She kept playing Dorian’s words in her mind again and again. No matter how much she tried to brush the thoughts away they would not leave her alone. Realizing that sitting on the bench wouldn’t help, she stood up and decided to go to the sewing circle.

The women fell silent the moment they saw Alina approaching. But when she reached them, most of them smiled at her, though the atmosphere felt different now.

"Lady Alina..." One woman said before correcting herself awkwardly. "Miss Ashworth. It’s good to see you back."

"We thought you’d be busy with court matters now."

"You look lovely today."

Alina just nodded with a smile in response. She sat on her usual seat and picked up the fabric and needle.

Two younger girls immediately came and sat opposite her, staring at her starstruck.

"Is it true the duke carried you out of the palace himself?" One of them burst out.

"Lena!" The other one gasped immediately, elbowing her.

"What? I want to know!"

"No. We walked," Alina replied awkwardly.

"Oh!" Lena looked disappointed.

"We can’t believe he really chose you over the princess. The other one said this time.

The circle went silent again. Alina could feel the women pretending not to listen but actually were very interested in the conversation.

"It isn’t exactly like that. We..."

"But he’s going to marry you," The girl didn’t let her finish. "Your story sounds like a fairytale."

Alina opened her mouth, but another girl jumped in before she could speak.

"What’s it like?"

"What?" Alina frowned.

"To be wanted publicly," the girl said dreamily. "I mean you walked into breakfast holding his hand in front of everyone."

"And the king agreed for your marriage instead of separating you," the other said.

Alina swallowed. She thought of a way to change the topic, but the girls were too excited. Before she could find the words, Lena spoke again.

"Does he kiss you like in the stories?"

Everyone froze at the question. Alina nearly choked on her own breath.

"Lena!" Another girl hissed in horror.

"What?" Lena looked genuinely confused. "Everyone wants to know."

Several older women started muttering under their breath while others tried not to laugh. Alina could feel her face burning.

"Stop!" Marguerite said sharply from her seat. "Leave her alone."

Alina sighed in relief. Marguerite looked at her and tilted her head towards the door.

"Come with me."

Grateful, Alina stood up immediately and they walked to the quieter part of the garden. They both sat on the bench but neither of them spoke for a few seconds.

"It’s strange," Marguerite finally admitted. "I still can’t believe you’re a princess."

Alina let out a small laugh.

"Neither do I."

Marguerite shook her head.

"Things are changing already," she said.

"Yes," Alina admitted.

"Everyone will treat you differently now," Marguerite told her. "Some will admire you, some will fear you while some will ask favours from you. And it’ll only get worse when you’ll become the Duchess of Ravenmoor."

"I don’t even know how to be any of those," Alina replied looking down at her hands.

"You’ll learn," Marguerite replied. "I just hope you don’t lose yourself in the process."

An unfamiliar ache stirred in Alina’s chest because everyone kept speaking about the princess, the duke’s chosen woman, forgetting Alina.

"You were easier to talk to when you were just terrifying instead of politically important," Marguerite laughed. "But then I think it’s good. Ravenmoor needs at least one person who is as brave as you."

She then stood up and left. Afterwards, Alina wandered the corridors for a while. The castle felt different now. Servants and guards who used to ignore her now bowed to her

She was so distracted that she almost walked past Austin before he stepped out from a side corridor.

"There you are."

"Were you looking for me?"

"Yes." He frowned. "You disappeared."

"I went to the sewing circle and..."

"And?"

"They asked if you kiss me like in romantic stories."

Austin stopped walking and turned to her.

"What?" He asked, his ears turning red.

Alina finally laughed. He narrowed his eyes and took her hand.

"Come with me," he said.

"Where?"

"My room."

It was the first time Alina had entered his room during the day except for the days she had been sick. Even his room felt different in the afternoon light.

The moment they entered his room, Austin went to his desk and turned around holding three books.

Alina stared at him in shock.

"No."

"Yes."

Her eyes widened immediately as she almost ran towards him.

"You found them?"

"You mentioned them once," he said. "The merchant in the capital didn’t have them, so Harrington had to contact another bookseller who..."

Alina threw her arms around him before he could even finish.

"You bought them," she said with excitement.

"You sound shocked," he smiled.

"Because I am shocked."

"It took a lot of effort," he told her. "So I expected the appreciation."

Alina pulled back and looked at the books again.

"Austin, these are first editions."

Austin smiled at her excitement. They sat beside each other on the bed and she opened one of the books.

"You remembered exactly which authors I liked."

"I remember everything you say."

The warmth lingered between them for only a second as stinging thoughts crept into her mind again.

"Austin..."

He looked over immediately, noticing the change in her voice.

"What?"

"The announcement..." She hesitated. "I know why you made it. But the way everyone looked at me afterward made me very uncomfortable. Everything is happening so fast that I can barely process it."

Austin sighed.

"You think I don’t know I’m rushing this?" he said. "But every time I think about losing you, I panic. The king has his conditions. Arcasedia might reject you. Dorian’s circling us like a vulture. Audrey hates you. So every time something threatens to keep you away from me, my first instinct is to hold you tighter."

The honesty in his voice made her heart ache.

"I might be handling this badly," he admitted. "But I can’t help it."

Her anger disappeared instantly.

"Austin..."

"I spent months convincing myself that you were just a contract," he laughed bitterly. "Then suddenly you became the center of my entire life, and I can’t afford to lose you. I have already lost too many people I loved."

"You idiot," her voice cracked.

Then she gently touched his face making him look at her.

"You will never lose me," she murmured.

Austin leaned forward and kissed her. The books slid forgotten onto the blankets as Alina kissed him back, her hands tangling in his hair.

Austin’s hand moved to her waist, pulling her closer until she was in his lap. The poetry books tumbled to the floor beside the bed with a heavy thud.

"You’re crushing literature," Alina laughed in between the kiss.

"Because you’re distracting me from literature."

"But I think the poets would approve," she smirked.

Austin instead of answering kissed her again, so slow that it almost made her dizzy. His fingers slid into her hair while Alina gripped his shirt tightly.

At that moment, the world seemed to disappear around them.

Then someone knocked on the door.

"Your Grace," Harrington called from outside. "We have a situation regarding the eastern reports."

Austin closed his eyes in annoyance.

"You should go," she whispered as she pulled back.

"My dislike for Harrington is increasing day by day," he muttered.

He rested his forehead against hers for a second before standing up.

"Stay here," he said.

Alina nodded. He smiled as he left the room. The moment he shut the door, the silence returned. Alina looked down at the fallen poetry books beside the bed and picked them up.

She opened a book to read but she felt restless. After a while, she gave up on reading and decided to walk outside. The corridors were dim by then, lit only by candlelight and moonlight streaking through the windows.

She turned a corner and stopped abruptly. Audrey stood alone near one of the windows. She turned and looked at Alina. For a second, she didn’t move then she smiled and walked towards her.

"You really did win," Audrey said coldly.

"This isn’t some competition."

Audrey laughed softly.

"You think this is love?" Audrey asked. "My father offered Austin an impossible choice and he picked the shining option sitting beside him."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Alina almost lost her control.

"Well...you appeared and suddenly everything changed. You were the mysterious girl, the hidden princess with a tragic story," she smiled bitterly, "Men adore beautiful disasters."

"Then I’m sorry to inform you, you don’t know him at all," Alina shot back.

Audrey shook her head.

"I know him very well. I’ve known him for more than a decade," she crossed her arms. "Let me tell you something honest, Arcasedia will never accept you, and when that happens Austin will be forced to choose duty again. So enjoy this while it lasts."

Alina looked ready to explode but she controlled herself. Audrey stepped past her then stopped beside her shoulder.

"And one more thing," she murmured. "Be careful. Men in love can still ruin women."

Then she walked away into the darkness of the corridor, leaving Alina standing alone there. She wanted to dismiss everything Audrey had said as bitterness and jealousy. But she couldn’t even ignore those words entirely.

She closed her eyes and took a slow breath.

"No," she muttered under her breath. "He’d never do that."