Chapter 2

TWO

F or a moment, their eyes met, and Mila felt a jolt of... something. It wasn’t quite attraction—she wasn’t ready to admit to that—but it was a spark of recognition. Here was someone who, despite all their differences, might actually understand her passion for science and technology. It was both thrilling and terrifying.

The moment passed quickly, and Mila turned back to her work, hoping the heat she felt in her cheeks wasn’t visible. “Well, if you’re going to hang around, you might as well make yourself useful. Hand me that calibrator, will you?” She pointed to a small device on a nearby table. “Unless handling Earth tech is beneath your royal dignity.”

Roqron raised an eyebrow but complied, passing her the tool. As their fingers brushed during the exchange, Mila felt that same jolt again, stronger this time. She pushed the feeling aside, focusing instead on the task at hand and definitely not on how warm his skin had felt against hers.

“So,” Roqron said, leaning against the workstation in a way that should have looked awkward given his formal attire but somehow came across as effortlessly graceful, “what exactly are you hoping to discover with this... Earth technology of yours?”

Mila glanced up at him, a challenging glint in her eye. “Oh, you know, just trying to unravel the mysteries of your planet’s ecosystem. There’s something... off about the readings I’ve been getting. Nothing too alarming yet, but definitely worth investigating further.” She paused, then added with a smirk, “I was thinking of curing the common cold, too, but I thought I’d save that for next week.”

Roqron’s expression shifted from curiosity to concern, then to something that looked almost like respect. “You’ve noticed anomalies in our ecosystem?” The seriousness in his tone caught Mila off guard.

“Well, ‘anomalies’ might be a strong word at this point,” Mila replied, her own tone becoming more thoughtful. “But the data I’ve collected so far shows some interesting patterns. Your planet’s core elements are behaving in ways that don’t quite match up with what we’d expect based on similar ecosystems we’ve studied. It’s subtle, but it’s there.”

She pulled up a holographic display of her findings, pointing to a series of graphs and charts. “See these fluctuations? They’re small but consistent. It could be nothing, just a quirk of Tharvisian biology we haven’t encountered before. But...”

“But it warrants further investigation,” Roqron finished for her, his dark eyes studying the display intently.

“Exactly,” Mila nodded, pleasantly surprised by his quick understanding. “I’m not saying there’s any immediate danger or anything dramatic like that. But in my experience, when it comes to complex ecosystems, it’s better to be thorough. Small imbalances can sometimes lead to bigger problems down the line if they’re not addressed.”

For a long moment, Roqron was silent, his gaze moving from the holographic display to Mila and back again. When he spoke, his voice was low and thoughtful. “I appreciate your diligence, Mila. Our own scientists haven’t reported anything unusual, but perhaps... perhaps they haven’t been looking closely enough.”

Mila snorted softly. “Let me guess, they’re too busy admiring the shiny parts of your ecosystem to dig into the nitty-gritty details? Scientists can be like that sometimes, get too comfortable with what they think they know.”

“Something like that,” Roqron admitted, a hint of amusement creeping into his voice. “We pride ourselves on our advanced understanding of Tharvis, but perhaps that pride has blinded us to potential issues.”

“Well,” Mila said, turning back to her scanner with renewed determination, “lucky for Tharvis, I come with fresh eyes and an Earth-sized dose of scientific skepticism. I’m here to do thorough, unbiased research, and if that means questioning some long-held Tharvisian beliefs about your ecosystem, so be it. They can put that in the marriage contract under ‘special skills.’”

Roqron’s lips curved into a genuine smile—the first real one Mila had seen from him. It transformed his face, making him look younger, more approachable, and devastatingly handsome. Her heart skipped a beat, and she silently cursed her traitorous hormones.

“I’m beginning to see why my father thought this alliance might be... beneficial,” Roqron said, his eyes twinkling with what might have been amusement.

Mila rolled her eyes, but there was a hint of humor in her voice when she replied, “Oh please, don’t start with the whole ‘marriage of convenience’ spiel. I’m trying to work here, and thinking about our impending nuptials might make me break out in hives. Or worse, make me recalibrate this thing wrong and blow up half the palace. Speaking of which…” she said, looking away, “how about we keep this between us for a bit? I don’t want to start an unnecessary panic, especially if I’m wrong.”

He gave her a nod. “I agree. This will be our secret.”

As they settled into a surprisingly comfortable silence, Mila found herself stealing glances at Roqron while he watched her work with undisguised fascination.

Sure, the guy was stiffer than a starched collar most of the time, but there were moments when she caught glimpses of something more—intelligence, curiosity, and a dry wit that matched her own.

But then again, with her sisters scattered across the place, a planet’s ecosystem hanging in the balance, and her own conflicting feelings about marriage and duty swirling in her mind, Mila knew better than to count on anything going smoothly. After all, in her experience, the universe had a way of throwing curveballs just when you least expected them.

With a determined set to her jaw, she dove back into her work, trying to ignore the way Roqron’s presence seemed to fill the room. Whatever challenges lay ahead—personal or planetary—Mila Arison was ready to face them head-on, armed with nothing but her wit, science, and perhaps, though she wasn’t ready to admit it yet, an unexpectedly intriguing alien prince at her side.

“So,” she said, breaking the silence and glancing up at Roqron with a mischievous grin, “while we’re waiting for this data to process, want to place bets on what my sisters are up to? My money’s on Venus and Raelee taking advantage of your brothers while Zora’s staging a plant revolution in the gardens.”

Roqron’s startled laugh echoed through the lab, and Mila felt a warmth in her chest.

He glanced at his wrist. “It’s almost time for tonight’s banquet to begin,” he said.

“Oh, right,” she replied. “I’d conveniently forgotten about that. Thanks.”

He laughed again and left the room, leaving her exasperated. Good thing she was hungry, or she would’ve forgotten about the banquet once again. She wanted to attend, but not because she was looking forward to eating.