Page 58 of The Villainess Chose Naps Over Death Flags

"I wasn't being sarcastic," Caspian muttered.

"We know that now," Edwin said. "But at the time, it caused a very confusing week of me trying to figure out if I'd offended you somehow."

Several soldiers were now openly listening to this conversation, clearly entertained.

"What are the current odds?" one of them called out.

"Thomson has two weeks at three-to-one," someone replied. "Garrett went bold with one week at five-to-one. Most of the conservative bets are around the month mark."

"I put money on 'after he returns from this mission,'" Edwin said cheerfully. "The reunion will be emotional. She'll be worried. He'll be relieved to see her safe. Perfect moment."

Caspian stared at his best friend and captain. "You bet on my personal life."

"I bet on your happiness, Your Grace," Edwin corrected. "There's a difference."

"I'm not kissing my wife just to settle a betting pool."

"Of course not," Edwin agreed. "You'll kiss your wife because you want to. The betting pool is just keeping things interesting while we wait for you to figure that out."

"I'm not—" Caspian stopped. "This conversation is over. Mount up. We have monsters to kill."

"Changing the subject," Thomson observed. "Classic avoidance behavior."

"Thomson," Caspian said with forced patience. "I could reassign you to latrine duty."

"You could, Your Grace, but then you'd lose your best tracker, and we both know it."

He wasn't wrong.

Caspian mounted his horse and urged it forward, leaving his amused soldiers to follow.

Edwin caught up quickly, still grinning. "For what it's worth, Your Grace, I think she's genuine. I've been watching her too. The way she looks at you—that's not manipulation. That's attraction. Possibly even affection."

"You're speculating."

"I'm observing," Edwin corrected. "The same way you taught me to observe enemy movements and predict their intentions. Your wife watches you the way someone watches something they find fascinating and appealing. She blushes when you catch her looking. She makes excuses to spend time with you. She worries about your safety."

"She tried to poison me three weeks ago."

"And she's been apologizing and changing her behavior ever since," Edwin countered. "Your Grace, I understand being cautious. But at some point, you're going to have to decide whether to trust the evidence in front of you or keep waiting for the other shoe to drop."

Caspian rode in silence, processing that.

The evidence suggested Caroline was genuine. Her concern this morning. Her blushing throughout tea earlier today. The way she'd called him 'my husband' so naturally, as if the possessive meant something.

But evidence could be manufactured. Behavior could be calculated.

Except... calculating this level of consistent behavior change, maintaining it across dozens of interactions with different people, would require extraordinary effort and planning. And Caroline before had been impulsive, reactionary.

"You're thinking too hard again," Edwin observed.

"I'm being tactical."

"You're being scared," Edwin said, more gently. "Which is fair. She hurt you. Trapped you into a marriage you didn't want. But Your Grace—if she's genuinely trying to change, genuinely trying to build something real with you, don't you owe it to yourself to at least consider the possibility?"

Caspian thought about Caroline's smile when he'd agreed to let her keep Mochi. About the way she'd thanked him so earnestly. About how she'd looked in that courtyard, worried for his safety.

"So will I."