Page 378 of Bad Prince
She sees my face and stops a few feet away.
“Oh,” she says softly.
Just that.
One word.
And already I know she knows.
“Yeah.”
The fountain hums between us.
For a second neither of us moves.
Then she closes the distance, folds her arms, and tips her chin up in that brave, composed way girls like her master because the world rewards them for bleeding neatly.
“Tell me straight.”
No scene.
No trembling lip.
No performance.
Just courage.
It would be easier if she screamed at me.
Instead I give her the truth.
“I like you,” I say.
Her mouth twitches.
“That’s never a good start.”
“No,” I admit. “It isn’t.”
I drag a hand through my hair and exhale hard.
“You’re smart. You’re easy to be with. You’re…” I look at her, force myself not to look away. “Good.”
She lets out a short breath through her nose.
“.. but?”
I don’t bother pretending not to understand.
“Stella,” I say.
The name lands between us like something alive.
Isa’s eyes flicker once.
Nothing more.
“Is it always going to be, Stella?”
