“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 !

knew I’d be

From then on,

back to being reclusive. In that case, we wouldn’t even

any hope of maintaining this lifestyle, including

as a

and pulled

wrapped her arms around my neck and cried into

soothe her. “We’ll

+15 BONUS

and Elva fell asleep in my arms, I

left us for the night, but the quiet maid stayed nearby, as if

for me to finish

from the bed, and Elva sleeping within it, I motioned

can get some rest” I said: “I don’t

apparent betrayal of my maids, who surely knew bout

wrong gloves,” the quiet

blinked at

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

Queen must have traveled fast in the servants‘ corridors. It likely

know why the other maid gave you the wrong gloves. Maybe it was an

“I

think so,”

“No”

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

was already going to be the first one to go home. Why make things even worse for

might be listening at the door. “Someone might be out

ran up

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