"Is it really true?"
Amelia's voice was barely above a whisper as she stepped closer, her breath misting in the cold air between us.
A faint, sweet scent drifted from her pink hair as she leaned in, eyes narrowing with quiet suspicion.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, feigning ignorance.
She gave me a look that said she wasn't buying it. "Don't play dumb. Is it true that Alice is aiming for the dukedom?"
I paused, letting a small smile play at the corner of my lips. "Well, I believe you would know better than I do."
Her brow furrowed slightly, the corners of her lips twitching—not quite a smile, not quite irritation. She'd spent enough time studying Alice's character to see through me. There was no way she didn't know that what I said before—the whole "duchess" line—had been nothing but a carefully placed lie to move her father's hand.
