Page 43 of Royal Resistance

He didn’t question much.

Even knowing Magnus for such a short time, I can tell he’ll be better at looking after his country than my father ever was.

And already, I can tell I’ll have more to do here in Laandia than I ever would back in Avelaine.

Duncan spends most of his time at the castle and usually joins us for dinner. And it’s not awkward with the three of us. In fact, it’s the opposite—having someone else in the room makes it more comfortable to be with Magnus.

What I know about my new husband, I like, but there still is a lot that I don’t know.

Duncan helps me find out more.

They tell me stories of touring with the band. How they started out thinking of each other as rivals, but soon grew to be as close as brothers. They bounce ideas off each other, finish each other’s sentences, and have a way of silently communicating that I might be jealous of, had I not become so fond of Duncan. He’s smart and charming, well-spoken, and so attractive.

But he’s not Magnus.

17

Magnus

“How’s married life?” Duncan asks one day as I sign some paperwork in my office.

It’s been almost a month since the wedding, and we’ve been so caught up with the summit meetings to talk about much else.

It was a successful summit in that I don’t think I embarrassed myself. And the rest of the world was waiting for it. Thanks to Selene, and Duncan as well, I handled myself better than I expected.

Marrying Selene was a good move.

I keep my head down as I flip through the papers before adding my signature. “It’s good.”

“Good. Just good?”

When I glance up, Duncan is studying me with a serious expression. “Would you rather it be bad?”

Duncan frowns. “I think I’d rather you be happy with your wife.”

“Who says I’m not happy? I’m very happy with Selene. Look at the insights she gave us for the meeting. I never would have known half of that without her.”

“We didn’t have time for a lot of research,” Duncan says with a touch of defensiveness.

“That wasn’t a criticism. I think the three of us work well together.”

Duncan hums under his breath. I suddenly wonder if he misses singing, and if he still does it in private. I haven’t picked up my guitar in months. “What about when it’s just the two of you?” he asks.

“We work well together,” I say with my own touch of defensiveness.

“What about when you’re not at work?”

I laugh. “Are you asking for details? And is this for you or Dee, because she’s always asking about stuff like that.”

Deflecting. Selene would say I’m deflecting.

“I definitely don’t want you to kiss and tell–”

My face falls. And Duncan sees it and knows me well enough to realize why. “Should I be asking you to kiss and tell?” he asks.

“I’m not—no…” I bend over the papers again, rereading the same passage and not understanding any of it.

“How is the kissing?” Duncan presses.