Page 21

Ava

O scar and Giselle’s voices rang in my mind as I dragged myself up the palace stairs. I could still feel their eyes on me—two pairs of narrowed peepers burning holes in me as I left the day’s lesson. I was eager for a nap, eager for rest, eager to ignore how with each passing day I felt more and more lost and out of place.

Most of all, I missed Luc. It’d only been two days since our little kitchen tryst, but there was no mistaking how he’d been ignoring me, going out of his way not to see or talk to me. Why? Had he just wanted sex and that was it? I mean, I knew men liked to think with their dick, but I couldn’t help but feel that seducing the princess only to toss her aside was a lot of effort to then ignore her.Especially when a man that looked like him probably had to swat women away like flies.

Either way, I wanted to see him. I didn’t like to dwell on it, but I couldn’t help but wonder why he hadn’t been around. As I made the last steps up the stairs only to spot Kinley, the palace tailor, waiting at my door, I pushed the thoughts out of my head. I might’ve been new to this royal life of mine, but I didn’t need any special training to know that I couldn’t be seen walking around the palace sulking over the king’s right hand.

“Hello!” Kinley said, her eyes wide and her smile warm and genuine. “I mean, greetings, Princess!” Kinley stood next to a wheeled clothes rack, a big black dress bag hanging from it.

“You don’t need to do all that formal stuff,” I said. “I’m pretty much bombing the whole being a princess thing, so it doesn’t make much sense to worry about calling me that.”

“Something wrong?” she asked.

I paused, realizing I was dumping on the poor girl.

“Sorry, it’s just been a particularly rough session with Oscar and Giselle.”

An expression of understanding showed on her face. “Oh, I know exactly what you mean.”

“Really?”

“Really. Anyone who works here at the palace has to take etiquette training lessons, a month of them, in fact. The king loves his tradition and protocol, so we have to spend a little time learning how to properly walk and such for when VIPs are here. I was terrible at it. I swear, by hour ten of walking about with those books on my head only to have them fall to the ground, I was positive that Oscar was going to lose his mind.”

I laughed. “Oh my God, I’m so bad with this stuff. Today was all about how to take proper bites like a—”

“Lady,” she said with a laugh, speaking in Oscar’s posh London accent. “Oh, I know.”

“I’m trying not to mess up, but it’s so funny the way Oscar’s nostrils flare whenever he’s upset.”

“Or the way Giselle opens and closes her hands like this.” She held her hand up, making a fist by curling in one finger at a time, then opening her fist the same way.

We laughed together.

“Yes, exactly like that!” I said.

When we had a chance to catch our breath, Kinley gestured toward the clothes rack next to her.

“I know you have a million things on your mind, but there is something important you and I need to discuss.”

“Is that for me?”

“It is. And… well, why don’t we go into your chambers and talk?”

I opened the door and let her in, Kinley pushing the dress rack in front of her. Once we were inside and the door was shut, Kinley she closed her eyes and let out a sigh.

“So, here’s the deal. I’m going to show you your dress for the Harvest Ball. This was something I made per your father’s instructions. The king has seen it and has decided that it would be perfect for his daughter.”

She held up her hands. “It’s not your style at all. But bear with me. And don’t feel bad about telling me what you think, I can take it.”

With that, she opened the bag, a flash of pink fabric catching my eye. I watched with disbelief as she slipped the dress from the bag, hanging it up against the rack to let me get a good look at it.

“ That’s the dress?” I asked. “It’s so… pink .”

It was the understatement of the century. The dress was designed with a full skirt, long sleeves, a square neckline and lots and lots of lace. It was hard to even see how a woman could wear it without getting lost in the thing.

“Powder pink, to be exact,” Kinley said. “It was, ah, made to your father’s specifications, like I said. Believe it or not, this was one of my more understated pieces at one point.”

I stepped over to the dress, putting my hand on it and slowly dragging my fingers over the fabric.

“I mean, it’s nice, don’t get me wrong. I’m not exactly a fabric and design girl, but even I can tell it’s well made. Still…”

“Still…” Kinley echoed with a smile that let me know she was on the same page. “It’s a little much.”

“It’s a little much,” I agreed. “I don’t think I’ve ever worn anything this girly in my life.”

“Your father is very traditional about such things,” Kinley said. “And he took me aside to make sure that your body art, as he called it, wouldn’t be visible.”

“Of course. God forbid my true self be seen.”

Kinley pursed her lips, making it clear that she empathized with me.

“I know this is one more out-of-your-element thing on top of so many others. But I’m confident that with a little work, we can come up with something that you’ll look and feel great in. That’s my job, after all.”

I couldn’t help but smile at her positive attitude.

“Alright. Let’s try it on.”

I stepped behind the dressing partition and changed, Kinley helping me into the dress and keeping me abreast of all the new gossip from the serving staff. She was wonderful, knowing just how to keep my spirits up.

“Princess, forgive me if I’m stepping out of line, but you seem a bit distracted. Is… everything alright?”

The answer was no. But how the hell was I supposed to talk about it with anyone? I glanced over at Kinley as she moved about, checking over the dress. The warm look in her eyes let me know that she was someone I could trust.

“I’m worried about my business back home.”

“In Seattle? With the food truck?”

“Yep. I talked with Hailey a couple of days ago about how everything’s going. She said she’s fine but I can tell she’s running herself ragged. And I feel terrible because not only am I not there, but I am barely able to talk to her with the time difference.”

“That must be difficult,” she empathized.

She went about making notes on a small pad of paper as she looked over the dress, waiting for me to continue.

“Is that all that has you preoccupied?”

“It’s Luc,” I blurted out without thinking.

Kinley stopped her work, her hands in midair as she looked up at me with eyebrows arched in surprise.

“Lucas?” she asked, tentatively returning to the fitting. “What about him?”

How could I explain while leaving out the most important part of the story?

“It’s just… he was the first person I got to know when I first arrived. He found me in Seattle, brought me here, showed me the ropes. And he’s always just been there, you know? All of a sudden, it’s like he’s washed his hands of me and I’m confused about it. Did I do something wrong?”

She shook her head. “It makes perfect sense, Princess, that you’d be concerned. You’re in a completely unfamiliar situation, which means you’re going to value whatever familiarity you have—even if it’s in the form of a grumpy man like Luc.”

I smiled, pleased that she understood. Kinley paused her fitting and glanced away, as if something had occurred to her.

“Now, I can’t speak to why Luc might be keeping his distance from you. Believe it or not, he’s not the sort of man to be forthcoming when it comes to his emotions.”

“Oh, I can most definitely believe that.”

“All the same, he’s been acting different lately.”

“Different? How?”

“It’s hard to say. I can’t believe that I’m using a word like this to describe Luc, but he almost seems chipper. Like there’s a spring to his step that wasn’t there before. And I’m not the only one who’s noticed. Everyone on the staff is wondering why Luc is acting the way he is.”

It took all the effort I had to suppress a smile. After all, I had a very good idea why he might be acting a little happier.

“It’s as if the chip on his shoulder has become smaller,” she said. “It’s so odd.”

“What’s with that chip, anyway?” I asked. “I mean, the guy’s living in the royal palace, has one of the best jobs in the country. You’d think he’d be a little more cheerful instead of grouchy and closed off.”

Kinley opened her mouth to speak but hesitated before any words came out.

“Sorry, that was prying a little,” I conceded. “You don’t have to say anything. But if you did, it’d stay between the two of us.”

Kinley smiled. “I know. I trust you. But before I say anything, I have to make it super clear that this is just my own suspicion.”

“Of course.”

She formed her mouth into a flat line as if trying to decide where to begin.

“What I think is that Luc is a man who has given so much of himself away in the service of the king. And with him, the king isn’t just the king, right? He’s his best friend. I’m sure it’s nice for him to have such a relationship, but at the same time, I would imagine it comes with many complications.”

“Yeah, I can imagine it might blur some lines.”

“He’s spent two decades working for King Alaric. He responds to every order without question, valuing loyalty to his king above all else. It’s admirable, but at the same time…”

“He’s had to put aside what he wants to do.”

Kinley nodded. “You get it. Whatever his hopes and dreams might’ve been over the years, they took a backseat to whatever the king wanted. It’s his job, sure, but at the same time, that’s so much to give of oneself. You know, you’re about the age he was when he started here. If you want my theory, it’s that having you here has reminded him of what it was like to be this age, to have his youth in the palm of his hand, his future still yet to be lived.” She shook her head. “Anyway, it’s just my theory, as I said.”

I’d assumed that our hookup had been the reason for Luc showing the sunnier side of his personality. What Kinley was saying made total sense, however. What if my being here had shown him a part of life that he’d forgotten about? After all, it didn’t seem like romance came with the territory of being the king’s right hand.

Kinley made one more adjustment to the dress, backing away and nodding when it was done.

“Want to take a look?”

“I don’t know, do I?”

She laughed. “It’s not so bad, Princess. Trust me.”

She led me by the hand over to the three-panel mirror in the closet. I stepped onto the platform and looked into the mirror.

“It’s pink,” I said. “Very, very, very pink.”

I looked like a head and arms and feet poking out of a big cloud of pink and lace.

“I mean, it’s pretty,” I said. “But still…”

“It’s not your style, I know. The king’s going to love it, though, if that’s any small consolation.”

Only a short time remained until I’d be making my big debut in front of the entire kingdom. I should’ve been more focused on that. But all I could think about was Luc.