The Her Before You (Book #2)

2017, June 4th

(Caines, Terres Somnia)

Another insufferable ball.

The excuse for it?

It was my birthday.

As far as the duties of an Arden go, I would rather be sitting in my room, preparing for midterms. My father, Duke Arden, took me around the room to meet with the nobles in attendance. Their dealings with us were drilled into my head, as though I weren’t already aware of them all. I would have given many things to not endure this night.

Grievances aside, there was one thing that I looked forward to about tonight. I might get to see Caroline. Things between our families were still very unstable. I hadn’t seen CC since the last time she came home from boarding school.

Unknown to King Henry, electing to spend the year abroad was step one in shunning his wishes for her. She intended to attend fashion school next year.

I didn’t know if my birthday was a good enough reason to bring her home right before midterms.

Relief washed over me as my mother approached with a friend in tow.

“Look who I found,” she said in greeting, shutting down my father’s potential deal. The nobleman my father and I were talking to excused himself.

“Ethan Maine.” I held out my hand, a smile threatening to take over my face.

“Hey Barry.” Ethan grinned while picking me up and crushing his arms around my ribs.

My father scowled at my mother. “You have the best timing, don’t you?” he hissed.

“Play nice, dear. It’s Bart’s birthday,” she said, holding out her hand to her husband.

My father’s eyes softened for the first time in days. He took my mother’s hand. “I know,” he said with a grunt as they walked off.

“Don’t hurt yourself now,” I mocked as Ethan set me down.

Ethan held onto his lower back. Being the captain of an army necessitated a rigorous routine, but I still towered over him. Ethan would often boast about how no one could keep up with me and how he’d never seen anything like it.

In turn, I would tell him that he’d been slacking off since he got to Terres Somnia. At the rate Ethan was going, combat training would be difficult to get back into when he went home in a few weeks.

“Shit, Barry, you must have gained 20 pounds since the last time I saw you three months ago, all pure muscle too. Look at you, you’re a fucking beast.”

“Mind your language, Your Highness,” I chided. “How was the visit back home?”

“Oh, you know how it is. King’s on my case about coming back full time. Same old,” Ethan said, shrugging the serious stuff off as usual. “I brought someone with me this time that I want you to meet,” he continued, changing the subject. “Better be quick about it too. I bet the chicks are lining up to check you out.”

Ethan put his hand on my bicep. I slapped it away. I wouldn’t know if they were, and it didn’t matter anyway. They would never be her.

“This isn’t UC, you dweeb. And you’re here representing your country. Act like it,” I whispered, straightening up myself.

Ethan was about to respond when they walked in and my eyes glazed over. I folded my arms and zeroed in on her.

She was a tall goddess with long, silky, chestnut brown hair pulled back behind her. She had piercing, blue—green eyes and beautiful, fair skin. Everything about her alerted you that she’d arrived even before her party was announced. The dress, the shoes, the tiara on her head. Her stance, every elegant step she took.

“Presenting Their Majesties, King Henry and Queen Mary. Presenting Their Highnesses, Princess Caroline and Prince Aaron.”

Following this announcement, she started looking until her eyes found mine. When she found me, she broke out into a dazzling smile. I worked hard to mask the turmoil she was causing within me, but as my new best friend, Ethan was becoming familiar with reading me.

“That’s her then. Your girl,” said Ethan, watching me intently.

“She’s not my anything,” I returned sharply, turning my back on her.

“Someone should tell her that then. She’s coming for you, dude,” Ethan said, watching her make her way through the crowd.

I struggled against my rapidly beating heart telling me to turn back around to go out and meet her. Give myself a dance with her as a birthday gift. A dance was hardly a proposal. But I was an Arden and Ardens make decisions with their heads. So instead, I pulled Ethan towards me, so that his back was now to her too.

“That bad, huh? Hey, I get it. She is a bombshell.” Ethan grinned, throwing another glance at her over his shoulder.

“Stop looking at her,” I growled.

Ethan snickered, raising his hands in the air in surrender. “It’s not me you should worry about.”