by Leah Rooper
“Oh, that little girl from the party who was hanging off your arm all night?” Lyle says. “I figured she was just your plaything for the night. She’s quite pretty, though. For a commoner.”
My fingers dig into my palms. Lyle can insult me all he wants…but to bring Madison into this? I wish I’d hit him harder on the ice. Hit him hard enough he couldn’t flap that arrogant, pompous mouth of his ever again.
“We should get going,” Tremblay says, standing. He tugs on my sleeve and I follow his lead.
“Oh,” Idina pouts. “But can we take a photo first?”
“I guess.” I shrug.
All the girls stand up and throw their arms around me. Idina shoots a glare at Tremblay until he backs out of the photo, and she hands her phone to Lyle who snaps a couple pictures.
“Now one of just us!” she says to me as the other girls sit down.
“Uh, okay.”
“Smile, Prince Daniel,” Lyle says.
I look at his smug face. That’s so weird—he never calls me Prince Daniel. But before I can think anymore, Idina grabs my face and kisses me on the mouth just as the flash goes off.
I blink, stumbling backward. She smiles and pats me on the cheek. Lyle’s laughing.
“Hey!” I stammer.
“Such a cute face.” She grins at me.
I turn to Tremblay, and his eyes are wide. He rushes forward. “Well, I better take this cute face home now, before we—”
But just then, the waitress comes over to us and sets a large tray down on the table. On the tray rests five crystal glasses of flaming green liquid. Each glass has a small spoon with a single sugar cube resting on top. There’s also a large bottle, swirling with green liquid.
“Eldonian absinthe,” Lyle says and puts one of the glasses right in front of me.
The Eldonian Special.
Tremblay turns to Lyle. “Thank you, but we have to get going.”
“Did you know, Prince Daniel,” Lyle says, “that true absinthe can only be purchased in five countries, one of them being Eldonia? This is one of Eldonia’s delicacies. But if you’d rather miss out on a part of your country’s heritage, tsk, to each their own.”
I stare at the dwindling green flames, the melting sugar cube. The last bit falls into the glass.
Lyle removes his spoon and picks up his glass. “Cheers to a wonderful day with friends.”
“Cheers to what, Lyle?” I say, and I can’t keep the anger from creeping into my voice. “You blackmailed me to get me here. Don’t pretend you’re actually having fun.”
He downs his shot, then grabs the bottle. “Au contraire, mon ami. I’m having an absolutely splendid time.”
I stare at the green liquid as Lyle twirls the bottle in his hands. “I bet you are.”
“Although,” he says, “skating at that little rink made me think. The first thing I’m going to do once I’m king is tear down that disgusting, dirty arena.”
My nails bite into my palms. “What? My father built that arena!”
Lyle laughs. “And it’s a travesty! I couldn’t bear to think of my and Evangeline’s children playing such a barbaric sport in that hideous building.”
Tremblay grabs my arm, but I pull out of his grip. “Don’t talk about her. Eva would never let that happen. Our father made that place what it is.”
Lyle takes a swig of absinthe, straight from the bottle. “She won’t have a choice. Once I’m King of Eldonia, I can do anything I want. And I want that place to burn to the ground.”
I lunge at Lyle and grab him. He doesn’t stand a chance. Suddenly, it’s like everything is happening in slow motion. I yank Lyle out of his seat by his shirt collar. His eyes go wide and he squeaks. He stumbles over his feet and his small hands open…and that bottle of absinthe flies straight toward the fire.
There’s a pop and suddenly I’m thrown back as flames erupt from the fireplace.
…
Madison
“Okay, so what are you thinking?” I ask. “Boys over Flowers or Coffee Prince?”
“I’m confused by everything that just came out of your mouth.” Eva raises a brow at me.
I actually can’t stop staring at her. She just looks so…so…so normal. It’s nighttime now, and Alice, Eva and I are in our PJs, getting ready to cuddle in bed and watch some TV before turning in for the night. Who knows when the boys will be back from their guy’s night out with Lyle at Oak’s Tavern?
Eva’s got her hair in one long braid over her shoulder and she’s wearing a silk nightgown that’s probably imported. But without the glamorous hair and heels, and maybe with the vulnerability of seeing her in her pajamas, well, she actually looks sixteen years old for once.
“They’re Korean dramas,” I clarify. “And if you want to understand them, you can’t fall asleep like Alice always does. They have subtitles.”
“Oh…okay,” Eva says. She looks at Alice and me carefully, sitting shoulder to shoulder on my bed, laptop between us.
“Coffee Prince is about a girl who pretends to be a boy,” I say, “which is one of our favorites, because we have lots of experience with that.”
Eva raises a brow. “How do you have experience with…that?”
Alice and I exchange a look, then Alice launches into an explanation. “Daniel hasn’t told you? Madison helped me disguise myself as a boy for, like, a year, so I could play for the Falcons.”
Eva’s face is expressionless for a moment and I wonder if she’ll bolt now that she realizes how strange Alice and I really are. But then she breaks into a huge smile. “Are you kidding? Turned you into a boy? Screw the telly, I want to hear that story.” And then Evangeline, Princess of Eldonia, shoves in beside us on the bed. “Tell me everything.”
…
“And then Freddy hit Alice into the boards so hard, the glass broke all around her. She hit the ice hard,” I say.
Eva’s eyes are wide as she gazes with rapt interest back and forth between Alice and me. She crunches loudly on a chip from the bag she’s nearly demolished. Our bed is littered with cookies, chips, and candy. About halfway through the story—the part where Alice was teaching the boys how to figure skate—the Princess of Eldonia demanded that it was time for a snack break and had Eldy deliver us goodies.
Alice and I should have sleepovers in Eldonia more often. This totally beats the fruit trays Xander brings us at her house.
“And then Hayden busted in!” Alice explains, throwing an entire box of cookies off the bed.
“No, not yet,” I say. “First, I took you to the trainer’s office.”
“But he found out you were a GIRL?” Eva says.
Suddenly, the door bursts open and Eldy stands there, panting, a panicked expression on his face.
“Eldredge,” Eva says, “whatever is the matter?”
“Oak’s Tavern.” He gasps for breath. “It’s ablaze!”
…
“Hurry, Boulder!” I say, my heart doing acrobatics in my chest.
Dwayne Boulder speeds the sleek black car down the cobblestone streets toward town. We could see the flames and plumes of smoke all the way from the castle.
Alice holds my hand the whole way there, telling me everything is going to be okay. I think she’s trying to convince herself more than me.
Eva is silent in the front seat, her eyes staring straight ahead. She hasn’t even put on a jacket.
Fear settles deep within me, but I don’t let myself think about what could have happened. I breathe in deeply through my nose, and out through my mouth. Every special memory I shared with Daniel flashes through my mind, including our kiss earlier. I wish I could go back to that moment, hold him close and beg him never to leave my side.
Finally, Boulder screeches to a stop. We’re still a block away from the burning tavern, but we can’t get any closer. It’s surrounded by fire trucks, ambulances, and a crowd of people. Smoke billows out in great black clouds, and we can see that the entire building is engulfed in flames.
&nbs
p; We jump out of the car. Boulder tries to grab Eva’s shoulder, but she leaps out of his grasp and charges forward. Alice and I are right behind her.
There’s a giant wall of firefighters holding people back from the tavern. I search the faces in the crowd, but they’re all black shadows against the flames.
“Daniel!” I scream.
Then Alice stills beside me. I turn to her and watch her face twist as she chokes out a sob. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Alice cry. I follow her gaze and see Hayden standing in the crowd. He’s disheveled, and covered with soot, but he’s safe.
She runs to him and he wraps his arms around her, burying his face in the crook of her neck.
“Where’s Daniel?” I cry.
“Everyone was out,” Hayden stammers, “but we realized we couldn’t find Mr. Oak, the proprietor. Daniel…Daniel went back in to get him. I tried to stop him…”
And suddenly, I can’t hear Hayden anymore. I can’t hear anything. I look to the flames consuming the building. No…no…
“Dan-Dan is in there…” Eva grasps my arm, her voice shaking.
Suddenly, a silhouette appears from the pub, black against the flame. My heart pounds, as I shove forward to make out the face.
It’s Daniel.
He’s got his arm around a giant man, who I can only assume is Mr. Oak. They hobble forward together, Daniel supporting the massive man’s weight.
I run forward, but a fireman stops my pursuit. “Please, miss,” he says. “Stay back.”
“But you don’t understand!” I yell. “He’s my…that’s my…”
I watch as a fireman grabs Daniel and Mr. Oak and guides them over to the ambulance. He’s going to be okay. Daniel’s going to be okay.
My numb body breaks like an icicle crashing to the frozen ground. Tears fall down my face and my body is wracked with sobs.
“I wouldn’t waste your tears.”
My spine crawls at the sound of that prickly voice. I quickly wipe my eyes and look up to see Lyle Worthington standing over me, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders.
“I suppose you’re crying for your prince.” He sneers. “Don’t waste your pity. Not when this was all his doing.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Prince Daniel started this fire,” Lyle says, “and soon all of Eldonia will know it.”
Chapter Twelve
Daniel
There’s a knock at my door.
My stomach twists, and my eyes blink heavily. Despite feeling completely wiped, I couldn’t sleep a wink. How could I? Not when every time I closed my eyes, I saw the pub go up in flames. Or Lyle’s sneering face.
Or the disappointment in Madison’s eyes.
My only salvation is that no one was seriously hurt. The pub, though, did not fare so well. Oak’s Tavern is nothing more than rubble now.
There’s another knock. I pull the covers higher over my head. Eldredge will take care of whoever’s there.
The knock sounds louder, and I hear steps down the hall. Then Eldredge’s voice drifts through the door. “Madam, Prince Daniel is asleep, but I can fetch you once he awakens—”
“Oh, thank you, Eldredge.” A too-sweet voice follows. Madison. “Daniel texted me a few minutes ago and asked if I could bring him breakfast in bed. He doesn’t feel like facing the Queen Dowager after…last night.”
I sit up. I snatch my phone and check to make sure I didn’t actually text her in my sleep-deprived state. Nope. Myong’s making it up.
I scoff. Doesn’t matter. I told Eldredge last night that I was not to be disturbed today for any reason. The last thing I want to do right now is face Madison.
“Very kind of you, madam. I’ll take the tray and deliver it to Prince Daniel,” I hear Eldredge say. I knew my loyal butler wouldn’t let me down.
“Eldy,” Madison coos, and her voice is oozing with syrup so thick, I can hear it even through the door. “Your goatee looks positively on point today. Is it freshly trimmed?”
“Why, how kind of you to notice, madam. Yes, I got a brand-new razor—”
I groan and throw myself out of bed. I’ve seen Madison work her magic on a million different people. All she has to do is flash her beautiful smile and bat those long lashes, and after a compliment (or twelve), anyone will bend to her will. It’s only a matter of time before Eldy cracks.
I swing the door open. Madison stands there, holding a silver tray, looking up at Eldredge with that doe-eyed look I knew she was using on him.
“Prince Daniel!” Eldredge cries, shame crossing his face, as if he knows he just got caught about to turn me over to the inquisitor.
“Good morning,” Madison says. Then she shoves the tray into my hands and waltzes into my room.
Eldredge gives me a sympathetic look before I close the door. The only good thing about this is at least I get breakfast. I’m starving.
I walk to my desk, set the tray down, and lift the lid off the plate. It’s empty.
“You thought I’d actually bring you breakfast?” Madison says, arms crossed. “I figured you were so hungover, you wouldn’t be able to keep anything down.”
I place the lid down gently. “Actually, I’m not hungover at all.”
“Like I believe that.” Her face twists with fury. “You just decided to pour an entire bottle of absinthe in the fireplace when you were sober?”
I feel my body go tense. At least she’s just angry at me—that I can take. It was that look of total disappointment she gave me last night that I can’t handle. “Who told you that? Lyle? ‘Cause he was the one who dropped the absinthe in the fireplace.” I scratch the back of my head. “I, uh, just pushed him.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter what I think,” she says bitterly. I notice now that she’s got a stack of newspapers under her arm. She stomps over to my bed, making a considerable amount of noise for someone so small. Then she says quietly, “It never matters what I think.”
“What is your problem?”
“My problem? My problem?” Madison screeches. She might say it a third time but her voice has risen so high, it’s only audible to dogs. “This is your problem.”
She shoves the newspaper in my face.
BASTARD PRINCE BURNS DOWN ELDONIAN LANDMARK
Right there, on the front of the Eldonian Gazette, is a picture of me making a demonic face right beside a photo of the pub lit up in flames.
I stare hard at the picture. “Hey! That isn’t from last night!” It’s just some goofy picture of me that they snagged of my Facebook page. But I guess a picture of me carrying out Mr. Oak wouldn’t fit their story.
“There’s more,” Madison says. She shoves another paper on top of the first.
AMERICAN PRINCE DESTROYS PUB. WHAT WILL HE DO TO ELDONIA?
This tabloid has a picture of Lyle Worthington looking all concerned. I scan the article and see it’s an interview with Lyle and his ‘professional opinion’ on my ‘unforgiveable antics’.
A mesh of disgust and anger hits me like a fist to the chest. Not at Lyle.
At myself.
I should have known. Should have known he’d find a way to get the better of me.
I feel Madison hovering over me. All I want is to pull her down to the bed with me, wrap my arms around her, bury my face in the nape of her neck, and have her tell me it will be okay. That I’m really not the monster they think I am.
Instead, when I look up at her, she’s staring at me, seething.
“Why are you so mad?” I mumble. “You didn’t burn down a famous pub and destroy some guy’s livelihood. It’s not your reputation that’s ruined.”
She laughs joylessly. “You’re an idiot, Daniel.” She pulls her phone out of her pocket and hands it to me. “Even fake girlfriends have feelings, you know.”
My stomach drops. She’s pulled up someone’s Instagram and there’s a picture of me…and that blond girl, Idina. We’re kissing.
“S-she kissed me,” I stutter. “She kissed me and took the phot
o. I think Lyle was trying to hook us up—” I cut myself off. So, there’s a picture floating around the web of me and some random girl kissing. In the wake of the whole pub burning down thing, it seems pretty trivial.
So why is Madison staring at me as if I just tore down all her favorite posters?
All that anger in me that had no place to go starts to redirect. Why should Madison be angry at me? She made it perfectly clear yesterday the only reason she’d ever want to kiss me is for a camera.
She’s not my real girlfriend and never will be. I don’t owe her anything.
“I just don’t get why you care!” I blurt.
Madison turns away from me, but I can still see the side of her face. Her eyes shimmer with wetness. “Don’t you get it?” she asks and I can tell she’s trying hard not to let her voice falter. “You could have died, Daniel. Over some stupid argument with Lyle Worthington. You could have died!”
A lump forms in my throat. “I…I didn’t mean to cause the fire.” I can’t look at her. “This is just proof I’m not up to this whole king thing. This is just Daniel Sacachelli, showing everyone who he really is—an idiot who doesn’t deserve a crown.”
“That’s just it, Daniel,” she says, and this time her voice cracks. “You do deserve it. It’s just not fair that no one sees that.” She wipes her nose. “This whole thing is just not fair.”
Everything is so messed up. The burned down pub, Lyle, torturing myself with this fake relationship… Madison’s right. It’s not fair. And I need just a moment’s reprieve.
So I stand up, and gather Madison in my arms.
She falls into me, clutching at my bare back. I knot my fingers in her silky hair, and feel the warmth of her body against mine.
And for this one moment, we’re not best friends. We’re not a fake couple. I’m not a prince.
We’re just Madison and Daniel.
And I wish we could stay like this forever.