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“What? You are allowed to tell me to piss off and I don’t even get the chance to retaliate?” he scolded her but his voice remained friendly.

“I don’t give a damn about your chances, princeling.”

“Actually I am the king.” He straightened slightly and she stared past him, slightly leaning outside the doorframe. The movement made her white hair brush his cheek and carry a whiff of her forest scent across him.

“King, I see no king here.“ She leaned back again to stare at him. “The only thing I see is a prince made out of ice, trying to fit a crown that is far too large for him.”

His hands clenched into fists as a small giggle escaped from behind him. Alarmed, Noora tried to spy past him but after a second Josephine ducked under his arm to reveal herself.

“That was funny, I have to admit.”

Before Noora could comprehend what was happening, his sister slipped past her into the room. So much for his plan.

“Do you have child servants now?”

Josephine cleared her throat, mock offended, “Excuse me, I am his sister, nothing less.”

She stretched her hand out to Lulva, who was sitting on the bed inside the room. “Princess Josephine-Luise Gyldenlove, a pleasure to meet you.”

With a hesitant look in her eyes, Lulva accepted the handshake.

“Your sister?” Noora turned back to look at him. “Indeed.”

Her eyes flit between him and his younger sister, probably to make out the similarities between the two. Once satisfied with whatever opinion she came up in her mind, she turned back to him.

“Why are you here?”

“To escort you to dinner.” That came out snappier than he intended to. He cleared his throat, trying to straighten his already ramrod straight back. “I mean, I am here to ask you if you would mind me escorting you to the participants’ dinner.”

“Yes, I would mind,“ she bit back. “You can pack up your posh manners and nice clothes and stop the pretending, princeling, Lulva and I are leaving.”

Anger bubbled up inside him and before he could stop himself, he took a step forward. Something flickered in her eyes as if she realised that he towered over her and could pose a potential threat.

“Did you plan that all along? Tricking me into thinking that once Lulva was here you would participate butyou just wanted her out so you could leave the kingdom with her?”

Instead of honing herself and detecting his pissed-off tone, Noora took a step forward, making her chest brush his upper ribs. “The only one deceiving is you, Kai.”

Josephine’s head whipped around at Noora using his name. Nikolai could sense that she would ask him about it at a later time.

His sister cleared her throat, making Noora blink and take a few steps away from him.

“Sadly, you are leaving already, Noora, I have a few books I would love to show Lulva, is it not possible for you to stay just till the evening?”

Nikolai watched his sister use the face she usually pulled on their mother, widening her ocean-coloured eyes, and turning down the sides of her mouth.

“You would not want to leave without having eaten, do you? I could show Lulva my room and you could attend dinner with my brother. I know it is rather easy not to like him but once he warms up to you, he is tolerable.”

Nikolai glared at his sister. That did not sound helpful in his ears.

Noora worried her bottom lip for a moment, her eyes flickering over to Lulva. The latter’s eyes flickered darkly, her cheeks flushed in excitement and even Nikolai could see the hope spark inside her. She desperately wanted to stay.

Something hollow inside his chest howled at the look on her face. How bad did they have it for her to be anguished to stay?

Noora sighed. “Fine. Let’s go.” She turned and motioned for him to go. Nikolai hesitated.

“Don’t you want to change first?” he suggested.

They both looked down at her clothing. She was wearing the leather suit Tyra preferred to wear while fighting. She told him once with it being so tight, it never got in her way like dresses or loose blouses did and while he agreed with his sister on that topic when she was wearing it, he had rather a different opinion when seeing it clinging to Noora’s body.