**A/N December 21, 2020 (yikes!) I'm officially off for the holidays in the first vacation I've had since Covid hit! So to celebrate, I finally busted through my writers' block and forced myself to sit down and write. That said, I figured you would all prefer more updates instead of me summarizing what had happened in past chapters. So, without further ado, welcome back to the Thomas and Nisha troublemaking...**

The next afternoon, Nisha and I were poring over a map of Ardalone and Vareinne that Giles had procured for me when Libby's knock finally came.

"I hope you have tea because I'm absolutely..." she trailed off. Her eyes grew wide as saucers when they landed on Nisha, running from the top of her head, past her baldric of knives, to her soundless leather boots. Nisha's eyes narrowed, flicking over Libby with a quick, professional assessment.

"Libby, this is Nisha," I said, "Nisha, this is my brother's betrothed, Libby. The tree-climbing, future queen of Pretania."

"She doesn't look like much of a tree-climber," Nisha replied. And she was right. Now that Mother had gotten her hands on Libby, even the way she walked had changed to better suit the dresses she now wore. If I didn't know any better, I'd have assumed she was a dainty, delicate courtier just like all the rest.

"She has knives," Libby said, a little breathlessly before she turned to me. "Is she Bazeran? Does she speak Pretanian? Can she teach me—"

"If you help us, I'm sure I can convince her to teach you a few things," I said, "Though I doubt Andy dearest would approve."

Libby fixed me with a look. "You can't just bring a Bazeran warrior woman to the palace and not expect me to demand to learn from her."

"I can be teaching you," Nisha said, surprising us both.

Libby's mouth popped open into a gleeful grin.

I folded my arms. "You said your Pretanian was rusty."

Nisha shrugged. "I have understanding. The speaking is difficulty."

Libby clapped her hands, bouncing on her toes. "Can we start now? Is that why you summoned me?"

"Not exactly," I said, "I summoned you because we need your help."

From the glow that had kindled in her eyes the moment Nisha had agreed to teach her, I knew that I didn't have to worry about Libby not helping us. I outlined the plan Nisha and I had come up with after a sleepless night of plotting.

Originally, we'd thought to stun the whole family by arriving to breakfast with Nisha on my arm. But the more we discussed it, the more I realized that there was only danger in antagonizing Adelaide that way. Especially when Beatriz' life hung in the balance. And especially when Dulciana would instantly suspect Frederico if a Bazeran suddenly showed up on my arm, living in the royal apartments. Instead, we'd decided that it was better for Adelaide to think I'd taken a liking to a stranger than for her to think that Nisha and I already knew one another.

"We'll have to pretend to be lovers when we're in public," I'd warned her.

She'd merely lifted an unimpressed eyebrow. "Clearly Beatriz didn't tell you enough about me. Especially if you think this is my first time convincing a royal court that I'm someone's lover."

That had stifled most of my qualms.

As for the rest, Nisha had assured me that Beatriz would understand. "If this helps free her and win Frederico his throne, she won't give a rat's ass whether your court thinks she's your first betrothed or your seventh."

But for the plan to work, everything hinged on Adelaide being unaware of the Bazerans' alliance with Frederico. If Dulciana hadn't told her about my supposed marriage to Beatriz, I doubted she'd told Adelaide anything more than she needed to. The risk was if Callum had ever said anything after Nisha and Beatriz had rescued me. He would have known that they were Bazeran, but Frederico and Shahnaz had marched on the fort Callum was cowering in while Beatriz and I had ridden to Vareinne. Nisha had no doubt that they'd successfully taken it, but we had no word as to whether they really had—or whether anyone had escaped to spread word of it beforehand. I comforted my quaking nerves with the knowledge that Callum had betrayed Dulciana when he'd caught me, more keen on using me to revoke his exile and marry his granddaughter, rather than delivering me to Dulciana to use as a pawn in her war. He would have no need to tell Adelaide about my rescue, not when I'd made it home.

Regardless, the plan was still a gamble. It was best one we had, if we had any hopes of keeping Nisha near enough to help spy on Adelaide, ferret out any other Ardalonian sympathizers, and protect me. And without being able to contact Frederico, without being sure that Adelaide had not found some other way to communicate with Ardalone, it was a gamble we would have to take.

"I'll do it," Libby said, before I'd even finished asking her. "But we need to leave now if we're both going to be ready for the ball in time."

"Make sure you're not seen," I told them, when Libby gestured for Nisha to follow her.

"I am never seen when I don't want to be," Nisha said, fixing me with a look before she inclined her head and followed Libby out the door.

Hours later, I hoped she was right. They were late, and I was about to burst from all Adelaide's vapid simpering as she clung to me at that evening's ball, among the sea of courtiers. Her perfume had stuffed itself up my nose again, and my teeth ached from the clenched grin I'd been forced to wear all evening.

And then, finally, Libby appeared.

"Andrew was hoping for a word with you both," she said, smiling politely at Adelaide, just like we'd planned.

"Wonderful," Adelaide said, her smile prickly. "Shall we, darling?"

I inclined my head, and we followed Libby through the crowd, towards Andrew.

Then, just as we'd planned, Nisha slammed into me.

Libby had really come through, and Nisha no longer looked like a Bazeran assassin. Instead, she wore one of Libby's gowns, her hair twisted up and pinned like a real Pretanian courtier. She'd even added a meek hunch to her shoulders that I'd never, ever seen before. I nearly burst into laughter as we both staggered, but I managed to clamp my mouth closed to preseve our ruse.

"Oh, heavens, forgive me please!" she blurted in her accented Pretanian, her eyes wide and panicked. She dropped a hasty curtsey. "Your Highness, I did not meaning to hit you."

Adelaide frowned at her, then tugged on my arm. "Come, Thomas. Your brother awaits."

I disentangled myself from her, careful to keep my expression curious. "The fault was entirely my own," I said, reaching for Nisha's satin-gloved hand. "Are you all right?"

Adelaide had frozen, two steps ahead of me, while Nisha looked up from her curtsey, lips parted in feigned shock as I helped her rise.

"You are much kind," Nisha said, ducking her head as if she were embarrassed. "I am right, are you?"

"A little jarred," I said, with best, most flirtatious grin. "What's your name?"

"Thomas," Adelaide said sharply.

I barely glanced at her, waving my hand dismissively. "Go on, I'll catch up."

Adelaide stiffened, fixing hawklike eyes on Nisha.

For the first time in my life, I watched Nisha shrink away from someone. "I am meaning no offensive," she said, eyeing Adelaide, "I am Faiza Al-Amin, and I am fear that I am step on feet in Pretania."

"Fear not, Faiza," I said gallantly, still not releasing her hand. "It sounds like you're not from around here."

"I am not, Your Highness. My father is spice importer from—"

Adelaide scoffed, interrupting Nisha. "Really, Thomas, we must—"

"I wasn't speaking to you," I said, ice in my tone, before it softened when I turned back to Nisha. "I hope to hear more of your story later, Faiza." I brought her gloved hand to my mouth. "Do save me a dance?"

Somehow, Nisha made herself blush as she curtseyed. "It would be my honoring."

"I look forward to it," I said, keeping my eyes on her for a beat longer than was entirely proper. Long enough to hope that the courtiers around us thought it was desire that kept my eyes on Nisha.

"Do you really think that humiliating me is wise?" Adelaide hissed through her teeth, when I finally turned my back on Nisha. "Remember what—"

"I remember," I mutter darkly, "But you should know that trapping me into a marriage doesn't mean I must be monogamous. Be happy with your throne, Adelaide. Because my fidelity was not part of this agreement."

Adelaide's face reddened as her jaw muscle clenched. "You dare—"

I seized her arm and wheeled the pair of us towards the terrace, trying not to smile that this was all going exactly accoridng to plan. Once the cool night air envelopped us, and we were safely away from prying ears, I said, "I dare quite a many things, darling. And you should learn to live with them. You knew how much I enjoyed flirting before I left. Did you really think all of that would stop just because you snared me in your trap?"

"It will," she said through her clenched teeth. "Or I'll tell Dulciana."

"Tell her what?" I demanded, hoping she didn't realize I was holding my breath. This was exactly what I needed to find out, and I hoped I'd insulted her enough for her to spew it at me.

"I'll tell her you're not respecting your agreement," Adelaide said with venom. "And then maybe I'll have her tell your beloved princess how you're a philandering cad who forgot about her the moment he set eyes on some other foreigner."

I laughed as relief loosened the knot between my shoulders. "And what, you expect Dulciana to murder her last bargaining chip for my father's armies because I wasn't faithful to you?"

She stiffened, lip quivering. But she said nothing. No hint that she thought Nisha was anything other than a pretty foreign face in an expensive gown.

It was working.

I rested a patronizing hand on her cheek, then tightened my fingers. "You might have my crown, Adelaide. But you'll never again have my desire, let alone my heart."

She had no retort to that either, so I left her there, bristling with rage in the moonlight, and strode back into the ball to find Nisha.

Unsurprisingly, a circle of intrigued courtiers had formed around her, and I wasn't entirely sure if how overwhelmed she looked was an act or not. When she caught sight of me striding towards her, relief flickered across her face before she sank back into her act. Her shoulders hunched once again, and she sank into a curtsey before any of the courtiers conversing with her saw me.

"Your Highness," she said.

"A dance," I replied, extending my hand.

She took it without a beat of hesitation. Whispers exploded in our wake, and I didn't bother fighting my smirk as I arranged Nisha into the proper hold for a waltz.

"I have fear, Your Highness, that I have not skill at dancing," she said, loud enough to be overheard.

"So much fear, Faiza." I chuckled. "You should feel nothing but safe with me." Leaning closer as if to whisper some sweet flirtation in her ear, I said quietly in Ardal, "You never said you were such a good actress."

For a second, Nisha's lip quirked into her dangerous grin. "I wasn't joking when I said I couldn't dance," she whispered back.

"Just think of it like sparring, but without all the punches."

She caught on after a few turns, muttering how she'd have much preferred it if we really were sparring instead. But her stumbles and miscounts were probably a good thing. She would've looked far more suspicious if she'd been an expert at Pretanian court dances when she was supposed to be a wealthy Bazeran spice merchant's daughter. I made sure to throw my head back with laughter a few times as we spun around the ballroom floor, and she somehow made herself blush again. I had to keep from guffawing at her shy, entirely-not-Nisha smiles, and we both made sure to hold a long, lingering stare when the dance ended.

"Thank you for the dance, Faiza," I said, loud enough to be overheard. When I was sure there were courtiers watching, I held my lips to her gloved hand for yet another beat longer than was proper.

"It was my pleasing, Your Highness," she replied, fluttering her lashes at me.

Then, as if I couldn't contain myself, I blurted out in a too-loud whisper, "Come to the gardens with me."

Three of the courtiers milling around us, searching for their next dance partners, glanced my way. I fought down a triumphant grin.

"Yes," Nisha replied breathlessly, clearly fighting a smile. She must have noticed the eavesdroppers too.

We didn't hurry from the dance floor. Instead, we took our time, painstakingly painting the picture of love at first sight. I nestled her hand in the crook of my arm, not tearing my eyes from her the entire way. She stared up at me, with parted lips and a doe-eyed look that once again had me on the brink of laughter. Before the ballroom door closed, I crushed her to me, in full view of whatever courtiers were still watching, and whirled her towards one of the shadowy corners of the terrace.

"Adelaide is gone," Nisha whispered, her hands moving over my back as if we really were kissing in the darkness. "It looks like we're alone."

"Good," I replied, releasing her. "Now we just have to hope this works."

**A/N: It's so good to be back! I'm going to hold off on promising more updates because, as I'm sure it's been for a lot of you, it's been one rough year. This will be the first time I'm spending the holidays without my family which is going to be incredibly hard, but I'm blessed that we can still celebrate safely, apart. I hope the same is true for all of you, dear readers, and I hope you're all staying as safe and healthy as you can.

So many of you have reached out to tell me how my stories have helped you get through these rough times, which has only solidified my desire to keep them free. That said, I'm building a newsletter list to see who would be interested in bonus content/previewing what's up next once The Rebel Prince is done. If you're interested, you can sign up using the link on my Wattpad profile, or check out my new website (katebechard.com - that link is in my profile too!) and sign-up using the form!

As always, if you enjoyed it, please take a moment to vote and comment :)**