Chapter 38 - You Arent Catherine (1/2)

Mariela was an interesting person to spend time with because on one hand, she was intelligent and well spoken, but on the other she seemed to prefer listening to me talk.

We couldn't exactly rehash the events of our days in the typical form of small talk I was used to because our schedules were too similar.

Instead, she would talk about a wide variety of princessy topics she was an expert in and I would amuse her with stories from my childhood that were slightly modified so they would fit within the realms of possibility for this world.

Al was the only one I kept slipping up around talking about home.

I knew that Mariela was my best chance at getting to Franz so I had to cultivate this relationship carefully.

Did I feel guilty about having ulterior friendship motives? Yes. But I wasn't completely horrible—when I wasn't pushing for information I genuinely enjoyed talking to her.

It was nice having a female friend in this world. Girls talk differently to each other than they do to guys. Plus Mariela was much less stressful to be around than Al because I didn't have to walk through a minefield of dangerous topics.

Nothing seemed to offend her. Or maybe that was just her princess training at work. Oops.

”You talk about your sister frequently,” Mariela noted as I finished up a story about the time Abby and I tried catching fish in a cup at a lake and she ended up with a frog on her head, bringing on her lifelong fear of frogs.

”I thought your sister was nearly ten years younger than you but the way you talk about her makes the two of you seem around the same age.”

I sighed. She could be too perceptive sometimes.

”Remember when you said I understood longing for a home I couldn't go back to and I said you wouldn't believe me? It has to do with that.”

Setting down her tea cup, Mariela gazed at me with an impenetrable expression.

”You…are not Catherine du Pont, are you?”

My mouth dropped open. How on earth had she come to that conclusion? Seeing my reaction, she clapped her hands together in delight.

”I knew it! But who are you? And how did you end up with the earl's family? Did she run away and you were contracted to take her place to be presented before the monarchy?”

Her eagerness surprised me. How could she be so calm when discussing an imposter sneaking her way into the palace?

Oh yeah, she wasn't from Annalaias. She probably couldn't care less about what went on in this country as long as it didn't affect her negatively on a personal level.

”It's a bit more complicated than that,” I hedged.

Would she believe me if I told her the truth? Or should I go with her idea?

Oh, I wasn't good at coming up with things on the spot! If I made something up I would have to keep track of all the lies I told.