Page 22 of A Yulean Sister’s Guide to Getting Kidnapped

“I’m going to go talk to him,” Paige said, not listening to me at all.

“Okay,” I said, “I’ll wait here.”

She gave me a giant smile as she trailed through the room like a woman on a mission. Apparently last night gave her the confidence to talk with him without my initial introduction. Good for her.

But being alone for a moment made me think too much. About the way I looked, the way I was standing. Was it weird? Would someone think it felt off? Was I smiling enough, or maybe too much? Suddenly, it felt like I was in a dark room with a spotlight pointed directly over at me, everyone’s eyes leering at me, seeing my every imperfection, every flaw right down to the chip in my molar I got when I was nine after Sorcha tripped me down the stairs.

I took deep breaths in and out, but then I worried that would look weird too. Was I breathing weird? Did I even know how to breathe?

“Princess,” someone said, and I snapped around to them, my drink sloshing so hard it almost tilted out of the glass.

It was some noble I was sure I’d met at some other gathering, but couldn’t quite place him.

“Hello,” I said, my voice cracking with nerves.

Moons, pull it together.

He didn’t seem to notice I didn’t remember him. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“You as well,” I said. “It’s been a while.”

It was a swing, but one that could usually be counted on.

“I agree. It’s been months since your sister’s marriage.”

Yes. This was Lord… Kimble? Charlot? Parson?

I’m sure he was one of them.

“Yes, it has.”

“How has she been settling?” he asked.

“Well,” I said. “Marriage looks good on her.”

He nodded. “Yes, it does. I was sure it would be you next, but I don’t see you with anyone tonight.”

“I’m not courting at the moment.” Or ever.

“I saw you with Duke Lexington that evening, and assumed. I apologize.”

I tried to dig into my memory what he even looked like. Dark hair for sure, blue eyes I think. Fairly attractive if the pieces I was remembering proved right.

As my mothers asked, I was very good through Sorcha’s entire ceremony and reception, only having one, maybe two, glasses the whole time.

It was afterwards, when that same Duke invited me to an after party at his place that things got a little… wild.

I briefly recalled a fumbling handjob, lazy hands that didn’t get me close to finishing, and an empty promise to see him again the next day. He must have seen us sneak off that evening.

“No, he just invited me to a party,” I informed him.

He nodded. “Yeah, he told me.”

I furrowed my brow. “What do you mean?”

The Lord shrugged. “He seemed to think you two would start courting, considering the way he described the evening.”

My jaw tensed. “And how did he describe it, exactly?”