“Good evening,” he said. “You and the girls are settled?”

She nodded. “Thank you. The rooms are great. Your aunt thought of everything to make us feel at home.” She looked up at the imposing structure of the palace. “Sort of.”

He moved toward her. “It’s just a really big house, Kayleen. Do not let the size or history intimidate you.”

“As long as none of the statuary comes alive in the night and tries to chase us out.”

“I assure you, our statuary is most well-behaved.”

She smiled. “Thanks for the reassurance. No offense, but I doubt I’ll sleep well for the next couple of nights.”

“I hope that changes quickly.” He shrugged out of his suit jacket. “If you find my aunt forgot something, let someone on the staff know.”

“Sure.” Because every palace had a staff. And a king. And princes. “What do we call you? The girls and I. Your Highness? Prince As’ad?”

“You may all use my first name.”

“Really? And they won’t chop off my head for that?”

One corner of his mouth twitched. “Not for many years now.” He loosened his tie, then pulled it free.

Kayleen watched for a second, then looked away. He wasn’t undressing, she told herself. The man had the right to get comfortable after a long day of…of…being a prince. This was his balcony. She was the one who didn’t belong.

“You are uneasy,” he said.

She blinked. “How did you figure that out?”

“You are not difficult to read.”

Great. She had the sudden thought she wanted to be mysterious and interesting. Mostly interesting. Like that was going to happen.

“A lot has changed in a short period of time,” she told him. “This morning I woke up in my usual bed in the orphanage. Tonight I’m here.”

“And before you lived in El Deharia? Where did you sleep?”

She smiled. “In the Midwest. It’s very different. No ocean. No sand. It’s a lot colder. It’s already November. Back home the leaves would be gone and we’d be bracing for the first snowfall. Here, it’s lovely.”