Chapter 4 Scent
‘Anne, that outfit really suits you.’ Grandpa Renan gave me an approving nod as I approached.
‘Thank you, Grandpa,’ I said, flashing a smile.
Caspar Grimaldi stroked his little patch of white beard and sighed wistfully. ‘Every time I see Anne, my heart aches a little. Why wasn’t this child born into our family?’
Renan’s head snapped up like he’d just been personally attacked. ‘Caspar, what the hell do you mean? You planning to steal my granddaughter? You wanna fight?’
Caspar turned his head away, suddenly finding the chessboard very interesting. ‘I meant nothing,’ he muttered, placing a piece. ‘Check. You lost another one.’
‘Losing a piece means nothing. I’m still winning.’ Renan, now completely absorbed in the game, waved me off.
I turned to Mireille, the Grimaldi family’s impeccably poised daughter, and gave her a polite nod. She returned the gesture with a perfectly practised, elegant smile. Then my eyes flicked to Leander Grimaldi—who, to my surprise, was already looking at me.
‘Miss de Valois,’ he greeted me, smiling in that quiet, reserved way of his.
I hoped he couldn’t hear how loud my heartbeat was. ‘How many times do I have to tell you? Call me Anne. Also, you look taller.’
I took a step closer, standing right beside him and tilting my head to measure. He was just about at my eye level now.
I wanted to ruffle his hair—it looked so soft, the kind of silky perfection you just know would feel amazing under your fingers. But given my… questionable intentions, I kept my hands firmly to myself. No need to trigger his defences just yet.
‘Yeah, I grew a little. I’m 175 cm now,’ Leander said, his big, luminous eyes catching the sunlight. ‘Still shorter than you, though.’
I stared at him for a beat too long, completely distracted by those ridiculously pretty eyes. They were deep and bright at the same time, like polished glass reflecting light, and for a second, I thought—
‘Anne?’ His voice pulled me back to reality.
Shit.
His cheeks had turned the faintest shade of pink, and—oh god—his eyelashes. They fluttered when he blinked, like soft little butterfly wings, and suddenly my heart was doing something weird in my chest.
I spun around so fast I nearly gave myself whiplash. ‘Uh—why don’t I show you both the garden?’ I asked Mireille, desperate for a distraction.
She nodded. ‘That sounds lovely.’
I turned back to Leander. ‘You coming?’ My voice came out softer than usual. I barely even recognised it.
‘Of course.’ He smiled again, all warmth and quiet charm, and I had to remind myself to breathe properly.
Pull it together, Anne.
I stood up and turned to the old men still locked in their intense chess battle. ‘Grandfather, Mr Grimaldi, I’m taking Mireille and Leander to see the garden.’
‘Mm, go ahead,’ they both muttered, eyes never leaving the board.
Right. Chess first, granddaughters second. Noted.
Despite it being autumn, Château Valois-sur-Loire’s gardens were still lush and bursting with life. Instead of surrendering to the season’s chill, the flowerbeds were staging their own floral rebellion. Dahlias, chrysanthemums, late-blooming roses, and delicate violets lined the winding paths, spilling over in audacious defiance of the coming cold. Overhead, trellises thick with ivy wove a dense canopy, making it feel like we were tucked under nature’s own emerald duvet.
Linnea had latched onto Mireille, enthusiastically dragging her from one flowerbed to the next like a child showing off their playground. Meanwhile, I found myself walking a little behind with Leander.
Not that I minded. Quite the opposite.
I took a deep breath. The air was saturated with the heady perfume of blossoms—sweet, earthy, intoxicating. But beneath that, something else lingered, something warm and maddeningly familiar.
Leander’s scent.
It had been like this since he turned eighteen, this subtle but utterly addictive fragrance that clung to him. I didn’t know if it was his cologne, his soap, or just some unfair genetic lottery win, but whatever it was, it messed with my head. Every time I got close, something inside me whispered, Eat him.
Of course, that was ridiculous. I didn’t actually want to devour him. Not entirely.
I just wanted him right there. Close enough to reach out and touch whenever I pleased.
God, I was hopeless. Beyond saving. Every time I saw him, that thought played on a loop in my brain: Annelise, you’re screwed.
A light breeze rustled the treetops, sending a few golden leaves drifting down. One landed delicately on Leander’s shoulder, and of course, he didn’t notice. But I did.
With sudden purpose, I stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
Leander, startled, looked up at me.
Up close, I could see the exact moment his brain registered just how little space existed between us. His big, impossibly bright eyes flicked over my face, catching the reflection of himself in my irises.
His cheeks went pink.
He made the tiniest movement, like he might step back, but before he could, I caught his hand.
Not tightly. Just enough. Just so he’d know I meant it.
His gaze darted down to our hands, then back to my face.
His blush deepened, spreading like ink dropped in water.
I had to bite back a smile. He had no idea how dangerously charming he was, did he?
‘Don’t move. You’ve got something on your shoulder,’ I murmured, my voice dropping lower than usual. I swear I wasn’t trying to be seductive, but judging by how Leander suddenly stopped breathing, maybe I was.
I lifted my hand, brushing a stray leaf from his shoulder, then—purely for practical reasons, obviously—gave him a few slow, deliberate pats before pulling away.
I didn’t want to move my hand. I wanted to keep it right there, fingers splayed over the warmth of his shoulder, maybe slide it down just a little—okay, stop. That was a dangerous thought. Instead, I clenched my jaw and withdrew, pretending like my fingers weren’t tingling with regret.
Leander blinked at me, then glanced at the leaf in my hand before offering me one of those sweet, innocent smiles that had no business being so lethal. ‘Thanks, Anne.’ His voice was soft, syrupy, with just the tiniest hint of a pout—like he was born to be spoiled.
I nearly lost my goddamn mind.