Page 74 of Deceiving the Cursed Beast
“It wasn’t bad, Sofia, really. The contract was a mess, but Felix tried to fix it. And he felt terrible when he realized how much it forced me to do.”
A line formed between her brows. “But you’ve fulfilled the terms now?”
“Uh, no. That’s actually why I’m here. Berklay sent word about the rumors. The people responsible for Felix’s problem started them. We think they want to sway public opinion of him before Princess Charmina comes to sign her inheritance contract.”
“What, exactly, is the problem His Grace is dealing with?”
I was shaking my head even before she finished the question. “I can’t answer that. He had a good reason for his actions, though. He also feels horrible about it and has been doing everything he can to make up for it.”
“Isa,” my twin asked hesitantly, “do you actually like the duke?”
I hesitated.
Sofia gasped. “You do!”
“I don’t hate him,” I told her, not sure how to classify my feelings for Felix, but certain that at least that much was true. “I felt comfortable being myself around him.”
“You don’t hold back with anyone, Isa.”
“No, but that doesn’t mean I’m unaware of how I make people feel when I am blunt and refuse to hide behind polite lies. But Felix didn’t resent my harsh truths. I think he appreciated them. And... I enjoyed my conversations with him.”
Sofia’s eyes were round as saucers. “Are you in love with him?”
“I don’t know.” My voice trembled. “I’m no good at this sort of thing, Sofia. I’ve never been in love with someone before. How do I know if that’s what I’m feeling now?”
Her lips pressed together. “Maybe we should start with a simpler question. Are you attracted to him?”
I couldn’t explain to my twin just how complicated the situation was, or why that question was even harder to answer than her first. But I didn’t think it was important, anyway. “What does that have to do with anything? Attraction does not equate to love.”
“Not necessarily, but we’re talking about you, Isa. As far as I’m aware, you’ve never been attracted to anyone, because you need an emotional connection first, and you’ve never had it.”
“But it wouldn’t necessarily be the same for him.” I knew it wasn’t. He’d told me straight-out that he had slept with Cecily mostly because she was there. Not because he liked her. And I didn’t know if Felix was attracted to me, and it was a ridiculous thing to even contemplate because of the curse, but it was easier to worry about that than wonder if he could fall in love with me.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, then met my sister’s gaze. “He sent me away. It took considerable effort to convince the node that my return would fulfill the terms of the contract, but he was determined. He’d have amended the contract my first week at Rose Castle if he could have. Whatever I might feel for him, he doesn’t feel the same for me. Not that I blame him. Who’d fall in love with a woman who insults him with every other breath?”
Sofia frowned at me. “Isabel Cardh, don’t you dare talk about my sister that way.”
“I’m only speaking the truth.”
“You said you were comfortable with him, that he appreciated your candidness.”
“Maybe? I don’t know, Sofia. He also didn’t have many options for conversation.”
“You fell for him, which meant you were spending time with him. He could have avoided you and didn’t.”
I didn’t debate Sofia’s conclusion that I was in love with Felix. She understood emotions better than I, and I suspected that she was correct. About my feelings, at least. “But he sent me away as soon as he could.”
“Perhaps his insistence that you return was a result of guilt?”
She said what I wanted to hear, but it was all hopeful speculation. My sister was a romantic who wanted to believe I’d find a happily ever after. She didn’tknowwhat had prompted Felix’s actions. I shook my head, not disagreeing with her, but not agreeing, either. Then I noticed how much the light from the window had dimmed in the short time we had been talking.
It was almost time.
“Hold that thought; I need to check in with Felix soon.”
“Check in? How?”
“An enchanted mirror. I’ll explain how it works in a moment, but I don’t want to be late.” I reached into the satchel, but my fingers wrapped around something other than the handle of the mirror. It was hard and small, with jagged edges. As my hand swept over the bottom of the bag, I knew it wasn’t the only item of its kind.
