Rosvalia, Your Highness. No one said it was going to be any fun.”

He works his jaw for a moment. “I’d like to see the aviary.”

I motion with my arm down the corridor next to us. “It’s down there. Have at it.”

“With you.”

I lift a brow. “I’ve seen the aviary on many occasions, Your Highness.”

“We haven’t seen it together.”

A strange pulse of electricity rushes through me, but I push the feeling aside. “I don’t need to see it with you, Your Highness. I’ve—”

“Then the ballroom. There are two, are there not? One grand ballroom and another smaller one. I thought—”

“Also two rooms I’ve seen on a number of occasions, Your Highness. You’re welcome to go there yourself.” I fake a yawn. “I’m feeling rather tired—I did work all day. I think I’m going to retire—”

“I’m not sleeping on the sofa again, Princess.” There’s no trace of a grin on his lips. “And I rather thought we might—how did you say it? Find some common ground on that issue?”

“I can arrange to stay in my own suite, Your Highness. Though it isn’t going to do much for your image with my family if I do.” I motion to the courtyard where my brother and Lady Clarissa are now eating our food. “Though, if you don’t care what the likes of those two think of you, it might be more appropriate—”

“It’s not more appropriate, though. I—”

“Your mother has her own suite. I spent enough time in your palace to know that. It isn’t that unusual for wives to have separate suites.” I nod, mostly to myself. “And then we’ll never have to see each other.”

“Is that what you want?”

I think back to the kiss we shared this morning and how it took every bit of my will to pull away from him. No, it isn’t what I want. But it is what I need. If I allow him to get too close to me, I might accidentally care about him, and then where will I be in three months? Heartbroken again. After what happened to me the last time, there is no way I will ever let a man get that close to my heart. I don’t care how beautiful his blue eyes are, or how good he smells when he holds me in his arms, or how looking at him now sends another pulse of electricity through me that centers itself right where it should not. I will not care for this man. Not today and not ever.

I stare at him for another long moment, trying to push away the wrenching feeling in my stomach. “Yes, Your Highness. That is what I want.”