“Oh, Brie! It’s been a while!”
I’d been so preoccupied with Nadir that I hadn’t visited Leticia for some time. When I finally stopped by the palace, she immediately had her maid, Maria, bring over a large quantity of sweets.
I thought she’d mentioned recently that she’d put on weight. Huh.
Not that I brought it up, of course. Instead, I indulged in the pastries. As ever, the cookies from the high-end bakery the royal family was partial to were delightfully crunchy, with a mellow and buttery flavor. I ate one, then another, as Leticia glowered at me.
“You know I’m worried about my weight, yet you keep stuffing your face with cookies,” she said. “Bully.”
“You’re the one who asked for these,” I pointed out. She was the one behind the heaps of confections piling up high before us. The audacity!
“I mean, yes, but still...” She trailed off, bristling as she looked over at the mountain of cookies I was munching on. Doubtless she was self-conscious about her weight gain, because she was dying to eat some, but refrained. “It’s the pastries’ fault! They’re simply too delicious. You agree, don’t you?”
“Well, I’m not gaining any weight.”
“Good for you! It all goes straight to your chest!” she quipped. “My weight just collects at my waist!”
Ooh, I’d hit a nerve. Leticia gave in to temptation, snatched a cookie, and ate it. Instantly, the anger left her eyebrows. I swear, she was so easy to read!
The crown prince must be fond of this side of her, I thought as I sipped the tea Maria had brewed for us. Ah, what an exquisite flavor...
“So,” Leticia said, in a better mood after eating her cookie. “Why haven’t you been coming over?”
“Well,” I began, “I’ve been busy with debt repayments, and this, and that, and trying to get Nadir to maybe marry me, and...”
“Huh?!” she exclaimed in amazement. “You haven’t given up on my brother yet?!”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Speaking of which,” I said, “you told me when you first tried to escape that you’d give me Nadir’s hand in marriage! Except you couldn’t!”
“Well, you know,” Leticia said, “I don’t have that kind of authority! I was just saying the first thing that came to mind!”
The way she walked back her words with her chest proudly puffed up was more than a little irritating. She must’ve noticed my displeasure, though, because she offered me more cookies. Well, as long as she kept giving me more of them, I supposed I could forgive her. I brought another cookie to my lips.
Leticia, more or less gauging whether I’d calmed down, asked, “Are you sure you want my brother, though? Speaking as his sister, I cannot endorse your choice. He’s a terrible person.”
You know you’re awful when your own sister says so. Ouch. It was true: his personality wasn’t exactly stellar. But to me, that was secondary.
“You grew up wealthy, Leticia, so perhaps you wouldn’t understand,” I said, “but in this world, money talks.”
“Goodness, no! Maria, cover your ears. These are the words of a deranged woman!”
Um, excuse me? “Deranged”? I was jaded, all right?
“And shouldn’t you be resigning to your fate and getting married already?” I countered.
“Nope. My plan’s still to get away.”
Back when Nadir and I had attempted to apprehend her, the crown prince had been the one to succeed. Ever since, she’d been kept in the royal palace, confined to a room until her wedding. Still, she frequently attempted to escape, causing commotion after commotion.
I decided not to tell Leticia, still hell-bent on running away, that her wedding ceremony would be taking place in only a few days.
✦ ✦ ✦
And thus, the day of Leticia’s wedding ceremony had arrived.
Though she still seemed determined to run away or whatever, in the end, she did return His Highness’s embrace, and so theirs must’ve been a happy marriage indeed.
Ah, how nice it must be to be so loved.
I’d managed to secure a seat next to Nadir at the ceremony. Not because he’d asked me to sit there, of course. I simply shamelessly took the spot next to him.
“What a beautiful wedding,” I said to the bride’s brother as the guests cheered.
“Indeed,” he replied, a serene look upon his features.
He might’ve seemed indifferent, but surely he was happy for his sister. Neither sibling had the habit of being true to their feelings.
“Lord Nadir,” I said.
“How many times have I told you to drop the ‘lord’ part?” he reprimanded me.
“Right. Sorry.”
Nadir really didn’t like it when I spoke to him formally. He kept telling me not to. I only did so because we were in public, but that had still bothered him.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Do you ever think about getting married yourself?”
“No.”
Wow. Shot down instantly. He really wasn’t the type to get swept up in the moment, huh?
“But aren’t you at least a little jealous of how happy they look?” I continued. “Do you not want that?”
“I don’t need it at the moment,” he said flatly.
He was so unapproachable. To be fair, a man of his stature probably felt no need to rush, but as a woman, my prime was brief.
Which was why I was in such a hurry myself—an awful hurry. Debt repayment loomed on the horizon.
“Um, so...” I began, hesitating a bit. Still, I had to be bold if my family was to survive. I mustered my courage and continued, “Do you, perhaps, know any rich young men who might, let’s say, be willing to settle a large amount of debt—”
“What?” he replied curtly in a sharp, intimidating tone, not looking at me.
“Oh! I’m sorry,” I apologized reflexively. “It’s nothing.”
Was that too brazen?
I thought perhaps he could’ve introduced me to someone he knew. Maybe that would’ve been less of a hassle than having to deal with me directly. Apparently he wasn’t a fan of the idea.
Which meant Nadir remained the only viable option for me to bet on.
Fortunately, I had the advantage of being friends with his sister, which gave me plenty of opportunities to see him.
Don’t worry, mom and dad! I’ll be a good daughter, settle our debt, and be a beautiful bride for you!
Looking at Leticia in her wedding dress, I clenched my fists.