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“Tell him that I loved the way his betrothed tasted on my lips? No, I did not.”

Goosebumps ran down Dagmara’s arms, and her stomach flipped. She calmed her nerves enough to say, “You told him I received a letter from Teos. How do I know you’re not lying?”

Sabien let out a deep sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. “I only warned him in case your knight in shining armor showed up to win you back.”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but Teos is not a romantic interest.”

“I appreciate the clarification, but I wasn’t concerned,” said Sabien. “The kiss was barely a sample of what I can do.”

“Stop mentioning the kiss.”

“Believe it or not, I don’t tell my king everything. Including the secret you are hiding from him,” he said.

“I don’t have any secrets, you’re just trying to get a reaction out of me,” replied Dagmara.

“Oh, Princess,” Sabien said as he took a step closer, running a single finger along her jaw until his knuckles reached her chin. “There are many things I would do to get a reaction out of you, but none require a single word.” His hand found her hip again, slowly tracing the curves of her body. His lips inched closer to hers until she could feel his breath inches from her lips, causing her to tremble.

Then he withdrew, stepping away from her and lacing his hands behind his back like a soldier.

She felt his absence in a wave of emotion, her mind reeling.

A laugh rumbled deep in Sabien’s chest. “I’ll wait until you’re able to admit you feel something for me.”

“I’m marrying Claude.”

“As you keep reminding yourself,” Sabien replied.

“Even if I wasn’t, you certainly would not be my second choice.”

“I’m never a second choice. I’m always the first.”

“Claude is the first,” she snapped. “I mean, have you seen him?” She wanted to smash Sabien’s ego for good.

“If only you knew the truth about him.”

Dagmara’s breath hitched. “What truth?”

“There’s so much you don’t know,” Sabien said, his voice laced with pity. “And as soon as you find out, you’ll be mine.”

Dagmara scoffed before throwing the door open and storming into the hall. Her anger dissipated as she saw Martine waiting at the end of the corridor. Martine’s eyebrows raised as the captain stepped out of the powder room behind Dagmara.

Exiting the powder room with the captain was worse than being caught snooping. She couldn’t try anything now with them both nearby. Her attempt to search the manor without being caught was over.

She glared at Sabien over her shoulder, and by the smirk on his face, it was as if preventing her from snooping was the plan all along.

CHAPTER 40

Magdalena

Voices clamored in Magda’s dreams for the next few nights while they waited for the date of Kiran’s birthday ball. She awoke in a furious sweat, the sticky heat of Flaustra soaking into the bedroom. Magda jerked upright, realizing she was in Ravi’s bedroom.

Ravi and Odie were both gone, so Magda leapt out of the bed and splashed cool water on her face from the pitcher on the high shelf. She dashed down the spiral staircase, coming to a halt at the bottom.

Ravi was holding a piece of meat above Odie’s snout, teaching him a playful trick.

“Close the door,” Ravi was saying.

Each time he said it, Odie pushed his nose against the bathroom door, slamming it shut. Then he did the same with the small, single kitchen cabinet.