I ended up playing hearts with Callum, who was extremely good at it and beat me three hands out of four. Finally, I pled exhaustion and turned in for the night. Callum walked me to my room, lingering at the door.“I like it out here,” he told me. “It’s so peaceful.”“Me too,” I told him. It was such a relief to be away from most—if not all—of the prying eyes at the Citadel.“When we’re married, we should come out here all the time,” Callum said. “Every weekend if we can.”“That’s a good idea,” I murmured. Briefly, I tried to pretend that I was actually getting married to Callum, that any of his plans for the future might come to pass. It wasn’t an altogether unpleasant prospect—if I was going to be forced into marriage, there was no one I could think of better suited to being a husband than the sweet, considerate young prince—but it didn’t feel right, either, and not only because I was way too young to get married.He kissed me on the cheek. “See you in the morning.”I smiled.
