She nodded.
“We won’t be long,” he said to mollify the sister. What he needed to say wouldn’t take much time. The best way to extricate himself was to do it swiftly and decisively.
They left her suite. He had no destination in mind but headed down the corridor. Servants who saw him would make themselves scarce to afford him privacy.Swift and sure, he prompted himself and plunged in. “I’m afraid there’s been a misunderstanding. My brother took it upon himself to apply to Cosmic Mates under my name. I have no need for a wife, as I am about to become engaged. I’m sorry. I will, of course, pay for your passage home.”
She let out a long sigh. “I began to suspect as much.”
“I’m sorry. You must be disappointed.”
“Well…” Her smile quirked to the right and dimpled her cheeks. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, Your Highness, but it comes as a bit of a relief.”
“Please call me Jaryk, and do tell me why it comes as a relief.” He was curious. Not hurt. Curious.
“Your brother omitted a key bit of information—that you are the crown prince. I know my limitations. I’m not suited for the royal life. I would be in over my head. I wouldn’t have the first clue what to do, how to act. It’s all very daunting.”
“I am sure you would have handled it capably,” he said politely.The sister, on the other hand…At least Falkor had some idea of what appealed to him.Ifhe were to select a human bride, Kismet at least had the right deportment. “My brother tends to overstep his bounds.”
She laughed. “My sister is the same. I discovered after the fact she’d been screening all my Cosmic Mates proposals! Yours—your brother’s, I mean—was the only one I got to see.”
So, he might not have even been her first choice. He wondered how many proposals she’d received.
“I had mixed emotions about signing up for Cosmic Mates, anyway. I prefer to marry for love. Not marry first and then pray love develops,” she said.
“I understand. I, too, wish to marry for love,” he said. “My parents, King Rullok and Queen Myka, have arranged a marriage for me. I do not love the woman, and the marriage is not my choice, but it’s not up to me.”
Her jaw dropped. “Why did Prince Falkor sign you up for Cosmic Mates if you weren’t free?”
“Because, despite his numerous faults, he is aware of my feelings. He loves me in his thoughtless but well-intentioned way. He thinks if I married through Cosmic Mates, it would buy me time. My father would be unable to force me to marry Alia.”
“But you would still be married to someone you don’t love.”
“Which was why I dismissed his idea.” His mouth quirked. “However, since Cosmic Mates marriages are provisional, he figured at the end of the year, I would be free again—and this time, my father might find my choice more acceptable.”
“Oh,” she said. “Prince Falkor intended it to be temporary from the start.”
“Let me guess—he didn’t mention that part?”
“No, he didn’t. I was aware of the probation period, but I assumed we’d give it a fair trial and see what developed.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” she said.
Misled, she’d traveled across the galaxy for nothing. He felt responsible for her. He discovered he liked her. She aroused his curiosity.
Their meandering stroll brought them to an atrium. “This is a garden. Would you care to see it?”
“I’d love to!”
They exited into an open quad. Pavers engraved with the seal of Kaldor formed a walking path through low purple grasses. Aromatic trees scented the air, and featheryflitterieschirped from the leafy branches. Water blossoms floated in a small pond fed by an underground spring. He’d chosen that particular species of water blossoms himself.
“It’s beautiful!” Kismet exclaimed. “Absolutely stunning.”
“Thank you,” he said proudly. The palace gardens were one of his pet projects. He’d worked with the garden master to design its architecture. “The palace is rather sizable, and there are quite a few gardens, but this one is one of my favorites.”
She inhaled, and he did also, taking in the fragrance of nature.
“I loved the arboretums and the public parks on Earth. So much of our planet has been consumed by cities. I lived in a high-rise apartment that faced another building. No view.”
