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“Then she must not love you.”

“She loves me,” he said. “But she is a princess, and all princesses must marry.”

“Who says?”

The prince hesitated and then answered, “Her father.”

“And if her father is dead?”

“If he is dead and no one has married the princess, then there is no king.”

“So you wish to be king?” I asked.

The prince said nothing, and I knew I had hit at the root of his desire.

“So all this advice you have offered…?”

“I did not lie,” said the prince defensively. “You asked how to make a maiden fall in love with you, not how to fall in love withher.”

My face felt hot with frustration, but the prince was not wrong.

“So…has she fallen for you yet?” he asked.

“Would you be here if she had?”

The prince paled, but he was not deterred. “But you have fallen for her?”

“That is what I am trying to figure out,” I gritted out.

“Well, how do you feel?” he asked.

“Insane,” I said.

“I think you were insane before her,” said the prince.

I glared.

“I cannot describe it,” I said after a moment. “I only know that I do not wish to know the world without her.”

The prince hummed softly and then replied, “Well, if you are not in love, then that is a promising start.”

I met his gaze and scowled. “You are most unhelpful.”

I vanished, returning to my room. Naeve, who had been making my bed, yelped as I landed on the mattress. I ignored her, reached for a pillow, covered my face, and screamed.

“Feeling better?” the mirror asked when I was finished.

“No,” I said, the pillow muffling my snappy response.

Naeve yanked it off my face and then hit me with it. I scowled at her, and she hit me again.

“Why are you here? You should be wooing your creature! You have only three days to make her love you!”

“I have done all I could!” I said, sitting up.

“You mean you have fucked her?” asked Naeve.

“I did more than fuck, you naughty little sprite!”