I huffed and glanced at his concerned face. Not scandalized, then. “Not unless you can undo about twenty-five tiny buttons, then I'm afraid not.”
Oh Goddess.
I realized what I said after it had already been spoken.
“Well, I may be able to, but I can't guarantee they'll all be intact afterward.”
My eyes flew to his and found him smirking. “N-no. I didn't mean—” I started. “I mean, that's not…”
Fuck. What was I even trying to say? It was like my brain had just entered a frozen state, and he just continued to stare at me with that playful expression.
“Don't worry, my lady. I know you weren’t insinuating that I remove your dress in the midst of a royal ball.” Alden smiled mischievously. “I saw you earlier. Dancing with my older brother, Alasdair.”
I grimaced at the reminder of being in the spotlight and fought the urge to crawl beneath the nearest table for the remainder of the evening. “Yes, that was me.”
“And she also had the first dance with my son!” King Ero came up behind me and stood beside Dair’s brother with a serious face.
I wasn’t expecting to meet King Ero face to face, and any and all plans of being a pest dissipated immediately. I didn’t want to be chosen, but I did want to live. “Oh, Your Majesty!” I curtsied. “It's so nice to meet you.”
“You as well. I'm afraid I didn't get your name from my son yet.”
“Forgive me. I should have introduced myself already.” My heart was racing. I was more nervous about meeting the king than I had been the entire time since I left my home. “My name is Evelyn Quinn. Most people call me Evie. I'm truly sorry about the trip.”
Both the king and Dair’s brother looked at each other, confused.
“I didn't mean to trip him! Prince Torin, I mean. I was just excited and I spun around too quickly and—”
King Ero held up his hand. “You have nothing to apologize for, my dear. Accidents happen. I see that you have met Alden?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Yes,” I replied. “Though I hadn't gotten his name yet, just that he is Dair’s younger brother.”
“That he is,” King Ero confirmed. “And he's a damn fine man, though his manners seemed to have slipped.” He eyed Alden. “But, lack of formal introductions aside, any of the men here this evening would be worthy husbands.”
I found myself nodding, though in my head I was gagging.
“What area are you from, Miss Evie?” Alden asked.
“Oh, I'm from the Faolan Kingdom. A little town called Belney.”
“Ah yes, I have heard of that before. Some of the best wine I've ever had in my life was from that town! From a little winery…” He paused, racking his brain. “I think it was called Belney Barrels?”
“That's it!” I confirmed. “That winery is run by Mary and James, some dear friends of mine. And I have two of their children in my class.”
“A teacher, then?” King Ero mused. “Such a noble profession. You must have the patience of a saint.”
I was feeling prettyimpatientat the moment, to be honest. I couldn’t decipher whether his tone was mocking or not.
“Yes, well, when one works with children, patience is a virtue.” I picked up my drink and took a small sip. “Though I believe that can be said for most any profession.”
Alden chuckled. “Right you are, Miss Evie. Do you enjoy teaching?”
“I really do. It's very rewarding, and since I'm from such a small village, it's great to get to see the children develop and grow. I have all ages in my classroom, so that can be difficult, keeping everybody engaged and not bored.” I took a deep breath and smiled at the two men. “But we get by, when we have enough supplies,'' I added at the last moment, speaking so quickly that my words ran together.
“What was that?” Alden questioned. “Are you in need of supplies?”
Oh, sweet summer child. If you only knew.
“We are in need.Desperateneed. In fact, the day that I was selected to come here, I actually broke my final piece of chalk. Of course, I'm not there now to know whether or not a delivery has been made, but I have been requesting supplies for nearly six months now.”
