“Marry him, then.” She nodded, like it was decided. Like it was somehow that easy.

I hated disappointing her. I wished I could let her believe what she wanted.

“I’m sorry, Elva. But Prince Nicholas and I won’t ever be a couple. No matter what.”

She looked up at me with large, vulnerable eyes. “Not ever?”

I shook my head.

“But why?”

Because I broke his heart? Because he thought I had betrayed him? Because he’d returned the gift I’d

made him? Because he was a prince, and I was just a wolf–less waitress?

There were so many reasons. All of which felt like too much information for my small daughter.

“We’re just not meant to be,” I said.

Elva had a grasp of fairy tales and happily ever after. Even if she couldn’t understand everything, she

might be able to handle this much.

She must have, because her questions stopped. But then she started to cry.

“But I like him, Mommy,” she said, wiping at her eyes. “If you married him, then he would be my Dad.”

I hated more than anything to disappoint her, but what could I do? I couldn’t lie to her about this, not to

then have to reveal the truth like it was all some cruel joke.

Soon, I would be eliminated from the competition. I’d had a good showing tonight, but that didn’t mean !

get to stay. Everyone knew I’d be

would be forced to leave. From then on, we’d only ever see the princes

went back to being reclusive. In that

pretend like our future held any hope of maintaining

even as

I said, and pulled Elva Into

my neck and cried

her back to soothe her. “We’ll be

+15 BONUS

Elva fell asleep in my arms, I carried her back to our

have left us for the

for me to finish

and Elva sleeping within it, I motioned

I said:

at my offending gloves. I hadn’t forgotten the apparent betrayal of my maids, who surely knew bout the Queen’s rules for glove–length and had not warned

gave you the wrong

blinked at her.

I’d scrunched up in my hand. “Those are not the gloves I made for you. I don’t know where those came from, or why

my lecturing from the Queen must have traveled fast in the servants‘ corridors. It

careful, Miss Piper,” the quiet maid said. “I don’t know why the other maid gave you

“I

don’t think

“No”

other maid had purposefully meant to sabotage me. But why? For what

one to go home. Why make

be listening

shiver ran

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