Up for Heir - Stella Starling Page 0,10

as Hans had pointed out, was not actually a part of.

“Let’s go f-f-find Oliver, Linnie,” Edvin said in a low voice.

For a moment, she looked like she was going to argue—still glowing with excitement over her encounter with the prince—but he gave her a look and she nodded, shoulders slightly slumping, and let him pull her away.

It had been exciting, but now it was over.

More well-dressed people crowded in around the prince, moving into the space Edvin and Linnea had occupied, and suddenly Oliver was at their side.

“Please tell me you didn’t just cock-block our baby sister, Eddie,” he said, grinning at the two of them and bouncing excitedly on his toes with an almost empty glass of Zasfer—Rosavia’s answer to Champagne—in his hand.

“Ew, Ollie,” Linnea said, smacking him on the chest and grabbing the drink from his hand. “Leo is old.” She giggled, lighting up. “He invited me to tour the royal gardens, though. The private ones.”

Edvin blinked. Old? Really? Maybe she had just been excited about the rose gardens, although even with her interest in flowers, he couldn’t fathom it. Leo was… well, yes, too old for her, but did that really matter when the man made his knees weak?

Er, would make anyone’s knees weak. That was what he’d meant.

“Leo, is it now?” Oliver asked, waggling his eyebrows as their sister drained the last of his Zasfer and giggled again. Zasfer that, come to think of it, Edvin had specifically forbade them from drinking since he’d wanted one less thing to worry about tonight.

He may not have had any formal responsibilities related to the ceremony, but given how many organizational details had been delegated to him by several senior staff members, he felt a certain responsibility to be attentive and make sure things ran smoothly.

“Getting a little cheeky with the crown prince, are you now, Linnie?” Oliver went on, teasing their sister. “Taking liberties?”

Linnea grinned. “He asked us to call him Leo. He offered, because he liked Eddie.”

“What?” Edvin blurted, shaking his head as that false, magical feeling from earlier suddenly exploded inside him like he was the one filled with Zasfer bubbles. “N-N-No. He… he didn’t.”

Granted, it had felt like the prince had liked him, at least for a moment there… but first of all, that was ridiculous, and second, five minutes had already passed, so that particular coach had definitely turned back into a pumpkin by now. And he really hated to rain on his sister’s parade by telling her that the prince had no doubt already forgotten their names, but maybe he should find a way to kindly point it out, just so she didn’t have to suffer the disappointment of getting her hopes up only to have them crushed later.

Edvin opened his mouth to do just that, but before he could untangle his tongue enough to cut in on the excited chatter Oliver and Linnea were still tossing back and forth, or get any words out at all, the prince called his name.

“Eddie,” Leo said in a voice that was definitely nothing as crass as a shout, but was still loud enough to be heard through the crowd.

Edvin, Linnea, and Oliver’s heads all whipped around as one, Edvin’s eyes going wide.

Leo grinned as soon as they made eye contact. “Saturday.”

“S-S-Saturday?”

“The rose gardens,” Leo said, doing that thing where he ignored everyone else despite the way they were all gawking at him, making it feel as if the prince had nothing else to do with his time but stand across the room and talk to Edvin.

Unfortunately, that kind of attention was flustering Edvin all over again, and talking was the last thing he was going to be able to do, especially with everyone watching him. His throat started to get tight with nerves, but then Leo winked, and miraculously, Edvin’s throat relaxed. Being stared at by everyone while the crown prince gave Edvin his undivided attention suddenly didn’t seem like too much at all, not with that little half smile hovering around Leo’s lips as he stared over the heads of half the Royal Library like he and Edvin were the only people in it.

“You will escort your sister when she comes for her tour, now won’t you?” Leo asked, holding Edvin’s gaze like he wanted to remind Edvin that yes, brown really was the most beautiful color. “Keep me on my best behavior?”

Edvin nodded.

Linnea squeaked.

Oliver gasped.

“Good,” the prince said, turning away, and… oh Lord. Had that just happened? Edvin had a date at the