“I will call him now,” he said as he moved back, allowing me to step forward to deal with the mess. I was not exactly sure how to go about cleaning it. Rolling up my sleeves, I moved the foam-soaked pan into the sink and poured water onto it, cringing at the stench. Grabbing the sponge, I tried to remove the black tar from the bottom of the pan, but nothing seemed to work.
What the hell?
Scrubbing, harder pieces of the burn came off, but it looked nothing like the pan when I had first used it.
“Your Highness.”
“Huh?” Lifting my head to him, Iskandar handed the phone to me.
“Your family.”
Brilliant. Exactly what I need this morning.
Drying off my hands, I tossed the cloth onto the edge of the counter before taking the phone.
“Hello?”
“Gale!” Eliza’s voice caused me to wince.
I pulled the phone from my ear, and even still, I could hear her clearly.
“Is Odette there? Can I say hello?”
“Can I get a hello first?” I asked.
“Hello, Gale,” she grumbled. “Now, where is Odette?”
“She’s not here. In fact, I have not even seen her yet,” I lied, wandering over to the windows that overlooked the city. “Seattle is a nice city. I can describe the view if you would like.”
“What do you mean you have not seen her? Iskandar informed me that you spent the night talking to one another.” Arty’s voice startled me. They were all gathered for this call this morning as if it were some sort of sport.
“He did, did he?” I turned back to where Iskandar currently cleaned the kitchen despite my explicit request to leave it to me. Apparently, my orders really did not mean a thing to him. “Is he my bodyguard on this little trip or your spy?”
“Both,” Arty replied, and even though Iskandar could clearly hear me, he said nothing, nor did he even bother turning back. “You also burned her kitchen.”
“That just happened!” How in the hell did he already report that? I pinched the bridge of my nose. “And it was not the whole kitchen. It was a pan on top of the stove.”
“Either way, my dear, you need to be careful. Tell her we will refund her the price of the damage. We would not want her to think we are so callous.” My mother’s voice came through this time, and I honestly wanted to fling myself from the window.
“Yes, Mother,” I muttered.
“I hope this is not your effort to sabotage this match,” Arty spoke, and now I was annoyed.
“You know, you are starting to sound more and more like Father with each passing day, Arthur.”
“I’ll take that compliment. The king is a great man.” He snickered.
“Are you all trying to drive me mad this morning? If so, you’re succeeding!” Did they not have better things to do with their time?
“I’m still wondering if my future sister-in-law is there? Can I please say hello?” Eliza’s voice came louder than the rest of them.
“No,” I snapped back at her.
“Why?”
“Because I doubt she will want to start her morning with an overly enthusiastic fangirl.”
“You’re such as—”
“Eliza.” My mother’s tone was a clear warning, and I grinned.
“Thank you, Mother.”
“Do not thank me yet. We have funds available to you there. Do something to make up for this morning, and also, take her somewhere nice. You do not want her to feel you are so dependent on her. You are a prince. Show her the greatness of that.”
“Yes, Mother.” What else could I do but say yes and thank you?
“I am serious, Gale. She is not the same as your other female friends.”
Female friends? Is that what she called them. I shook my head. “Mother, I need to go.”
“Wait a moment,” Arthur called.
Dear God, rescue me from this conversation.
“Yes, brother.” I heard something on the other line, and waited, not sure what I was hearing. “Hello?”
“I had them leave,” he stated. “How are you truly?”
“Has it even been a full day since I left? Yet you are worried about me. I am touched—”
“Let me clarify,” he interrupted. “What do you think of her? Do you like her?”
I had no idea how to go about answering that question. Scratching the back of my head, I shrugged. “It is too soon, Arthur—”
“Do not give me that. You are the first person to have an opinion of a person upon first meeting them. When you first met Lady Schwarz, you said, and I quote, ‘She is the most pretentious, overindulgent, cocker spaniel-looking woman I have ever met.’”
Why did he have to remember every horrible thing I said?
“I was young when I said—”
“You are still young. The only difference between then and now is you only think those things and have the good manners not to say it aloud anymore.” He chuckled. “So, what have you thought about her.”
I thought she was breathtakingly beautiful. But if I said that, I would never live it down, and should this not work, he would forever hold it over my head.
“Again, I just met her, but if you must know, she’s bossy, temperamental, and prone to outburst.”
“Your Highness.”
I glanced at Iskandar. However, he was not looking at me but behind me. Immediately, the hairs on the back of my neck prickled. Slowly, I turned...and sure enough, there she stood, dressed in a sweater, jeans, and boots. Her curls were pulled back into a ponytail, and her brown eyes were glaring directly at me.
I could feel my heart begin to race, my brain shut down, and all I could do was glance back at Iskandar. “Was I speaking in English or Ersovian?”
“English,” she answered instead. “Still speaking English, by the way.”
Of bloody course, I was. Damn it!
“I was—”
“Bossy, temperamental, and prone to outburst?” With each word, she took a step down the stairs. “That sounds horrible.”
“I did not mean it like that.”
“Yes, because there are different ways to mean that,” she said through a fake-looking smile, clearly trying not to tell me now. “Those aren’t royal characteristics, are they? It seems I’m not your girl, then. Good luck finding another heiress. Goodbye.”
“Wait, Odette!” I tried to rush after her as I moved to the door only to bang my foot against the couch. “Fuck! Ah!”
“Your Highness.” Iskandar moved to help me, but I stuck out my hand to stop him, sucked up the pain, and stood straighter.
“There is a first-aid kit in the bathroom,” she said, opening the front door only to have Wolfgang standing there with what was supposed to be breakfast.
Like an idiot, he grinned wide. “Hello—”
“Is all of Ersovia stopping by?” she snapped, shaking her head and brushing by him.
Wolfgang’s eyes widened, and he looked to me. “Did I do something?”
I didn’t even have the energy to speak. So, I took a seat on the couch. I leaned back, closing my eyes. Was there any way to repeat this morning? How did everything turn into such a colossal mess?