Dancing with Deception

Dancing with Deception (12)

Chapter 12

‘Thought you said she was useless Alex.’

‘You haven’t seen her with a sword...’ 

Even a week later the words continued to play over and over in my mind, spurring me to run harder.

The nerve of him, the arrogance, the conceit… it was one thing to mock my swordsmanship, in that even I recognized my weakness, but it wasn’t as though I’d failed in everything since coming here, and in archery at least I’d even excelled.

For all the work I’d put in, for every blister, bump, and bruise, he still had the insolence to call me useless? Him, who threw out charm like it was spare change for the poor, and watched them lap it up just as greedily.

It was a vain, contemptible man who relied on rank and false charm rather than good character to make his way, but perhaps that’s what came of a life of privilege.

Well, not always.

I slowed down with the thought of his brother, shy, sweet Nicholas. He was of the rare breed to be made humble by his position rather than become arrogant because of it. But most admirable of all was the quiet strength he possessed, I’d caught glimpses of it before and knew there was a great leader in him waiting to come out.

I thought of a future as his Queen and warmed at the picture of it, until Prince Alexander’s words pierced through my mind once more and invaded my perfect illusion as the constant thorn in my side.

Just the thought of having to share a family with his loathsome self was enough to make me want to pack my bags and give this task up as a fools errand, but giving up was exactly what he expected of me, what he’d told everyone to expect from me, and I refused to give them the satisfaction.

To think he’d actually had the audacity to wink at me afterwards, wink! As if we were in on some secret joke together, as if I didn’t see it for the glaring insult it really was.

But then, I suppose he thought those little tricks that worked so well on all the others would suffice to let him get away with anything, as I daresay it had in the past.

It seemed my presence here and competition with the Prince was the chip that threatened to crumble the fragile foundation of this academy.

The pressure had always been there, building steadily under the surface but never quite breaking through, no one had ever dared to be openly hostile, not until Prince Alexander provided an easy target to mock, me.

I felt another surge of anger and sprinted the last length to finish my lap. If it were my lack of skill with weapons that fueled their derision then my only choice would be to prove them wrong. Whatever it took, I was prepared to do it. If they wanted the girls out of the academy it would not be without a fight.

I paused to catch my breath, walking leisurely back to the castle. It was truly beautiful out here; something I’d rarely had the opportunity to enjoy since coming to court with all the constant upheaval.