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“Why must all those Orlesians crowd around me? You’d think they understand personal space from all those expensive etiquette classes,” Cullen mumbled, straightening the sash on his uniform.
Josephine chuckled, amusement spreading through her face.
“What?” Cullen asked, puzzled.
Josephine chuckled softly again before shaking her head.
“Oh Cullen you are a smart man, don’t tell ne you are this dense,” she joked, letting herself lean against a marble column.
“Lady Josephine,” he began, quirking an eyebrow, “Is this some sort of Orlesian mannerism I’d forgotten to take notes on?”
The amusement on Josephine’s face faded into bewilderment. Cullen never felt so stupid in his life.
“Cullen,” she said slowly, hesitation in her voice, “You really don’t know why they’re vying for your attention?”
Cullen sucked in a breath and shook his head.
Josephine’s eyes quickly averted to the floor as she swirled the wine glass in her hand.
“You’re a handsome man,” she said, almost too quickly for him catch.
Cullen felt something flutter in his stomach as his face collected warmth.
“Josephine…,” he managed, quietly and softly. Now he couldn’t look her in the eyes, but from what he could see, she couldn’t either.
Josephine cleared her throat.
“It’s…a lot of people think so,” she stuttered, “You’ve never noticed your recruits give you cow eyes?”
Cullen had forgotten how to exhale at the moment. Perhaps this was a prank, perhaps this wasn’t Josephine at all, just a trick from the liquor because why would she of all people…
“I’m…surprised to hear you say that,” he finally mustered along with a large exhale of breath.
He gathered the courage to glance at Josephine, who’s eyes still stuck to the floor, cheeks dusted with a warm red.
“And why is that? Didn’t take me for a complimenting type?” she teased. She still avoided his gaze, and instead let her thumb swirl around the rim of her wine glass.
Cullen felt a tingling in his toes, pondering if he should say what was trapped in his chest or not.
“I never expected to hear a compliment from such a beautiful woman,” he replied, feeling a lot like a trebuchet that’d been set off. He prayed to Andraste that he didn’t miss his target at least.
Josephine giggled, but not in amusement, in a way he’d never heard before. She bit her bottom lip and finally looked up at him.
Stars filled her eyes and Cullen felt the wind knock out of his lungs.
“C-cullen,” she stuttered, “I-I…you don’t have the return a compliment out of politeness, I already consider you a friend and it wouldn’t bother me…in fact I’m not really the beauty in my family, most people consider it to be Yvette. She is far fairer than I…”
The red-cheeked Josephine before him was a far cry from the composed and confident ambassador that had led them all in earlier that night.
It was…endearing…
“Josephine,” he interrupted politely.
She stopped, taking a shaky breath.
“I think you’re the most beautiful woman in this palace,” Cullen answered.
And suddenly, Josephine was at a loss for words. She instead flashed him a smile that melted his entire being.
So he returned it.
They stood there quietly, and between them there was something more than a fizzle but not quite a flame.