As soon as we walk in the garden, Princess Lyland's friends reach us. They greet us with a curtsy, both of us.
It's the first time someone shows respect without seeming forced to.
Instead of walking away with her friends, her highness stays with me. She hasn't let go of my arm, and her smile didn't even falter. She's a natural.
I don't know whether she really likes me or not, but she hasn't acted disgusted even once. She did play a small trick on the Duke, the first time we met, but it wasn't directed at me.
Thanks to this realisation, I manage to smile at the Princess as sincerely as a woman like me can.
«This new style is really eye-catching,» the Princess says. She's talking in a normal tone, not too loud nor low. Still, everyone around us seems to hear her words well. I don't know if it's just my imagination, or if they're really listening closely.
