Page 19 of Fit for a Prince (Fit For A Crown #1)

Chapter nineteen

E ntertain him, but don’t distract him. Make myself valuable, but not noticeable.

No battle strategy could have ever fully prepared me for the day. I’d never been trained in the proper art of courting. Mara’s safety depended on me not upsetting the king, but in order to preserve my life, I needed to be more than an accessory.

At least Cedric seemed to be the most forgiving.

When I stepped into the study, the smell of old parchment and dried ink gave me the immediate urge to sneeze. I held it back, scrunching my face into a rather unladylike expression at the exact moment Cedric looked up from his desk.

“Lady Diaspro.” He tilted his head at me while I faked a cough to clear my expression, then set aside his paperwork to step around his desk.

“Sorry for calling you without warning. It’s hard to know when our duties will allow us any free moments.

Do come in.” He waved off the escort, and they closed the door behind me, leaving me completely alone with an Aemastian prince for the first time since I’d arrived.

It would seem they didn’t care much about the propriety of a lady who was just as disposable as she was useful.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” I said with a brief curtsey. “I was delighted to receive your invitation, though I do hope I’m not interrupting your work.”

I glanced at his pile of abandoned paperwork. He wasn’t going to get behind on things because of me, was he? What would the king think if Cedric didn’t get his work done?

“A break never killed anyone,” Cedric said with a chuckle as he motioned for me to take a seat in a plush armchair.

Not yet.

I sat down, feeling as stiff as a board as Cedric took the chair across from me. His gaze followed my movements as if he was looking at a loose thread I’d forgotten to clip.

“How are you healing?” he asked, and it was then that I realized why he was studying my posture.

“Oh, I’m recovering smoothly, thank you for asking.” I tried to shift uncomfortably, remembering that I shouldn’t be sitting quite so perfectly with broken ribs.

“I’m relieved to hear that.” Cedric leaned his elbow on the armrest, his relaxed features reminding me of a younger version of Oren.

Thinking of the old servant made my stomach turn, making it far easier to look uncomfortable.

“Can I get you another cushion? I can’t imagine Lochlan’s blows were soft. ”

This was an interesting change. I hadn’t expected Prince Cedric to be quite so nice to me. The only issue was that he was busy playing nice instead of getting his work done. Something as small as an unsigned document could cost an Ivalonian their head.

“I’m fine, thank you,” I said with a forced tone. I already lost Oren; I wasn’t going to risk Mara’s life over a feather pillow. “I wouldn’t want to trouble you. You seemed to be rather busy upon my arrival. Can I pour you a cup of tea while you get your work finished?”

“Why? Did you bring something to poison it with?” Cedric asked dryly.

“What? No, of course not!” I shifted forward, bumping my knee on the tea table in the process and knocking over a vase full of flowers. “Wait, no!” I reached for the vase, catching it at the same time as Cedric so our hands tangled together.

We both froze for a moment, numb to the cool water that dripped out of the vase and into our palms.

“Allow me,” Cedric said, his voice low and calm despite the fact that I’d just splattered water and snowdrop petals all over his table.

I pulled my hands back, and he set the vase straight, then pulled out a handkerchief to offer me so I could dry my hands.

“That’s what I get for trying to make a joke.

” He ran a hand through his hair, his neck flushed as he looked down at the mess I’d made.

That was a joke?

I’d spent so much time living in survival mode that I’d fully believed his accusation to be real. Does this mean he was attempting to flirt with me?

Was this actually going... well ?

“Forgive me, Your Highness.” I finished drying off my hands, then handed the damp handkerchief back to him. “I suppose I’m a little skittish after facing off against your brother. I’ve been trying to tread more carefully going forward.”

He set aside the handkerchief, then leaned back into his seat. He was younger than his brothers, but something about his eyes looked years beyond their age. Perhaps that was why he made me think of Oren. It didn’t matter how I packaged my words; he was tearing straight through to my true thoughts.

“That’s probably wise.” He spoke lightly, his voice barely breaking the surface of the room’s tension.

“But it’s also a shame. I’m sorry you feel the need to restrict yourself, but rest assured that a little spilled water won’t offend me.

” He offered me a cautious smile, once again showing me that he was holding back more than his tongue would allow him to speak.

I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to figure out what game he was playing and where I could find the pieces. Cedric had never outwardly despised me, but he’d never shown interest in marriage either. Why was he choosing now to be kind?

“I’m glad to hear that a tipped vase will get me into less trouble than a failed duel.” I returned his smile. “Though watching me flounder in your study is probably just as ridiculous as watching me hold a sword, don’t you think?”

He tapped his fingers on the chair’s arm, the smallest twist in his lips catching my eye.

“You’re not ridiculous, Lady Diaspro.” His voice simmered through the air like a spiced cider too enticing to ignore.

“You’re bold, and that’s an impressive trait for someone who’s been through what you have—although boldness can still lead to foolishness. ”

“And spilt vases.” I gestured to the puddle of water with a forced giggle, then met Cedric’s calculating eyes. “Though I suppose it was you who was bold in that instance. When you made the joke about poison.”

“Hence why I’m the fool.” He laughed, the sound deep and layered. “If the offer still stands, I think I’ll take that cup of tea now. ”

“Are you certain you trust me not to poison it?”

“I’ll take my chances.” He laughed once more, then allowed me to step around the seating area to the tea cart. I faked a few winces as I moved, fighting through the imaginary pain in my ribs.

I snuck a glance over at his desk while standing over the teapot, my teeth clenching as I noticed an entire blank page of what seemed to be a trade-fund balancing book. Something like that could take hours to compete. How much was he supposed to have done today? Was he meant to have it finished?

I brought the teacup over to Prince Cedric, and he happily sipped at it while starting a far lighter conversation about the seasons in Aemastia. I smiled pretty, laughed on cue, and even fluttered my lashes, but no amount of the prince’s positive attention could erase my fears of that empty book.

I’m being a distraction, and if the king is displeased by that…

Mara’s face flashed into my mind, and I found myself clutching my skirt, my ring snagging briefly on the fabric. I glanced down at the dulled stone, only able to think about all the loss it symbolized and how much more it might see.

“That’s a lovely ring,” Cedric said as he followed my gaze. “Do you know what kind of magic it possesses? ”

I felt my heart race, my thoughts wandering back to Beckham and what he had said about Ivalonians not being permitted to wear magic. Cedric wouldn’t enforce that rule with me, would he?

“I believe it’s bonding magic,” I said a bit more hoarsely than I intended. “It connects the wearer’s heart to the giver.”

“I see.” Cedric flicked his eyes up from the ring, meeting my gaze with a shocking amount of sympathy. “Whoever gave it to you must have loved you very much to seal that bond.”

My breath caught, and a shocking urge to cry rose up my throat, almost too strong to push back down.

“Yes,” I whispered.

“I presume it’s from your past betrothed. I’m sorry, Diaspro.” There was that kindness again. It felt so misplaced coming from his mouth, but it also felt so genuine that I couldn’t help but fall for it.

“It’s all right.” I swallowed. “It’s a good motivator never to lose a love like that again.”

Never.

“Of course,” Cedric said softly. “I can’t imagine the loss you felt. I never formally met Prince Damon, but I had the honor of watching him duel before.”

He had ?

“Oh? When was this?” I sat up a bit straighter, forcing my voice to be calmer than it felt.

“It was a little over a year ago.” Cedric furrowed his brow as he thought back.

“Or maybe it was two? King Leopold had invited all of my brothers to watch his ranking assessment, but our father refused to let Atlas and Lochlan attend since they were also in the midst of training. I didn’t have the best view, but even from afar, it was clear just how remarkable Damon was. I see why he was ranked number one.”

My heart didn’t know how to process hearing someone else reminisce about Damon. I’d been to all of his duels, yet I’d never considered who else had been watching.

“Did…” I bit my lip, unsure if this was the right time to ask this question. “Did you tell your father how well Damon performed?”

Did he tell Septimus that he needed to die?

“I told him my brothers needed a lot more work to keep up with him.” Cedric chuckled, completely unaware of the gravity of my question. “He truly was amazing. Any man that talented would have been selective with the company he kept. That speaks volumes about you, Lady Diaspro.” His voice softened.

I nodded, my throat too tight to respond more than a whisper. “Thank you.” I twisted my ring again .

“I’m sorry, I should stop bringing up such tender subjects,” Cedric said much more sympathetically. Unlike his brothers, he was capable of being apologetic. “Is there something else you’d like to discuss? We could—”

The study door opened, and a tall Aemastian servant stepped inside with a low bow. “Forgive me for interrupting, Your Highness.”

“No need. What can I do for you, Rallum?” Cedric rose from his seat.

“I just need to confirm a few details with you for the southeast grain shipment. Lord Praylin seems to believe you were sending six shipments instead of four.” Rallum groaned.

“Six? That old man is telling tales.” Cedric rolled his eyes, then moved to the door, pausing to look back at me. “Pardon me for a moment, Lady Diaspro. This shouldn’t take long to sort.”

Not too long, hmm?

“Please, take your time.” I smiled sweetly, waiting patiently for him and Rallum to close the door behind them. There were plenty of reckless things I could have done while left alone in the prince’s study, but I wasn’t planning on getting anyone killed today.

No sense in avenging those who are already dead when I can protect those who are still alive .

I moved with silent steps over to Cedric’s workbook, sitting down and scanning the completed pages as quickly as I could so I could understand the patterns. The math was simple enough. He was merely taking the cost of trade shipments and subtracting the expenses that came from travel and delivery.

If Cedric’s work got done, Mara would be safe.

I picked up a quill and dabbed it into the inkwell, getting straight to work running through the numbers.

Math had been one of my strong suits while studying in Ivalon.

It soothed my mind after a long day of playing my role to perfection.

It was easy to be perfect with math when the numbers fit so beautifully into their places.

The ink ran out before my mind slowed down, and I quickly dabbed my quill back into the well so I wouldn’t disrupt my pace. I could still hear the prince chatting outside; the second he went quiet I would have to retreat back to my seat and hope the scent of fresh ink was lost in the air.

As long as he didn’t catch me in the act, he might believe he’d done the work himself and forgotten about it. I matched my handwriting to his as closely as possible, adding the extra curl to the twos and dashes across his sevens. A few minutes later, the page was complete and my hand was cramping .

I set down the quill and took a step back, letting my eyes readjust to the mess of papers in front of me.

There was another journal that seemed to be for organizing project funds, but it wasn’t nearly as daunting.

Cedric should have plenty of time to finish it; plus, having something left over shouldn’t be quite as suspicious as having it all completed.

I used my dress lining to wipe the ink off my hands, then started to move back to my seat. My eyes caught another paper as I moved around the desk, my heart stuttering as I noticed the faded header at the top.

Project Vault: Next wave—200 soldiers

My legs froze, pausing so I could scan the list of two hundred Aemastian names of men being sent to my kingdom to plunder and destroy.

Septimus still hasn’t found the vault...but at this rate, he will soon.

The door squeaked and I raced back to my seat, nearly tripping on my skirt as I scrambled back into my chair. I held my breath as Cedric stepped through the door, his hard expression softening when he saw me right where he left me.

“Sorry about that,” he sighed as he shut the door behind him, saying nothing about the fresh scent of ink. “Where were we?”