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“If you don’t tell me the truth,” the prince warned lightly, “then I’ll be forced to prove you wrong and not come back tomorrow at all.”
“W-whatever.” She tossed her hair at him, making a deliberate show of snubbing the prince.
Silence.
Her irritation started to fade, and fear started to creep in.
Would he reallynotcome back tomorrow just to prove his point?
Her eyes stung at the thought, and she glared hard at the blank wall in front of her.
Don’t you dare cry—-
The prince’s fingers suddenly cupped her chin, forcing her to turn to him. When she refused to still look at him, the prince gently knocked his forehead with hers, saying softly, “How stubborn you are.” When he spoke again, his smile was evident in his tone as he murmured, “And how you love to pretend to be uncompromisingly tough—-”
“I’m not pretending,” she said very fiercely. It had to be that way because it was the only thing that could keep the tears from falling.
The prince started to move—-
She stiffened.
And then he was suddenly bending his head down, peering at her face, and as she reared back in surprise, the naked expression on her face exposed, the prince murmured slyly, “It’s too bad those tears glistening in your eyes tell a different story.”
Oh!
Feeling humiliated, Fawn tried to scramble away, but the prince only chuckled and pulled her to him. She started to struggle, but it was no use, with his arms closing around her in a steely embrace.
“Mi dispiace.” The prince cupped her face. “Syngnomi.” He tipped her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze. “I’m sorry.” A tear escaped her eye, and he gently wiped it away, murmuring with a little sigh, “You cry too much.”
Lips trembling at the effort to prove him wrong, she mumbled, “I d-do n-not.”
“Yes you do—-” He pulled her close again, and placing his head atop hers, he murmured, “and it’s too cute.”
Oh.
The prince thought she was...cute.
From feeling like she wanted to bawl like a kid one moment, it was all she could donotto jump for joy the next.
The prince thought she was cute!
She scowled hard against the crook of his neck, the only way not to grin just as hard. But then the prince’s arms tightened around hers, and it was impossible to keep resisting, and her arms slowly wound around his neck—-
Heaven.
The prince murmured against her hair, “If things weren’t too dangerous now, I’d never leave you. You know that, don’t you?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know that.”
The prince chuckled over her head. “You’re actually acting spoiled.”
The prince gave her an almost painful squeeze as he spoke, and she let out a surprised yelp.
“It’s your fault,” the prince said without pity. “You were being too cute.”
Oh!
The prince pulled away, and when their eyes met, he said quietly, “If it’s any comfort...” His beautiful lips twisted. “And I can’t believe I’m saying this to you—-”