Evelyn's POV

I stood there, staring at my feet, avoiding his eyes. Neither of us spoke a word in the past three minutes, although it felt more like an hour, possibly because I counted each second in my head, all one hundred and eighty of them. I mentally scolded myself for wasting this time. This is what I wanted, wasn't it? Adele made it possible. We didn't even have a nosy chaperone nearby. I couldn't let her efforts go to waste. I put on a brave face and looked up, startled to find him staring back at me. I wondered what thoughts ran through his mind. I took in a deep breath and let it out before speaking up.

"We're to be married." I stated the obvious.

Intelligent, Evelyn, very keen observation.

"This is what Adele interrupted my fencing lesson for? I'm not senseless, I know that we're getting married." He scoffed.

I cringed. Hearing it from the horse's mouth forced my decision into perspective - and not a very bright one.

"Our wedding is in four days, Ashton!" I exclaimed in a shaky voice.

"And your point is?"

"You don't understand. We have no substantial relationship, yet we must act as if we do. How are we to manage?"

"There is nothing to manage! You're free to galavant with whomever you please and I'll keep my own liberty. I couldn't care less and you should learn to do the same."

His cold tone gave me no ease.

"Do you truly desire such an image?"

"Well, what is it that you want, then?"

"Imagine the rumors of unrest that would spread about our marriage. As much as I would like to live in blissful ignorance of each other, we will soon represent a reign. What kind of monarchs would we be if we ourselves didn't preserve a united front?"

"To the depths of hell with the kingdom's image. In fact, I'm only agreeing to this for my mother's sake. It's not for the kingdom, it's not for the Crown, and it's most certainly not for you." He spat while rising from the bench.

His words pierced through my heart. My eyes stung and my bottom lip quivered. I glared at him, bewildered.

"I thought that we could have bonded enough to tolerate each other, but I suppose that's impossible." I replied softly before swiftly turning around and pacing back inside.

From the corner of my eye, I saw him turn away from me. I'm such an imbecile. How could I have wished to talk to him, when things ended like this, worse than how they started? It would have been better if I simply left things as they were.

Then and there, I knew I would have to let go of a few things to better prepare for the future.

My sanity being one of them.

I watched Adele's bright smile falter when she took in my appearance. Her eyebrows furrowed into a blend of confusion and concern. Immediately, she could tell that things had not gone as well as she had hoped.

"My dear brother deserves a beating, a good one at that." She muttered as she dramatically rolled up her sleeves.

"Don't bother, it will only be a waste of your effort. I need some time to myself, please let the others know that I've excused myself for the day." I struggled to keep my voice steady.

Her eyes filled with sympathy as she nodded and let me be.