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“Well, he looked fine when I talked to him” Zoe wasn’t about to tell De his son

De came out

“What?” Concern filled her “Demetrius, what’s the matter?”

“I thinkmatchmaker”

She’d gotten that feeling earlier at the palace, but she never thought the king would take it this far Her gaze lifted and met Demetrius’s Her heart pitter-pattered faster and faster If only

“Don’t worry I’ll take care of this I’ll h” Demetrius’s tone lacked emotion And then he turned away “Who’s ready for some presents? Ho-ho-ho”

Demetrius was a far better actor than she It took all of her deter up If it wasn’t for the hopeful faces and the excited voices, she’d have never h the afternoon

They never had a chance to speak privately again She told herself that it was for the best The less contact they had the better it’d be

But none of those excuses eased the pain She loved Demetrius more now than the day she’d married him And even if she didn’t have the threat of that dreaded disease hanging over her head, Demetrius didn’t want her He’d finally realized she wasn’t cut out to be a princess—his princess

He couldn’t get Zoe out of his thoughts

Demetrius paced back and forth in his office It was the only peaceful place in the palace Tonight was the Royal Christiven the entire staff the day off in order to prepare for the big event

“I thought I’d find you down here”

Delanced up to find his twin, Alex, standing in the doorway “When did you get back from the States?”

“Last night I thought I’d see you at dinner—”

“I wasn’t hungry” He’d barely eaten a bite since his relationship with Zoe had disintegrated right before his eyes

“Fro up food, you’ve given up shaving and co your hair”