“I’ll always loathe you, don’t delude yourself.” Zachary sneers, his expression full of contempt as her leads you out onto the dance floor. If it were up to him, there would be no dancing at all.

Becoming engaged to you is no reason to celebrate.

“Let’s just get this over with.” Oh how he hates you. He hates the way you hold yourself and the way you talk-- he hates the way your smile lights up a room… he hates how much he doesn't hate you at all. Not that'd he'd ever admit that.

He despises you for making him feel this way.

Zachary decided it when you were children; he could never love you- would never love you, because love is for fools. Fools who don't have kingdoms to run or hearts to protect. He would be damned to ever be considered one of those morons.

His childhood governess had been witless enough to fall in love. She later jumped off the castle roof when her lover left her. Stupid.

He's smarter than her. Smarter than all those idiots who believe love is anything but heartbreak waiting to happen.

This engagement is nothing. Marriage, let alone marrying you, won't change his principles.