Up for Heir - Stella Starling Page 0,65

find sexy but that now made his skin crawl, and added, “It will just be the two of us, so I’m sure we can find a way to enjoy getting through all that dreary work together, hm? Like we used to?”

Edvin’s stomach turned over. Just… no.

“I c-can’t,” he said, jerking his shoulder away and stepping back, then crossing his arms over his chest for an extra layer of protection. “Sorry.”

He actually wasn’t sorry at all, and almost wished his ingrained good manners hadn’t made him automatically say so when Hans’s eyes narrowed, turning mean.

Edvin wasn’t stupid. Back when they’d been dating, after the honeymoon period had worn off, he’d started to suspect that Hans had achieved his position at the library more by kissing a bunch of behinds and talking other people into doing his actual work than through his own skills and talents. And while Edvin actually thought it would be fun to help with a restoration project, the last few weeks had made him feel like he was worth more than being used and taken for granted like that.

Besides, he really couldn’t. Not this weekend.

He opened his mouth to say so, but before he could, the director chimed in.

“Are you sure you can’t lend a hand, Edvin?” she asked, frowning as her eyebrows drew together in distress. “There are some foreign archivists in town for Rosavia’s five-hundredth anniversary celebration, and we’ve promised them the chance to view the collection before they fly home next week.”

The collection really was amazing—Edvin had helped unpack it when it had arrived—but it would definitely need some preservation work done before it could be safely displayed to others.

He bit his lip, torn. It was a huge project, and he’d bet money that Hans had assured the director it could be done in time without actually realizing that he wasn’t actually qualified to deliver on that promise… but that didn’t mean it wasn’t important. Old books were more than just paper, leather, wood, and ink, they were history, and the chance to share them with scholars who could appreciate them, especially after the director had already promised…

Wait, no. He couldn’t. This weekend was—

“He can’t,” Maja said with a grin, giving up all pretense of not eavesdropping as she leaned forward and brandished a copy of The Daily Chronicle. “He’ll be at the Royal Ball.”

“He will?” the director asked, her eyebrows shooting skyward.

“Bullshit,” Hans said with a condescending laugh.

“Erm,” Edvin managed, swallowing hard as his face flooded with heat and his hands started to tremble. He was excited beyond all measure for the ball—if “excited” was the right word to encompass the whole gamut from how nervous he was at the thought of messing something up in front of the royal family, in front of Leo’s family; all the way through the quiet joy he’d felt when Leo had invited Edvin’s siblings, too; to the deliciously fluttery, floaty feeling he got every time he thought of Leo actually claiming Edvin as his own in front of the whole country—but Leo had never said whether it was a secret or not. Edvin certainly hadn’t told anyone outside his family when he could barely believe it himself, hadn’t told Maja, for sure, and since all of Rosavia was still speculating about Leo’s upcoming engagement, clearly, no one at the palace had announced anything publicly yet, either, so…

So, wait. The engagement was really going to happen, wasn’t it?

He swallowed, an all too familiar “too good to be true” feeling trying to well up and choke him. But… but no. He fought it off. Which, for the record, had been easier to do at the palace, when it had been Leo gazing down at him like he mattered instead of Hans looking at him in that slightly condescending way that tapped right into all Edvin’s doubts about himself. Still, Edvin had no actual reason to doubt his prince or the plans to announce their engagement… did he? Because maybe Leo hadn’t actually asked Edvin formally, hadn’t gone down on one knee or anything, but he’d made it clear that that was why they were together. Why he’d wanted to… to see if they suited in the first place. And they clearly did suit, and there were already plans in place, and Leo was having fancy clothes made for not just Edvin, but for Edvin’s whole family, and… and Leo himself was amazing, the best boyfriend ever, and even if Leo didn’t…. well, he didn’t say much about his feelings,