Chapter 22: The Prince

Everyone but the crown prince and his wife began bowing and murmuring "Your Highness." I was frozen in shock but still managed to snap down into a barely passable curtsy.

"Brother," Prince Sigmund said with displeasure. "I have seen you dance with Lady Catherine exactly once. What is the meaning of this?"

This couldn't be happening. Al, the guy I thought of as the most normal person in this world, was Prince Alpheus? The main character of this novel?!

This wasn't right! He was supposed to already be in love with Marcy! Why on earth was he sticking his neck out for me?

Prince Alpheus stepped forward and grabbed my hand to kiss it.

"Dearest Katie, it is so nice to see you again. I hope you have been well since our last meeting? The raspberry tarts were delightful but nowhere near as delightful as your company."

Not only had he laid a claim on me by using what these people would see as a very intimate nickname in public, he acted like we were dating, exaggerating the time he treated me in that bakery when I ran away.

What. Was. He. Doing.

"I have been as well as I can be," I replied carefully. "And you, Your Highness?"

This guy could win an Oscar. He actually had the nerve to look hurt.

"Is my fiancée feeling shy today? There is no need to be so formal just because we are in public."

Dude! I never would have called you Al if I knew you were a freaking prince! Don't mess with me like this!

The duke's hands were clenched into fists. "Prince Alpheus, I have visited Lady Catherine every day for the past two weeks and have not seen you once. And yet you claim to be her fiancé?"

"Our correspondence has largely been through exchanging letters since the debutante ball," Prince Alpheus said with an airy wave of his hand. "A prince does not have as much free time as a duke."

Duke Orla's knuckles grew even whiter.

It might just be my imagination going wild, but I could totally visualize the other young nobles we were sitting with pulling out popcorn to enjoy a good show. The duke was actually lost for words.

The archduke stepped in on his behalf. "Prince Alpheus, I thought His Majesty planned to unite you with the barony of Kailene?"

"Why would His Majesty do that when the earldom of du Pont is much higher ranked?" Al asked as if the notion was ridiculous. "I don't know which rumors you have been listening to, uncle, but be sure to check your sources next time."

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The archduke looked furious. My pal the prince was in serious hot water. I wasn't worth all that!

I tried sending him subtle signals that he didn't need to keep up the charade but he either didn't see me or chose to ignore them.

The earl and countess realized there was a commotion going on and came over. Unfortunately, so did the king and queen.

I was about to pass out from nerves. This had spiraled out of control so quickly. Heaven help me.

"What is the meaning of this?" the king asked in his booming voice after everyone expended the necessary formalities.

"Father, Alpheus is causing trouble," Prince Sigmund said with a superior tone that screamed 'he'll side with me for sure.' What a brat.

"Son, what is the meaning of this?"

It was obvious that the king didn't think much of his third child. The novel never fully explained why the poor prince was treated the way he was. Everyone in the palace just went along with it.

Some sort of weird superstition about gray eyes, maybe? His were the only ones I had ever seen in this world.

"I have finally chosen a wife, aren't you happy?" Prince Alpheus asked cheerfully.

The king looked like he was about to explode. Clearly, he had no intention of letting his youngest son choose a wife personally but couldn't say so in public because the crown prince and second prince had a hand in choosing their wives and everyone knew it.

"What?!" the countess screeched, losing all composure immediately. "Catherine, you are engaged to the prince?! What about…"

She looked helplessly at Duke Orla, recovering her wits about her. A prince was far superior to a duke. She had nothing left to say.

"Duke Orla was pursuing her first," Prince Sigmund said stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"But I asked for her hand first," Prince Alpheus said simply, a steely look in his eyes. "You know of her accomplishments, Sigmund. Wouldn't it be far more beneficial to the crown to have her as part of the royal family rather than as the wife of one of your aides?"

So he knew the crown prince's aim all along. I was so lost. Was he sincerely trying to help me out of a marriage I didn't want or did he want to use me as a tool against the crown prince? That hurt more than I expected.

I didn't want to think of the nice, funny guy I had talked to a few times that way but since discovering he was the main character…I realized I didn't actually know him at all. In the novel, Prince Alpheus wasn't supposed to be a calculating person yet here we were.

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