"We'll get married here. You are a Princess of Khutal, and you will be given all due honors. There will be the traditional dances, there will be the guests who will be honored to be here for such a historic occasion. I insist that you will be given the respect that you are due."
My god, he's an amazing actor, she thought numbly.
As Charlotte nodded knowingly and Aladdin clapped his brother on the back, Viviana knew that she had to do something about all of this. If she allowed this to continue, if she continued to let even a part of her brain be swayed in this way, she was going to leave Khutal without a piece of herself. She might leave it behind or it might be destroyed outright, but it would happen.
She sat through the rest of dinner in a haze, joking and talking, but every time she wasn't engaged in the convesation, she felt as if she were drifting in a fog. She didn't miss the significant look that Charlotte gave Mikal after dinner, the one telling him to take care of her sister. She didn't miss the calm nod he gave Charlotte in agreement either.
He walked her to her room, and to her relief he was quiet. That was a rare gift in a man, she had come to understand. So many men talked to hear good about themselves. When they were quiet, that meant that they knew others would speak of their goodness for them.
The reprieve couldn't last forever, however, and it came to a head when they got to her bedroom door. Usually, she would open it and he would follow her in, but this time, she turned around to face him instead.
"I think I need to sleep by myself tonight," she said. She had tried to come up with other ways to say it, but in the end, she had to believe that being blunt was simply best. She tried to miss the hurt look in his eyes.
"You were tense at dinner," he said. "I think you've been tense since Paris. Can I ask you why?"
Viviana shook her head, because if she said what she was thinking, it would all spill out. Then her humiliation would be all over the space between them, poisoning them, creating what should have been a fun engagement into something bitter and stupid. When she had her breath back, she could speak, and more importantly, she could lie.
"Well, honestly, I think it's best if we keep things just business for the rest of the time we're doing this," she forced herself to say. "I've looked at the calendar, and I've seen that we're drawing to the end of our little game …"
"Our little game?" he asked, a note of amazement in his voice.
"Yes, I still remember that it is one. The thing is, being in Paris did remind me that I have a career that I need to get back to, and going up and down like this is pretty hard. I need some space for myself, Mikal."
He stared at her. She thought he looked like someone who had been punched, hurt, winded, and shocked. "I …"
"Can you give me that?" she asked, an edge in her voice. "Because that's what I need now."
He stiffened, and she braced herself for something cutting. Mikal had a wit that was as sharp as hers was, and for a moment, she was afraid that she had awakened the scorpion’s sting.
Instead, he only nodded stiffly. "I always want to give you what you need," he said quietly, and somehow, that stung worse than any cutting remark he could have made. "Do you … that is, does anything else need to change? Do we need to call off this charade immediately?"
Hearing him call it a charade made her flinch, but all she did was shake her head. "No, I want to see the legislation go through as much as you do," she said. "Let's keep going. It won't be long before we get to the vote. No reason not to stick with the plan."
Mikal looked relieved and she could have slapped him.
"Thank you," he said. "This is … you've done more than I ever could have hoped for, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart."
He took her hand gently in his, and he brushed his lips over the points of her knuckles gently. There was something beautifully courtly about that gesture,
My god, he's an amazing actor, she thought numbly.
As Charlotte nodded knowingly and Aladdin clapped his brother on the back, Viviana knew that she had to do something about all of this. If she allowed this to continue, if she continued to let even a part of her brain be swayed in this way, she was going to leave Khutal without a piece of herself. She might leave it behind or it might be destroyed outright, but it would happen.
She sat through the rest of dinner in a haze, joking and talking, but every time she wasn't engaged in the convesation, she felt as if she were drifting in a fog. She didn't miss the significant look that Charlotte gave Mikal after dinner, the one telling him to take care of her sister. She didn't miss the calm nod he gave Charlotte in agreement either.
He walked her to her room, and to her relief he was quiet. That was a rare gift in a man, she had come to understand. So many men talked to hear good about themselves. When they were quiet, that meant that they knew others would speak of their goodness for them.
The reprieve couldn't last forever, however, and it came to a head when they got to her bedroom door. Usually, she would open it and he would follow her in, but this time, she turned around to face him instead.
"I think I need to sleep by myself tonight," she said. She had tried to come up with other ways to say it, but in the end, she had to believe that being blunt was simply best. She tried to miss the hurt look in his eyes.
"You were tense at dinner," he said. "I think you've been tense since Paris. Can I ask you why?"
Viviana shook her head, because if she said what she was thinking, it would all spill out. Then her humiliation would be all over the space between them, poisoning them, creating what should have been a fun engagement into something bitter and stupid. When she had her breath back, she could speak, and more importantly, she could lie.
"Well, honestly, I think it's best if we keep things just business for the rest of the time we're doing this," she forced herself to say. "I've looked at the calendar, and I've seen that we're drawing to the end of our little game …"
"Our little game?" he asked, a note of amazement in his voice.
"Yes, I still remember that it is one. The thing is, being in Paris did remind me that I have a career that I need to get back to, and going up and down like this is pretty hard. I need some space for myself, Mikal."
He stared at her. She thought he looked like someone who had been punched, hurt, winded, and shocked. "I …"
"Can you give me that?" she asked, an edge in her voice. "Because that's what I need now."
He stiffened, and she braced herself for something cutting. Mikal had a wit that was as sharp as hers was, and for a moment, she was afraid that she had awakened the scorpion’s sting.
Instead, he only nodded stiffly. "I always want to give you what you need," he said quietly, and somehow, that stung worse than any cutting remark he could have made. "Do you … that is, does anything else need to change? Do we need to call off this charade immediately?"
Hearing him call it a charade made her flinch, but all she did was shake her head. "No, I want to see the legislation go through as much as you do," she said. "Let's keep going. It won't be long before we get to the vote. No reason not to stick with the plan."
Mikal looked relieved and she could have slapped him.
"Thank you," he said. "This is … you've done more than I ever could have hoped for, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart."
He took her hand gently in his, and he brushed his lips over the points of her knuckles gently. There was something beautifully courtly about that gesture,
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