Chapter 6
“Ah…” Deborah hadn’t done it on purpose.
Damian had shoved her, and the cry slipped out before she could stop it. He was so strong–it hurt like hell.
She winced, her brows knitting together. Suddenly, she understood what Damian was trying to do.
But she thought, ‘Isn’t this way too risky? What if Amaris really pulled open the curtai
She could already hear her footsteps getting closer.
No time to think. Deborah bit her lip, and just as Damian pushed her down again, a breathy, broken moan slipped out. “Ah…”
Amaris stopped in her tracks, eyes going wide with shock. She wondered, ‘What is that? It sounds like… something hitting. And a woman’s moan?’
“Amaris, don’t be nosy!” Alistair’s face turned bright red as he quickly pulled her away.
He never expected Simon, newly married, to be so impatient. He thought, ‘In the carriage, of all places? Honestly–how reckless could he be?‘
Up front, Thomas knew exactly what was going on. But even he couldn’t help blushing when he heard Deborah’s suppressed cries.
He gave a quick bow from afar toward Alistair and Amaris, then awkwardly flicked the reins and drove the carriage away. Soon, the commotion was Jeft behind.
Only when the sounds of the pair had completely faded did Deborah finally breathe a sigh of relief. She shoved Damian hard. “Your Highness, get off me!”
Damian lifted his head from her chest, eyes dropping to her flushed face. He let out a cold snort.
“Use me and toss me aside? Do I look like someone you can just summon and dismiss on a whim?” he asked.
“Your Highness…”
But he was already off her. With a flick of his sleeve, he returned to his seat, resuming his usual cold, untouchable demeanor.
Deborah scrambled back to her corner, hastily straightening her clothes and fixing her disheveled hair. Her face was written all over with anxiety and embarrassment. She wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come.
Thankfully, Damian was already back to reading his military strategy book, ignoring her completely.
Her mind was a mess. The only clear thought she had was, ‘From now on, stay far away from him. The farther, the better. Preferably never cross paths again.
Eventually, the carriage pulled up at Sunshine Palace. Just her luck–Amaris and Alistair were there too. Apparently, they were also here to pay their respects to the king and queen.
As Deborah lifted the curtain and caught sight of them, she immediately dropped it again in a panic. She thought, ‘What now? They thought Simon and I had been… fooling around in the carriage. If Damian got out now–gods, that would be a disaster.
Before she could say a word, Thomas’s voice came from outside, low and urgent. “Your Highness, the one who steps out now has to be ‘Prince
Simon.”
Damian didn’t reply, but his cold gaze fell on Deborah.
She froze. She thought, ‘Simon isn’t even in the palace–where am I supposed to find a ‘Prince Simon‘ now?‘
As if reading her thoughts, Thomas added, “Princess Deborah, do you have a way to draw a beauty mark for His Highness?”
Deborah glanced at Damian–and then it clicked.
If Damian had a beauty mark at the corner of his eye, he really would look exactly like Simon. But she wondered, ‘The king knows them both so well. Would he really not notice?‘
“Princess Deborah, Amaris and Alistair are headed this way,” Thomas reminded her again.
Particking, Deborah frantically rummaged through the small chest her maid had prepared. Somehow, she actually found a bit of rouge and powder.
Grabbing an eyebrow pencil, she scooted over to Damian and bit her lip. “Y–Your Highness…”
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She thought, ‘With his temper, who knows if he’d even help cover for me?‘
But before she could finish, his gaze darkened, and he asked coldly, “What did you just call me?”
“Your…” Deborah started. His face grew even stormier, and Deborah paused. Then a lightbulb went off in her head–he was agreeing!
“Si–Simon.” Deborah thought, ‘Yes. From now on, he has to be Simon. Otherwise, people would assume Damian and I have been fooling around in the carriage–and nothing can wash me clean.‘
A few moments later, a small beauty mark appeared at the corner of Damian’s eye.
But when Deborah looked at him, she was so stunned that the eyebrow pencil slipped from her fingers and clattered to the floor. The resemblance
-was uncanny.
In her mind, that face overlapped perfectly with the man who’d been on top of her last night. Her breath hitched.
Damian curled his lips into a cold smile. “Well? Can you still tell who it was–who pressed down on you last night?”
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