Stealing His Princess (Kings of Conquest #2) - Adelaide Forrest Page 0,49

be extreme in her case, since she has enough of that in her life. In our defense, though, we did send Cheval to find you. Apparently, you weren’t at the dinner.”

My spine stiffened when I remembered why I hadn't been there, but I made an effort to relax with a gentle lift of my shoulders. "Fair enough. I’m grateful for what you’ve given her. I only wish I’d been able to get her out from under our mother’s thumb.”

"Your sister knows and appreciates everything you've done for her. I know she's desperate to speak more with you." He nodded toward Alina before speaking over all the conversation to make another announcement, "My friends, a toast. To my future bride.”

"Aric, you have to toast beside us," Alina declared as she dragged me forward to follow her. I exchanged a look with the woman she dragged along beside me.

She smiled. "Hi, I'm Mallory. I'm Reece's cousin."

"So Reece mentioned. I’m Aric. Alina's brother," I returned with a friendly smile.

She nodded as the toasting rang out around us. "Ah, yes, the King of Lantis. Bristol and I spoke about you earlier. I saw you barge into the library but I was hidden away." The look she shot me was knowing as she sipped her champagne. "Now I understand why she reacted the way she did when I said your name."

I washed down the stone lodged in my throat with a gulp of the sparkling wine. I had assumed, quite wrongly, that we'd been discreet, but it would seem that we'd failed in that regard, at least to some extent. I felt regretful that it might serve to tarnish her reputation because she'd been wrong about one thing. I did care for her.

I loved her.

I raised my hand in a toast and gave Mallory a nod. “Don’t worry too much about me, Aric. I’m not one to judge.” She spun around and walked off but I watched her walk away, paying no attention to anything else around me.

"Aric, are you sure you're alright?" Alina's voice broke through my thoughts and my head snapped towards her to see that people had begun to disperse with the toast done, and the time had come for the after-dinner drinks. "How about some scotch instead of the champagne?"

I looked down at my half-filled flute and frowned. I couldn’t deny that a little bit of scotch would help the dull ache that was already beginning to spread from the wound in my chest where my heart should have been. "I probably shouldn't be drinking, really."

She stared at me silently before nodding. "If you say so. Let’s find a private corner and talk. Please?" I nodded and we walked over to the corner of the room. It was near enough to where Reece spoke to his cousin but far enough away that our conversation would be private. "I wish you'd tell me what’s wrong."

"I'm sorry, Alina. I don't want to spoil this night for you. You're the happiest I've ever seen you." I took her hands in between my own, rubbing them to soothe her worry.

She threw me a smile, and I realized our roles had reversed for the moment. I was the one who was receiving comfort from my little sister this time around. I sighed and gave up when she would not relent with the worried look in her eyes. "Tell me what happened with Mother.”

When she opened her mouth with a flash in those green eyes that were so like mine, I realized that my sister was no longer the meek and quiet Princess controlled by a domineering mother. "Fine,” she said, flashing me a pointed look that communicated she wouldn’t let me off the hook so easily. “Mother and Corbin took me to the airport, fully intending to take me to Daunalt. She said she had a contract specifying that Father had agreed to a union between Corbin and I, the breaking of which would mean serious financial repercussions for Lantis.”

My mouth dropped open in shock as I shook my head. "He didn't. When he died, I was given access to everything. Most of it I already knew from my time as his apprentice, but I assure you I would have known of any such contracts. Father may have been poor of judgment in his choice of women, but he loved his country. He mismanaged it, but he would not have so callously destroyed it for an alliance with one country. Besides, he never liked Corbin. He