death is the only ending for the trash queen

Part 16

Cale hated insincere smiles more than most anything but what she hated most of all were those who wore badges of nobility as a way of concealing how truly vile they were on the inside.

"May I sit here?"

Cale looked up into an unreadable smile and a delicately embroidered handkerchief held out to her. Of course she recognized him. Who wouldn't recognize the crown prince. But still, she looked into the eyes of a stranger as she weighed her reactions.

She ought to start out strong. Offending the crown prince would certainly solidify her reputation as the worst of the worst, especially given his amiable and friendly reputation. Yet... the thought was too exhausting for her at the moment. It could also prove to be a double-edged sword.

She wanted to be the trash of the Henituse family, not to cause her family any real harm. A miscalculation could do just that.

Cale shrugged and looked away without accepting his offering. She was aware of what a mess she looked like but one handkerchief wouldn't do anything to fix all the damage.

He chuckled and took a seat beside her.

It was strange but she didn't feel all that stifled around him. She wouldn't go as far as to say he wasn't a liar like the others but he felt... easy. A presence that didn't revolt her. Truly, it was a rarity among nobility.

"That was impressive." He said, eyes on the flowers around them and an amused smile twitching at the corners of his lips. "I don't think I've ever seen a noble lady flip a table before."

Cale snorted and rolled her eyes. "Shouldn't have fucked with me." She spat derisively, sure to add a drunken lilt to her words.

"You mean he shouldn't have fucked with young lady Amir Ubarr." His deep blue eyes turned to look at her, pinning her to the spot with a knowing look that sent a shiver down her spine. "She was the one he was harassing before you interfered."

"Didn't fucking see her." Cale defended with a clicked tongue. "It's not my business if that blond trash fucks with everyone in the kingdom."

It was a bit of a shock. Hearing the crown prince use such crass language, to have someone notice her true intentions when she dumped an entire table on Venion Stan, to have him speak to her at all.

She hid this anxiety behind her normal thug act. Sneering her words and twisting his. She was sure her act was perfect.

But Alver only looked amused. As though he was utterly convinced of what he saw.

She'd need to work harder to persuade him. She couldn't have a man of his influence soiling her bad reputation by proclaiming that she protected Amir or some other nonsense. Especially when she'd managed to do it in such a way that even Amir hadn't noticed her true intentions.

What a frustrating man.

"Let's say that's the truth then." He said breezily, looking back to their surroundings. She thought that he looked different like this. The crown prince that she'd seen in the ballroom looked... well, like everyone else. Stifling, greedy, fake, disgusting.

The man in front of her looked a touch tired and a bit amused and overall, pleasant.

Was this how the glib crown prince fooled others into liking him? She could admit it was a good act. She wasn't about to believe that he'd honestly just been impressed by her act of gallantry and come to congratulate her on it. That was far too sincere for a man in his position.

No, he would have something that he wanted from her. She was sure of it.

They lapsed into silence as she awaited his true intentions with suspicions bubbling underneath the surface. When none arose, she allowed herself to look towards the gardens as well.