I studied the traditional dances of Montovia before I came for the state dinner with Elle—it seems like forever ago now. I was afraid the one I’m dancing now was going to be my least favorite, and unfortunately, it turns out I was right.

Another man takes me in his arms and spins me around so quickly I feel like I might puke. I still haven’t quite got the timing down for this dance—as soon as I think I have it, I get spun around again and passed off to another male partner.

After about the thirtieth spin, I’ve had enough. The song should have been over long before now, and between not wanting to be back at the palace and the dizziness from so much spinning, I’m pretty sure I’m going to throw up on the shoes of whichever unlucky soul is the next to take me in his arms.

As soon as I’m passed off again, I smile through my mask at the man in front of me before he can take me in his arms and spin me around again. “I’m sorry. I think I’ve had enough for the evening.”

“Victoria?”

My heart skips a few beats when I recognize Andrew’s voice. His mask is so much more intricate than the one from the other night—this mask covers his entire face, much as my own does—and the ornate detailing hides his features. It’s no wonder the royal family can dance among the citizens without fear of being recognized. I certainly didn’t recognize him, and I doubt he would have recognized me if I hadn’t opened my big mouth.

“Andrew, I…” I glance over my shoulder, sure someone will see me talking to him. If Reginald gets so much as a hint that I’m even speaking with Andrew, I have no doubt our deal will be called off. Even if the countries have announced the resolution over the Amhurst Valley in the media, I’m sure they’ll find some reason to go back on their word if I go back on mine. I hate that it’s come to this, but I have little choice. I can’t have innocent people losing their lives in some meaningless war, all because I was too selfish not to follow through on my promise.

“Victoria, we should go somewhere more private—”

Andrew is interrupted by the next beat in the song signaling the passing off of the partners again. He hasn’t so much as touched me, though, so when the person next to him passes his partner, she nearly knocks me over as she spins into me.

It’s just as well. I have to get out of here.

Andrew does some sort of move with the woman now in front of him, passing her to the man on his left who should have me in his arms, but I’m still staggering from the near face plant from a few seconds ago. Before I know what’s happening, Andrew takes me by the elbow and drags me through the crowded ballroom. We narrowly miss crashing into couple after couple, particularly when the beat to pass the partner chimes every twenty seconds or so.

It takes us forever to get out of the ballroom—and far enough away from the hallway crowded with citizens hoping to get into the ballroom—so that we have the privacy to talk.

I throw a glance over my shoulder, sure Reginald is lurking around the corner. “Andrew, we really can’t—”

“Nonsense.” He tugs on my elbow and swings open a door behind him, pulling me into a small parlor. As soon as the door slams closed, he drops my arm and lifts his mask. “Victoria, I—”

“We can’t do this, Andrew. Not here. Not now.” I pull off my own mask before glancing over my shoulder again, though there’s nothing to see. There’s definitely no way anyone could hide in this room—there are only a few chairs and a small couch in front of a fireplace. I can’t even imagine what they use this room for—it doesn’t seem to really serve a purpose, other than filling up one of the many rooms in the enormous palace.

“We will do this here. And now.” His gaze narrows. “I don’t understand what happened, Victoria. One moment we were blissfully in love, engaged to be married, and the next—”

“What happened was the duel, Andrew. Reginald made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. One I’m sure you would have wanted me to take if you’d heard it—if you’d had a say.”

“But I didn’t have a say.” He almost growls the words. “I didn’t have a say at all. And I can assure you, I never would have condoned anything Reginald would have offered, even if it meant—”

“Even if it meant peace between your countries?” My brow furrows. “Even if it meant avoiding certain war? Even if it meant getting everything you wanted?”

He glares at me for only a moment before his gaze softens. “But Victoria, I did not get everything I wanted. Can’t you see that? I would give up everything—everything—for you.”

“Your people?” My brow furrows with confusion. “You’d send your citizens to war?” I shake my head. “I don’t believe you. And the reason I don’t believe you is because unlike you, I listen to everything you say. Your duty to your country is the most important thing to you—”

“It was the most important thing to me.” He pauses, looking deeply into my eyes. “Now, the most important thing is standing here in front of me.”

I shake my head again. “You can’t possibly expect me to believe that, Andrew. Not after everything we’ve been through. Not after everything you’ve told me.”

“But it’s true—”

“You’re honestly telling me that if Reginald offered you the same deal—to leave me in exchange for peace between your two countries, that you wouldn’t have taken it? I’m not sure I can believe that.”

“But you should believe it. Because I would have negotiated a settlement. It wasn’t necessary for you to involve yourself in this at all—”

“Wasn’t it?” I stare at him for a moment. “I entered the dueling competition to try to win you back the love of your people. I was the one who was trying to bring back some small amount of honor—”

“But you did it of your own accord. I never would have sent you into the ring, especially if I had known Reginald was going to treat you like he did.”

“Andrew, I…” I want to tell him that Reginald didn’t treat me poorly—that I really did do this of my own accord. But more than that, I want to tell him how much I love him. How sorry I am that it had to end the way it did. How it makes me ache inside seeing him again and knowing he can never be mine.

But I don’t say any of those things. Instead, I just shake my head at him again.

“Victoria, we should discuss this. We can invite Reginald and his father to sit down with us… Reginald got what he wanted. He wanted me publicly humiliated, which I most certainly have been. And I’m quite certain that was his only aim. If we sit down with them, explain that we are truly in love and meant no harm to Justine or to their family—”

“Either you’re delusional or you don’t know him very well, Andrew.” I frown. “He’s not going to let you get away with just glossing things over. He wants our relationship ended. Over. Dead. And that’s what I promised him. That’s what I promised him in exchange for peace. In exchange for Montovia not having to go to war over the stupid valley. I did what you would have done, Andrew. I put the people of Montovia first. I put the needs of the people of your country before my own. And isn’t that what you’ve been saying you have to do all this time? Isn’t that what you’ve been saying is your only duty since the moment I met you?”

He pulls my hands into his and closes his eyes. He finally opens them to meet my gaze after a long moment. “Yes. That is what I’ve been telling you since the moment I met you. It’s what I’ve been telling myself my entire life. But Victoria…” He pauses, shaking his head. “There’s so much I didn’t understand then that I do now. So much more I need to tell you. So much I need to explain. But the only thing that matters—the only thing that truly matters—is that I love you. And that has to be enough to get us through this.”

“Andrew…” I don’t know how to tell him that this issue is so much bigger than the two of us. It’s so much bigger than our love. And I just can’t see a way out other than to leave him for good. “Andrew, I’ll always love you. But sometimes love just isn’t enough.”