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*Rafe*

Ainslee did not come out of the gardens through the front entrance that night. Or any of the three nights after.

I slam my seal onto the papers in front of me with enough force to crack the handle. And the blotter. And the desktop, for that matter. I don’t care. Ainslee has avoided me most of the week. Her wedding is two days from now. We have things we should talk about.

Things that won’t make a damn bit of difference, but hell, I want to talk about them anyway!

To add to my foul mood, Kris saunters into my office without knocking. He came back a few days ago. So far, I’ve avoided him, but here he is, invading my personal space. “Kris,” I say in a clipped tone.

“Prince Rafe,” Kris grins. It can never be good news when Kris is grinning.

“How are things in the hinterlands?” I ask nastily.

Kris’s grin widens. “I’ve appointed Nelson as the mayor of Beoutown. I thought you’d appreciate that. The townsfolk fell in line quite quickly. I actually let them think they were voting on the