《Oh My, I Messed Up the Story》


 Chapter 1: I Knew I Should Have Stayed Home Today

    Chapter 1: I Knew I Should Have Stayed Home Today


    As I stood surrounded by the most powerful people in the kingdom arguing over me, I wished more than anything that I''d just stayed in bed that day and missed my doctor''s appointment. The $50 cancetion fee would''ve been nothingpared to this.


    An ironic thought crossed my mindI was like that character in one of my favorite cartoons as a kid; every time his ss ended up going on a magical field trip he alwaysmented "I knew I should have stayed home today!" as they left.


    Me too, kid. Me too.


    My life got turned upside down on an ordinary Tuesday. I sat scrolling throughics on my phone in the waiting room of yet another doctor''s office.


    It was my third visit this month, not counting the biweekly physical therapy appointments I had to go to for my back, neck, and shoulder pain.


    Why was a twenty-three year old woman going to the doctor so often? Well, I''d been a bit of a medical mystery for the past five years.


    I started getting dizzy, having constant stomach aches, migraines, and all-over pain my freshman year of college. Despite being on seven different medications and going to the doctor more than a dozen times per year, they still hadn''t quite figured out everything that was going on with me yet.


    I barely managed to graduate college working around my various health crises and, being a millennial, couldn''t find a half-decent job without going back for more school. I had friends in grad schoolfrom what they told me about the workload, my body would not survive.


    So I took a part-time job as the "librarian" (they couldn''t technically call me that since my degree wasn''t in library science but for some reason they hired me anyway) at an elementary school and tried to work my doctor''s appointments around my schedule as best I could.


    It wasn''t hard work at all but even the minimal effort of being at the school six hours a day took a toll on my already poor health.


    The majority of my time was spent cooped up in my studio apartment, devouring book after book (though I asionally shook it up by bingeing a new TV show or watching documentaries). Fiction was so much better than reality! Or so I thought at the time.


    "Katie Pullman?" a nurse called from the door. That was my cue.


    Hopping out of my chair with a wincemy knees really don''t allow for hoppingI closed myic about a girl who found herself inside the world of a novel and shoved my phone into my pocket.


    After taking my height, weight, and blood pressure, the nurse asked the standard question: what brings you in today?


    "My primary care doctor wants me to get tested for autoimmune disorders," I said dully.


    She''d already tested me for just about everything else and said her hands were tied. My pain was honestly unexinable by any of the usual culprits.


    "Do you have your referral with you?"


    I nodded. "I gave it to the woman at the front desk when I checked in."


    The nurse smiled at me. "I''ll go check on thatter. Would you please follow me to theb?"


    Ah, theb. I''d been to a bunch before and they all looked roughly the same. As I thought. The usual reclining chair with a table on it used when drawing people''s blood wasn''t too far from the door.


    My blood had been drawn enough times to know the drill.


    I obediently sat in the chair and didn''t put up a fuss, politely requesting that the seat be leaned back so I wouldn''t get as dizzy. No matter how many times I got stabbed with one, I just couldn''t get used to needles!


    Squeezing my eyes shut before they even pulled the needle out was the only way I ever survived these sorts of things. It hurt, but it was the sight of the needle that made me most woozy.


    The nurse removed the needle and told me to stand up slowly when I was ready. I got up quickly. I still needed to go to the library and check out the books I had on hold about flora of the southwest before crashing for the day.


    Cacti are more interesting than you might think. Small sulents already lined the windowsill in my apartment but I wanted to know more in case I ever managed to afford a real house with space for a garden out front.


    The woman at the check-out desk told me my results would be in 7-10 days from now. I thanked her before adjusting my purse strap and heading out the door.


    It was a beautiful Arizona day. Blindingly sunny, blue skied, and so hot you could feel your skin melting. I couldn''t wait for school to get out for the year so I could just stay in my air-conditioned apartment all summer.


    My beat up old car roared to life as I turned the key and the brake light came on instantly. It had been like this for the past two days but I hadn''t had time to take it to a mechanic yet because of work. I was nning on doing it over the weekend.


    A catchy song I knew most of the words to came on the radio so I sang along as I drove onto the freeway ramp. The library (and my apartment) was on the opposite side of town from the clinic.


    This was my biggest mistake.


    About ten minutes into my drive, the car in front of me mmed on its brakes. Of course, I mmed on mine too but my car was old. The brakes gave out.


    The wheel spun out of my control and despite my seatbelt, my limbs flew around like a ragdoll''s as I hit the barrier on the side of the road before the car kept spinning and everything went ck.

 Chapter 2: Lucid Dreaming

    Chapter 2: Lucid Dreaming


    "Lady Catherine, are you alright?" an unfamiliar voice asked worriedly.


    Straining to open my eyes, a hazy figure dressed in a in brown dress straight out of those period dramas my sister Abby and I used to watch hovered over me.


    "Where am I?" I croaked.


    My throat was unexpectedly hoarse but even so, my voice didn''t sound like it usually did when I was sick.


    "You''re in your bedroom, mydy."


    My bedroom? I blinked a few times before looking around. This looked nothing like my apartment. Again, it looked like something out of a period drama.


    Was someone ying an borate joke on me? I wouldn''t put it past Abby but she was attending college across the country.


    Sowas this just a dream then? Alright, I''d bite. My best friend in high school was really into lucid dreaming for a while and told me all about itif you''re aware you''re in a dream, you can control it.


    "Uhthis may be a dumb question, but where exactly is my bedroom? This house I mean...where is it?"


    The woman appeared startled. It must''ve been a dumb question even in Dreand.


    "Why, the earldom of du Pont of course! Don''t tell me the fever caused you to have amnesia?"


    Itched onto that exnation in the hopes the dreamdy would give me more information.


    "It must have," I said feebly, acting sick as I could even though I felt great. Better than I could remember feeling since before college, actually. Must be dream power at work.


    "Please do tell me more about the earldom and my family."


    The woman looked less uneasy than before. I guess that exnation worked pretty well.


    "Your father, the Earl of du Pont, is in charge of all thend from the forest at the edge of the property up to theke on the other side. It covers about one hundred acres in total.


    "Your mother, Countess du Pont, was the daughter of a viscount. You have two older brothers, Percival and Edmund, and a younger sister named Adele. Does this help, mydy?"


    Not one bit, but thanks for trying. "It does a little. Thank youumwhat''s your name again?"


    "Marie, mydy. I''ve been the nanny for this house since Percival was born."


    "Thank you, Marie. I''m actually feeling much better now so could I go outside?"


    Being stuck in bed, even a fancy bed with a canopy, during a dream was too boring. I spent more than enough time in bed for real. I wanted to see if I could fly or something since I could control the oue of this dream.


    "Oh no, mydy, you only just woke up!" Marie fretted. "You''ve been asleep for three days. I must tell the Countess you''re awake, she''ll be so pleased."


    I wanted to protest but let her go. If she was gone, I could leave the room after she did. Once Marie left, I tiptoed towards the door, passing a mirror on the way out.


    Dream Me looked a lot different than Real Me. Katie Pullman''s eyes were a boring shade of hazel concealed behind thick sses and her hair was limp mouse brown. Lady Catherine looked like a blonde blue-eyed china doll with curls down to her waist wearing an overly frilly nightgown.


    Interesting. I''d always been jealous of Abby''s blue eyes and my dream character''s were even bluer than hers.


    Creeping down the hall, I drank in the sight of the manor. After getting into those period dramas, I read up as much as I could about things like family crests, nobility lineage, and 19th century European architecture and decoration styles.


    The nerdy part of me was curious how urate the costume and set departments actually were. This house looked like the real deal. My imagination was quite impressive.


    I could explore the inside of the house a bit longer before making it outside to try flying, right?


    I continued wandering from hall to hall, asionally spotting a maid or two working in the rooms I passed. The rooms here were sorge and ornate. Better than any movie setting I''d ever seen.


    I began to grow uneasy. My imagination definitely wasn''t this good. I couldn''te up with something this borate on my own.


    "Catherine! What are you doing out of bed?!" a male voice sounded from behind, making me flinch.


    "It was boring in there," I stammered, still jumpy from the scare.


    The man in front of me looked to be around twenty and had the same blue eyes I did though his hair was light brown. He must be one of the brothers Marie mentioned.


    He moved closer to examine me. "Well, you do look alrightbut still, Marie is going to burst a blood vessel if she finds you here. Come on, let''s go to the library."


    I took care to follow his lead since I had no idea where the library was. Which one was thisPercival or Edmund? I didn''t want to gamble because my suspicion that this wasn''t a dream was growing.


    Vague recollections of what happened were shing through my head. I got into a car ident on the freeway while going 75 miles per hour.


    Either this was a crazy dream I was having in the hospital orI didn''t want to think about the alternative.


    My heart sunk when we reached the library even though it was the most beautiful room I''d ever seen in my life.


    I recognized that g hanging above a mounted shield with what appeared to be the du Pont family crest. It was the g for the fictional nation of Annias from this fantasy novel I''d once read. Impossible.


    My unidentified brother caught me staring and smiled.


    "Admiring the g? Our great-great-great grandfather was given that g by King Alpheus II in gratitude for his service in the war. He was given that g and the earldom as a reward."


    My knees wobbled and I sank onto the nearest chair.

 Chapter 3: A New Reality

    Chapter 3: A New Reality


    King Alpheus II of Annias was the man that the male lead of this novel was named after.


    Third prince Alpheus Randolph McLeod, the love interest of the Cindere-esque main character, Marcy Grandina bakery worker whose craft was praised highly enough for her to get a position in the pce.


    This couldn''t be happening to me. I went on a binge a while back when I bent over and threw my back out so I couldn''t move for four days where I read nothing but transmigrationics. And now I had transmigrated myself.


    Unbelievable. Unbelievable! Had I really died in that car ident?


    "Catherine?" my brother asked with concern. "Are you still feeling ill?"


    "I must be," I said weakly. "Brother, could you please bring me some water?"


    "Of course. I''ll return shortly." He patted my head affectionately before striding out of the room.


    I diedI died on my way back from a doctor''s appointmentwhat a horrible way to die! I''d hardly lived at all! Most of my living was vicariously done through fiction!


    Abbyshe was the only family I had left. I didn''t socialize muchwho would they call about my body? Would anyone go looking for me after I didn''t show up for work?


    I wanted to cry. What a pitiful end for a loser and a shut-in.


    Althoughmy body here is strong. Despite supposedly recovering from an illness, I felt better than ever. No back pain. No dizziness. No difficulty walking or a constant desire to crack my neck that was never fully relieved.


    I could do anything I wanted here! I could run! I could ride a horse!


    I could possibly even teach myself to do a backflip like Abby could on a trampoline! If they even had the concept of a trampoline here


    By the time my brother came back, I was revitalized. If I was stuck here, I was going to actually go out and live my life better than Katie Pullman had. But firstI needed information on this world.


    The novelrgely focused on goings on in the pce as Marcy tried to ovee corruption on the staff and protect Alpheus'' interests. I couldn''t even recall if anybody in this fictional family was even mentioned by name. If I was going to fit into the nobility, research was necessary.


    My brother came back to find me pulling as many books off the shelves as I could muster. "What are you doing?"


    "I feel much better now and wish to do a bit of light reading."


    He eyed me distrustfully. "You call this light? You''ve never been all that interested in father''s books before."


    Crap. I had no idea what Lady Catherine du Pont was like. I''d need to observe people as much as I could without asking around outright.


    I gave him a demure smile. "One realizes their priorities after an illness. I would like to enrich myself. Can you rmend me any books on the history and culture of Annias, brother?"


    And just like that, I had an aplice.


    ***


    My brother, who Iter found out was Percival (Edmund was off at boarding school), was a huge help in the following weeks. History, culture, and the estate were his expertise since he was the heir and had alreadypleted school.


    He appeared stiff on the surface but that was only because he took his duties so seriously. He had a sweet side and doted on his younger sisters.


    Between Percival and Adele (a carbon-copy who idolized her big sister) I was able to realize what kind of personality the original Catherine had. She was a sweet but mischievous creature forever interested in everyone else''s business.


    I could pull that off...probably.


    Countess Amelia du Pont was most helpful in learning how a nobledy should act. Everything she did was the epitome of grace.


    I watched her and copied her every move when in thepany of others, as the estate frequently had visits from the countess''dy friends and their daughters. None of them were characters I recognized, meaning they weren''t significant to the story.


    Where in this world did the earldom fit in anyway?! Everything I''d read about the nobility pointed towards a British-style systemearls were only ranked below marquises, dukes, and those of royal blood.


    Shouldn''t the family of an earl show up somewhere in a story about royalty? It didn''t make sense to me.


    But this could be a good thing. I didn''t want to get caught up in the intrigue of the plot. Even as an earl''s daughtercould I just live my life in peace without getting married off?


    That was my main worry being here. Everything else, though not what I was used to, was pretty nice.


    I adored horseback riding and surprisingly had an aptitude for it. I''d sucked at sports back home. I rode every day with Percival, asionally joined by the earl (who was usually too busy to see his family).


    I had countless tea parties with delectable little cakes with the countess and her entourage.


    Though some of the neighboringdies were catty, it was kind of fun ying along with them since I knew what to say from everything I''d ever watched and read involving nobility. My responses angered some but overall I was praised for having a rare wit.


    Life here wasn''t so bad after all. I certainly missed wifi and fried food but there was enough new information to absorb here that I didn''t get too bored.


    The manor seemed endless and Adele and I spent lots of time exploring, pretending we were adventurers seeking a rare treasure. It reminded me of the games I used to y with Abby, which made me miss her, but what could I do? I was dead.


    I just hoped she was okay without mewe usually texted or called at least every other day. Abbyplease be alright

 Chapter 4: A Formidable Opponent

    Chapter 4: A Formidable Opponent


    "Katie, why are you crying?" Adele asked with a quivering lip. "Don''t cry!" She held out a cookie to me as we sat in her nursery having tea.


    I hastily wiped my tears. I couldn''t afford to be mncholy here. My identity as Catherine du Pont had to remain intact.


    Little slips in my true characterlike insisting Adele call me Katie instead of Cathy, like she had been beforewere all I could allow.


    I gave her a watery smile. "How could I cry when I have a sweet little sister like you?"


    She beamed at me with her gap-toothed grin. As a seven-year-old, she was missing nearly half her teeth.


    "I love you, Katie!"


    I scooped her into a hug, craving sisterly affection. Just with a different sister. "I love you too, Addie."


    A knock sounded on the door and Percival popped his head in. "Edmund is here visiting with his schoolmate, the Duke of O. Mother and Father are requesting your presence."


    Adele scrambled to her feet. "Eddie is home?" she asked excitedly.


    "Yes, but since the duke is here, you must stay in the nursery for now."


    Her expression crumbled. "Percy, I want to see Eddie!" Now Adele was on the verge of tears.


    He hoisted her up and tapped her on the noise. "Be good. Edmund wants to see you too but you know you''re too young to appear before the rest of the gentry. Catherine is only able toe because she''s about to debut in society."


    That''s right. My debut. My soul had been transnted into the body of a fifteen-year-old and here they debuted at sixteen. Catherine''s birthday was less than three months away. I absolutely dreaded it.


    Percivalhe''d make sure I didn''t get married off to some creepy old guy, right? We''d developed camaraderie since I''d been here. He was on my side, right??


    I tried my best to push the matter out of my mind.


    "I''ll make sure to sneak you to see Eddie once the duke has retired to his quarters," I promised the little girl, who nodded cheerfully enough before sliding down her brother and resuming her position at the child-sized table.


    Percival shook his head at me as we walked out the door. "I have no idea how you handle her so well."


    I shrugged. "Simple. We''re both female."


    He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "If only I understood the female mind as well as you. Everydy I meet is only interested in my future title and seems to have nothing in her brain but feathers."


    I wanted to get mad at him for being sexist but I''d met the girls here. He had a point. There was hardly an original thought among them.


    I patted his arm. "There has to be some girls out there who are intellectually minded. There''s more to this world than the earldom, you know. Why don''t youe with me to the capital when I debut? Your pool of choices would be expanded."


    Percival bit his lip. "Iam not fond of the capital. The politics thereyou wouldn''t understand."


    I wanted to stick my tongue out at him. I may not know the politics of Annias that well but I did hold a political science degree. That had to count for something.


    "You need to get used to it, Percy. You are a member of the nobility. Father spends at least two months out of the year convening with other nobles and the king in the capital. That will be your job someday. Besides"


    I yed the cute little sister card, selfishly wanting his protection from the wolves. I batted my eyshes and put on an adorable pout.


    "It won''t be any fun if you don''te. Please? For me?"


    His ears turned red and he looked away. "I''ll consider it." Which in Percy-speak meant yes.


    I pped my hands in delight. "Thank you, Percy!"


    "Come now, our guest is waiting for us."


    Everyone was convened in the drawing room off the grand entry room and since it was visible from the doorway, Percival and I descended the spiral stairs as I primly held onto his arm.


    We entered the drawing room together as a servant announced us. "The future earl, Percival Igneel du Pont, and the Lady Catherine Arabe du Pont."


    All stood as we entered. The countess looked as disinterested in everything as usual (it was the fashionable thing to do), the earl looked stern, and the two young men looked on with interest.


    The blonde one with green eyes and freckles grinned at me and winked. That must be Edmund. He''s nearly two years older than Catherine and they are supposedly quite close.


    I raised my eyebrows at him in response since it seemed like something the original Catherine would do.


    No one else noticed but the duke did and his brow furrowed at me. He fit the tall, dark, and handsome trope perfectly. Charles Magne Lancaster, the Duke of O.


    This guy actually IS in the novel. He''s in league with the crown prince, Sigmund, and therefore works against Marcy and Alpheus. His father died when he was three years old, making him the youngest duke in Annias history.


    "Your Grace, it''s an honor to meet you," I said with a very proper curtsy after Percival had already finished his greetings.


    He smirked and kissed my hand. "The honor is mine, mydy."


    We all sat back down and the countess directed a maid to begin serving the tea. Ugh. So much tea. I''d just had some upstairs! At least the cream cakes down here were different than the hard cookies in the nursery.


    My least favorite part of living herethe small talmenced. Don''t get me wrong, the asional wordy with fussydies could be entertaining to a point but when men were presentwomen weren''t supposed to speak unless spoken to directly so I had to just sit there and imitate the countess'' mannerisms.


    If left to my own devices, I''d end up stuffing my face just to have something to do but that wasn''tdylike. I''d been scolded more than once while I was learning.


    "I understand you''re in yourst year of school, Your Grace," the earl said conversationally.


    The duke nodded. "Yes, I''ll be finished in the spring so I can take over the duties the steward has been helping me with full-time."


    How boring. I studied this guy intently. Other than when he squinted at me for pulling a slight face at my brother and smirked at our introduction, his face has beenpletely nk.


    Does he actually have a personality under there? Why is Edmundwho is apparently as mischievous and fun-loving as Catherinefriends with this guy?


    I had to think about whether or not the duke had much of a personality in the novel. He was asionally depicted at the right hand of the prince but he didn''t speak all that much.


    All I know is that he''s supposed to be a skilled strategist. Alpheus and Marcy had a hard time working against him. So he''s a formidable opponent but not much of a conversationalist. Hmm.

 Chapter 5: Cornered in the Library

    Chapter 5: Cornered in the Library


    Dinner wasrgely a silent affair. I was seated in between my brothers and directly across from the duke. I could feel his stare boring into me.


    What was that about? Is it just because Catherine is pretty? I hardly said two words to the guy.


    Edmund kicked me under the table and I jumped. I turned towards him furiously since the countess was distracted and whispered. "What?!"


    "You''ve been so quiet since I got here. You''re no fun, Cathy."


    "I prefer Katie these days," I said stiffly as I kicked him back.


    He seemed surprised. "Really? Alright then. Katie it is. I suppose there are a lot of nicknames that cane from your name. All I''ve got is Ed or Eddie. You can''t exactly call me Mund."


    I was totally going to start calling him Mund. "I think Mund suits you."


    "Aww, don''t be like that, Katie!"


    "Edmund! Catherine! Please behave yourself at the table!" the countess scolded, soundingpletely scandalized. "Please forgive them, Your Grace."


    The duke''s nd expression shifted slightly.


    "I do not mind, Lady du Pont. It was quite entertaining. I have no siblings so it is interesting to see how they interact. I have heard much from Edmund about Lady Catherine. She appears quite spirited."


    The countess sniffed. "A bit too spirited at times, Your Grace."


    Wow. Thanks, Mom. And after all I''ve done to emte you sinceing here.


    "I apologize for my misconduct, Your Grace. I was merely scolding my brother for his behavior."


    "Traitor," Edmund muttered.


    I hid my grin. I could see why he and the original Catherine got on so well. He''s kind of funny.


    I returned quietly to my soup but the duke resumed staring at me. How was I supposed to eat like this?! It''s like he hasser vision or something!


    Was our one minute of conversation that interesting to him? Edmund started it, not me! Stare at him!


    At the end of the dinner, the men went off to talk business so thedies were dismissed. I stuck my tongue out at Edmund when I thought no one else was looking but of course the duke saw. Just my luck.


    One of the most powerful men in the kingdom and I''d embarrassed myself in front of him three times in one day. I didn''t want him to take notice of me.


    Although the men here typically didn''t marry until their twenties, he''d been a duke long enough that no one would question him for marrying once he was done with school.


    I needed to get off this guy''s radar. I did not want to get involved with anyone who was a named character in this novel. My peaceful life in the country was perfectly fine, thank you.


    The next few days of the duke''s visit were tense. I only had to see him at mealtimes and afternoon tea at first (since the countess forbade me from joining the men riding while the duke was here).


    Without being able to ride, I was incredibly bored. Adele had etiquette lessons. Percival and Edmund spent their time going about the estate with the earl and the duke. And I found the perfect time to sneak off to the library instead of practicing embroidery because I had a finished one ready to whip out as evidence if needed that I''d made on a rainy day weeks ago without anyone''s knowledge.


    While I had a basic understanding of this world, I still wanted to know more in case the need ever arose. As a habitual bookworm, I was a fast reader but this library was enormous. I might never finish them all.


    I curled up in my favorite armchair by the window, looking rather udylike, and picked up where I left off on a book about foreign policy.


    I majored in political science because it was one of the shortest programs at my university and I wanted to be done with school quickly since I was so sick all the time.


    Because it was so short, most of my ssmates double majored in business, psychology, or history but I preferred having empty credits to fill in order to meet the graduation requirement.


    I took sses from nearly every department on campus as electives. I''d always been more inclined towards being a jack-of-all-trades than a specialist anyway.


    "Is that a novel?" a semi-familiar voice sounded from the doorway.


    I looked up and my mouth dropped open in surprise. It was the duke.


    "Your Grace! No, it''s notuh, what brings you to the library?"


    Gothic novels were rather popr among nobledies right now. That or poetry. It was a reasonable assumption for him to make but my blood still boiled.


    Look buddy, I''ve read books on almost every topic under the sun in addition to novels andics, okay? I''m probably more well-read than YOU.


    He looked around with his hands behind his back, his posture ramrod straight. "We only briefly passed by this room on the tour the other day. I wanted to get a better look at it."


    "My father has quite the collection," I managed to say.


    Geez, where were my brothers when you needed them? How had this guy managed to get past Edmund?!


    "What are you reading?"


    I had been asked this question so many times back home that I instinctively held up the cover of the book I was reading so he could see for himself. This method usually got people off my back when I was reading in public so I could continue in peace.


    The duke raised an eyebrow at me and I realized my mistake. This wasn''t home! And I had just snubbed the highest level of nobility below the royal family!

 Chapter 6: Unwanted Attention

    Chapter 6: Unwanted Attention


    "Your Grace, please forgive my discourtesy," I said quickly, dropping the book in my hasty to curtsy.


    I then realized I wasn''t wearing shoes because I''d kicked them off to getfy in my chair. Even better.


    "At ease. I will not tell your mother," he said with the ghost of a smile on his face. "As long as you tell me what you were reading."


    I gaped up at him in shock. This guy was surprisingly persistent in talking to a girl for someone who was nothing but a military counselor in the novel.


    I tried to remember if it said whether or not he was married. He probably was. Duchess was a highly sought after title, after all.


    But like most political marriages, there was most likely no real affection between them. That was one of the central themes of this novel because Alpheus and Marcy overcame that cultural hurdle.


    I couldn''t meet his eyes in my mortification. Talking to guys in this world was even worse than talking to them at home because I had to maintain my manners. I was awkward enough without this extra barrier!


    "Manheim''s Treatise on International Politics. Your Grace," I tacked on at the end in case I was being rude again.


    The duke didn''t look nearly as shocked as I had when he arrived, but definite surprise flitted across his face.


    "Students in the academy don''t study that until their final year and you are reading it on your own?"


    "I have never formally studied politics," I lied. And what a lie it was. The countless hours I''d spent writing papers! "But I am interested in them. I''ve studied many of the policy books in this library."


    "And what do you think about Manheim''s foreign policy?" the duke asked with a hint of interest.


    I gained a bit of confidence. I''d written my senior thesis on a simr subject.


    "I think he''s wrong. Each nation offers something of value to the greater world and going to war to change someone''s mind on policies they don''t personally agree with is a waste of resources and human life. There is much to be learned from other countries'' cultures and they should be respected for their differences."


    It was the most words I''d ever uttered in the Duke O''s presence.


    "Very interesting. I''m inclined to agree with you, to a point. Sometimes the nation''s best interest involves going against another but not for the reasons you mentioned," he mused. "Have you read anything by Scotford?"


    "Oh yes, I''ve read all five of his books," I said with a small smile, trying hard not to fidget out of nerves. He was definitely noticing me now. Could he just leave already?


    "You''ve studied well. What other subjects are you well versed in?"


    Nothing he''d know. Most of the random knowledge umted in my brain pertained solely to my world. Marine biology, ancient artifacts, mythology, ceramics, ssical music, modern art


    "Architecture and some herbistry." The herbs weren''t much different here than from home and cacti weren''t the only nts I was interested in.


    "Politics and architecture? And you have not yet debuted, correct?"


    "No Your Grace, I debut in the autumn," I said demurely.


    He was clearly impressed by me. This wasn''t good. I should have lied. I should have just said I was reading a dumb gothic novel!


    I''d done a lot of dumb stuff in my life but this took the cake. Was my pride really more important than my anonymity in this crazy ce?


    "I see. I look forward to meeting you again in the capital, Lady Catherine." He bowed stiffly before heading out the door.


    I finally breathed again when he left. Was he really going to search for me at my debutante ball? Ugh, my debutante ball. How awful.


    I just wanted to stay here ying with Adele, riding my horse, and hiding in the library forever. Althoughthere might be more impressive libraries in the capital. But would the strict countess ever let me near one?


    She didn''t pay enough attention to her children to know how much time I spent in here but I''m sure she wouldn''t approve of me reading about such udylike subjects.


    The duke didn''t corner me again the rest of his visit but I could feel his eyes on me now and then. No one else seemed to notice but it gave me goosebumps.


    That guy acted like a perfect gentlemen but gave off a weird vibe. And he was in cahoots with the main antagonist of this novel so I wanted him to stay far, far away from me.


    Prince Sigmund was one messed up puppy. He''d do anything to keep his power. Alpheus wasn''t even a threat to him at first! Through his mistreatment of his younger brother he created his own worst enemyter on.


    No matter how handsome Duke O was or how good a friend he was to my brother, I didn''t want to be involved. A thought struck me. If Edmund was friends with himwould he end up siding with the crown prince?


    I didn''t recall the name Edmund du Pont being mentioned in the novel. It was probably because Edmund was the second son.


    He wouldn''t have any trouble finding a wife since he was the son of an earl but he held no political power. Good. Edmund was too goofy to be a henchman.

 Chapter 7: A Bad Match

    Chapter 7: A Bad Match


    The closer we got to my debut, the more of a ve driver the countess was. She made me spend hours with my dance master every single day and I danced so hard my feet ached constantly. It didn''t help that the shoes here had zero arch support.


    I wondered if I could contact a cobbler about making me some morefortable shoes. What I wouldn''t give for some gel inserts about now.


    "Percy, I''m going to die long before I debut," I said dramatically as we dismounted our horses after one of our daily rides.


    He smiled. "Is it really that bad?"


    "Worse," I confirmed. "Mother won''t stop nagging me about how it will be shameful if I don''t find a husband within the first year of my debut. Apparently Lady Iris''s daughter didn''t get married until her third year out in society and they still gossip about that at tea."


    "I don''t think you''ll have a problem with that, Catherine."


    Percival was the only one of my siblings who refused to use nicknames at all. It was nice that Edmund and Adele called me Katie.


    My birth name was Katrina, though no one ever called me that. It''s kind of funny that my name here still worked for the name I''ve been called all my life.


    "Because I''m the daughter of an earl? Daughters of marquises and dukes are far more in demand," I reasoned.


    I didn''t want to get married anyway. What 21st century woman wanted to be a trophy wife, most likely for someone way older than her? Gross.


    "That is a factor but I was referring to your beauty. You tend to captivate people, Catherine. Surely you noticed the duke''s interest while he visited."


    Ugh, don''t remind me. "I have no desire to be a duchess."


    Percy frowned at me. "Why ever not? The only titles more prestigious than a duchess are princess or queen."


    "I don''t want a prestigious title," I insisted. "I wish to live my life peacefully with my family."


    I had no attachment to these fake parents of mine since they were much colder than the ones I lost in a natural disaster when I was little but I enjoyed the time I spent with my fake siblings, especially dear Adele.


    "Catherine, if you spend your life with us everyone will look down on you as a spinster. You would always be shunned by your neighbors and anyone you meet. Do you honestly want that?" he asked with a hint of incredulity in his usually t tone. "Are you that afraid of a bad match?"


    I''d never dated all that much after graduating high school because I was too sick to go out and meet people but I''d had crushes on guys before. And my parents loved each other.


    I didn''t want to settle for anything less and I had the feeling I couldn''t find someone who would respect me for who I was in this medieval world.


    "I wish to marry for love," I found myself admitting.


    Percival sighed and looked me in the eye.


    "Dearest sister, onlymoners marry for love and they spend their whole lives wallowing in poverty. The best I can do for you is to be sure you marry into a house where you''ll befortable to someone younger than thirty."


    I figured he would say as much. At least he understood that no teenage girl wants to be married to someone more than twice their age. As far as men in this novel go, Percy''s mindset isn''t as bad as most.


    "Percy, you have to promise me," I said suddenly, gripping his arm as tightly as I could. "Swear to me that you won''t let Father sell me off to some old duke or marquis. Swear on the earldom!"


    Nothing mattered to the future heir more than the earldom. He''d devoted his life to it already.


    Seeing me act unusually serious, he nodded gravely.


    "I swear I will protect you from that fate. There are plenty of nobles out there under thirty with solid reputations that can look after you for the rest of your life. They may even have better libraries than Father''s so you can read to your heart''s content. I can ask any suitor you have about that."


    Tears appeared in my eyes as I experienced an upsurge of affection for my brother. Catherine du Pont was a lucky girl to have someone like him in her corner.


    I suddenly felt guilty for lying to him. I was not his sister and he cared for me like I was. What had happened to the real Catherine anyway? Had her illness been deadly?


    "Thank you, brother," I said fervently. "This means more to me than you could know."


    He smiled and tousled my carefully coiffed hairone of his favorite pastimes. "I''ll always be here for you, Catherine."


    I didn''t doubt his words. Percival cared about his sisters nearly as much as he cared about the earldom. If the earl tried anything shady, he''d be there to lead him towards another candidate with clever words that didn''t even seem like excuses.


    I''d seen him at work. He may not like crowds or politics but the guy is a natural at persuasion. I''d be safe in his hands, especially since he wasing with me to the capital.


    Despite his care for me, my heart was heavy. More likely than not, I would end up married off to someone within the next six months. How horrible.


    Percy was a stickler so he wouldn''t let anyone with a reputation for womanizing court mebut who knows what people are actually like behind closed doors? What if I end up stuck with someone abusive?


    Women aren''t worth much here. I could end up somewhere with a fantastic library that I''d never be allowed to step foot in. I could spend my whole life sitting in a drawing room sipping tea with gossipy olddies in the day and being a ve of my husband''s whims at night.


    A deep shudder ran through me at the thought.

 Chapter 8: Birthday

    Chapter 8: Birthday


    Debutante practice continuedI had to present myself before the king and queen, after all, and the countess would stand for no shame to her house from meuntil my sixteenth birthday arrived. We were set to begin our journey to the capital three dayster.


    I didn''t have any real friends here outside my siblings so I requested a simple birthday tea that was family only.


    The countess was disappointed since she loved social asions but eventually agreed to my request since I''d been sopliant in my training. Little did she know, I had ns in the capital that did not include getting married.


    I had saved up every cent of the household allowance I''d been given since arriving and nned to strike out on my own. I liked my siblings, I really did, but staying in contact with them was not worth potentially destroying my life.


    I''de to that conclusion in the days following my conversation with Percy that day in the stables. He might think things would be okay but I certainly didn''t, especially after giving time for my thoughts to run wild!


    My only choice was to run. I could cut my hair and find some menial job in the capital. Maybe in a bookstore or clothing shop. My embroidery wasn''t half bad, if I do say so myself.


    I wanted this birthday tea to be onest positive memory before I left. Edmund even requested leave from school to be there. We yed card games that were quite different from the ones I knew after the earl and countess lost interest in us under the guise of "having duties to attend to."


    I was fine with this; things were better off without them there to spoil the mood. I had cake and I had friends. That was more than I''d had for the past several years of birthdays.


    Being sick so often, you don''t exactly leave the house enough to meet people, let alone formsting friendships. Abby would video chat me and we''d watch a movie together but it wasn''t the same as having someone physically be there to celebrate with you.


    I always bought myself a giant cupcake at the grocery store and stuck a candle on it. I was that pathetic. Now I had three people celebrating with me and I felt the full cheer an asion like a birthday was supposed to bring.


    Adele was staying behind with Marie since the countess had too many social obligations to want to be bothered with her youngest child while in the capital and Edmund was heading back to school.


    This very well might be thest time I ever see the two of them. It brought on an unexpected amount of grief.


    "Addie?" I asked softly as she dozed off in myp.


    The boys were still engrossed in a game of cards I didn''t fully understand so I was happy to sit here and stroke her silky dark blonde hair.


    "Mm?" she asked sleepily.


    "Your big sister loves you so much," I said thickly.


    I was sure of it. Wherever that Catherine was, she loved her too.


    "I love you too, Katie," she said as she snuggled closer to me.


    I let out a heavy sigh. This was the trade-off.


    If I married well, I''d probably be able to visit my family now and then since political marriages were meant to join the houses together. But I might marry someone who wouldn''t let me see my siblings. Why would I gamble the rest of my life on such a small chance?


    I was healthy! My body could do anything I wanted it to do now. Why would I let myself get cooped up in some rich and powerful man''s house unable to utilize it properly?


    I wanted to explore! Get a job! Fall in love! Find a way to make it work in the context of this crazy novel!


    Speaking of this crazy novelwasn''t Marcy a poor girl with no references? The bakery still epted her working there. Once she leaves to go to the pce, they''ll need a recement. What if I managed to take that spot?


    I drummed my fingers on Adele''s back, thinking. When exactly did Marcy go to the pce? The prince originally fell in love with her while visiting her bakerythey met again once she had switched jobs.


    Ohhow long was it between those two things? It wasn''t exactly clear in the novel! It was sometime when the full court was in session, which happens in the fall.


    Manydies whose birthdays are earlier in the year postpone their debuts until the fall to heighten their chances of ending up with one of the noblemen or noblemen''s sons that flock to the capital that time of year, ording to the countess.


    I had a n. Well, at least a straw to grasp at. I''d dance and smile and y along with the countess'' ns for me until Marcy went to the pce.


    Then I''d run. Dye my hair. Go by my real name. No one would connect Katie Pullman to Lady Catherine du Pont.


    I kissed Adele''s sweet sleeping face when Marie came to take her away to bed and yed more rounds of cards with my brothers.


    I wanted to teach them some of the games I knew but then they''d ask where I learned that. I couldn''t raise their suspicions. Unless I pretended I made it up myself?


    "Eddie, can I teach you a game I made up?" I asked with a sparkle in my eye.


    He seemed interested. "How do you y?"


    Iunched into the simple exnation of how to y my favorite game and they caught on fairly quickly. They seemed impressed but not too suspicious of my supposedly making it up since the rules really weren''t thatplicated.


    I brushed it off by saying I had a lot of free time and that''s when I invented the game. How easy.


    I could teach people in the capital too once I built a life thereall sorts of card games because there would be no one to question where I learned them. Ha!

 Chapter 9: Off to the Capital

    Chapter 9: Off to the Capital


    "I''ll write to you," I promised Edmund as we hugged each other goodbye.


    He would be away at school for another year and a half. Out of all my siblings, he would be the easiest to contact once I ran away since the earl and countess wouldn''t be around to spy on his mail.


    "Find yourself a good husband, Katie. Charles seemed to like you, you can''t really do better than him!" he said with a wink.


    I was horrified. Charles?! Duke O?! Putting my disgust aside, I managed a sweet smile. "I don''t think he was really THAT interested, Eddie."


    "Oh, he was. He talked about you quite a bit on the ride back to the academy. He fully intends to look for you at your debut," he said cheerfully.


    Fantastic. Just what I was worried about. Thest person I wanted to be shackled to was a known viin''s aplice.


    Iughed awkwardly and tried to brush him off. "Don''t tease me, brother. Travel safely."


    "And you. Be sure not to trip in front of the queen," he said with a wicked grin.


    I stomped my foot. "You''re the worst, Edmund du Pont!"


    "Yeah, but you love me anyway!"


    And those were thest words I heard from my brother before his coach headed in the opposite direction of the capital. Why did I like him again?


    "We best be going as well," Percy said with a sigh.


    He hated traveling by coach, far preferring to ride on horseback, but the countess insisted it was too far of a ride and it would be undignified. So into the coach he went.


    It was crowded with four people and horrible awkward. The capital was four hours away and those four hours of silence were among the longest of my life. I used that time to think about what was waiting for me.


    Catherine du Pont was gorgeous. What if I had really pushy suitors that tried to snap me up before I could get a job at the bakery? Would anywhere else ept a girl without references that obviously looks like a noble?


    There would be a rough few months ahead of me. I had been living pretty well up to this point, mostly rxing around my home, but now I was heading into a battlefield.


    I very well might meet more people involved in the plot of this novel.


    I''d already met Duke Oit was impossible to think of him as Charles, he was too intimidating. At the very least, I''d see the crown prince since he would most likely apany his parents at the debut.


    What about the other main characters? Marcy Grandin, Prince Alpheus, Sir Luken Marino the royal guard, the diabolical archdukeI''m sure there were more I wasn''t remembering at the moment.


    Anyone involved in the pce servant conspiracies or who sided with the crown princeI didn''t want to meet any of them. The only people I wanted to meet were Marcy''s hardly-mentioned coworkers at the bakery.


    When we arrived in the city I could hardly contain my curiosity and peered out the window. The buildings were primarily made out of gray or white stonegranite? I really didn''t pay that much attention in my one geology ssand it seemed much cleaner and less chaotic than I would''ve expected.


    My imagination leaned towards ramshackle stalls in the streets selling things but it looked like all the vendors were set up inside actual buildings. This world was more advanced than I originally thought.


    My breath caught in my throat when we turned a corner and I caught sight of the blue-green ocean in the distance.


    I knew the capital was near the ocean but I''d never seen a beach in this world. And it had been years since I''d been to one in mine. I wanted to go!


    "Percy, I want to go to the beach!"


    He looked at me, puzzled. "Beach?"


    Ah, they might not use this word here. "The seaside," I amended. "I want to see it for myself. I''ve only read about it in books."


    Lady Catherine had never been far from the earldom before so of course she''d never seen the ocean.


    "Mother, may I take Catherine to the seaside today?" Percival asked very properly.


    The countess'' boredom zed eyes finally focused. What on earth had she been thinking about?


    "I suppose. The fresh air would make her livelier and she needs to be at her best to meet the king and queen in the morning."


    "Thank you Mother!" I eximed happily.


    Going to the beach was something normal people did in my world. I craved a taste of that normalcy.


    After we arrived at the house set aside for the earldom of du Pont when the family stayed in the capital, the servants set to work unpacking our things and I dragged Percy out the door immediately.


    "Someone is certainly eager," he observed.


    I was giddy with my bit of freedom. "Come on, you''re too slow!"


    He shook his head at my antics while suppressing a smile. I have his number. I know he thinks I''m cute.


    After being cooped up for so long, we walked the mile and a half it took to get to the beach to stretch our legs. It wasn''t veryfortable going over the brick roads in high heels. I really needed to talk to a cobbler about better shoes.

 Chapter 10: The Jellyfish Incident

    Chapter 10: The Jellyfish Incident


    I heard the ocean before I saw it. Seagulls cawed left and right, even swooping over our heads. One nearly snatched my bo and I cried out in delight. How exciting! I''d always hated the thing anyway.


    Untying the ribbon from around my neck, I also removed the horrible shoes and peeled off my stockings. I handled the whole bundle to my scandalized older brother.


    "What on earth are you doing?!"


    "Enjoying myself," I retorted. "Sweet Percy, watch my things for me, I''m going to go wade in the ocean!"


    "Catherine!" he called out but made no move to stop me.


    Perhaps he was curious about what I would do. Or he felt guilty about my wings being clipped in the near future by our mother. Whatever the reason, he let me go.


    I undid the pins in my hair and let the waist-length locks fly free around my head in the ocean breeze. The salty air smelled fantastic to me after being stuck in that carriage with the ice people.


    I hiked up my skirt and sshed through the edge of the waves, gasping as the cold water hit my toes. Feeling even giddier than before, I couldn''t stop myself fromughing in pure delight as I jumped around.


    The sand squishing through my toes, the rxing sound of the ocean mixed with the harsh cry of the seagulls, and the cold water running over my feet up to my anklesbined was the best thing in the world in that moment. I needed this.


    Several yards away, a few little boys were poking at something that looked like a stic bag on the wet sand. They didn''t have stic here.


    Feeling curious, I made my way over to them, being sure to squish my toes into the wet sand with every step.


    I peered over their shoulders. "What are you guys looking athat''s a jellyfish! Don''t touch it!"


    They looked up at me, the wild-lookingdy in the fancy pink dress with contempt. These were clearly street kids. Their smudged faces and patched up clothes gave it away.


    "Don''t tell me what to do."


    One of them reached out to touch it and clearly hit a tentacle because he immediately began to howl.


    The other boy froze before panicking. "What do I do? Help! Is there a doctor here? Help him! Somebody please!"


    A man with a ck bag who had been sitting at one of the outdoor tables of a restaurant near the shore came forward. "I''m a doctor, what happened?"


    "He touched that thing and now look at his hand!" the boy''s friend wailed. It was bright red and swollen.


    "It will be alright, I just need to run it under fresh, cold water and scrape whatever he touched off," the doctor assured him.


    "No!" I cried. I had read about jellyfish stings. That was exactly what you AREN''T supposed to do.


    "Please, listen to me, you need to rinse the area with vinegar, then use tweezers to pluck the tentacles out but don''t scrape them! Then you submerge it in hot water for twenty to forty-five minutes; cold water will release the venom faster!"


    The doctor looked at me like I was insane. Ah, the state of my attire. With burning cheeks, I held my ground.


    "Please sir, don''t make things worse for this boy. I''ve seen this many times before," I lied.


    I had never seen a jellyfish sting. But during my marine biology phase I read all about jellyfish, including first aid if you got stung.


    His eyes narrowed at me suspiciously. "Are you from a fishing town?"


    A perfect excuse. "Yes! And I''ve seen tons of jellyfish stings. If you do what I rmended, the boy will be fine in a few hours. Please, sir."


    The doctor sighed. "Alright, but I don''t have vinegar on me and I''ll need to boil some water. Where could we find vinegar?"


    "Percy!" I hollered. "We need vinegar!"


    "What did you get yourself involved in?" he asked impatiently as he walked up to us.


    "This boy is hurt and needs immediate medical treatment. We need vinegar as soon as possible."


    My brother sighed, as if he''d expected no less of me. "They''d probably have some in a restaurant. There''s one over on the pier."


    They could probably boil water there, too. Excellent. The doctor and the boy''s friend apanied us. I was so preupied with his well-being that I didn''t notice the pair of smoky gray eyes watching me from the shore as I hurried away to help, still barefoot.


    The restaurant owner didn''t want to spare the ingredients but Percy convinced (read: bribed) him for me. Way to go big brother.


    I held the boy''s arm to keep it from jerking about as the doctor rinsed his hand with vinegar, gently whisperedforting words to him as he cried about the pain of the stingers being plucked out with tweezers, and stayed with him until the hot water had done its job.


    He may have been a dumb kid who didn''t listen to me but he looked pitiful. How could I not feel sorry for him?


    Percy was quiet throughout the whole process. When it was over and I sternly told the boys to go home and not mess with jellyfish again, he handed me my things and finally spoke.


    "Catherine, you are too kind. Someone will take advantage of that someday if you are not careful."


    It was apliment and an insult at the same time. As expected. I didn''t act one bit like the daughter of an earl but at least I helped a kid.


    I looked at him earnestly. "Please don''t tell Mother about this. I think she''d faint."


    He sighed. "I will keep your secret, but you need to be less reckless. What if a nobleman had seen you acting so brash? Your reputation would be ruined before you even had a chance."


    I didn''t worry one whit about my reputation but his concern was still a bit touching. I smiled at him.


    "I can''t promise I won''t help someone again if it''s within my ability but I can try to be a bit more discreet about it."


    Not like it mattered anyway. I would be out of the realm of the crazies soon enough.


    "I suppose that is a loting from you. Thank you."

 Chapter 11: The Bakery

    Chapter 11: The Bakery


    The walk back was pretty quiet until I spotted a familiar nameCarmine''s Bakery. That was where Marcy worked. I grew excited at the prospect of checking it out. The pastries there were famous, after all.


    And I looked like a wreck even after putting my shoes back on (the bo was a lost cause with my windblown hair so Percy tucked it under his arm) so no one would guess I was a noble. I coulde backter to talk about getting a job with no problem.


    "Percy, I want to go there! I heard their pastries are the best in the kingdom! Please buy me a chocte ir? Pretty please? Or a cream puff? Or"


    "Alright,e on," he said irritably. Percy had had more than enough adventure for one day and wanted to be safely at home.


    I could identify with that back when I was sick. I hardly wanted to leave my house either. But now that I was healthy there was just so much to see and do! I''d spent five years inside; I was done with it.


    "I love you!" I said as sweetly as possible and the expression on his face softened.


    When we entered the bakery, the smell of sugar and yeast assaulted our nostrils. Delicious!


    I peered into the ss disy cases. Everything looked so good, how could I possibly pick?


    "You can choose three things," he said gruffly. "I will not tell Mother as long as you give me a bite of each."


    I looked up at him with shining eyes, bouncing on the balls of my feet. "I will, I promise!"


    In the end, I settled on an ir, a lemon tart, and a small strawberry shortcake. Percy went to the counter to pay and I noticed the very pretty, very smiley girl behind the counter. That had to be Marcy.


    She matched the novel''s description of "delicate as a flower but shines like the sun." She had beautiful auburn hair tied up in a bun that was falling apart and wide green eyes behind thick eyshes.


    No wonder the prince had fallen for her at first sight. After all he had been through at the hands of the crown prince''s cronies he was a rather gloomy fellow at the beginning of the novel. A brightly shining girl like this would appeal to someone like him.


    I waved to her good naturedly on my way out the door after Percy paid, chattering excitedly about how much I looked forward to the pastries and not noticing the man in the cloak who came in as we were leaving.


    ***


    He could hardly focus on what to buy. Entering the shop had been impulsive, having seen the girl through the window. The girl from the ocean side.


    The one who acted like she didn''t have a care in the world; the one who didn''t care who was watching as she had fun. The one who perplexed him since two minutester she went from ditzy to determined as she told that doctor off for trying to treat the boy stung by a jellyfish the wrong way.


    Who on earth was she? Was she really from a fishing town as she imed? That dress looked awfully expensive.


    He tried to remember if there any nobles who lived in fishing towns. The only ones he knew of who lived by the ocean were directly connected to the pce.


    If she was from the pce, he would have known of her. No, she wasn''t from the pce. A daughter of a wealthy merchant, perhaps?


    The man apanying her seemed to be well-dressed too. Was he her husband? Her fiance? She looked young but that didn''t necessarily mean anything.


    That man had held her clothes for her as she sshed through the iing tide andter bought her a bunch of sweets. Clearly they had some sort of rtionship. The thought rubbed him the wrong way.


    Why did he care about some random girl anyway? Sure, she was breathtakingly beautiful, but he saw beautiful women all the time. Beauty was not enough to affect him.


    Maybe it was because of how alive she looked as she yed in the water. He had never seen anyone so spirited or free. Freedom wasn''t a part of his world.


    He was lucky he even managed to escape today. He was d he did; if he hadn''t slipped away exactly when he did, he would have missed her. Missed the girl with the sunshine hair andughing eyes dancing around in the ocean.


    Absentmindedly, he ordered the first thing he saw and thanked the cashier without even looking at her. As he munched on his treatwhich he realized after taking a bite was a piece of gingerbreadhe couldn''t get that girl out of his mind.


    If she really was a noble, he might be able to see her again at one of the balls held this season. The thought warmed him. Too devoid of experience with love to realize it, the ocean girl imprinted herself on his heart.

 Chapter 12: First Dance

    Chapter 12: First Dance


    "What happened to your hair?!" the countess screeched when her daughter arrived home with a lion''s mane and no bo.


    "The wind at the ocean side was very strong, Mother," I said calmly.


    The only way to deal with her when she got hysterical was to remain absolutely calm. It had not taken long in this world to learn that much.


    "Yes, very strong," Percy agreed while standing stoically beside me. "Her bo flew right off and the pins with it."


    The countess had no reason to doubt the word of her oldest son and let us off easily before going to order the cook to prepare dinner.


    I turned to him suspiciously. "You just lied for me."


    "Yes, I did."


    "What do you want?"


    He smiled. "The whole lemon tart. I think you owe me that much."


    Curse him, he was right. Percy had done a lot for me today.


    "Can I have one tiny nibble first?" I pleaded. I was the one who picked it out after all.


    "One tiny nibble," he conceded.


    After taking my tasteit was absolutely scrumptiousI regretfully handed it over. "We need to go back there again. These are divine."


    "I heard a rumor they will not be this good for long. The pce is interested in hiring the pastry chef out from under the bakery owner in honor of the second prince''s marriage. Apparently the new princess really loves that bakery."


    I wasn''t surprised about the rumor, since I knew this was roughly the time Marcy headed to the pce anyway. I was surprised that my brotherwho hated the capital and most peoplehad listened to gossip.


    "Where did you hear that?"


    "Believe it or not, I do know some people in the capital. I have to forge my connections for when I take Father''s ce someday."


    Huh. I guess his antisocial nature had a loophole. With that cryptic statement, he headed upstairs to go over the ledgers with Father before dinner.


    I found myself with nothing to do so I sat in the sitting room with the curtain pulled back and watched people pass by until we were called to dinner.


    As usual, it was a mostly silent affair, but my mother did make sure to give me more advice about my debut tomorrow. All the daughters of nobility that were of age would go forward and introduce themselves to the king and queen in front of the full court in descending order of importance.


    As an earl''s daughter, I''d probably be within the first ten candidates. That happened in the morning. In the evening was the debutante ball, which was the best opportunity for newly-out-in-societydies towork with the mothers and wives of other nobility and to dance with as many different partners as possible.


    Part of me dreaded the dancing. Sure, I''d practiced my feet off, but what if I still screwed up? The other part of me was excited to be able to do physical activity without hurting myself.


    You know those dance games where you held the motion-sensor controller and tried to go along with the moves on the screen? I couldn''t even y those because the repetitive arm motions hurt my shoulders too much.


    Being physically able to dance was nice even if I didn''t want to do it with a bunch of random noblemen.


    "Percy, will you dance with me first?" I asked.


    The first dance was usually reserved for a family member or ady''s prospective fianc if she had one. It was done with someone thedy trusted to help calm her nerves before sending her off into the wolves'' den. Not a terrible sentiment, I guess.


    "That would be most appropriate," the countess approved. "If you dance with Percival, I can dance with your father."


    "Of course, Catherine. It would be my honor."


    I smiled at him. I would be a lot less nervous dancing with him than with the earl. A sheltereddy like Catherine du Pont didn''t know any other men well enough to dance with them first.


    That night Iy awake for far too long, wondering what the next day had in store for me. I had never slept well before tests in school. This was no different.


    My merit as a noblewoman was being tested in front of the entire kingdom tomorrow. I couldn''t bring shame to the earldomat least until I found a way to leave it. Because leaving would definitely shame them.


    I assumed they would do their best to keep things quiet for Adele''s sake. If scandal tainted the du Pont name, she would have a hard time finding a husband when she got older. No, they wouldn''tunch a search for me.


    My brothers might look into things on their own but no one would dare go against the earl''s edict. If he said not to incite a scandal, they wouldn''t incite a scandal.


    They would probably pretend they married me off to a visiting dignitary from another country. That would exin why no one ever saw me quite well and Adele''s future wouldn''t be affected. A perfect n.


    I had been in their house long enough to know what kind of people Lord and Lady du Pont were. They wouldn''t miss their oldest daughter one bit. My siblings would though and that was the one thorn in my side.

 Chapter 13: The Presentation

    Chapter 13: The Presentation


    The morning of the presentation to the monarchy I was woken up unwillingly at the crack of dawn.


    "Whyyyyy," I moaned tiredly.


    My maid urged me up. "Please get up mydy, there''s much to do! You need to be bathed in perfumed oil, have your hair dried and styled, and have your makeup done!"


    Great. Dressing me up like a doll. I wasn''t a fan of the fashion here. It could be very restrictive, especially the corsets. Which didn''t even make sense because the dresses were mostly empire-waist styled.


    What was the point of having a corset if you couldn''t even see your waist?! I didn''t mind empire-waist dresses one bit if I didn''t have the corset on underneath. But that morning was different.


    I got bath oil in my eyes, was poked and prodded with this world''s non-electrical versions of curling wands (I was very curious about the science behind it since this world had no magic), and saw a cage. An actual cage that I was supposed to wear.


    "What happened to empire waists?" I asked somewhat desperately.


    "Those are fashionable in the country, mydy. Capital fashions are much different."


    Even better. I had never worn something so constricting in my life. How on earth was I supposed to sit in this thing?!


    Four hourster, I was all made up and strapped into that horrid contraption and a pastel yellow gown covered in sewn-on roses. I wore no jewelry except the pink diamond earrings that marked the Countess of du Pont since the earldom was founded. My hair was wreathed with small pink and white flowers.


    A brief look in the mirror showed that I looked like a spring fairy. No wonder the countess let me borrow her jewelry. Itpleted the look.


    Ribbons, flowers, and jewels seemed excessive all together until you saw the final product. My fake mother was nothing if not masterful.


    "You make me proud, Catherine," she said with an abnormally soft smile. "Now go out there and dazzle everyone with your beauty."


    Her daughter was nothing more than a prize to be pawned off to the highest bidder and she dared to smile like a real mother would.


    I descended the staircase in a huff after that show of false affection.


    Percy, who looked very dashing in a blue coat, stood stunned at the bottom of the stairs. "Catherine, you look like ady."


    "Of course I look like ady," I grumbled. "Look what they did to me."


    He smiled and offered his arm. "I will be the envy of everyone at the ball for escorting such a lovelydy."


    His ttery softened me but only slightly.


    Percy helped me into the carriage and I sat very awkwardly, as I was squashing the cage. What was this thing made of anyway?!


    I was forced to scoot over on top of the cage (ouch) to make room for the countess on the forward facing bench. And just like that, the du Pont family set off for the pce.


    It is impossible not to see the pce from within the city. The turrets are so high you can see them poking into the sky from anywhere, even if you can''t see anything else.


    The pce is on a hill, raised above the rest of the capital, as if to literally let the royals look down on everyone else. How fitting.


    When we arrived, my palms were damp inside my gloves with nervousness. Ugh, the sweat made the fabric stick weirdly! I wanted to take them off but the countess was watching me like a hawk.


    There were only three girls ahead of me. The daughter of the Duke of Renaya, the daughter of the Marquis of Carrabaas, and the daughter of the Earl of Candleton. All beautiful. All poised. All perfectly trained puppets.


    I wondered if their mothers were as cunning as mine. Probably, since they managed to snare positions as the wives of such high ranking nobles.


    "Lady Catherine Arabe du Pont, daughter of Lord Havisham Brann du Pont, the Earl of du Pont, your majesties," the announcer said solemnly.


    Now all I had to do was gracefully glide forward, make my deepest curtsy, then look up and smile at the king, queen, and crown prince.


    Thankfully, I managed to do it to perfection. Well, I had practiced enough. I could probably do this asleep.


    "It is an honor to be in your presence, your majesties," I said in my sweetest, most deferential voice.


    "Rise, Lady Catherine. The court is pleased to have you," the king said kindly.


    I was relieved. This was the standard responsemeaning I did okay.


    I put on my most dazzling smile before gliding back to my family. The countess looked fit to burst with pride.


    Honestly, this was all that mattered to her? How sad. For both her and her daughters. And all the other daughters of nobility.


    What a terrible customparading nervous young girls out in front of the whole world, waiting for them to screw up.


    My stomach growled and I thought longingly of the feast. Unfortunately, there were still about twenty girls left to be presented before we broke for lunch.


    My itchy palms and heavy cage were driving me crazy. No matter how hungry I wasbeing so tightlyced into this thing, would I even be able to eat?


    I got my answer an hourter. No, I would not.


    Though everything smelled amazing, I could hardly take more than two bites per course because I could barely breathe. My stomach waspletely ttened by the corset and corresponding cage, leaving no room for food.


    I wanted to cry but the countess might actually murder me for doing so in public. So I promised myself that I would stop by that bakery again the next day and order one of everything to make up for it.


    Dear Percy, seated at my right, seemed to sense my distress.


    "Do you want me to hide some miniature pies in my pocket for you to haveter?"


    I nearly cried anyway at the gesture. "You would smell like meat though."


    His lips quirked slightly. "It would keep people away from me."


    Wow. A win-win. I epted his offer graciously. In the unofficial race for the title of ''favorite brother,'' Percy was definitely winning.

 Chapter 14: Staring

    Chapter 14: Staring


    The banquet hall waspletely stuffed and yet there were additional halls set up for the lesser nobility that wouldn''t fit. In our room, I spotted the king and queen, Duke O, and the crown prince.


    The duke hardly took his eyes off me, which made me ufortable, but someone else was doing the same thing. Someone I didn''t know.


    He had the same dark hair as the duke but instead of brown, his eyes were a smoky gray. I had never seen such eyes. Sadness pooled within them but they still stared at me with the intensity of several suns. It was a bit rming.


    "Percy," I whispered. "Do you know who that man is?"


    "Which one?" he whispered back.


    "The one staring at me!"


    "Lots of them are staring at you. You are possibly the prettiest debutante here; you are going to get swarmed on the dance floor," he predicted grimly.


    I did not want to think about that. Were there really that many people staring at me? I guess I only noticed the most intense ones.


    "The one sitting at the far table with the gray eyes," I hissed, being more specific.


    "I have never seen him before," Percy said. "Not surprising. There are a lot of nobles and I do not get out much. But he has to be at least a marquis, look at his coat."


    It was an impressive coat,plete with an insane amount of buttons. How did he ever manage to get in and out of that thing?


    "Edmund''s friend the duke is staring at you too," he pointed out unhelpfully.


    "Yes, I know," I said through gritted teeth.


    I wanted this over with. I wanted to go home. I would chop off my left arm just to get these people to stop looking at me.


    I was on the verge of screaming right in the middle of the banquet hall. Let me out of here!


    "That is the price of being beautiful, Catherine," he said with a small chuckle.


    Clearly he was proud of me just like that phony countess. Oh, my brother, you''ve failed me. Whatever brownie points he had earned by saving me pies were lost instantly.


    "Shut up," I mumbled.


    I didn''t ask for this. Never had I missed my boring old face so much. No one would stare at Katie Pullman.


    The rest of dinner was horribly awkward. Nobody other than Percy talked to me and he only talked when I did.


    The countess was too busy gossiping with her friend the marchioness. The earl discussed politics with a duke. Nobody knew me, so why would they talk to me?


    Well, I''m sure some of the unmarried noblemen would but they were not seated next to the debutantes and their families. The nearest debutante''s brother that was staring at me was too far away tomunicate with.


    I sunk lower in my chair, wishing I could disappear.


    I aged ten years during that dinner. At least, it felt like I did.


    When we exited the banquet hall and filed into the ballroom, my nervousness increased tenfold. What creeps were going to ask me to dance tonight?


    I clung to Percy''s arm for protection. "Don''t let them near me."


    He shook his head at me indulgently. "But that is what we are here for. You cannot find a husband if you avoid dancing."


    "I don''t need a husband," I said feebly.


    The stares had gotten worse. Ravenous ones, curious ones, love struck ones, and hateful ones from the other debutantes whose thunder had been stolen.


    I''m sorry! I didn''t want to dress up like this! I don''t want to be here! Please don''t kill me!


    "Brother" I tried again.


    He shushed me. "The dance is about to start. Get ready."


    I was not ready. I absolutely was not ready. And yet, when the first note began to y, my movements were perfectly in sync with everyone else''s. I danced beautifully, just as I practiced.


    "You shall be a sensation, dear Catherine," Percy said happily.


    Ugh, boys knew nothing. He wanted me to be popr so I would end up with the pick of the litter but I didn''t want anything to do with this.


    I know he wanted me to be happy but I wasn''t from here! Other girls would be thrilled to be the belle of the ball but not this introvert.


    After the dance ended and everyone pped, I was immediately whisked away by Duke O without one word ofint from my brother. He even had the audacity to look pleased on my behalf.


    Percy, I won''t forgive you for selling me out! I have been trying to avoid this guy the most!


    "Lady Catherine, what a pleasure to see you again. You look magnificent this evening," he said in his t voice.


    "Thank you," I murmured begrudgingly.


    I may not like this guy but I couldn''t afford to offend him. He was in the viin''s pocket after all.


    "The pleasure is mine, Your Grace."


    He actually smiled at me. "I daresay you are the most beautiful woman in attendance tonight. And the most intelligent. I was lucky to get to you first."


    Thatsounded oddly sinister. What did he want to do with me?! I chose to stay silent and he continued.


    "I have never met a woman quite as profound as you. Graceful, elegant, well-mannered, smartbut I suspect there is much more to you than meets the eye. I gathered that much from my visit to your estate. You would make an excellent duchess."


    Oh great. Now he wants to marry me. Come on! This is just the first man I danced with!


    "I could never live up to such a title," I said as airily as I could. "You tter me, Your Grace."


    The guy actually sighed. "And ever so modest. I thought you were different and here you are, proving me right."


    The song ended and I was relieved when he let go of my waist. He bowed over my gloved hand and kissed it. "Until next time, Lady Catherine."


    "Farewell, Your Grace," I said faintly. What a nightmare!

 Chapter 15: Mystery Man

    Chapter 15: Mystery Man


    The next song was about to start when I got approached by some random nobleman in his 40s. He must have lost his wife and was on the hunt for a new one.


    I desperately scanned the room. Percy! Where are you! Get over here and keep your promise!


    To my surprise and gratitude, the strange guy with the sad eyes who was watching me earlier swooped in to save me.


    "Forgive me, Lord Myron, but thedy has promised the next dance to me."


    The older guy looked intensely disappointed but bowed briefly before leaving. I was so relieved I actually spoke my mind.


    "You just saved my life."


    The mysterious man smiled at me. "Oh? How so?"


    I turned beet red. I hadn''t meant to say that out loud.


    "Ummy brother promised to keep men over thirty away from me but I lost sight of him," I confessed. "You came right in the nick of time."


    There was something about this guy that pulled words right out of me. Yes, he stared at me rather intensely earlier, but I was willing to forgive that after his smooth save. At least he didn''t give off creepy vibes like the duke.


    "Your brother?"


    "Yes, Percival du Pont, next in line for the earldom. He''s rather protective of me and has been a bit like my bodyguard while we''ve been in the capital."


    "Tall, brown hair, blue eyes? Usually wears a serious expression?" the mystery man asked with an odd look on his face.


    "Yes, do you know him?"


    "I have seen him around," the man said cryptically.


    Where was my head today? "Sir, I just realized I don''t know your name. I''m"


    "Everyone here knows who you are, Lady Catherine du Pont." I pouted. Thanks for reminding me, dude. He continued as if he didn''t notice. "You can call me Al."


    "Al? But that doesn''t tell me a thing about you," I protested.


    Clearly he already knew me since he picked me out of everyone here to dance with. It was probably just because I was a novelty here.


    He grinned and the heaviness in his eyes seemed to vanish. "Do you have a nickname, Lady Catherine?"


    "I do, actually. I prefer it to Catherine but only two people call me that anymore," I said wistfully.


    This guy seemed pretty casual so it probably wouldn''t hurt to add one more person to that list. I missed my real name.


    "Please feel free to call me Katie."


    "Katie," Al said as if savoring the name. "I do believe that suits you better. I shall call you Katie then. Lady Katie sounds a bit strange, since it rhymes and all. I hope you will forgive the informality."


    I burst outughing. Not a polite, civilizeddy titter. A realugh. The kind that hadn''t erupted out of me since before I dropped into this novel.


    I pped a hand over my mouth before anyone could notice, stifling it quickly before returning my hand to its proper position for the dance. "Forgive me. That wasreally funny."


    "I''m d you enjoyed it. Maybe I should call you Lady Katie from now on if it makes youugh like that," he teased with a glint in his eye.


    "Please don''t," I pleaded, fighting the urge tough again. "My mother would kill me if she saw meughing like that."


    He squinted at me. "Your mother doesn''t seem to know you very well."


    "She doesn''t," I admitted before realizing my mistake.


    One does not insult a member of the nobility outright in front of other nobles. It is supposed to be done subtly by twisting words.


    "No need to feel bad, Lady Katie. Your forthrightness is refreshing, to be honest. The people around me are always masking their true thoughts."


    There it wasthe sadness in his eyes again, mixed with a hint ofughter because of my antics.


    "That must be exhausting."


    "It is. So someone like you is a breath of fresh air," he said with a genuine smile.


    My heart fluttered a bit. I''d never been called a breath of fresh air before. Everyone back home (minus Abby) thought I was a drag.


    "That''s quite thepliment, Sir Al."


    "I''m d you think so. Actually, I meant to introduce myself to you before this. I first"


    The song ended and Percy finally caught up to me, cutting off whatever Al was going to say. "Catherine, an acquaintance of mine wishes to dance with you."


    I couldn''t believe it but I was disappointed! I wanted to hear what this interesting person had to say. I turned back towards him to apologize but he was already gone.


    "I''ming," I told my brother sadly.

 Chapter 16: Suitors

    Chapter 16: Suitors


    The rest of the ball was a blur. I must have danced with at least two dozen different prospective suitors.


    None of them asked me any interesting questions. All wereplimentary of my beauty. Most seemed to think that I was nothing more than a pretty, empty-headed doll.


    Not the frightening duke though. Heplimented my intelligence. And that weird guy, Al. He seemed more like someone from my world than anyone else I had met here. Maybe that was why I had fun with him.


    The next day our house was flooded with bouquets and calling cards from potential suitors but the one that stood out to me most was the bag of cream puffs from Carmine''s Bakery.


    The calling card simply had an A on it. I''m pretty sure it was from Al. So he still wanted to hide his full name, huh?


    Father had a book of nobility lineage in his library that I read when I first got here so I would know who was who. I mentally went through the list of all the names that included ''Al.''


    Baron Albert Jondein. Viscount Alexei Milkovich. Marquis Alton Brunner. Bar Graham Aldernash. And of course, Prince Alpheus, but that was ridiculous because he had surely already met Marcy at this point. A bookworm like me couldn''tpare to her radiance.


    I couldn''t put a face to any of those names though. And what if he was somebody''s son? Only the current and past titleholders were in that book.


    The curiosity was eating me alive. I had no interest in any of these other suitors. Not that I was THAT kind of interested in Al.


    I had no desire to marry any of these stuffy noblemen. I wanted love and that would only happen with an average Joe of this world who would like me for me, not my father''s title or my ridiculously made up face.


    I needed to spend more time in the sun. If I had freckles like Edmund people would be less obsessed with this face. But that sted countess insists I wear a bo if I am outside for more than thirty seconds to prevent that very thing.


    Curse her meddling! I want to be normal! NORMAL! Not a porcin doll!


    A stream of suitors paraded in and out of our house during tea time over the following week. Some of them I recognized. Some I did not. I assumed that I danced with all of these hopeless fools or else why would they be here?


    One particrly terrible day, five of them were there at once, all trying to fawn on me. Including that duke. The countess was banking on that duke.


    He was the highest ranked and most impressive out of all my suitors. He was even the closest to Catherine''s age. The rest were in their twenties.


    "Lady du Pont, may I request the honor of taking a turn around the garden with Lady Catherine?" Duke O asked tly while ignoring the swarm of men in the sitting room.


    She responded as expected. "Absolutely, Your Grace! I will continue entertaining the rest of the guests. Please take dear Catherine out for a bit of fresh air."


    I shot her a look indicating she was a traitor that she pretended not to see. The countess wanted this match more than anything. Her daughter, marrying two ranks above her station? That is every noblewoman''s dream!


    The duke practically had to drag me out the door. The fresh air was nice but thepany was not. He was oddly reminiscent of a little ck rain cloud.


    Aside from when we first met and that one smile at the ball, I have never seen a single expression on his face.


    And I don''t want to go against the main characters by siding with him! I''m not a part of this novel.


    "Dearest Lady Catherine, what exactly is it you dislike about me?"


    Gee, how did he know? "I don''t know what you mean, Your Grace. I have treated you with utmost politeness."


    "Politeness, yes, but also coldness. I do not believe that you are a cold person."


    "I suppose it takes one to know one," I couldn''t resist saying.


    He looked at me with his usual nk expression.


    "Ah, so that is the issue. You think I have no emotions to spare for you? I assure you, that is not the case. You are by far the most intriguing woman I have ever met. I quite like you."


    Ugh, I knew it! He was trying to get me to be his duchess so he could get my political mind on the crown prince''s side. I wouldn''t do it.


    "I''m afraid the feeling is not mutual, Your Grace. Ihave someone else in mind."


    That was a lie, obviously, but guys like him only back down when they know there isn''t a chance.


    His nk expression darkened briefly. "And who could that be? Almost none rank higher than I do. I can offer you more than whoever he is."


    "I''m afraid you can''t," I said stiffly. "He makes meugh."


    Why did that strange guy Al pop into my head? I only chose that attribute because I knew this iceberg couldn''t make someoneugh if he tried.


    "I could hire someone to do that for me."


    Unbelievable!


    "Are you even listening to yourself? I want a husband that I enjoy spending time with. That isn''t such an unfathomable thingyou should be able to understand it. Now if you''ll excuse me, I feel unwell and must take my leave. My apologies, Your Grace."


    With that, I turned on my heel and stomped up to my room without so much as looking at the curious horde still gathered around my mother in hopes of winning my favor.


    All this just for a pretty face? Seriously? Had I even spoken more than a sentence to any of those idiots?

 Chapter 17: Running Away

    Chapter 17: Running Away


    I couldn''t wait for Marcy to go to the pce. I needed to get out of here before the duke or some other rich, influential man won over my heartless money-grubbing motherpletely.


    I didn''t need much. All these frills and fancy dresses would give me away. I snuck a couple of generic servant dresses that looked like they would fit into a bag and slung it over my shoulder before sneaking out the window and down the trellis.


    I never would have attempted something like this at home but my body was much nimbler now.


    I shot one sad nce back at the house for Percy''s sake before setting off in the only solid pair of shoes I hadmy riding boots. My hair was simply braided into a bun and hidden under a shawl. It was far too long and noticeable otherwise.


    I went to the beach first since it looked like the bakery was experiencing the afternoon rush when I passed by. I would stop by and talk to the owner after enjoying the scenery for a while.


    I told the servants I passed on my way to my room that I was ''indisposed'' which meant I probably wouldn''t be discovered as missing until dinner.


    I found a secluded spot on top of a giant rock and climbed up. It would be difficult to see me from the ground unless you were specifically looking. But who in this world climbed rocks?


    Hugging my knees to my chest, I looked out over the horizon. My shawl was in my pack since the ocean breeze was strong enough that it might blow away.


    Though the sun was shining, the air was cold. I didn''t care. I didn''t particrly have anywhere to go.


    A male voice sounded from behind me. "Well, if it isn''t Lady Katie. I certainly didn''t expect to find you here."


    I looked up with half a smile on my face from the dumb nickname. "Sir Al, it''s you. What are you doing here?"


    "I might ask you the same question. I happened to see you from the rockier side of the shore. Ie here whenever I can get away. The ocean is vast and mysterious, isn''t it? I would like nothing better than to find a ship and sail away from everything but that isn''t exactly possible."


    "We''re in the same boat, my friend," I said with a sigh, naturally slipping into my usual speech patterns. Al was the most casual person I had met in this world so why bother with formalities?


    "I''m running away from all my suitors. I haven''t quite figured out where to go, though."


    He settled in next to me, a look of vague surprise on his face. "I thought all youngdies wanted nothing more than to marry into a good house for the sake of their families."


    "Not me! I don''t want to get married at all!" I blurted.


    Such a social taboo, but I doubted this strange nobleman would care based on everything I had seen of him so far.


    Al cocked his head as he leaned back using his arms for support. "And why is that?"


    I looked out over the waves, suddenly embarrassed. Maybe he cared about my slip after all.


    "Um, I don''t think you''d believe me if I told you."


    "Try me."


    "I don''t believe in the concept of marriages of convenience, or necessity, or making alliances. If I ever get married, I want to do it because I''m in love. Like my parents."


    My parents had loved each other so much! They were on an anniversary trip to Florida when they got caught up in a hurricane that none of the weathermen sawing.


    They had been together happily for twenty years. Wherever they were now, I hoped they were able to be together.


    "Your parents, the Earl and Countess of du Pont were a love match?" he asked doubtfully.


    Oops. It was too easy to be myself with this guy.


    "Not themthe people I actually think of as my parents. Uh, my nanny. And her husband," I saidmely.


    "But the countemy motherwants to marry me off to the highest bidder. Right now it''s looking like the Duke of O is her first choice." My expression turned dark.


    "Youdon''t like Duke O?"


    "No I don''t! He creeps me out, to be honest. I can''t exin it properly but he gives me weird vibes."


    "Vibes?"


    Ah, they didn''t really have the concept of vibes here. "Um, he has a weird aura?"


    Al still looked confused. I tried again. "He gives off a feeling that makes me ufortable."


    That was the ticket. He nodded, digesting this information. "He never really got the chance to be a child, since he inherited his title so young. I can see what you mean."


    Unexpectedly, Alughed. "You realize that any other debutante in this kingdom would be thrilled to marry him."


    "And I''m supposed to be like everybody else?" I demanded, hugging my knees even tighter.


    "You misunderstand me. Personally, I''m quite happy you''re not like everybody else," he said with a gentle smile on his face. "I''ve never met someone like you."


    Of course he hadn''t. I wasn''t from here.


    "I''m nothing special," I said honestly.


    Where I came from, I was considered a failure by most. I could barely workmy sick day count was so high it was a miracle I didn''t get firedbut I didn''t qualify for government disability aid because they didn''t know specifically what was wrong with me.


    "Forgive me for disagreeing with ady, but I don''t think so. You are genuine. Not one person around me is like that."


    I frowned at him in confusion. Dude, I''ve met you exactly once. "I don''t think you''ve known me long enough to assess that."


    "If you weren''t genuine, why would you go out of your way to help that boy after he tantly ignored your advice?"

 Chapter 18: Who Are You?

    Chapter 18: Who Are You?


    So Al was on the beach my first day in town. Interesting. He did say he likeding here.


    "You saw all that?" I asked hesitantly.


    Percy''s worry that I would be seen by someone important acting so impulsively was valid after all. I didn''t think nobles went to the beach. Everyone else I saw then looked like an average citizen, not that there were many people there in the first ce.


    He nodded. "It was quite brave, what you did. Standing up to that old doctor even though the chances of him listening to you weren''t high. I wanted to talk to you that day but you were gone before I could do anything. Imagine my surprise when I saw you present yourself in front of the monarchy the next day."


    "Is that why you were staring at me?" I asked, unable to stop the words from tumbling out.


    At least he had enough shame to look embarrassed. "You noticed?"


    "It was hard not to."


    Al scratched the back of his neck.


    "Forgive me, but I had a hard time believing someone so kind or knowledgeable could be a debutante. The earldom is nowhere near the oceanhow did you know the proper way to treat a jellyfish sting?"


    Ah. This could get tricky. "I read about it," I said truthfully.


    "In a medical textbook? I wasn''t aware that jellyfish stings weremon enough to end up in one. That doctor certainly didn''t know what to do."


    "Not a medical textbook" I read about it online but there was no concept of the inte here.


    "I was reading about ocean creatures when I came across that information." It wasn''t a total lie. I only looked it up because I was already learning about jellyfish and got curious.


    "I had no idea someone had written a book about what lives in the ocean. Sailors catch fish usingrges so I suppose a jellyfish or two could get stuck in them from time to time," he mused. "I may want to read this book myself. What was it called?"


    "I don''t remember," I said hastily.


    Everything I knew about jellyfish came from the inte, cards at aquariums, or ocean documentaries. There wasn''t a book about ocean creatures in this world!


    "But if you ever want to know more about ocean life, I can tell you."


    He raised an eyebrow at me while his lips quirked into a half-smile. "You n to stay in contact with me after running away?"


    He had a point. I''d spoken without thinking yet again. There was a good chance this would be thest time I saw him.


    "Do you have to tease me?" I asked somewhat pitifully. This guy really knew how to get a rise out of me but somehow I didn''t mind it.


    "My apologies. I suppose you''re too easy to tease."


    We went silent for a while, listening to the sounds of the waves and the seagulls soaring above us. It was kind of nice, sitting here like this with him. Almost like having a friend.


    "Youwon''t tell my family about this, will you? That you saw me, I mean."


    He was so easy to talk to that I had nearly forgotten he was a noble and could tattle on me.


    "No, I won''t tell your family. Goodness knows I wish I could escape as easily as you did. I barely manage to make it out for excursions like this. If I were ever to run away, it would have to be too far for anyone to ever recognize me."


    I looked at him in confusion. "Are you that recognizable? My brother didn''t know who you were."


    He howled withughter, practically rolling off the rock, before breaking into a heart-stopping grin. "Really? He didn''t? Fantastic!"


    "No offensebut who are you?"


    Al sobered instantly. "Believe it or not, no one important. I have two brothers ahead of me to inherit so I''m little more than a puppet to the whims of my family."


    Hmm. Not important but too visible to eke out a living in the capital. He must be the son of someone who was a big deal here.


    If I dyed and cut my hair and changed my name I could get away with it because my family didn''t live here and only nobles, most of whom also didn''t live in the capital full-time, knew who I was.


    But Al grew up here. People knew him. He was right; he would have to go far away.


    "Why not go to the countryside?"


    "People still know of me, or at least my family, in the countryside. I''m afraid I would have to leave the country but I have no idea how to do it."


    "I don''t know either or I''d say we should make a break for it together," I said thoughtlessly, not noticing how he stiffened.


    "Right now my only hope is getting a job recing that bakery girl who is going to the pce to serve the second princess."


    "You would honestly want me to run away with you?" Al asked in a somewhat strangled voice.


    "You realize I''m one of your suitors, right? Why would you ask a suitor to run away with you when you''re running away from them?"

 Chapter 19: A Proposal

    Chapter 19: A Proposal


    My mouth rounded into an ''o'' of surprise. Honestly, he had been so friendly and normal that I hadpletely forgotten he was among the throng of my admirers.


    "You''re different," I admitted. "You don''t act like they do."


    "I suppose that is a pretty highplimenting from you."


    My cheeks turned red.


    "I meant no offense. It''s justyou talk to me like a normal person. The rest of them either don''t think I have a single thought in my head outside of ribbons and tea time or want to use me as a chess piece."


    Al''s gaze sharpened. "A chess piece?"


    "Duke O," I sighed, letting my mouth run away from me again.


    "He''s a schoolmate of my brother Edmund''s. While visiting with him a while back he caught me reading a book on foreign policy and seemed impressed with my political reasoning. I don''t want him to use me to further his career. I mean, he works with the crown prince! I want nothing to do with that!"


    He went silent for a moment before turning toward me with an unfathomable gaze. "Most people want to curry favor with the crown prince. Why don''t you?"


    He is the viin of this novel; of course I don''t care about him! Ugh, how could I exin myself? A brand-new debutante from a country estate wouldn''t know the intricacies of politics going on inside the castle.


    I know the crown prince is a bad guy because he wants to take away the rights of the lower sses even further to consolidate his own power. But Catherine du Pont is not supposed to know that.


    "I don''t want to be involved in castle politics. I want to live my life in peace."


    There. That was a simple enough answer without giving any real details on the depth of my information.


    Al let out a heavy sigh. "So do I. Unfortunate that we were both born nobles, isn''t it?"


    "Very," I agreed.


    Though I wasn''t born a noble, I just happened to be one by some bizarre chance. I was born an ordinary middle-ss girl.


    What I wouldn''t give to have that back. I even missed worrying about how to pay my bills!


    The wind picked up and a deep shudder ran through me. The sun was starting to go down so it was much colder than it had been when I first sat on the rock.


    "You''re shivering," he noticed. "May I?"


    I saw him holding out his cloak and nodded. He gently draped it over my shoulders.


    "Lady Katie, may I buy you a cup of tea?"


    I was sick to death of tea. "No, but you can buy me a cup of hot chocte. I think that bakery I want to work at has some."


    I pulled my shawl out of my pack and tied it around my head, effectively hiding my hair.


    "Do you need something to cover yourself with?" I asked suddenly. I was wearing his cloak after all.


    He pulled a crumpled up cap out of his pocket. "No, I''ve got something."


    I was impressed. "You''re like a Boy Scout."


    "A what?"


    Why did I keep tripping up in front of this guy! "I meant that you''re very prepared."


    Al shrugged. "I have to be. Shall we?" He held out his arm to help me down from the top of the rock.


    "Thank you."


    As we walked toward the bakery, Al asked me more about my interests. I couldn''t exactly tell him about how I was a hopeless book and TV addict back in my world. The fiction here was severelycking so I didn''t enjoy it.


    I could honestly say that I enjoyed reading non-fiction though since it was interesting, being about this fictional world and all. I also told him how I loved horseback riding, ying cards, and making up imaginary games with my little sister.


    A pang hit me. I would probably never see Adele again and she had been so sweet. This would be the second time I had lost a sister.


    He noticed my shift in mood. "What''s wrong?"


    I gave him a sad smile. "Just thinking about how I''ll probably never see my sister again after this."


    We ordered our hot chocte and sat at one of the cute little tables near the front window before he got the chance to respond. Al also got us raspberry tarts. Such a good guy!


    I blew on my drink as I waited for it to cool. Thest thing I needed right now was a scalded tongue incapable of properly tasting the delicious tart waiting for me.


    "About your sisteryou could still see her if you got married."


    I narrowed my eyes at him. "You know why I don''t want to do that. I won''t throw my life away just to be able to see my siblings a few times a year."


    "You asked me to run away with you. Why not just marry me?" he asked simply.


    I gaped at him in shock. "You"


    Al held up his hands in defense.


    "Just hear me out. My position in my family isn''t all that great but money is not an issue. Your mother wouldn''t give you a hard time. And you would be able to see your siblings until we figured out a proper escape n to leave the country. You could go horseback riding every day until we leaveand I have a fairly impressive library. What do you have to lose?"


    Uh, a lot of things, okay? My freedom, my innocencebeing so antisocial back home I had never even kissed anyone! I turned beet red. No way would I say that out loud.


    He seemed to catch on anyway and was quick to defend himself.


    "I don''t mean anything strange by it! To be perfectly honest, you''re the first real friend I have made in a long time. You wouldn''t have to worry about getting caught living on your own or being a pretty doll or anyone''s pawn and I wouldn''t be so bored. It would be beneficial to both of us."


    I still couldn''t believe what I was hearing. Boredom was not a sufficient reason to get married in my book.


    "I don''t even know you! We have only officially met twice!"


    "But I like you and you seem to like talking to me," he said, a bit embarrassed, as he ducked his head over his hot chocte.


    "We would be partners in crime more than anything. At least think about it? Lady Katie?"


    He was at it with that ridiculous rhyme again. I couldn''t help but smile every time I heard it. My smile seemed to encourage him but I didn''t want to give him the wrong idea. I did not like this. Hadn''t I already told him I don''t believe in marriages of convenience?


    "I don''t think I can"


    "Catherine du Pont you are in a world of trouble," Percy''s deadly voice rang from behind me.


    Oh no. Busted. I turned around, jumping out my seat, trying to block Al from his view.


    "Percy, fancy seeing you here! I was just having a warm drink with an acquaintance. The weather is quite cool and"


    "Save it. We are going home."


    He locked my elbow in his and started dragging me out the door. I struggled against him. I had barely gotten free! I couldn''t go back now!


    On top of all that, I hadn''t even gotten to eat my raspberry tart! At least Al''s cloak was draped over the back of my chair so I wouldn''t identally be stealing that today.


    Al saw what my eyes were locked onto. He hastily wrapped the raspberry tart in a napkin and tossed it at me. Miraculously, I caught it.


    "Think about it," he mouthed at me very deliberately before smiling and leaning back in his chair.

 Chapter 20: Losing An Ally

    Chapter 20: Losing An Ally


    The man I knew as Al smiled to himself after I left the shop kicking and screaming. He had seen Percying through the window and didn''t bother telling me to hide, knowing that if I went back to my family''s clutches there was a decent chance he could be my husband.


    If I ran away, he had no chance at all and would end up lonely as ever with some insignificant baron''s airheaded daughter. His family did not want him having any political power, after all.


    Unknowingly, I had captivated this man''s heart. Al didn''t have much going for him but he refused to bepletely miserable like he had been before now that he had experienced a taste of sunshine.


    How could he lie down and ept his fate now that he had a chance of getting what he wanted? He whistled cheerfully with his hands in his pockets as he made his way back to the pce.


    On the other side of town, oblivious to what Al was thinking, I was getting the chewing out of my life.


    "How dare you go off on your own like that! What if someone had happened to you? What if your reputation waspromised? The duke would not want a tainted woman! What exactly were you doing out sote by yourself?" the countess demanded, flying into a fury.


    By myself, eh? So Percy hadn''t ratted me out for being with a man. Apparently he didn''t want my reputation to bepromised either. Or for the countess to murder me, I couldn''t be sure.


    Either way, he was somewhat on my side and I was grateful despite my anger at him for catching me and bringing me back.


    How stupid of me not to realize that shop would be the first ce he would look.


    "I wanted to go for a walk at the seaside and then I got cold and hungry so I stopped for hot chocte and some food. I was on my way home, Mother," I lied.


    I was sure she didn''t believe me. If I had really just been going for a walk, I wouldn''t be wearing servant clothes. It waspletely obvious I was running away.


    She was so angry her chest was heaving, rather impressively due to her corset.


    "You are not to leave this house again for the rest of our stay here without my direct supervision. I will not have you ruin your chances for an advantageous marriage, youngdy. You are the daughter of an earl! Start acting like it!"


    The countess ordered Percy to escort me to my room.


    The first thing I noticed was a lock on the outside of the window. I wouldn''t be using that to escape again.


    "You are lucky she did not do worse," he said softly once I was back in my prison. "Catherine, what were you thinking?"


    "I was thinking I don''t want to get married," I muttered mutinously. Stupid Percy, ruining my ns.


    "Getting married is your duty and your honor. I have already been lenient with you, promising that you would not have to marry someone more than twice your age. And how do you repay me? By running off! Do you have any idea how worried I was?"


    I had never seen Percy this upset by anything. He was actually pacing.


    "Catherine, you have more than a dozen eligible suitors within those parameters interested in you. Including the duke, who is a particr friend of Edmund''s! Wouldn''t it be better marrying someone you already know? You would be able to see Edmund more often that way."


    "I do NOT want to marry the duke."


    "That is unfortunate because more likely than not, you will," he snapped. "I will make no effort to stop Mother and Father if that is what they intend to do. I have helped you enough."


    I yelled after him, shocked at his disy of temper since he was normally so mild, but Percy was already gone. Well. There goes my only ally.


    Unless you count Albut his proposal was too unorthodox. Not romantic in the slightest. Not that I wanted romance from a nobleman!


    He wanted to marry someone just to keep them as a friend. Exactly what kind of life did he lead toe up with such a crazy n?


    I couldn''t deny that it was unlikely I would get a better offer. He didn''t want a ''real'' wife. But I didn''t want to be anybody''s wife, real or not!


    With the heightened security around me thoughwould I get another chance to escape?


    Percy wasn''t on my side anymore. I couldn''t count on him to get me out of any more sticky situations.


    I think going against the countess by lying to her for me about the extent of my perfidy was too much for his rule-abiding heart to bear.


    I was angry but I couldn''tpletely me him. He had already gone against his nature for me.


    To ept or not ept? Would I really be able to fend off all my suitors without any outside help?


    Especially since the countess was so furious with me. She would probably marry me off tomorrow if the opportunity arose.

 Chapter 21: Trapped at the Tournament

    Chapter 21: Trapped at the Tournament


    The next few weeks were hell on earth. I was only allowed outside my room for social events and tea time.


    Duke O refused to give up but over time my suitors gradually dwindled from two dozen to about eight. Since I was so uncooperative, barely showing the minimum required social politeness, most of them gave up in order to hunt easier prey.


    My suitors now included Duke O (the most persistent), Al (who I had only seen in passing at a few higher end eventswho was he anyway?), the second son of the Marquis of Carrabaas, the first son of the Earl of Candleton, Viscount Wilhelm (which my mother barely allowed since he was a rank below us), the third son of the Duke of Renaya, the much younger brother-inw of the current Marquis of Quiste, and the Earl of Eddingburrough.


    Despite Percy''s anger at me, none of them were over thirty, though about half were in theirte 20s. I may be 23 on the inside but they didn''t know that so they were still creeps for wanting an underage girl more than a decade younger than them.


    I was dressed up almost as frivolously as I had been the day of my debut and we were on our way to a croquet (at least it seemed like croquet; the rules and name were slightly different) tournament. It was kind of like a big outdoor pic held at the archduke''s estate.


    The archduke, the only one with his title, was the current queen''s brother and held a lot of political power. This was problematic for the hero and heroine since he was firmly in the crown prince''s camp.


    Everybody ranked viscount and above would be in attendance today so the countess insisted on making me extra beautiful. Ugh. I could hardly move my face since it was so stiff from the heavy makeup.


    Forget moving my face, I could hardly move anything! The cage I was in today was even more restrictive than thest and my corset had never been tighter.


    Percy had hardly spoken to me either since I supposedly betrayed him by running away. Fine. I didn''t need him anyway.


    At least, that is what I told myself to try and feel better. Truthfully I felt like a knife was twisting my insides every time he refused to look at me.


    It was physically impossible for me to y croquet in this dress so I sat with a group of other debutantes and suitors listening to them make small talk and trying to drown everything else out.


    Duke O handed me a strawberry lemonade with a valiant attempt at a winning smile on his face. Apparently he had taken my criticism to heart. I mean, good for him, it will help him find another girl, but he seemed to think it was working on ME.


    "Lady Catherine, I do hope you will entertain us today."


    "I''m sure I don''t know what you mean," I said stiffly, epting the drink because if I didn''t I might be executed for treason or something equally ridiculous. "I''m not much of a conversationalist."


    "You are too modest! I have always enjoyed our conversations. You are well versed in many topics," he praised.


    Great. Now it seemed like we''ve talked a lot more than we have, hinting at intimacy, AND everyone was looking at me. I couldn''t exactly refute a duke.


    "You are too kind, Your Grace," I said through gritted teeth. "I am no better a conversationalist than any of these aplisheddies present."


    There. Now he couldn''t continue praising me without offending the others. Ha.


    "It is less about the quality of the conversation than it is about the topic," Duke O continued, not caring who he offended.


    "Your topics of conversation are unique."


    Four other debutantes with their hearts set on the duke shot me death res.


    "Lady Cordelia is at least as well-versed in herbistry as I am," I said demurely.


    This was a lie but they didn''t have sulents in this world so my encyclopedic knowledge of those didn''t count.


    The daughter of the Duke of Renaya, who I just praised, looked up from her teacup in surprise before swiftly taking the hint.


    "I am a student of herbistry, Your Grace. I would be delighted to converse with you on the subject."


    He bowed out of it as quickly as possible, sly as ever.


    "I may take you up on that another time. I was merely referring to how difficult it is to find someone to talk to who is knowledgeable about both politics and architecture."


    Thedies murmured amongst themselves with a bit of hostility. Both of those were ''manly'' subjects looked down upon by their mothers. Of course they hadn''t learned about it in their lessons to be properdies.


    "Lady Catherine, I had no idea you were so well studied on suchuniquesubjects."


    I smiled softly. "My father''s library is quite extensive and I have spent much time there."


    His library had nothing on the public library back in Arizona, let alone the inte.


    The archduke and archduchess approached us then and my blood ran cold because the crown prince and crown princess were right behind them. Aside from the king, the most powerful men in the kingdom were right in front of me.


    This didn''t bode well. Did they n to force me to ept the duke''s suit so I would be sucked into their evil little circle?


    Everyone rose to bow or curtsy, respectively. A collective murmur of "Your Highness" and "Your Grace" arose from all present.


    "Be at ease, young friends. We merely came over to see some of the delightful new talents the kingdom has to offer. I have heard much about the aplishments of Lady Catherine du Pont."


    I stiffened instantly. Who was it? The duke or the crown prince? The crown prince knew about me through the duke? So many thoughts flew through my mind that I barely managed topose a sentence.


    "I am unworthy of such praise, Your Grace."


    Prince Sigmund spoke up at that moment.


    "My dear friend Duke O has had nothing but positive things to say about you, Lady Catherine. The House of O will greatly benefit from your sharp mind."


    I was right. They were trying to trap me. Help. A responseI had toe up with a response or I would basically be stuck admitting that I was the future duchess.


    I was too flustered to say anything! Was this the end for me?


    "II haven''t" I stammered. "No offer has been made, Your Highness."


    That was it. That was all I had. It was true but it wasn''t a defense.


    All Duke O had to do was make the offer and I was done for. The countess would be thrilled.


    "By all means then, Charles, make one before thedy in question gets snatched away," the crown prince said good naturedly, pping a hand on the duke''s shoulder.


    Prince Sigmund was twenty-six and treated the duke as a younger brother due to his brilliant strategic mind. More so than he did his own brothers.


    "I''m afraid that will not be possible," a familiar voice spoke up from behind me. "Thedy has already epted an offer from me."

 Chapter 22: The Prince

    Chapter 22: The Prince


    Everyone but the crown prince and his wife began bowing and murmuring "Your Highness." I was frozen in shock but still managed to snap down into a barely passable curtsy.


    "Brother," Prince Sigmund said with displeasure. "I have seen you dance with Lady Catherine exactly once. What is the meaning of this?"


    This couldn''t be happening. Al, the guy I thought of as the most normal person in this world, was Prince Alpheus? The main character of this novel?!


    This wasn''t right! He was supposed to already be in love with Marcy! Why on earth was he sticking his neck out for me?


    Prince Alpheus stepped forward and grabbed my hand to kiss it.


    "Dearest Katie, it is so nice to see you again. I hope you have been well since ourst meeting? The raspberry tarts were delightful but nowhere near as delightful as yourpany."


    Not only had heid a im on me by using what these people would see as a very intimate nickname in public, he acted like we were dating, exaggerating the time he treated me in that bakery when I ran away.


    What. Was. He. Doing.


    "I have been as well as I can be," I replied carefully. "And you, Your Highness?"


    This guy could win an Oscar. He actually had the nerve to look hurt.


    "Is my fiance feeling shy today? There is no need to be so formal just because we are in public."


    Dude! I never would have called you Al if I knew you were a freaking prince! Don''t mess with me like this!


    The duke''s hands were clenched into fists. "Prince Alpheus, I have visited Lady Catherine every day for the past two weeks and have not seen you once. And yet you im to be her fianc?"


    "Our correspondence hasrgely been through exchanging letters since the debutante ball," Prince Alpheus said with an airy wave of his hand. "A prince does not have as much free time as a duke."


    Duke O''s knuckles grew even whiter.


    It might just be my imagination going wild, but I could totally visualize the other young nobles we were sitting with pulling out popcorn to enjoy a good show. The duke was actually lost for words.


    The archduke stepped in on his behalf. "Prince Alpheus, I thought His Majesty nned to unite you with the barony of Kailene?"


    "Why would His Majesty do that when the earldom of du Pont is much higher ranked?" Al asked as if the notion was ridiculous. "I don''t know which rumors you have been listening to, uncle, but be sure to check your sources next time."


    The archduke looked furious. My pal the prince was in serious hot water. I wasn''t worth all that!


    I tried sending him subtle signals that he didn''t need to keep up the charade but he either didn''t see me or chose to ignore them.


    The earl and countess realized there was amotion going on and came over. Unfortunately, so did the king and queen.


    I was about to pass out from nerves. This had spiraled out of control so quickly. Heaven help me.


    "What is the meaning of this?" the king asked in his booming voice after everyone expended the necessary formalities.


    "Father, Alpheus is causing trouble," Prince Sigmund said with a superior tone that screamed ''he''ll side with me for sure.'' What a brat.


    "Son, what is the meaning of this?"


    It was obvious that the king didn''t think much of his third child. The novel never fully exined why the poor prince was treated the way he was. Everyone in the pce just went along with it.


    Some sort of weird superstition about gray eyes, maybe? His were the only ones I had ever seen in this world.


    "I have finally chosen a wife, aren''t you happy?" Prince Alpheus asked cheerfully.


    The king looked like he was about to explode. Clearly, he had no intention of letting his youngest son choose a wife personally but couldn''t say so in public because the crown prince and second prince had a hand in choosing their wives and everyone knew it.


    "What?!" the countess screeched, losing allposure immediately. "Catherine, you are engaged to the prince?! What about"


    She looked helplessly at Duke O, recovering her wits about her. A prince was far superior to a duke. She had nothing left to say.


    "Duke O was pursuing her first," Prince Sigmund said stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest.


    "But I asked for her hand first," Prince Alpheus said simply, a steely look in his eyes. "You know of her aplishments, Sigmund. Wouldn''t it be far more beneficial to the crown to have her as part of the royal family rather than as the wife of one of your aides?"


    So he knew the crown prince''s aim all along. I was so lost. Was he sincerely trying to help me out of a marriage I didn''t want or did he want to use me as a tool against the crown prince? That hurt more than I expected.


    I didn''t want to think of the nice, funny guy I had talked to a few times that way but since discovering he was the main characterI realized I didn''t actually know him at all. In the novel, Prince Alpheus wasn''t supposed to be a calcting person yet here we were.

 Chapter 23: Surprise!

    Chapter 23: Surprise!


    No matter how much fury was obviously bubbling under the surface of the crown prince''s faade, the king couldn''t deny that it WAS more advantageous to marry a quality woman to his own son than another noble, even if that other noble was in his prized son''s corner.


    "Proceed, Alpheus. I will send someone to make the necessary arrangements with Lord du Pont," the king said tiredly, rubbing his face. "Everyone else, as you were."


    Gossip sprung up immediately but the perpetrators made sure I couldn''t hear since I was right there, frozen in ce.


    I curtsied automatically when the king and his entourage left before turning robotically towards my new fianc. He seemed pretty pleased with himself but his smile fell when he saw the look on my face.


    "Please excuse us, I need a moment with my fiance," Alpheus said to everyone present before ushering me to a more secluded part of the garden that was still within others'' sight so we couldn''t be used of misbehaving.


    "What on earth was that about?!" I exploded as quietly as I could manage. "You lied to me!"


    "Ah, technically, I didn''t because you never asked if I was a prince," he said sheepishly. "Surprise!"


    Surprise? That was his idea of a surprise?! Surprises were supposed to be pleasant! This was almost as bad as being trapped by the crown prince''s group.


    I scowled at him. "You knew thest thing I wanted was to be involved in pce politics and yet you dragged me into this anyway. How could you?"


    I was furious at being tricked but I was also worried about the plot progression of the novel. Lady Catherine du Pont wasn''t even a character and now she was supposed to marry the love interest?


    What about Marcy? What about exposing Prince Sigmund''s schemes and providing more for the lower sses?


    Prince Alpheus and Marcy were supposed to work under the direction of the not-actually-so-bad second prince Franz who eventually takes the throne to make the kingdom a better ce and live happily ever after.


    And he imed before that he wanted to run away to another country with me? What on earth was happening?!


    He looked slightly abashed.


    "I meant what I said in the bakery that day. My brothers are the ones with political power, not me. I have the title of prince but am little more than a figurehead that only shows up at fancy events. Father and Sigmund want to take what little influence I have awaypletely because they''re afraid I''ll take Franz''s side against them.


    "I have no desire for any of that. I just want to live my life in peace, away from all the trickery and nuances of the pce. Your brother is friends with Sigmund''s right hand man, is he not? That small detail will be enough to make them think your family will side with Duke O, and by extension, Sigmund. They will leave us alone and that is when we can make our escape."


    All the fight drained out of me. It sounded like I was a chess piece in all this after all. One that happened to benefit if we did in fact manage to flee the country.


    "So you''re using me too?"


    Alpheus''s face turned serious. He reached out hesitantly before grasping my forearms.


    "KatieI did this because I want us to both get what we want. I have no desire for power or scheming or anything like that. I just want us to live peacefully."


    I zeroed in on the word ''us.'' The way he said that sounded a lot like the romantic kind of ''us.'' Like if we did manage to escape, that he expected us to stay together afterwards instead of forging our own lives.


    "Do youlike me? Did you drag me into this just because you like me?"


    "Well, I can''t deny that you are ridiculously charming but I wouldn''t say I ''dragged you into this'' because of that."


    I didn''t realize at the time, but Al was lying through his teeth. That was exactly why.


    "We have simr situations and goals; we may as well work together."


    "Ridiculously charming?" I asked tly. That didn''t describe me at all.


    He smiled for the first time in this whole conversation.


    "I can''t think of any other way to describe someone who cares more about raspberry tarts than their freedom in the heat of the moment and frolics through the tide like no one is watching."


    My cheeks burned. How were those things charming? Clearly they were humiliating and awkward.


    Even if I put that asidecould I really disrupt the novel this way? Running off with the hero would change everything. What exactly had changed? He hadn''t wanted to run off with Marcy.


    They stayed and cleaned up the problems in the pce together. How did I factor into this?


    He had said he wanted to run before but had no way to godid he change his mind because of me? How had Marcy convinced him to stay while I convinced him to go?


    "Prince Alpheus"


    He frowned. "Oh, don''t change the way you call me now. I like being Al just as you like being Katie."


    That waspletely different! Catherine wasn''t even my name!


    I coughed. The name seemed much heaviering out of my mouth now.


    "Al. Can you promise me that we''ll go our separate ways when this is over with nothing owed? I want to be able to live my life any way I want once we get out of the country. I won''t agree to this otherwise."


    I had no intention of being shackled to a prince, even a funny one, forever. I wanted to go adventuring and find some semnce of a career and maybe someday fall in love with a regr person.


    All expression left his face and he released my arms. "If that''s what you want."


    Good. Marcy should being to the pce soon. I had to find a way to get them to work together to expose Prince Sigmund''s schemes and benefit the kingdom at the very least.


    As long as the oue was more or less the same it would be okay, right? If he spent enough time with Marcy, he would fall for her like he was supposed to and could divorce me peacefully and send me off to another country in search of my own fortune.


    "It is. Pinky promise."


    His nose crinkled in confusion as I held up my pinky finger. I needed to be better about exining things.


    "Hold up your little finger like mine. We need to link them together. It''s a binding non-paper contract."


    "Oh, alright." He linked his pinky through mine and we shook on it. The deal was struck.

 Chapter 24: To the Palace

    Chapter 24: To the Pce


    The countess would not stop gushing about how HER daughter was going to marry a PRINCE the entire carriage ride home. Percy squinted at me thoughtfully the entire time and the earl wasrgely ignoring everything after giving a simple congrattion to me.


    As we reached the house, the countess started ordering servants around immediately to prepare for me heading to the pce for bridal lessons once everything was settled. My brother pulled me aside.


    "You were meeting the prince the day you ran away?" he asked in bewilderment.


    "Why would you do that? If he was nning on proposing anyway, he should have participated like the rest of your suitors or written to Father directly asking for your hand. You said you did not want to get married so whyWere you trying to elope?"


    Sometimes Percy could be oddly perceptive. I couldn''t tell him the truth. Such a stickler for the rules would expose us to the king as his royal duty and we would be dead. Literally. I snorted as if it was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard.


    "Of course not. But he''s very busy and we wanted a little time together without everyone staring at us. We went to the shore and the bakery before he proposed. That''s all that happened."


    He rxed, buying my story. I heaved a silent sigh of relief. I couldn''t believe he fell for that!


    "That makes senseI imagine it would be difficult for him to leave the pce oftenstill, he should have given us some advance warning. Mother, Father, and I werepletely shocked when we heard all the fuss at the garden party."


    "He did intend to tell you all before announcing it officially but things with the duke got a bit out of hand so he felt the need to step in."


    I wondered how Al knew I was in trouble. Maybe because he saw his brother and his brother was always bad news?


    "I do feel a bit sorry for the duke. Being publicly humiliated like that and allthe gossip will likely haunt him for the next few seasons. But he is still very young; I am surprised he was pursuing you this early on at all. People will forget about it eventually, especially since he is so highly ranked," Percy mused. "No matter. You better get some rest; you have a big day tomorrow."


    I certainly did. Once again, I was woken at the crack of dawn to be prettified before being shipped off to the pce. I thought it would at least take a few days.


    The countess was frighteningly efficient. My things were packed and I was delivered without any fuss. How could I protest? Ironically, going into a prison was the best way to escape one now.


    All four du Ponts were led into the queen''s own drawing room. The king and most of the princes were too busy to attend but Al was there, as were both of his sisters-inw.


    After the formal greetings, we sat and I was delighted to find a very familiar raspberry tart being served with the sted tea.


    "This is from my favorite bakery," I remarked casually.


    It tasted exactly the sameMarcy had to be here already. When exactly had shee? I had seen her briefly in the bakery the day Al proposed to me but that was weeks ago.


    "Mine as well," the second princess, Mari, said with a polite smile. "Dear Franz brought the pastry chef into the pce so I would not have to send servants to the bakery so often. He is ever so thoughtful."


    I had heard the rumors. Supposedly, Prince Franz was so smitten by his wife''s beauty when they met at a diplomatic meeting that he requested her hand in marriage immediately.


    She certainly lived up to the hype. Mari was the fourth princess from a small but wealthy kingdom to the east whose poption boasted silver hair and striking violet eyes.


    It was an excellent political move on the prince''s part. He kept the wife happy, her family bankrolled him.


    "Now you won''t have to either," Al said cheerfully before sipping his tea.


    He looked happier than I had ever seen him. What was his deal? I understood him less and less with each interaction.


    "Are you prepared for the bridal lessons? Poor dear, I have heard they are quite strict," the crown princess, Rosenia, said sweetly.


    She was the first princess from Annias'' closest neighbor, Rowenhilde, and since our customs were so simr to theirs, she hadn''t needed any.


    I disliked her already. She was looking down on me for being an earl''s daughter instead of a princess. Well, we can''t all be foreign dignitaries.


    I was foreign but mymon birth wouldn''t factor in my favor. An earl''s daughter was arge step up from what I actually was.


    "If you require any help, I am always avable," Princess Mari said sympathetically.


    Her culture was vastly different so she had been through bridal lessons herself. I felt instant kinship with her.


    "Thank you, Princess," I said gratefully.


    "No need for such titles here," the queen said strictly. "You shall learn this soon enough, but members of the royal family always address each other with their given names, or Mother and Father, respectively."


    I had to call the king and queen Mother and Father. How terrifying.


    It surprised me though that she seemed family oriented considering her youngest son was so frequently ignored by the royals overall. And I had never even seen the princesses. But I suppose that was because they had all been married off to form alliances.


    Al was twenty-one in the novel so his two younger sisters wouldn''t be younger than fifteen or so. It made a sad kind of sense that they were already gone. Poor things.

 Chapter 25: Marcy

    Chapter 25: Marcy


    "Your lessons willmence in the morning, Catherine. For now, Alpheus will show you around the castle. He has nothing better to do."


    Ouch. tant disrespect from his mother.


    Al stood stiffly, his happiness clearly dimmed, and held out a hand to help me off the settee. We bowed/curtsied to take our leave as the countess stayed behind to talk wedding arrangements.


    "Uh, is she always like that?" I dared to ask.


    He let out a heavy sigh. "Yes."


    "What''s her problem?" I demanded. "You just let her treat you like that?"


    He shrugged helplessly. "It''s all I know."


    I didn''t like the way he looked when he said that, like all hope was lost. The sadness in his eyes I had noticed in the beginning was back. No wonder he wanted to run away.


    "Don''t listen to her, she''s full of it."


    Al''s eyes widened. I don''t think he understood what I said but my tone was clear.


    "I mean it. Don''t let her get to you. Your value is your own; it doesn''te from anybody else so they can''t diminish it unless you let them."


    "Youhave very strange ideas."


    "Do I?"


    It was something my mom told me once after I''d been picked on at school because I was a chubby kid with coke-bottle sses who finished the homework way too fast.


    "Mmhmm." It was a nomittal noise but he seemed a bit happier. "I imagine you''ll want to see the library or stables first?"


    My eyes widened in anticipation. He had promised me a great library when he originally proposed.


    "Library first!"


    Al talked a bit about certain features of the pce as we passed various rooms and servants going to and fro. The architecture here was far more impressive than back at the earl''s manor.


    I was engrossed, drinking in everything I saw. So much so that I didn''t notice when I bumped into a person.


    Al pulled me out of the way, saving me from a head-on collision, but we still knocked shoulders.


    "I''m so sorry!" the girl cried. "Please forgive me Your Highness!"


    Your Highness? I wasn''t any sort of Highness yet. Was she talking to Al?


    "It was my fault, don''t worry about it," I replied before nearly gasping aloud.


    Marcy! I ran right into Marcy! I scanned Al''s face for any signs of infatuation but didn''t even find recognition. This was not good.


    She curtsied deeply. "If you''ll excuse me, Your Highnesses, I must get back to my duties."


    I wanted to protest but she was already gone.


    Al frowned at me. "You should really watch where you''re going, you could have gotten hurt."


    "Youreally don''t know who that was?" I asked hesitantly, ignoring his admonition.


    "No, should I?"


    Yes. Yes you should. You''re supposed to be in love with her.


    "She''s that bakery girl we were talking about earlier. You must have seen her before. She was there when we went together."


    "Hmm, can''t quite recall," he said before grabbing my hand unexpectedly and practically sprinting down the hall with me in tow. And he just told me I needed to be careful!


    If this was my old body, I''d be wheezing and out of breath already but I was perfectly fine when we arrived at our destination.


    "As promised, Lady Katie. The royal library," he announced with an expectant look in his eye.


    My reaction did not disappoint. This ce was at least ten timesrger than the earl''s library!


    I scurried back and forth examining various shelves looking like the heart-eyes emoji. I turned back to him beaming for all I was worth.


    "Al, this is amazing! I don''t have the right words to describe it!"


    A satisfied smile crossed his face. "I thought you might like it."


    "Like it? How could anyone merely ''like'' all of this?"


    I was so dazzled that I nearly forgot the problem at hand. He didn''t even know who Marcy was. He should have met her already. What had gone wrong?


    My excitement leaked out of me like a deted balloon. The only thing that was different was me.


    Catherine du Pont wasn''t in this novel. She wouldn''t have danced around at the beach. She wouldn''t have known how to treat that boy''s jellyfish sting.


    I vaguely recalled seeing someone in a gray cloak enter the bakery as Percy and I were leaving that day. If that was Alhe didn''t meet Marcy because he was thinking about how weird I was.


    Oh no.


    He came up behind me and asked what was wrong. I was so lost in my thoughts that I nearly jumped out of my skin.


    I peered up at himhe really did tower over this tiny bodyand saw concern and indulgence on his face. It was an oddly tender look.


    He couldn''twe were just partners in crime. Mutual means to an end. If he actually liked me the entire story would be ruined. But hadn''t I already ruined it anyway simply by falling into it anding to the capital?


    What had happened to the non-existent Catherine du Pont in the novel? The duke was only interested in my political mind so she wouldn''t have ended up with him.


    She probably would have gotten married off to some random noble as nothing more than a pretty face. I had her face but it was no more beautiful than Marcy''s would be with the same skincare routine as me.


    The prince had noticed my actions. Mine. Katie Pullman''s. This was bad. This was very, very bad. I needed to find a way to throw those two together!


    "Katie?" he asked worriedly.


    I smiled to reassure him. "I''m fine. Let''s go check out the stables. I want you to pick the best horse for me personally since you know them better than I do."


    He brightened instantly. "It would be my honor, Lady Katie."

 Chapter 26: Card Houses

    Chapter 26: Card Houses


    Al certainly knew his horses. His personal horse, Rohan, was a gorgeous chestnut stallion. I eagerly rubbed his velvety nose.


    "Oh Al, he''s beautiful!"


    "I thought you might like him. You''re so tiny though, you''ll need a much smaller horse."


    I barely resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him. It wasn''t my fault Catherine du Pont was so small. I had been above average height for a woman back home, okay?


    "Whatever you do, don''t insult me with a pony."


    He coughed to hide theugh that slipped out but I caught it anyway and scowled.


    "Don''t look at me like that. You rode a mare back in the earldom, right?"


    Yes I did. A beautiful dappled gray one I called Apple. I suddenly felt a pang of longing for my lost horse.


    I nodded and he led me to a different stall in the stables that housed a small palomino mare. I gasped in delight. She was so pretty!


    "She''s very gentle but knows how to go fast when warranted. The perfect horse for someone your size," Al said with a grin.


    "I''ll have you know that I could beat you in a race," I said stiffly, not appreciating the constant jabs at my height.


    "I''ll take you up on that sometime. You''re not dressed for riding now."


    He was right. I didn''t have the proper skirt or boots since I was stuck in yet another cage courtesy of the countess to present me as a pretty package at the pce.


    "Then what do we do now?"


    "Die of boredom," he said seriously. "There isn''t much to do around here aside from drink tea and read."


    I sighed. As expected. His situation really wasn''t all that different from mine.


    Though I was annoyed at him for wanting to run away since he was supposed to be the hero of his novel, if he was anyone else I wouldn''t have med him at all. People aren''t meant to be cooped up like this.


    "How do you manage to get out?"


    He looked around to be sure no one was eavesdropping before whispering a reply.


    "There is a certain tree with low-hanging branches close to part of one of the walls out back that never seems to be guarded. I''ll show you another time. There will be too many eyes on us today."


    I frowned. It wasn''t even lunchtime yet. What were we supposed to do for the rest of the day?


    Remembering how easily my brothers had epted that one card game from my world gave me an idea. It was better than nothing. I sighed and resigned myself to long days ahead.


    "Do you have a deck of cards?"


    "Cards? ying cards? I suppose I can find one but I have never yed any games."


    Oh yeah, this guy is super isted in the novel. Even better. I was about to make his day.


    I grabbed his hand and dragged him back inside. "Come on, I''ve got loads to teach you, young padawan!"


    "What''s a padawan?"


    Oops. "It''s like an apprentice. I''m about to teach you the art of ying cards a Katie. No one knows these games but me."


    Excitement shone in his eyes. No wonder he brought me here. The poor guy really did need a friend.


    He wasn''t supposed to find one in me though, that was what Marcy was for! But I felt sorry for him so here we were, sitting in the library with a deck of cards.


    "First, we''re going to y Fifty-Two Pick-Up," I said seriously.


    "How is that yed?" Al asked, leaning forward with interest.


    I held up the deck. "There are fifty-two cards here."


    I threw them up in the air so they scattered like the money rain you see on bad game shows. "Now pick them up!"


    I hadn''t pulled this trick on anyone in about ten years but oh, the look on his face! I cackled so hard I nearly broke the cage.


    "That really isn''t funny, Katie," he said crossly but his tone belied his true feelings because I saw the hint of an amused smile on his lips.


    "Everyone needs to be tricked like that at least once," I said while wiping tears of mirth from my eyes. "Come on, let''s pick them up so I can teach you a real game."


    We worked together to gather all the cards I scattered before I taught him some real games. Games you could y with just two yers, like Speed and Go Fish.


    Al was absolutely enthralled. He wasn''t very good at Speed, which made sense because you needed practice controlling your wrist, but he ended up wiping the floor with me in Go Fish after just a few rounds.


    "Do you know any more games?" he asked eagerly after a couple hours had passed.


    I wracked my brains trying to think of other two-yer games off the top of my head but couldn''t think of any so I suggested we build a card house instead.


    I watched him curiously as he worked. He didn''t even get frustrated when it kept copsing in on him. Instead I could practically see the wheels turning in his head about how to do it better next time.


    Someone so persistenthow had he ended up in such a terrible position inside the pce? He seemed just as diligent a person in that moment as Prince Franz, who eventually became king in the novel. I couldn''t exactly ask him either.


    ''Hey, why is your characterization so inconsistent with the original novel? And why are there so many plot holes about you even though you''re one of the main characters?'' That would never work.


    Al sighed with satisfaction. "Look, Katie! I made one four levels high!"


    Indeed he had. Four levels high was about the best I could do and that was after years of practice. This guy was a natural.


    He looked so proud of himself, like a little kid, so I responded as if he were one. "Nice! Why don''t you try five levels this time? That''s much harder."


    He nodded and went back to concentrating on card construction. I slumped back in my chair. So my job here was to entertain Al until we figured out an escape n? That wouldn''t be so hard.


    What would be harder is getting the plot back on track and that was more important than sticking to Al''s n. The livelihoods of thousands of people were at stake here!


    I was a bit surprised by this guy''s true personality. He was certainly funny and charming but he was also a bit childlike and not nearly as altruistic as the novel had portrayed him.


    Al was selfish enough to want to run away and live his own life. Not that there was anything wrong with that in a normal situation but he''s the hero! He''s supposed to be better than everyone else.


    Feeling unountably annoyed that I had to fix what I had unintentionally broken, I petntly blew over his card house.


    He didn''t see me so he thought it had fallen over on its own. It was nearly done, too. Dumb, confusing prince. He deserved to have his card house knocked over.

 Chapter 27: Bridal Lessons

    Chapter 27: Bridal Lessons


    Bridal lessons started the next day under the direction of a very strict tutor the queen had chosen for me called Madame Chise. She was a tall, painfully thin woman whose appearance reminded me of a hawk.


    Apparently she had tutored Mari and the unnamed princesses of Annias who had been shipped off to marry foreigners as well.


    When we met the royaldies for tea, Mari flinched at the sight of her. That made my impression of the rigid woman even worse.


    I needed to gain Mari''s trust. She and her husband were meant to be the benevolent king and queen of this nation with Alpheus'' and Marcy''s help.


    I still needed to find a way to get Marcy back in the picture but in the meantime, the least I could do was get this particr plot point back on track.


    "Mari, once my lessons areplete for the day, shall we take a walk together in the gardens?"


    "What a splendid idea," the queen agreed. "Rosenia and I are far too busy for such things. Dear Mari has plenty of time to fill and could use thepany."


    Thisdy really knew how to y favorites. I saw nothing wrong with Mari. Was it simply because she was the wife of the second prince?


    The book focused primarily on Alpheus and Marcyto him, it looked like his brothers both lived the high life but maybe that wasn''t quite true. Prince Franz clearly wasn''t discriminated against as harshly as his younger brother but there appeared to be more to this business than met the eye.


    Mari looked surprisingly pleased at the invitation. "I would be delighted to apany you, Catherine."


    Catherine this, Catherine that! I wouldn''t survive in this ce being Catherined to death.


    "Alpheus calls me Katie. I would be honored if the rest of the family would do the same."


    "I see the two of you are quite intimate already," the queen said disapprovingly as she sipped her tea.


    "Not at all, Your MaMother. When we met, I was with my brother. My family has always called me Katie and Alpheus overheard it," I lied easily.


    Not one person I had met thus far in this ce referred to Al by his nickname so it was safe to assume I was the only one who called him that.


    If this very proper monarch knew her already-disliked youngest son had been so informal at a first meeting, Al would be in trouble. He didn''t need any more of that.


    Believing my fib, the queen was appeased. "Ah, that makes sense. I did wonderthat boy has no sense of decorum."


    I frowned. Maybe around me he didn''t but from what little I had seen of his interactions with other people in this castle he knew how to act his part.


    What had he done to earn the queen''s ire? Or did she just hate him for no reason? My curiosity burned but it was a sensitive subject for him; I couldn''t just ask.


    "I believe we have intruded on Her Highness'' hospitality long enough," Madame Chise said sternly. "Please excuse us; we have lessons to attend to."


    The queen nodded loftily and Rosenia smirked at me, suspecting what tortures were in store for the lowly daughter of an earl. Mari gave me a soft, sympathetic smile as I stiffly followed my teacher.


    Bridal lessons were every bit as terrible as I expected. I had to walk like a princess, talk like a princess, eat and drink like a princess. I thought learning etiquette from the countess was bad.


    That was nothing! Pce culture was much more stifling. They had five different types of forks! Back in the earldom I had only learned about three!


    Even worse, I had to learn how to ride side saddle specifically for when dignitaries visited. Normally I was allowed to ride with one leg on each side like a regr person; I just had to wear a special skirt.


    It was terribly ufortable twisting my body like that with the bumping of the horse''s back. If I was in my old body, I would have thrown my hip out for sure.


    I noticed Al spying on me as I practiced walking around the paddock sidesaddle and I gave off desperate signals for him toe and save me. Thankfully he caught on.


    "Madame Chise, I do believe this is enough practice for the time being. The royal dressmaker has urgent business with my fiance that cannot wait. I shall escort her."


    She was utterly unsuspicious. "Carry on, Your Highness. Lessons willmence first thing tomorrow. Lady Catherine, do not forget your appointment with Princess Mari."


    Al helped me down and I slumped against the horse in relief as the tutor walked away.


    "Do I really have to meet with the dressmaker?"


    "At some point but not now. You looked like you needed rescuing," he said with a mischievous glint in his usually dull eyes.


    "My hero," I sighed dramatically, making himugh. "So now what? I really do have an appointment with Mari before dinner."


    His eyes narrowed. "What do you want with the second princess?"


    Did he have to be so suspicious of everybody? She wasn''t the viin here.


    "I thought she could use a friend. That Rosenia is a real piece of work. I get the feeling that the only one who''s nice to Mari here is her husband."


    I tried to be sly about bringing up the second prince. I needed to know what Al actually thought of him.


    "Mari was the jewel of her country. Of course Franz would have to be nice to her if he wants his backing," Al said bitterly.


    "What does he need backing for?" I asked with genuine interest.


    The dynamics of this castle could be very confusing. The second prince looked like a busy person. What I wanted to know was what he was so busy with. Trying to overthrow the crown prince?


    "I assume he''s bidding for the throne. Why he wants it is beyond me."


    This wasn''t right. Prince Alpheus had no desire for the throne in the novel but he did care about what happened to the people, at least.


    "He probably doesn''t agree with Sigmund''s policies," I hinted. Like how you''re not supposed to agree with them, dimwit!


    "Who cares? Sigmund always gets what he wants," Al said gloomily.


    Man. That guy had really done a number on his younger brother. Wasn''t Marcy supposed to fix this? I needed Marcy''s help but those two hadn''t even met properly!

 Chapter 28: Unmotivated

    Chapter 28: Unmotivated


    I was at a loss for words. How was I supposed to motivate someone so utterly defeated? I had only taken one abnormal psychology ss in college but it was ringly obvious that the male lead of this novel was depressed.


    I had no room to judge. Being shunted to the side and isted the way he had would be more than enough to damage the psyche of a child.


    His natural tendency to give up and run away without trying, on top of his overall apathy, were the clearest signs based on what I had read. I wasn''t cut out for this.


    "Only because you let him," I said firmly.


    Buck up, buttercup! You''re the hero of this story! The Alpheus in the novel was far more capable than he originally believed.


    "You aren''t the only one who doesn''t like Sigmund. If enough people worked together, there''s no way he would be able to get what he wants."


    Al seemed surprised by my words. "I thought you didn''t want to be involved in pce politics."


    That was n A. Since I had been forcefully dragged into them anyway I had to make this guy start acting like a main character. n B was fully underway.


    "I didn''t, but since I''m here I may as well do something. Wouldn''t you rest easier once we leave knowing the kingdom is in better hands than Sigmund''s?"


    "It doesn''t matter to me."


    There was that apathy again. What had Marcy done to snap him out of it? I wracked my brains and couldn''t remember a thing.


    Clearly I couldn''t replicate whatever she did. I needed the woman herself.


    With a sigh, I took him by the hand and led him out of the paddock. "Come on, I want cream puffs. We''re raiding the kitchen."


    "Sounds exciting," he said with more feeling than he had expressed since the subject turned toward his brothers.


    So he cared more about dessert than he did the affairs of his own kingdom. Al could be a real piece of work too. Was there anyone actually reliable in this novel?


    We had to sneak by quite a few people who would realize I had ditched my bridal lessons, including Madame Chise.


    It took me back to those spy games Abby and I used to y where we would have to get past our mom in the kitchen in order to swipe bacon or cookies or whatever delicious treat we weren''t supposed to have at the time.


    What I wouldn''t give to see Abby right now. She had always been better with people than me. If anybody would know how to fix this mess, she would.


    After yet another close call where we ducked behind a suit of armor, my heart was racing. Al had an indulgent grin on his face.


    "Are cream puffs really worth all of this? You can always request them during afternoon tea."


    I could, but that wasn''t the objective here. I needed to get this fool into the kitchens for a shot of Marcy Motivation.


    "Where''s the fun in that?"


    "You have the oddest idea of fun. But I suppose that is fun in and of itself."


    "Don''t tell me you never snuck into the kitchen before?" I asked in disbelief.


    What kid didn''t try to poach snacks that would supposedly spoil their dinner? Oh yeah. He''s a prince. All he had to do was ask and just about anything would be delivered to him on a silver tter.


    "I''m afraid not. Your childhood appears to have been much more colorful than mine," he said with a slight air of glumness.


    Right. Childhood-rted topics were taboo.


    "Well, you''re experiencing it now and that''s what matters," I said brightly before checking to see if the coast was clear and gesturing for him to take the lead. Obviously he knew the castle better than I did.


    When we arrived dinner preparations were already underway. The heavenly smell of roastmb wafted down the hall and I felt myself salivating. Focus! We were here for Marcy and Marcy alone.


    There was quite a bit of steam emanated from various pots so I had to squint around trying to find her. She was filling cream puffs at that very moment. What a perfect opportunity.


    "Al, the target is in sight," I whispered seriously while nudging him in the direction of his destined lover.


    He decided to humor me and gave me a dramatic salute. "Allow me to acquire it for you, mydy."


    I couldn''t hold back a giggle. What a cheeseball. I nned to stand back and let the two leads interact on their own; having the meeting they were supposed to have the day Al first saw me. So far it looked promising.


    Marcy had a bit of cream on her cheek that somehow enhanced her loveliness and when Al approached her, she gave him a smile that could melt icebergs.


    Unfortunately, good things aren''t meant tost. Having obtained his te of cream puffs, Al was ready to take them and go. I couldn''t let that happen so I hurried over to them as quickly as my dress and heels would allow.


    He scrunched up his face in confusion. "Katie, I was just about toe to you."


    "I know," I blurted out. "But I wanted to meet the famous pastry chef for myself. Could you introduce me?"


    It was a terrible excuse but he bought it, going as far as smacking his forehead with the heel of his hand.


    "Right, how could I forget? Miss, my fiance is one of your biggest fans."


    I wanted to smack him for calling me his fiance right in front of the girl who was supposed to be his love interest, but what could I do? He didn''t know better. Technically he hadn''t done anything wrong.


    I wracked my brains trying to think of a way to turn this situation around. At the very least, I needed to get the two of them on friendly terms. Marcy couldn''t be just another nameless servant to him if the story was going to progress.


    "May I have the pleasure of knowing the name of the one responsible for the best treats in the kingdom?" I asked.


    She flushed, pleased by thepliment. "You are too kind, Your Highness! My name is Marcy Grandin."


    "It is an honor to meet you, Marcy! I love everything of yours that I have eaten; I don''t think I could pick a favorite if I tried."


    I wanted to butter her up in front of Al so he could see her good points. How could he not notice how cute she was with her hair in a messy braid and flour all over her apron?


    He liked lively people, didn''t he? You couldn''t get livelier than Marcy!


    "And here I thought the raspberry tarts were your favorite because of how desperately you wanted one in the middle of being dragged away from the bakery," Al teased with a mischievous gleam in his eye as he leaned against a counter.


    Marcy snorted so hard that she lost control of the piping bag and a dollop of whipped cream ended up spurting onto her hand.


    "That was you?"


    Instantly she realized her mistake and apologized profusely, curtsying so low her nose practically touched the ground.


    "Forgive my impertinence Your Highness, I was caught off guard and meant no offense."


    If only she knew that I wasn''t someone worth worrying about. I didn''t care about formalities one bit!


    "Rx, I''m not offended."


    "Katie is a very casual person," Al said reassuringly with a cheeky grin.


    For some reason this rubbed me the wrong way. If anyone was being too casual right now it was him!


    "Thising from the guy who introduced himself to me as ''Al'' at the debutante ball?"


    I was too engrossed in the moment to notice that Marcy was watching our exchange as if it were a rather intense tennis match.

 Chapter 29: You Really Are Too Nice

    Chapter 29: You Really Are Too Nice


    Al didn''t seem the least bit perturbed by my usation and shrugged it off.


    "You never would have spoken to me again if you knew I was a prince from the get-go. Wasn''t it more fun talking like normal people for a while first?"


    I rolled my eyes. That was not fun. That was sneaky and underhanded at best. I wouldn''t be in this mess if he hadn''t hidden his identity from me.


    "And you say I have a strange sense of fun."


    "It''s not strange in a bad way," he promised with the brightest smile I had seen from him so far.


    "I happen to love your idea of fun. I never would have thought of sneaking into the kitchens for cream puffs and treating it like some secret mission."


    A blush crept up my neck and onto my cheeks. "It sounds stupid when you put it that way."


    By this point Marcy''s confusion at our antics had changed to beaming at us. Clearly she was enjoying our bickering.


    Embarrassed as I was, this might work in my favor. If she thought the prince was funny, she might develop feelings for him like she was supposed to.


    A peal ofughter like the tinkling of bells rang out from behind us. Marcy was so amused that the corners of her eyes crinkled. We both turned to stare at her. She was less afraid of us this time.


    "Forgive me, but the two of you are quite funny. Based on the easy way you talk to each other, it seems like you have known each other forever but from what I''ve heard you met at the debutante ball a couple months ago."


    "We did," I said uneasily.


    I wasn''t sure I liked where this was heading. She seemed to think we bickered like an old married couple. There was no way she would be interested in half of a couple she enjoyed seeing together.


    Al sidled up next to me and slung an arm around my shoulder. "That was practically a lifetime ago, wasn''t it Katie?"


    I wanted to re at him but he was having so much fun. How could I spoil the fun of someone whose life was so pathetically sad?


    If Marcy wasfortable enough with us to speak frankly, that was good enough for a first meeting. We could alwayse back to the kitchenster and work on developing their rtionship more.


    Once Al wasfortable with her, I could send him on reconnaissance trips by himself so I wouldn''t be in the way of the romance.


    "It certainly was," I muttered.


    A lifetime ago where my biggest worry was staying out of Duke O''s way, not being smack dab in the middle of the ruined plot.


    "You make a fine match," Marcy said with a smile.


    Ah. That''s exactly what I was afraid of. Al seemed happy with thement but I had to disagree.


    Me? With thiszy, inconsistent guy who had no desire to step up and do his job as the hero? No way.


    "See Katie? Someone supports us," Al said with a wink.


    He was obviously alluding to that disaster of a croquet tournament where no one present wanted me to marry him. Had it really only been three days ago?


    I sighed. "You''re ridiculous."


    "Only around you. You''re my best friend," he said sincerely.


    I was his only friend but it was basically the same thing.


    I still wasn''t over my annoyance with him for making mee here solely to be his friend while we came up with an escape n. He may have helped me out today but I had a lot more miserable bridal lessons ahead because of him!


    "We should go eat these before you have to meet with Mari," Al suggested before I could think of anything to say.


    "Would you like anything else to go? I have some lemon tarts that are meant to go to Princess Rosenia but no one will notice if a few are missing," Marcy offered generously.


    My mouth watered at the thought. "That would be amazing, thank you Marcy."


    She waved us off cheerily as we crept back out of the kitchen with our contraband.


    I had mixed feelings about their first proper meeting. More than anything it seemed like Al was showing me off. In front of the woman meant to be his wife that simply wouldn''t do.


    Unfortunately, I couldn''t be too mad at him because he had seemed so happy just to have a friend. I was probably overthinking things.


    He didn''t like me romanticallyhe was lonely and I was the first person hetched onto. I needed to be patient with him and not rush things too much.


    That being saidif I could get the seeds of love nted between them before we got married that would be fantastic. Then I could just leave on my own without any fuss.


    The wedding was still six weeks away. Could I really help them foster a rtionship in that short of a time? What about getting Al to cooperate with Franz?


    Al, unaware of my tumultuous thoughts, happily snacked on his cream puffs in one of the pce''s many unused rooms that we had stopped in to hide from nosy servants who would tell on me for ditching Madame Chise.


    I decided to test the waters. "What did you think of Marcy?"


    His cheeks were full of cream puff so he looked oddly like a chipmunk. I barely held back my chuckle while he swallowed so he could answer me.


    "She reminds me a bit of you, actually. I think the two of you would be good friends if we weren''t trying to leave here as soon as possible."


    A lump formed in my throat. I didn''t know exactly what he meant by that but it didn''t bode well. It reminded me that I had identally taken her ce in the story.


    If I hadn''t been reborn as Catherine du Pont, Marcy would be well on her way to bing a princess by now.


    I fiddled nervously with the cream puff in my hand, identally making the cream squish out over the sides and onto my hands.


    Al noticed and clucked at me with mock disappointment. "Imagine how horrified Madame Chise would be if she could see you now."


    I frowned at him before remembering I didn''t have anything to wipe my hands on but my dress. I had to resort to the old standby: licking it off.


    I couldn''t count how many times in my life I had done this with icing from cupcakes or cinnamon rolls. It was a perfectly natural thing for me to do but Alughed so hard he nearly knocked over the statue he was sitting against.


    "What?" I whined as he continuedughing at me far longer than necessary.


    Finally regaining control, he coughed to clear his throat and pulled out a handkerchief.


    "Here. This would probably be more effective than whatever it is you just did."


    Face ming, I rubbed it over my still sticky hands trying to get most of it off. To cover my mortification I shoveled in another two cream puffs and a lemon tart. The sweetness helped me rx and I was able to regain myposure.


    "I should probably get going. Mari should be waiting for me by now."


    Al pouted and it looked a bit odd on his very masculine face. Just like a little kid. He had the strangest mood swings sometimes.


    "Do you have to? I haven''t had this much fun in ages."


    "Life isn''t all about fun," I sniffed, still a bit put out that heughed at me.


    Besides, somebody needed to teach this guy how to care about the welfare of others or the plot would never progress.


    "And what about poor Mari? You have me to entertain you but she is usually stuck with those vultures all day or is left alone. She deserves a friend too."


    "You really are too nice, Katie."


    I sighed. So this is what Percy meant by someone taking advantage of me someday. My niceness had gotten me entangled with this lonely prince.


    "So I''ve been told."

 Chapter 30: Princess Mariela

    Chapter 30: Princess Mari


    It took promising Al we would y cards after dinner to get him to let me go. By the time I reached the gardens, Mari was waiting for me on a bench. She greeted me with a genuine smile.


    "Katie! I thought you might not be able to make it."


    I shook my head. "I''m sorry for beingte. My fianc held me up a bit."


    Surprise lit her beautiful violet eyes. "You were with Alpheus?"


    I was confused by her reaction. "Is that so strange?"


    "I hardly see Franzand Rosenia sees Sigmund even less. They are both terribly busy. I suppose I assumed Alpheus was the same," she admitted.


    "Can you keep a secret?" I asked, trying to gain her trust and broach the topic at hand.


    Mari nodded, a slight pleased smile on her lips, so I continued.


    "Alpheus has way too much free time on his hands. I was actually hoping I could convince him to work together politically with your husband."


    Her brow furrowed. "I do not have much to do with my husband''s political aims. All I know is that he does not agree with many of Sigmund''s policies. In truth, I am a pretty object for him to bestow his affection upon and little more. Franz does not talk to me about anything of actual importance."


    I had my suspicions about the purpose of Mari marrying into the royal family but this was worse than I anticipated.


    In the novel, Franz respected his wife''s input. She may not have been the most important character but she was involved in the overthrow of Sigmund''s regime and ruled jointly with her husband when he became king.


    "I''m sure he would tell you what was going on if you asked," I said, a bit desperate. "He dotes on you."


    Mari sighed, letting go of some of her primness.


    "He does, I cannot deny that. As far as political marriages go I consider myself lucky. My situation could have been far worse. Women in my home country have a bit more power than they do here so I was trained in diplomacy and politics as a princess but my only purpose here has been to be a porcin vase with rich parents."


    Wow. She was really airing out her dirtyundry and she didn''t even know me. Sensing my shock, she smiled self-deprecatingly.


    "I am sure you are surprised I would tell you this much. I suppose it is because I have been lonely and you are quite easy to talk to. It is no wonder Alpheus treasures you so."


    I was quick to refute.


    "It''s not like that between us. To be perfectly honest, I was about to be married off to someone else I didn''t like and he offered to step in and help me because he wanted a friend and thought I was interesting enough to relieve his boredom."


    "Is that so? Hmm, I would not have guessed from what little I have seen of the two of you. He seems much happier in your presence. I have been here less than a year and do not see him often but whenever I do it seems like the entire world is weighing him down. He is different when he is with you, as if he is lighter somehow," Mari said thoughtfully as she stopped to examine a rose bush.


    She had a point. Al was a gloomy guy when I met him and now he smiled andughed every time we hung out.


    Obviously I wanted him to be happy but he was supposed to be happy because of Marcy, not me! I couldn''t just shut the poor guy out though; I was his only social contact.


    "I hadn''t noticed," I lied, wanting to get the conversation back on track.


    "Could you talk to Franz and let me know what he thinks about working with Alpheus? He needs a sense of purpose and direction. He''s a bit aimless at the moment and I want him to feel aplished."


    This wasn''t entirely false. I did want him to have a sense of fulfillment but more to the point I wanted him to stop being so ridiculously apathetic for a hero in a novel and actually DO something other than sit around waiting for me to alleviate his boredom.


    Yes, he was isted and excluded from any actual responsibility as a royal for some reason I had yet to discover, but he needed to get on his feet and take on the role he was always meant to and help themon people.


    Mari''s smile turned bitter. "Is this the only reason you wanted to meet with me?"


    Ah, I pushed too hard.


    "Of course not," I said sincerely. It was only part of my motivation. The other was that I felt sorry for her.


    "I also thought you could use someone to talk to. I could too since I''m new here. Even if you can''t convince your husband to work with my fianc I''m still interested in being your friend."


    Appeased, her smile returned to its usual gentleness. "You are a very interesting person, Katie."


    Back home I was the most boring person alive but I had heard that a lot sinceing here. No one in this world thought or acted like me.


    Even though there were many people who liked or admired me I would never belong because of my 21st century American mindset. I couldn''t help but wonder if anybody in this dumb novel world would ever be able to truly ept me once I managed to escape.


    Would I have to pretend to be something I wasn''t forever?

 Chapter 31: Bosom Sisters

    Chapter 31: Bosom Sisters


    Once the heavy stuff was out of the way, Mari and I chatted for a while. She was a rather insightful person; given the chance, she really would make a terrific diplomat.


    My distaste at this world''s chauvinistic ways grew the more I learned about her predicament. She would have shone like a star in my world. I could easily see her being one of those influential women that teenage girls idolize on social media.


    She could have be anything she wanted if she hadn''t been born in this fantasnd. Mari deserved much more than being a decoration.


    The duke had wanted me for my mind. Did Franz not realize what a sharp one his wife had?


    For someone aspiring to be king, he certainly didn''t know how to manage his resources. Were all men here so pigheaded?


    If he knew anything at all about his wife''s homnd, he should have realized her potential. Shibatsu sounded like a pretty decent country to live in. It was as good a ce as any to escape to once I got out of this restrictive pce.


    "Your homnd sounds beautiful," Iplimented as we continued our walk around the garden.


    Homesickness shed in her eyes and she let out a dainty sigh. "It is. I wish I could show it to you."


    "Are you not allowed to visit?"


    "I am but only when the summit of allied nations meets there. Each country sends delegates on behalf of their monarchy and takes turns hosting. Since I am from Shibatsu, the next time they hold the conference Franz and I will go but that is four years away."


    I could rte to her obvious yearning. At least she could go home for a little while someday. As far as I could tell, I was stuck here forever and just had to make the most of it.


    There was no way for me to visit my world. Ever. An unexpected wave of grief washed over me.


    I had thought I was over it by now and epted my fate but sometimes my loss still got to me. I missed Abby. My dinky little library job. T-shirts and sweatpants. Hamburgers.


    More than anything, I missed my freedom and knowing what to expect. All of those monotonous days that blended together sounded like heaven in hindsight.


    "I understand," I said simply. Better than anyone else here I understood longing for a ce you couldn''t go back to.


    Mari gazed at me curiously. "Your eyes give it away. You DO understand. But how can that be when your home is less than a day''s ride from here?"


    "You wouldn''t believe me if I told you."


    Her soft, tinklingugh rang out.


    "You make it sound so dramatic. Feel free to keep your secrets. I am merely d someone here can empathize with what I am going through. Rosenia is not the same. Despite being a foreign princess like me, she has never once missed Rowenhilde. She has everything she ever wanted here so she has no reason to."


    "Do you not love your husband?" I blurted, unable to help myself.


    "Love? I have never dreamt of such a thing. My duty has always been to secure an alliance for my kingdom and I have done so. Franz is young, handsome, and treats me well. That is more than my sisters have.


    "One is married to a man three times her age. Another is one of many concubines to a barbarous king so far from home that she rarely even receives letters. I am grateful to my husband but that is not what you mean, is it?"


    Her thoughts saddened me but it wasn''t surprising. A political marriage was a political marriage no matter which way you looked at it. Though they were on pleasant terms with each other, Franz was too busy plotting to overthrow the current regime to fulfil his wife''s emotional needs. They weren''t friends.


    Al''s ridiculous idea of marrying me just to have someone to talk to suddenly seemed less farfetched. Being a royal was isting.


    "I''m sorry, I shouldn''t have asked," I said penitently with downcast eyes.


    Mari smiled warmly at me and covered my hands with hers.


    "I do not mind. It is refreshing having someone to share my true thoughts with. But it was a rather silly question, considering you have already told me you do not love your fianc."


    I blushed. It really was a dumb question.


    "We make quite a pair, don''t we? Both of us are stuck here at the whims of princes."


    Speaking of, Al would probably be put out if I didn''te find him soon. How he had survived his boredom before I came along was beyond me since he had been very dependent on mypany in the few days since my arrival.


    "At least we have each other forpany," she sighed happily. "I am so d you are not like Rosenia. I wondered for some time what kind of woman Alpheus would marry. You are a wee surprise. I look forward to spending more time with you in the future."


    Guilt gnawed at me. I was making friends with yet another lonely person I would be leaving behind. Except this time there was no one I could think of to take my ce.


    Unless there was a way I could convince Franz to spend more time with his wife? That was unlikely since I had never even spoken to the man.


    I couldn''t even recall what he looked like. Had I seen him at all sinceing to the capital?


    "I do too," I lied. At least for the time being, it would be nice to be on good terms with someone other than Al.


    Mari linked her arm through mine and we walked as if we were bosom sisters in a Regency Era drama on television. Lonely people warmed up to those that showed them the slightest bit of attention rmingly fast.


    Goodness knows I had done the same thing back home after Abby went off to college across the country. Any time someone invited me to do something I was overwhelmed with affection for them.


    A servant came to inform us that it was time for dinner and we continued walking arm in arm back to the enormous dining hall.


    Everyone seemed surprised at our closeness but I couldn''t help but notice that Franz''s surprise was of the pleasant variety whereas Al looked aggrieved that I was stolen away.

 Chapter 32: An Escape Plan

    Chapter 32: An Escape n


    "Mari, did you enjoy your time with Catherine today?" Franz asked once he was seated across from his wife at the long table and the first coursesome sort of fancy quail soupwas served.


    Her eyes lit up. "Oh yes, Katie is wonderfulpany."


    He scrutinized me and I scrutinized him right back. This was the first good look I had gotten at the second prince.


    His looks were more in line with Sigmund''s than they were with Al''s. He had light brown hair tied back with a strip of leather and his hazel eyes were sharp and intelligent.


    "She certainly is," Al said in a tone tinged with sourness.


    Someone was still upset that Mari had taken some of my time away from him. So needy!


    "You prefer Katie to Catherine?" Franz inquired.


    "Yes, I do. Please feel free to call me Katie as well."


    The next person that called me Catherine might just make me lose my mind. Madame Chise hit me with a ''Lady Catherine'' every five minutes when I was under her charge and I hated it. I had lost every part of my identity but my nickname in this world. It was all I had left.


    "I understand you are from the western region? What is it like there?"


    So polite small talk was this guy''s game. Sigmund hadn''t acknowledged me at all since I had turned down his henchman so Itched onto the meager conversation gratefully.


    "It is a beautiful area surrounded by forests and fields. I spent many hours galloping across the countryside on my horse. The capital has its own kind of beauty though. I enjoy looking out at the ocean."


    Al smiled and pitched into the conversation. "She is rather knowledgeable about the ocean for someone who only saw it for the first time a couple of months ago."


    I kicked him under the table. Now was not the time to bring that up.


    "Is that so?"


    My idiot fianc did not take the hint. "Yes, she is well read about ocean creatures."


    Sigmund finally spoke up and my blood ran cold. "From what I understand, Katie is well-read on a wide variety of subjects."


    "You tter me," I said demurely though I was screaming on the inside.


    What exactly had that duke told him about me? I would kill to know.


    "My friend Charles has spoken most highly of you. I do hope you will bless the monarchy with your talents."


    A tant invitation to join his side. I wouldn''t do it. Not then and certainly not now. If I was going to fix the mess I made, I needed to side with Franz.


    "I shall endeavor to do my best," I said slyly, not indicating which part of the monarchy I would be helping.


    He took it as willingness to work with him. "Excellent. I look forward to your contributions."


    Al''s expression grew darker and darker throughout the meal. I could hardly continue engaging in small talk as the rest of the courses were served because of the waves of angst rolling off of him.


    Did he honestly think I would take his archenemy''s side? What exactly did he take me for?


    After dinner we excused ourselves and glumly trudged back to Al''s suite. The sitting room felt particrly stifling because of his bad mood.


    "I hope you know I only said that to get Sigmund off my back," I stated simply. I couldn''t let the misunderstanding continue or I was in for a long evening.


    He looked up at me hopefully. "Really?"


    Are you stupid?!


    "Haven''t I already told you I want nothing to do with him? I''d much rather put my political talents to use elsewhere."


    "I forgot, you mean to help Franz." His mood dampened yet again. "Why are you so keen on getting involved anyway? Shouldn''t we be thinking about an escape n?"


    I had no real answer for him since he wouldn''t understand my desire to get the plot of this novel back on track.


    Instead, I told him about what Mari had said regarding Shibatsu and how I thought it would be a good ce to go. I didn''t mention that I fully intended to leave him behind once he fell in love with Marcy.


    Al was skeptical. "I don''t know much about Shibatsu. Why do you want to go there of all ces? Wouldn''t we stand out too much since we don''t have silver hair or purple eyes?"


    "There have to be at least some immigrants there," I reasoned.


    I couldn''t tell him that it seemed like the only ce in this novel world that had the slightest opportunity for women to advance.


    "It sounds nice and it''s across the sea so I doubt we would be followed there."


    "We still need a n to actually get out of here. Having a destination means nothing if we don''t have a way to reach it. Security is going to be tight until after the wedding"


    Suddenly Al grew excited. "That''s it! There ought to be at least an ambassador from Shibatsu at the wedding as a show of goodwill, right? What if we find a way to sneak aboard his ship?"


    I shot this down on the spot. Not only would it not work with my personal ns, it was a bad idea overall.


    "No, if we disappeared right after the wedding the first ce they would look is with whoever was leaving."


    This did not deter him. He gained enthusiasm with every word.


    "That''s true but at the very least we can talk to him about trade and figure out when the next ship ising. By then the security should lessen and we can stow away unnoticed."


    Not a bad n. Unfortunately for me, this meant I had to either go through with the wedding personally or magically find a way to make Al and Marcy get married in the next couple of months.


    If a wedding didn''t happen, I had no way of contacting anyone from Shibatsu about their travel schedules. I really didn''t want to take Al with me.


    I had an obligation to this novel to make him fall in love with Marcy and help his brother reform thews. All I could do for now was pretend to go along with him while I figured something else out.

 Chapter 33: The Wolves Den

    Chapter 33: The Wolves'' Den


    The next two weeks passed in a haze of bridal lessons, tea with Mari, bridal lessons, entertaining Al, and more bridal lessons. In all that time we only managed to sneak over to the kitchens once and Marcy hadn''t even been there!


    Such a waste. At this rate, I would never be able to convince them that they were meant for each other.


    In all that time I still hadn''t memorized theyout of the pce. It was so huge that I typically followed whoever I was with at the time; Madame Chise supervised me like a hawk during our lessons so I was never truly alone.


    That was how I stumbled into the wolves'' denpletely by ident.


    Madame Chise had gone to thedies'' room and instructed me to go down the hall and to the left to meet with the dressmaker for a fitting but I somehow wandered much farther than I was supposed to.


    "Lady Catherine?" a t voice asked with a hint of astonishment. "What brings you here?"


    It was Duke O, my one-time pursuer. I wasn''t expecting to see him either but honestly I shouldn''t have been surprised. As the right hand of the crown prince, it was perfectly normal for him to be inside the pce.


    "Your Grace, what a surprise," I said in an equally t tone.


    The atmosphere was horribly awkward since this was the first time we met since Al publicly humiliated him on my behalf.


    "You did not answer my question."


    I wish I could tell what this guy was thinking. He had a perfect poker face.


    He certainly didn''t look like someone who had recently been jilted. Of course. He never actually liked me. I was always a political tool to him and nothing more.


    "I was looking for the royal dressmaker and got lost," I said simply.


    "The pce is rather confusinglyid out," he agreed. "I do not know where the dressmaker is meant to be but perhaps Prince Sigmund might. Allow me to lead you to him."


    Finding myself in the clutches of the viin was thest thing I wanted but I really was lost. I epted his offer with a deep curtsy.


    "Thank you for your kindness, Your Grace."


    I followed behind him into an ornate room that appeared to be an office based on the maps on the walls and the many stacks of paperwork on the giant desk. Sigmund sat behind that desk and looked up as we entered.


    "Katie! What a pleasant surprise for you, Charles. What can I do for you?"


    "I got lost on the way to a fitting. Madame Chise must be looking for me."


    "Ah yes, Rosenia had a bit of trouble with theyout of the pce in the beginning as well. I would be more than happy to escort you where you need to goif you do a small favor for me first."


    "What kind of favor?" I asked warily.


    This was exactly why I hadn''t wanted to go to him for help. I had avoided marrying the duke and still ended up in the viin''sir. What cruel irony.


    "Charles has told me of your political expertise and I wanted a bit of advice on a problem I am having."


    Sigmund probably meant for his grin to be charming but all I saw was a shark waiting to eat me alive.


    "I am unfit to advise someone as esteemed as yourself," I responded stiffly.


    I needed an excuse to get out of there but it would be incredibly rude to just turn and run out on the crown prince. Madame Chise would y me alive if she found out.


    "Nonsense, you are the perfect person for the job. If there was someone who was a threat to the interests of the nation and that person suddenly found himself a powerful ally, what would you do to ensure they did not conspire against you?"


    He was testing me. This obviously referred to me and Al. I couldn''t answer him but I couldn''t ignore a direct question from the heir to the throne.


    A knock on the door spared me from answering and I nearly copsed to the floor in relief.


    "Sigmund, have you seen Mother around? I need to speak with her."


    Franz saw me standing in between the duke and the crown prince and blinked in disbelief. "Katie, what are you doing here?"


    I briskly walked over to him and put on an innocent smile.


    "I got lost. Sigmund was going to help me find the royal dressmaker but he seems very busywould you be willing to take me instead?"


    A shrewd fellow, Franz caught onto my predicament instantly.


    "Of course. I shall take you there immediately. I can look for Mother afterwards. Good day, Sigmund. Charles."


    I curtsied before cheerfully following my savior out the door. Neither of the men I left behind looked pleased. Once we were out of earshot, I expressed my gratitude for the save.


    "Thank you for getting me out of there, Franz."


    He narrowed his eyes at me. "I take it you did not want to serve as a political aide for Sigmund? With how much Charles has talked you up I assume he wanted to marry you for that reason."


    I was impressed that he managed to put that together from mere gossip and his own spections.


    "No, I do not. I would much rather serve as your political aide."


    Franz was so taken aback he stopped in his tracks. "You want to work with me?"


    Lowering my voice, I told the truth. "I think your policies are much more practical and beneficial to the kingdom as a whole than his are. I am on your side."


    "Did Alpheus put you up to this?" he asked suspiciously.


    "Not at all. I''m the one trying to convince him to back you. He would rather stay out of things altogether. Whether I manage to sway him or not, I am willing to offer my assistance in any way you deem fit."


    He went silent for a moment, pondering my words.


    "I have no reason to believe your sincerity aside from the fact that my wife adores you. What sort of help can you offer me?"


    What sort of help? I had read the novel!


    I knew exactly what Alpheus and Marcy had proposed that won over themon people and lower ranking nobles, which were far greater in number than the high ranking nobles on Sigmund''s side.


    "I have studied politics; I know how to get the majority of this kingdom''s subjects on your side. With my ideas and the royal treasury of Shibatsu behind you, you would be unstoppable."


    I paused, remembering something.


    "While on the subject, you would also benefit from talking to your wife. She was trained in politics and diplomacy from a young age. Her ideas are worth your time as well."


    Franz waspletely bbergasted. "Mari knows politics?"


    His face suddenly broke into a wide smile. "No wonder she likes you. I have never met anyone as blunt. Tell meis shehappy here?"


    The man went through three facial expressions in less than a minute. Now he looked almost nervous.


    I didn''t want to betray the confidence of a friend but he seemed genuinely concerned for her well-being. Maybe that story about him falling madly in love with her at first sight wasn''t bogus after all.


    "She is lonely. I believe she would benefit from more of yourpany."


    "Truly? But if she wanted to spend time with me, why didn''t she say anything?" he muttered almost to himself.


    The rest of the walk to the dressmaker was spent in silence but I could tell Franz was thinking over what I had saidboth my offer and my marriage advice. I was satisfied.


    This was the most progress I had made toward fixing the story since arriving at the pce. All I needed now was an interaction between Al and Marcy to round off the day and it would be golden.


    Madame Chise was horrified at my prolonged absence and chastised me thoroughly after thanking Franz for bringing me back.


    He left, possibly to find his wife, and I was forced to stand still while being stuck with pins and having every part of my body measured. And to think, I used to hate trying on clothes when shopping. I would much rather do that than endure this torture.

 Chapter 34: Homesickness

    Chapter 34: Homesickness


    After a long, exhausting day of bridal lessons and political intrigue I dreamed of home.


    The scorching Arizona heat invaded from all sides as I casually strolled down the street my apartment building was on. The smell of sage hung heavy in the air and sweat made my shirt stick to my back.


    A perfectly normal day.


    My apartment came into view and once I opened the door I was greeted with all of my bookshelves filled with paperbacks and DVDs.


    When I was abruptly woken by a maid there were tears on my face. Waking up in a cold stone room, albeit avishly decorated one, was thest thing I wanted.


    As the maid helped dress me in yet another restrictive cage I managed not to sob but the tears wouldn''t stop flowing. Why did I have to dream about home? That was the cruelest dream I could have had.


    Being in this world for more than six months, I had only cried once when Adele reminded me of Abby. Was the stress of trying to fix everything finally getting to me?


    Once the maid fixed my hair and tried moving to my makeup she noticed that I had been crying.


    "Mdy, your face! What''s wrong?"


    A sob finally worked its way up my throat. "I want to go home!"


    "Mdy, your family is still in the capital for the fall session of court. It would be easy to invite them to the pce," she reasoned.


    "No!"


    They couldn''te here and see me in this state. The countess would only scold me. The earl would ignore me as usual and Percyhe wouldn''t understand.


    "It''s not the people, it''s the ce," I tried to exin.


    The maid didn''t seem to get it but thankfully let the subject drop as she worked to cover the puffiness.


    Unfortunately, makeup can only do so much. Al noticed there was something up with me at breakfast and confronted me afterwards in the library since Madame Chise was indisposed and had given me the morning off.


    "You have been awfully quiet this morning. Is something wrong?"


    My traitorous eyes began watering again because someone bothered showing me concern. If you try tofort someone who has cried, they will only cry more even if it seems like they are done.


    His concerned expression was startled right off his face at the sight of my tears and he was at a loss. It was in to see that Al had zero experienceforting anyone.


    "Katie?" he asked nervously.


    My namemy real namewas enough to make the dam breakpletely. I hunched over and sobbed my heart out in a way I hadn''t sinceing here.


    At first it had been fun and games. I had genuinely enjoyed my life as healthy person for a while. Then things kept piling up and now I saw no way out of the situation I''d trapped myself in.


    I had no idea what to do and it finally hit me that this was my reality. I was stuck as Catherine du Pont and had to deal with both her problems and mine.


    It was too much for me to handle and not one person in this world knew the truth. I had to deal with it all alone.


    Al hesitated before gently wrapping his arms around me and pulling me toward him so my face was pressed into his chest. He didn''t say anything but when I began sobbing harder he tightened his embrace and leaned down so his face was in my hair.


    I was too upset to notice when he kissed it.


    As I finally started calming down, I developed a bad case of the hups. Al instantly released me and poured me a cup of water using a nearby pitcher, holding it out wordlessly.


    I sniffed and thanked him before downing the whole thing in one gulp.


    "Are you feeling better now?" he dared to ask.


    "Not really," I said dejectedly.


    Crying hadn''t fixed anything. The problems were still there and now on top of that I had embarrassed myself in front of Al.


    "Umwhy were you crying?"


    I rubbed my even-more-swollen eyes and tiredly let all of my frustrations out, not bothering to care what he heard. I was done.


    "I want to go home. I hate it here! I hate being used, I hate having to outwit people, I hate that nobody means what they say. Most of all I hate these stupid, constricting dresses that make it hurt to breathe or sit or do anything.


    "I miss my sister. I miss my LIFE! It was boring and repetitive but I could do whatever I wanted and nobody expected anything of me. Why did it have to be me, huh? I never did anything to anybody! I kept my head down, I paid my bills on time, I was a decent neighbor. And this is what I get?! My life is a joke."


    "Idon''t understand what you mean."


    Of course he didn''t. Half of that referred to my frustration in being reborn in this novel after dying so pathetically at such a young age, almost entirely alone in the world. Did anyone other than Abby even miss me?


    My unstable emotions turned on him and suddenly all of the annoyance I''d secretly harbored since he announced we were engaged exploded into a fiery rage.


    "You! This is your fault! I would''ve been able to run away already if it wasn''t for you! You just had to drag me into your problems so you wouldn''t have to be alone. Well, guess what! Nobody cared about my problems when I was alone so why do I have to care about you?"


    Who had cared when I was sick and in pain and couldn''t afford my copays? Abby was on the other side of the country. She didn''t know everything that was going on with me because I didn''t want to burden her.


    Absolutely nobody gave a second of thought to the pathetic problems of Katie Pullman.


    At least he had the decency to look guilty.


    "KatieI didn''t meanit was never my intention to upset you."


    "Well, too bad, because you did," I snapped, feeling a headache brewing. "You''re so selfish Alpheus McLeod!"


    I didn''t want to deal with him. I didn''t want to deal with anything. I was getting out of this cage and going back to bed. I could be indisposed too.


    I whirled out the door like an angry tornado of skirts and the second I reached my room I ignored the maids and ripped myself free of the stupid cage on my own.


    Quickly wiping off the sticky makeup and throwing on my soft nightgown, I told the nearest maid I did not feel well and that no one was to disturb me.


    I pulled the curtains around my canopy bed and snuggled under the covers, fervently wishing that I had just died in that car ident.

 Chapter 35: Shell Come Around

    Chapter 35: She''ll Come Around


    Prince Alpheus'' regr servants had noticed a change in their master since Lady Catherine began living in the pce. It was even more obvious now that he had reverted back to how he had been before, sullen and miserable.


    Al was upset partly because he didn''tprehend everything that Katie had said and partly because he knew he was at least somewhat to me.


    She was righthe had brought her here selfishly because only someone as alive as she was could snap him out of his natural gloom. She brightened the dark halls of this ce considerably.


    He hadn''t forced her into his life so she would be miserable too. There had to be a way to cheer her up.


    Even with the fires lit, the castle was chilly today. Katie didn''t like teahe had noticed at tea times that she only had a sip or two, preferring to focus on the sweets.


    Hot chocte and pastries ought to be a decent ce to start. He wanted to apologize personally so he headed down to the kitchens himself rather than sending a servant.


    That bakery girlwhat was her name? Mary?was frying something pale and blobby in oil. Al hurried over to see what treats she had on hand.


    "Your Highness!" she greeted with a smile. "Where''s your partner in crime today?"


    "She doesn''t feel well," he mumbled guiltily. "I came here to get something to cheer her up."


    "Well aren''t you the sweetest! I have some eirs leftover from the queen''s morning tea if you''re interested in those."


    Al was more interested in what she was making now. He had never seen anything like it. They appeared to be some sort of fried dough rings.


    "What are you working on?"


    She noticed his line of sight.


    "Oh these? I''m not sure what to call them yet but I wondered what would happen if I fried irs instead of baking them. The long skinny ones turned out a bit strange so I switched to round ones instead.


    "I''m filling some of them with the ir cream but also had the idea of making others have holes in the middle instead so they aren''t filled I can give them different toppings."


    "Such as?"


    The girl beamed. "It''s always nice seeing someone interested in the art of pastry. I was going to try dipping some in cinnamon sugar, some in powdered sugar, and some in a sweet ze. Kind of whimsical, huh?"


    Whimsical fit Katie to a T. She would probably love this strange new pastry.


    "I''ll take some of each," Al said resolutely. "And some hot chocte, please. With whipped cream."


    "Right on it, Your Highness." The bakery girl barked an order behind her. "Hey, Grace! Get some hot chocte started for the prince! Use the milk chocte we just got in from Rowenhilde!"


    Grace panicked a bit at the sight of Al and curtsied hastily before chopping up the chocte to melt in a pot with the other ingredients.


    Al was perfectly content to stand there waiting but the bakery girl wanted to talk as she worked.


    "I''ve never seen such a doting beau before. Lady CatheI mean Katieis very lucky."


    Was she though? After her outburst this morning, which seemed to have been building up for some time, Al realized he had never taken her feelings into consideration.


    He had taken a bird and clipped its wings just so he could enjoy itspany. Katie deserved better than that. He would have to find a way to make it up to her that was more meaningful than mere sweets.


    "I doubt she thinks so," Al said glumly. "And I can''t me her. She never wanted toe to the pce anyway."


    The bakery girlhe suddenly remembered her name was Marcyput her hands on her hips and stared him down.


    "That''s no way to talk, Prince Alpheus. Even if that were true, she still has you doesn''t she? Weren''t you the one who called her your best friendst time? She obviously thinks the same."


    "You really think so?" Al asked a bit desperately.


    If Katie really thought of him as an important person in any capacity that meant she would forgive him, right? He knew she didn''t love him. He had taken her freedom away so how could she?


    Even knowing that, he wasn''t willing to let her go without taking him with her. He could spend the rest of their lives making it up to her once they were free of this ce.


    Marcy nodded as she dumped ze onto one of her fried pastries. "I can tell that you care about her very much. She''lle around."


    He found himself nodding until he realized what had just transpired.


    "Hey, I never said she was upset with me! I said she wasn''t feeling well!"


    With a giggle, Marcy ced the pastry on a te with the ones covered in sugar.


    "You didn''t have to. It was pretty obvious the two of you got into a fight because of the look on your face."


    Al''s ears turned red. It was that obvious to someone he had only met once? Was he an open book or something? He had never thought of himself that way.


    Grace, the girl in charge of the hot chocte, saved him from having to reply by announcing it was ready.


    "I''ve got a whole pot but you only needed one portion, right? I can save the rest to be reheatedter," she addressed Marcy, afraid of meeting a prince''s eyes.


    "Thank you," Al said sincerely. "For the pep talk and the food."


    Marcy''s eyes sparkled as she smiled at him. "You''re wee. Come find me if you need more girl advice. And tell Katie toe say hi next time!"


    It looked like Katie had made quite an impression on this girl even though they had only met once. She had that effect on people.


    Al, Marcy, the duke of O, Princess Mariall people who had fallen under her spell right away.


    Al nervously carried the tray with the hot chocte and pastries to Katie''s chambers. A maid was blocking the door.


    "Lady Catherine is unwell and does not wish to see anyone."


    "I think you can make an exception," he said, putting on a winning smile. "These are treats from her favorite pastry chef."


    The maid wavered. Thedy had seemed so upset and she did like her sweets


    "Oh alright, but if she askster, I''m telling her you forced your way in."


    "Thank you!"

 Chapter 36: Doughnuts

    Chapter 36: Doughnuts


    Crying hangovers were always the worst. Every time I ended up with a terrible headache for the rest of the day.


    No matter how much my head hurt I wasn''t able to fall back asleep so I was stuck alone with my thoughts in my sad nket nest. The fire had been stoked but I still felt frozen to my very bones.


    "Katie?" a voice I did not want to hear called softly. "I brought you some hot chocte and pastries."


    I wouldn''t have responded if he hadn''t mentioned hot chocte. That might actually be helpful right now. Chocte had a small amount of caffeine in it and caffeine was good for headaches.


    I opened the curtains just enough to poke my head out and saw his sheepish expression and the tray in his hands. My ire immediately melted away when I saw what he had with him.


    "Doughnuts! Where on earth did you get them?!"


    Al wrinkled his nose in confusion. "You know what these are? Marcy just invented them today and hasn''t named them yet."


    "They have these where I''m from," I exined quickly. In my excitement I had forgotten myself yet again. "I guess the trend hasn''t made it to the capital yet."


    "Doughnuts, huh? I''ll send a note to the kitchens after this to let her know what they''re called."


    I was so derailed by food I never thought I would see again that it took me a minute to register the fact that Al was talking about Marcy like they were friends. That made my mood even better.


    To think that my whole outlook on life could be changed in an instant by something as simple as familiar food and the plot going the way it was supposed to. I thought I was all out of tears but a few happy ones managed to escape.


    "Don''t cry again!" Al begged.


    I wiped them away and smiled at him. "These are happy tears, dummy. This was exactly what I needed."


    He cocked his head. "You like these doughnuts so much?"


    "I never thought I''d see them again," I murmured. "These are a precious memory from home."


    When was thest time I had had a doughnut before this? I think it was during Teacher Appreciation Week at work when they had a different kind of food avable in the lounge every day.


    I could easily imagine the pink bakery boxes sitting on the long table in the middle of the dimly lit room. I chose a maple bar originally but since there were extras I swiped a zed er on.


    "I can ask Marcy to make you more the next time you get homesick," he said earnestly, pulling open the curtain further to set the tray down on my bed.


    "And I''ll even ask her how to make them so you can still have them once we run away. If there are any other foods you want from back home, we can figure those out too. Just please don''t cry anymore."


    Part of me was touched that he cared so much about me crying. The other part was not happy to hear he still wanted to run away even though he was getting closer to Marcy.


    It was so confusing. If he liked Marcy, why did he still want to leave? Did he feel guilty towards me?


    "There actually is something else I would like from home," I admitted, pushing those thoughts aside. "It''s called a hamburger."


    Al eagerly sat on the edge of my bed and sped my icy hands in his warm ones.


    "I''ve never heard of that either but tell me about it and I''ll have someone make it for you!"


    I couldn''t help but smile at his sincerity. He was being so nice, trying to cheer me up even though I had yelled at him. Fitting for a hero.


    "It''s made by squishing a ball of ground beef onto a hot pan and cooking it on both sides. The meat goes in between two halves of arge roll and is usually also stuffed with things like sliced tomatoes, lettuce, onions, and pickled cucumbers. If I had a hamburger I would just about die."


    He frowned and crossed his arms in front of him. "Well I''m not getting you one if it will kill you."


    Okay, that was pretty cute. I covered my mouth so he wouldn''t hear my snickering.


    "No, Al, it''s a figure of speech. It means I would be really happy."


    "How are happiness and death corrted?" he asked with a shake of his head. "Sometimes you say the oddest things, Katie."


    With a shrug, I stuffed half of a powdered doughnut into my mouth. Absolutely heavenly. I finished off all four doughnuts and the hot chocte before lying back on the bed sleepy and content.


    Had I ever been this happy sincending in this novel? All because of a few doughnuts and the thoughtfulness of a friend.


    "Thank you, Al. This means a lot to me. AndI''m sorry for yelling at you. I had a rough morning but I shouldn''t have taken it out on you."


    He shook his head. "No, I deserved it. You have had to deal with a lot of stress sinceing here because of me. I promise I''ll find a way to make it up to you."


    "Get me a hamburger and some pizza and I''ll call us even," I yawned. What was it about good food that tires people out?


    "What is pizza?"


    "I''ll tell youter," I mumbled sleepily.


    "You''re going to catch a cold," Al chided and gently lifted me off the nkets so he could cover me with them.


    Tucking them around my chin, he leaned over and gently pressed a kiss to my forehead.


    I was already half-asleep so I didn''t hear him whisper "sweet dreams, darling" before he shut the curtains and headed off to the kitchen to ask someone about making me a hamburger once I woke up.

 Chapter 37: Mental Tally

    Chapter 37: Mental Tally


    The doughnuts and hamburger, though nder than the ones back home, revitalized me so the following day I handled the bridal lessons like a champ. Even the nitpicking Madame Chise was impressed.


    Since I was starting to get the basics down, she had me run what I could only think of as drills from a very sissy boot campwalking with a book on my head while wearing impossibly high heels, smiling, turning, waving, repeating.


    Once I got into a rhythm it was a mindless task so I could focus on other things.


    I ran a mental tally of what I knew about the people in this ce, both from the novel and my own observations.


    I only saw the king at meal times. In the book he actually wasn''t all that important a character. He was on Sigmund''s side but in the end, passed away before he could do much to help his heir due to an unexpected illness.


    The queen was also on Sigmund''s side but her power primarily manifested itself through her brother, the archduke. Her days were spent entertaining high ranking nobles and drinking tea.


    Rosenia''s schedule was virtually the same as the queen''s as far as I could see. She was petty and demeaning but posed no real threat in the novel. When Sigmund was deposed, she went back to Rowenhilde in shame, never to be heard of again. I wasn''t terribly worried about her.


    Franz was more of a wild card. We hadn''t spoken since he escorted me to the dressmaker so I didn''t know if he had taken my words to heart or not.


    I had no idea what he was up to, only that he was trying to gather support within the court. For the time being it looked like he was stuck, since his ns only got any traction once Marcy and Alpheus got involved in the novel.


    His rtionship with Mari seemed fairly one-sided. I got the impression that he cared for her but didn''t know how to show it so she felt no attachment to him.


    Mari, like the queen and crown princess, spent a lot of time drinking tea with other nobles but since she was only the second princess, she was excluded from certain gatherings and frequently alone. Or with me, now that we were friendly.


    Of everyone in this pce, ironically, I knew the most about the man I was trying to avoid since his ns were covered in detail in the book.


    He spent hours each day holed up in his office conferring with his cronies, including Duke O and the archduke. With all of that foreknowledge at my disposal, Sigmund was low on my priority list of people to figure out.


    Al was at the top.


    The novel glossed over his lonely childhood, mentioning that he had no ymates and was left alone any time he wasn''t either participating in lessons or needed to show his face at a formal event. He began sneaking out of the pce around the age of ten to explore the outside world, which led to his meeting Marcy yearster.


    Honestly, I didn''t have a clue what he did when he wasn''t with me. His family gave him no responsibilities and he wasn''t vying for the throne. As an adult, he had no need for further tutoring.


    How did he spend all of those empty hours before I got here? I needed to urately gauge Al''s life and personality if I was going to get this novel back on track but at times he was as unfathomable as the depths of the sea.


    I hadn''t met Sir Luken Marino yet and I wondered if I even would. He was a distant cousin of Marcy''s and she had convinced him to help her and Al in their quest to bring down the crown prince after getting to know him through his frequent visits to the kitchen trying to woo one of the pastry assistants.


    It was easy enough to convince him since he had previously trained a bit with Franz and knew he would make a better king than Sigmund.


    Of all the main yers, that only left Marcy. I knew how things were supposed to go with her but so far it seemed like she stuck to her role in the kitchen, hardly stepping outside it because her delicacies were in demand for the constant tea parties held by the queen.


    I really needed to get back in there and talk to her more seriously but what would I say? I hadn''t been here long enough to collect my bearings ande up with a real n. I was making things up as I went along and who knew how long that would work.


    "Madame Chise, may I request Lady Catherine''s presence?" a soft feminine voice sounded from the doorway. "I would like her to apany me for tea in my chambers."


    Mari primly folded her hands in front of her, a picture of elegance and poise. She had to mind her manners if she wanted the old dragon to cooperate and let me go.


    It worked and my tutor released with nointI had to apud Mari''s methods.


    "Thank you for relieving me back there," I whispered once we had made it down the hall. "My eyes were about to ze over."


    She let out a dainty giggle. "Practicing walking is very repetitive, I cannot me you. I have the perfect thing to perk you back up though!"


    "You''re the best," I sighed happily when I saw that we were having hot chocte instead of tea.


    "I have noticed that you never finish your tea. I do not mind it much myself but I can see how one would get sick of it after having too often. The secret is variety. I rotate through no less than twelve different types before having the same one again when I am in charge. Unfortunately, the queen typically chooses the same three varieties over and over and she is in charge of most tea times in the pce," Marimented as she stirred her drink with a spoon.


    "It would be nice to be in charge of something. It would give me more to do."


    I frowned. Had Franz not talked to her about her potential political contributions? I really thought I had gotten through to him too.


    "Can''t you try asking your husband if you can shoulder some of his work? That would keep you busy."


    "It would but I doubt he would agree. Why bother asking if I know I will be turned down? It seems counterproductive."


    "You never know unless you try," I hinted heavily.


    If they only talked to each other! With propermunication and mutual reliance, those two had a real chance at a good rtionship.


    Franz wanted to grant her wishes but he didn''t know what they were because she never said anything! As an objective viewer, it was frustrating.


    "He has been spending a bit more time with me in the evenings," she said thoughtfully.


    "Can you believe that he has actually asked me questions about my day? Specific ones! The change has been hard to believe since he hasrgely ignored me for the past nine months."


    My heart went out to her. What was with these princes'' mindsets?


    One brought in a beautiful foreign wife that he doted upon from a distance but wouldn''t spend actual time with and the other dragged a wannabe runaway to the pce and demanded her time constantly so he wouldn''t be bored.


    Her situation was almostpletely opposite of mine. What a lonely way to live. If it wasn''t outrageously uneptable for me to do so, I would track down Franz and shake him until he paid attention to his poor wife.

 Chapter 38: You Arent Catherine

    Chapter 38: You Aren''t Catherine


    Mari was an interesting person to spend time with because on one hand, she was intelligent and well spoken, but on the other she seemed to prefer listening to me talk.


    We couldn''t exactly rehash the events of our days in the typical form of small talk I was used to because our schedules were too simr.


    Instead, she would talk about a wide variety of princessy topics she was an expert in and I would amuse her with stories from my childhood that were slightly modified so they would fit within the realms of possibility for this world.


    Al was the only one I kept slipping up around talking about home.


    I knew that Mari was my best chance at getting to Franz so I had to cultivate this rtionship carefully.


    Did I feel guilty about having ulterior friendship motives? Yes. But I wasn''tpletely horriblewhen I wasn''t pushing for information I genuinely enjoyed talking to her.


    It was nice having a female friend in this world. Girls talk differently to each other than they do to guys. Plus Mari was much less stressful to be around than Al because I didn''t have to walk through a minefield of dangerous topics.


    Nothing seemed to offend her. Or maybe that was just her princess training at work. Oops.


    "You talk about your sister frequently," Mari noted as I finished up a story about the time Abby and I tried catching fish in a cup at ake and she ended up with a frog on her head, bringing on her lifelong fear of frogs.


    "I thought your sister was nearly ten years younger than you but the way you talk about her makes the two of you seem around the same age."


    I sighed. She could be too perceptive sometimes.


    "Remember when you said I understood longing for a home I couldn''t go back to and I said you wouldn''t believe me? It has to do with that."


    Setting down her tea cup, Mari gazed at me with an imprable expression.


    "Youare not Catherine du Pont, are you?"


    My mouth dropped open. How on earth had shee to that conclusion? Seeing my reaction, she pped her hands together in delight.


    "I knew it! But who are you? And how did you end up with the earl''s family? Did she run away and you were contracted to take her ce to be presented before the monarchy?"


    Her eagerness surprised me. How could she be so calm when discussing an imposter sneaking her way into the pce?


    Oh yeah, she wasn''t from Annias. She probably couldn''t care less about what went on in this country as long as it didn''t affect her negatively on a personal level.


    "It''s a bit moreplicated than that," I hedged.


    Would she believe me if I told her the truth? Or should I go with her idea?


    Oh, I wasn''t good ating up with things on the spot! If I made something up I would have to keep track of all the lies I told.


    Sitting forward in her seat, Mari looked at me expectantly.


    "Do tell me, Katie! This is the most exciting thing that has happened since I came here. Ohis that not really your name?"


    "My name is Katrina Pullman but everyone has always called me Katie," I confessed.


    Why was I bothering to tell her? She was a lonely foreign national that liked me. I didn''t think she would rat me out but even so, who would believe her?


    Mari was looked down upon inside the pce and the du Ponts had been thoroughly fooled by me so if anyone asked them, they would deny it.


    "I was born and raised in a ce called Arizona with my parents and sister, Abby, and lived there for twenty-three years before dying in an ident. Next thing I knew, I woke up in Catherine du Pont''s body. You don''t have to believe me. I wouldn''t believe it if I hadn''t experienced it myself."


    Her eyes narrowed briefly before she surprised me by giggling.


    "If it were anyone else telling me this sort of tall tale I would not believe them. Howeverthere is too much about you that does not add up so your story actually makes a strange sort of sense. No one in Annias thinks or speaks the way you do. Where exactly is Arizona? I have never heard of it."


    Shedidn''t think I was crazy. Unbelievable! If someone had told me a story like this back home I would''ve run far, far away.


    I wanted to keep it that way so I wouldn''t disclose the part about how we were currently inside a novel. That might be a bit too much for her to handle.


    "You won''t find it on any mapsit is too far away to ever go back to. My parents passed away when I was younger but Abby got left behind when I died. I have no way of ever seeing or speaking to her again. That is why I can rte to you."


    Mari tentativelyid a hand on my arm.


    "I cannot even imagine how frightening that must have been for you. How ever did you manage to fool everyone into believing you were Catherine du Pont? I never would have suspected a thing if I had not spent so much time talking to you. On the surface you seem like any other well-bred youngdy. Does Alpheus know?"


    I exhaled heavily.


    "It wasn''t easy. I spent months learning etiquette by watching the countess and pretended I lost my memories from a fever. For the most part, I smiled and nodded and pretended I had some idea of what was going on until I read enough books about Annias to not make too many mistakes when talking to people. And nohe does not."


    It was such a relief being able to talk about this. Everything had been stuck in my chest for so long without being able to breathe a word. No one here understood me at all.


    "Hedoes not know? Really?" Mari suddenly burst outughing, deeper and harder than I had ever heard herugh before.


    Usually herughs were so polite. Princessughs rather than real ones. I was bewildered by her actions. Was that really something worthughing about?


    It took her a minute to regain herself. With a wide smile on her face she shook her head at me as if I was a precocious child.


    "That exins so much, actually. You said he proposed to you because he wanted someone to ease his boredomof course you would pique his interest; you think differently than anyone here! Do you n to tell him?"


    No, I n to make him fall in love with someone else and quietly sneak away to live my own life. But I couldn''t tell her that for so many reasons. What was I supposed to say?

 Chapter 39: Working Together

    Chapter 39: Working Together


    Al and I weren''t meant to be. What would be the point of telling him the truth?


    He wasn''t nearly as perceptive as MariI had let so many things slip in front of him, even telling him about doughnuts and hamburgers and he still didn''t have a clue.


    I was leaving soon anyway. I had no reason to tell Al who I really was. Having one person know was enough.


    "No," I said honestly without divulging the plethora of reasons I had for keeping my silence.


    Mari raised a delicately shaped brow at me. "Why not? I thought the two of you were close."


    "You already had your suspicions about me so it was easier to ept. I don''t think he would believe me," I replied somewhat truthfully.


    That reason was pretty low on my list of Why Not to Tell Al the Truth but it was still a reason. It counted.


    "It is pretty farfetched," she admitted. "No matter. I want to know everything there is to know about this Arizona. What kind of ce produces a person like you? Is everyone there so straightforward in their words and actions?"


    "Uh, no, everybody has their own personalitiesI''m just like this," I mumbled, a bit embarrassed.


    Even for my world I had always been considered weird. But I couldn''t deny that it would be nice talking to someone about home.


    "Where should I start?"


    Mari thought about it a moment before a lightbulb practically appeared above her head.


    "Oh, I know! Tell me about the political system. You are supposed to be quite the expert, are you not?"


    "I wouldn''t consider myself an expertI studied politics at a university."


    Her eyes practically glowed with excitement. "You mean women can study at universities there?"


    "Yeah, most women do. My home is very different from herewomen can be doctors, politicians, business ownersmost don''t get married until after the age of twenty-five and only then if they truly love their partner. I was single and had a job as a librarian at a school."


    Mari was enthralled by the concept of women''s rights from my world so I spent the next thirty minutes talking solely about what women were able to do there.


    She was particrly interested in the fact that women could wear pants. When she found that out, she was horrified at the fashion transition I had to go through.


    "You went from being able to wear soft, loose pants to having to wear cages for the first time! How horrible that must have been! I have grown used to it since I first wore one when I was about ten years old" she trailed off sympathetically.


    "Of all the ces you could have woken up in, you ended up in the worst one for you."


    That just about summed it up. It was so nice having someone understand my struggles that I wanted to cry.


    "You have no idea how much of a relief it is to even be able to talk about this," I said fervently.


    "Talk about what?"


    Both of us whirled around when a male voice sounded at the door. Franz hade looking for his wife before noon? That was new.


    "Ah, Franz, we were merely talking about women''s things," Mari lied smoothly with a sweet smile on her face. "What brings you here so early?"


    "Am I not allowed to visit my beautiful wife?"


    She flushed slightly at thepliment. He was actually flirting with her! Right in front of me!


    "Of course you are. I simply was not expecting you. Please, join us."


    "You are having hot chocte?" he asked curiously once he sat down. "I had no idea you liked that, Mari."


    "I actually ordered it for Katie. She is not the biggest fan of tea."


    "I see. You certainly take care of your friends."


    Franz almost sounded jealous there. Was he in love with his wife or not? His actions were so conflicting.


    "While you''re here, KatieI have thought over your proposal and I would be happy to ept your help."


    Mari looked between the two of us in confusion. "What sort of help?"


    I nced at the second prince, leaving it to him to exin. It wasn''t my job to tell his wife that he was plotting a rebellion of sorts. Thankfully he caught my hint.


    "She has offered me the use of her political expertise as I try to garner support against Sigmund."


    She didn''t seem surprised. So this was not the first she had heard of it? I suppose they were married.


    He had to tell her at least some things about himself. Or at the very least, she was smart enough to guess that he chose her to further some agenda.


    "I have recently heard much about her political mind," she said ironically. We had literally just finished talking about it.


    "I could use your input as well," he said quietly, looking up at her with a hint of hopeful expectation in his eyes.


    "Mine?" she asked, astonishment tinging her tone.


    "You were trained in politics and diplomacy, were you not? Someone told me I ought to utilize my resources better and you are one of the best I have."


    Not romantic words in the slightest but Mari appeared rather moved. "I would be honored to assist you."


    Feeling a bit smug that I had not only gotten the second prince to work with me but also possibly helped steer their marriage on the right track, I leaned back in my seat and sipped my mostly-cold cocoa with a slight smirk on my face. Things were finally starting to look up.

 Chapter 40: Marcys Stolen Plan

    Chapter 40: Marcy''s Stolen n


    "Katie, what exactly is your n for getting the majority away from Sigmund''s side?" Franz asked as he set down his teacup.


    He and Mari both looked at me expectantly. This was the tricky part.


    The idea hade from Marcy in the original novel. How would I exin how I came up with it if he asked?


    Annias had one court and it was made up of nobles only. The lowest ranking people in it were bars.


    Wealthy merchants sometimes made alliances with lower nobles to get their interests heard but shopkeepers, tenant farmers, and servants had no say whatsoever.


    They couldin to the stewards of the estates belonging to the nearest nobility but that was it. The people hated it but were too overworked to riot.


    Marcy proposed including one representative from each dukedom, earldom, barony, etc. that was amoner, making sure that each profession was represented somehow. The concept wasn''t terribly different than the House of Commons in Ennd back when nobility still dominated the country.


    In the novel, when Franz proposed this amendment to the court system Sigmund''s faction went ballistic. But what could they do? Though marquises and dukes were more influential in society, there were a lot more viscounts, barons, and so forth.


    The second prince won the majority vote and with all of those new representatives in ce, Sigmund wasn''t able to strip away themon people''s rights through the court.


    That was when things got dicey. The king had died so Sigmund took over and let the power get to his head. He ignored the court''s ruling and tried doing things by force. People got angry and revolted.


    In the end, Sigmund lost his life and Franz became king of Annias. I wanted to be long gone by this point because I imagined things at the pce would be hectic and I didn''t want to get caught up in it.


    All I needed to do was get the court to rule in favor ofmon representatives and then I could slip away with my work done.


    "I know you have been recruiting members of the lower nobility that Sigmund has overlooked," I said seriously.


    "A lot of them actually care about the people under their charges and don''t like his ssist ideas. Others simply don''t like being excluded themselves. Regardless of their reasoning, you need to get the majority to work with you.


    "My idea will expand the court size. You should be able to win over many of the lesser nobles by telling them this because if the court is bigger, the power of the higher titles will be reduced."


    Franz appeared perplexed. "I imagine they would be interested in having more people on their side but where are these people going toe from?"


    "Sigmund wants to oppress themon people in order to have his reign be absolute, does he not? If they had proper representation within the court, it would kill two birds with one stone. Sigmund''s policies would not be able to be enacted and you would have the majority on your side for future conflicts."


    Mari smirked at me. She was enjoying watching my otherworldly political science graduate mind at work.


    "A fitting idea, Katie. Shibatsu has a somewhat simr concept. Warriors are important in our culture but they do note from noble families. The king chooses worthy people from both sses to make up his elite cab."


    "I have heard rumors about that," Franz mused, chewing on the idea. He turned to his wife with interest. "How many of each?"


    "The cab is reorganized every ten years. At that time the current cab members are sent back to their homes in glory to enjoy the rest of their lives in peace and new ones are chosen.


    "It changes every time depending on what fresh talent is avable. The current cab consists of twenty people. As of now only eight are nobles and two of those nobles are women."


    He smiled. "It appears that Annias has much to learn from your country."


    Mari''s cheeks pinked slightly. Even I heard thepliment in that statement. He was praising her brain.


    For someone who felt like nothing more than an ornament here, that was a big deal. Go Franz! Win her over!


    To hide her embarrassment, she addressed her reply to me. "Katie, how manymon representatives do you propose?"


    "One from each domain. Annias is fairlyrge. There are roughly eighty nobles that ownnd other people make a living off of. One person from each of those areas should suffice. Many of the lower nobility do not own enoughnd to have tenants.


    "The higher nobles will be easier to appease if there are not an equal number ofmoners and nobles in the court but themoners will still have enough representatives to have their voices heard," I exined, letting my words sink in as I nibbled on a tart.


    "I can see why Duke O was so interested in you," Franz said with a lightugh. "You are a formidable opponent. I am quite lucky to have you on my side."


    "Isn''t she wonderful?" Mari praised.


    If she knew what a thumbs up was, I had no doubt she would be giving me one right now based on her expression.


    "Yes, but so are you. I should have sought your advice much sooner. Please forgive me, Mari."


    He reached over and brought his wife''s hand to his lips. A hint of nervousness showed in his eyes. Franz actually felt bad about overlooking her for so long, I could tell. So he DID like her after all! How cute.


    Surprise lit her eyes but she smiled sweetly at the earnest man in front of her.


    "I shall forgive you so long as you give me some of your work. I have been rotting away with nothing to do."


    "Yes, yes, I promise!"


    I felt like the world''s biggest third wheel. Where was Al when you needed him?


    I doubted he would want to be a part of this conversation anyway. He didn''t care about any of this. There had to be some way to get him invested in other people''s problems!


    More than anything I wished I could ask Marcy how she did it but the Marcy from the novel and the Marcy currently in the kitchens had very different experiences. The girl I knew wouldn''t have a clue either because she hadn''t spent enough time with Al.


    That was my next objective. I needed to facilitate a meeting between those two.


    Franz suddenly spoke to me and I was startled out of my thoughts.


    "Katie, I realize this is a bit rude of me since you were visiting with her first, but may I borrow my wife for a while? I wish to take her to my office and acquaint her with some of my work."


    "By all means." You go, lovebirds. I have other things to do anyway.


    As they rose from the couch Mari shot me an excited look and I winked at her behind Franz''s back. Go get ''em, tiger!


    "I have people to contact but once I have finished with that I will call on you again for further counsel," he said formally before offering his arm to the lovely woman beside him with a soft smile.


    Watching them made me all warm and fuzzy inside but also made my single heart weep bitterly. Technically, I had a fianc but it was only in name.


    I was devoid of romance as I ever was back home so seeing cute, fluffy things was a double-edged sword.

 Chapter 41: What Exactly Did You Do?

    Chapter 41: What Exactly Did You Do?


    I saw Al briefly at lunch but we didn''t get to talk much and I was quickly whisked away by Madame Chise afterwards to continue my grueling lessons until mid-afternoon. She was not pleased that my visit with Mari hadsted so long.


    The first thing he did when I was freed was lean against the wall in front of me, eyeing me suspiciously.


    "What exactly did you do?"


    I frowned, feeling oddly wronged. "What do you mean? I didn''t do anything."


    "I have NEVER seen Franz and Mari talk so much to each other at a meal before. They were off in their own little world. I saw Madame Chise earlier when you were supposed to be in a lesson and she said Mari took you away for tea. You must have said something while you were there that caused this."


    Well, he wasn''t wrong, but I was baffled how he figured that out.


    "I ran into Franz when I got lost before. I suggested he utilize his wife''s brain, that''s all. He barged in on us when we were talking and took my advice. I guess it went well."


    "You guess it went well," he repeated dryly.


    "Katie, Mari has lived here for nearly a year and that is the most animated I have ever seen them. I know my brother. He''s too wrapped up in his own business to even remember he has a wife half the time. That disy of affection was borderline obnoxious."


    I smiled, pleased with myself for being a sessful matchmaker.


    "It wasn''t that bad. I think it''s sweet. Your brother just doesn''t have enough experience with women so he doesn''t know how to treat one. He definitely likes her so why shouldn''t they act like couples are supposed to?"


    Al raised an eyebrow at me. "You think couples are supposed to act like that?"


    I nearly forgot that this world didn''t exactly have a concept of romance.


    "I''ve already told you, I believe in love. They''re married. Why shouldn''t they try to improve their rtionship and be happy together?"


    "We''re a couple," he said slowly. "Is that the sort of thing you want from me?"


    The look I gave him clearly indicated that he was crazy.


    "No way! We''re only pretending. But somedayI''d like to have somebody look at me like that when we talk."


    "Like what?"


    "Like I''m the only person in the world," I said a bit dreamily.


    Fiction had given me unrealistic standards. It was no wonder that I''d never had a boyfriend.


    "He dide off that way, didn''t he," Al muttered. "Good to know."


    "What?"


    "Nothing!" he said unconvincingly. "So, what are we going to do today?"


    Anticipation shone in his gray eyes and he reminded me of a puppy waiting to be tossed a bone. I couldn''t help butugh.


    Poor deprived Al was always so excited when I introduced him to things. It was starting to get difficult toe up with new, non-repetitive activities.


    Something new "Why don''t I introduce you to the beauty of pizza? I''m sure Marcy could help us out."


    He hopped away from the wall eagerly. "You never did tell me what pizza is."


    "Only one of the best foods in existence," I exaggerated. "You haven''t lived until you''ve had pizza."


    "I look forward to your tutge, Lady Katie," he said with a theatrical bow in my direction.


    "Oh stop," Iughed and slugged him on the shoulder.


    He wasn''t surprised by my udylike actions anymore.


    I first mock punched him on the shoulder over a week ago and he had beenpletely taken aback. I had to exin that it was something people did to tease each other in the countryside.


    We goofed off as we snuck down various hallways to the kitchen, stiflingughter the whole way so we wouldn''t get caught. I was breathless by the time we got there.


    "You certainly look lively today," Marcy said with a smile as she pulled a pan of eirs out of the oven. "What can I do for you?"


    "This is going to sound strange," I hedged, suddenly unsure if they even had all the ingredients needed in this world to make a pizza.


    The burger had been miraculous enough even though it was under-seasoned andcked condiments.


    "There''s something I would like to make and I need a little help."


    "Describe it to me and I''ll do my best," she said resolutely. "Anything for my favorite customers."


    Al chuckled. "You''re lucky the queen didn''t hear that."


    Her face paled immediately. "Your Highness, I didn''t mean"


    "Rx. I''m teasing you."


    I shot him a re. That was mean. He noticed and hastily apologized.


    "Don''t worry about it," she said with a sigh of relief. "What do you want to make?"


    "It starts with a bread-like dough that gets rolled out t. It''s only meant to rise a couple of inches and gets covered with a spice-filled tomato sauce, cheese, and various toppings. I don''t know what kind of cheeses or spices would work though"


    "Why don''t I show you what we have?" she offered generously.


    Other kitchen workers eyed us warily for interrupting Marcy''s work as we walked over to the pantry of sorts but none were willing to say anything. They were dealing with royalty after all.

 Chapter 42: Cheese

    Chapter 42: Cheese


    Marcy led us to the room that was used as a cooler of sortsI had no idea how they got any form of refrigeration to work hereand showed us to the cheeses.


    I was amazed how much food it took to feed the royal family alone. So much of it probably got wasted.


    Did the kitchen staff or any other servants eat our leftovers? What happened to all that extra food?


    Al, who sauntered behind us leisurely with his hands in his pockets looking like he didn''t have a care in the world, was less impressed.


    "What kind of cheese do you need?"


    "A white one?" I said hesitantly before biting my lip.


    I would have to taste all the white ones to see if any were like mozzare. But what if they did something different here that changed the color? It might be better to try all of them to be safe.


    His eyes brimmed with hiddenughter as he turned towards me.


    "Are you sure you know what you''re doing? Have you ever made this before?"


    "I have, I just don''t recognize the ingredients here."


    "Why don''t I order some from the countryside then? We could do this another day."


    I shook my head sadly. If they didn''t have something like mozzare in the capital the certainly wouldn''t in the country.


    "That won''t work. I''ll figure something out."


    Marcy eyed me curiously. "Do you intend to sample all of these cheeses to find the one you''re looking for?"


    Squaring my shoulders, I answered with a strong ''yes'' and began my task. The cheeses here were unlike anything I had ever tasted.


    Well, that wasn''t entirely true. When I was thirteen, my family went on a discounted cruise to Mexico. Every night there were different menu options in the fancy onboard restaurant and one night none of the dessert options looked good to me.


    I saw one called ''assorted cheeses'' and was curious how cheese could be considered dessert so I ordered it. Those cheeses were the most pungent I ever had the misfortune of tasting. One bite of each and I was done, making the most horrible face.


    Abby teased me about it for years afterward. Cheese in Annias kind of reminded me of that.


    In the end I chose the mildest cheese there was and one of the kitchen staff got to grating it per my instructions.


    I had never made pizza sauce before because it was easier to buy it at the store so I had no idea what to do for the next part. I imagined the kitchen staff knew how to stew tomatoes down but which spices should I use?


    "Can you show me your spice selection?"


    "It''s right here," Marcy said cheerfully as she gestured to a bunch of small pots with differentbels on them.


    None of these names were familiar to me. I would have to smell them all to see if I could find any oregano, garlic, or basil.


    Al peered over my shoulder curiously as I worked. To be honest, it was a bit annoying. I was trying to concentrate!


    "Al, you need to take two steps back," I warned. I couldn''t focus when he was in my space.


    "But what you''re doing is so interesting."


    I gave him a disbelieving look. "How is picking out spices interesting?"


    "It just is."


    Had he hovered over Marcy like this when she worked in the book? I couldn''t remember. How could she even stand him sometimes?


    Yes, he could be amusing, but he was ridiculously needy. So much for Prince Charming.


    "Back," I said with an air of finality. "Or I won''t y cards with youter."


    With the threat of no evening entertainment hanging over his head, heplied. I nced at Marcy sympathetically. You''ve got a lot of work cut out for you in this one, sister.


    Marcy struck up a conversation with Al, sessfully distracting him. "You like ying cards?"


    "Yes, Katie has taught me several interesting games, such as"


    I tuned them out. Pizza was on the brain. It was better for them to talk without me anyway. Wasn''t that the whole reason why I brought him to the kitchen today?


    I couldn''t find oregano but I did find basil and pepper. I know I tasted garlic in that quail soup the other day but I couldn''t find it anywhere. It might have a different name here though.


    Reluctantly, I interrupted their no doubt riveting conversation about cards. "Marcy, where is the voring used in that quail soup?"


    "I''m not sure what you mean. I don''t deal with dinner food. The chef would know!" She waved someone over and directed the question at her.


    "Your Highness, garlic is not kept with the spices."


    Ah. My cheeks tinted red. I was used to garlic powder. I don''t think I''d ever bought actual garlic in my life.


    "Thank you," I said meekly. I had interrupted the lovebirds'' conversation for nothing. I should have checked the pantry before I said anything!


    Marcy, who had been working on the dough as she talked with Al, dered that it needed to rise for twenty minutes and asked what sort of things I referred to as ''toppings.'' In the end we settled on sausage (the concept of pepperoni didn''t exist here) and mushrooms because they didn''t have olives or bacon either.


    Once the dough had risen, I borrowed a rolling pin and showed them how to make a pizza shape and went to town with the sauce, cheese, and toppings. Both of them were baffled by it.


    "This is one of the strangest foods I''ve ever seen," Marcy observed doubtfully. "Is this really something people eat in the country?"


    "Uhyes?"


    I couldn''t use the country as an excuse for everything and still be believed but what else could I say? These people had no concept of American food.


    Al squinted at it while it was in the brick oven. "I hope this lives up to your expectations, Katie."


    He and Marcy were in sync with their doubts about my pizza. Their solidarity should have beenforting but I was more worried that they were right.


    When it came out it smelled awfully funny. I had my suspicions about the cheese.


    Since they didn''t have pizza here, they didn''t have a pizza cutter either so I was forced to attempt cutting it with a knife as best I could.


    I blew on it a little and took a bite before making a horrendous face. "I don''t know what this is but this is NOT pizza!"


    Al''s curiosity got the best of him and he tried a piece. His face scrunched up nearly as much as mine did.


    "I certainly hope not. You said this is supposed to be delicious. This is terrible!"


    "It''s the cheese," I said miserably. Theck of oregano wasn''t even noticeable in the face of the cheese.


    "Can it really be that bad?" Marcy asked before trying a bit herself. She shuddered. "Okay, I stand corrected. I don''t even have words for this."


    We were quite a sight. My expression was a mixture of disappointment and disgust. Al was trying to scrape the taste off his tongue. Marcy was trying hard not to gag.


    When we made eye contact we all burst into a fit of giggles that made the rest of the kitchen staff stare at us. My pizza experiment was such a terrible failure but I couldn''t be too upset because this was the best bonding moment Al and Marcy had so far.

 Chapter 43: I Care About You

    Chapter 43: I Care About You


    Later that night, I taught Al how to y Solitaire for when I wasn''t around.


    My back was stiff from being in a cage all dayalbeit a smaller one than when I had to go to fancy eventsand I couldn''t bear to sit anymore.


    Instead, I ended up lying on my stomach on the ground. The cage was a bit crushed and that was annoying but it was better than sitting up for my back at the moment.


    Alughed at how ridiculous I looked before joining me on the floor.


    "It''s easier to y this game on the ground anyway," I argued. "There''s more space to spread out."


    "Whatever you say," he said with an indulgent smile, still secretlyughing at me.


    Because my cage was ttened against the ground beneath me, it popped up more above my back topensate. My undergarments weren''t visible from the angle Al was at but it looked kind of like the trunk of a car was left open.


    "You aren''t still disappointed about the pizza, are you?" he asked suddenly. "I know you wanted it."


    I shook my head. It had been disappointing in the moment but honestly I was grateful I could have any food from my world. Doughnuts and nd hamburgers would have to suffice.


    Who knows? Maybe I''d be able to recreate pasta someday too. It was possible to make homemade pasta! I had never done it though.


    Regret filled me for all the days I spent buying instant food instead of learning how to cook. If I knew what made up the foods I missed, it would be a lot easier to replicate them.


    "It''s okay. At least we got a goodugh out of it. Marcy was such a good sport, don''t you think?"


    I wanted him to think fondly of her. There had to be a way to orchestrate more moments like the pizza incident.


    "She was," he conceded, rolling onto his side to face me better.


    "Honestly I never would have thought of trying to be friends with any of the servants before meeting you. My life might have been a lot less boring if I had done it when I was younger. All of the nobles simultaneously treated me like ss and ignored me."


    Interesting. If the thought had never urred to him, how had he ended up spending time with Marcy in the novel at all? I thought back to what I knew.


    He had fallen in love with her at first sight at the bakery because of her sunny disposition. I had screwed that bit up by distracting him with my antics at the beach


    Their next meeting was idental inside the castle and he kept visiting the kitchens in hopes of seeing her after that.


    That day I bumped into her in the hallway! Was that supposed to be their second meeting? I had ruined that too! My very existence in this world was causing problem after problem!


    I was hesitant to broach the subject but it had to be said sometime.


    "Alif you were able to have more friends herewould it still be necessary to leave?"


    He stared at me dubiously. "You want to stay just because of Mari and Marcy?"


    How had this be about me?! I was talking about him! He needed to stay here with Marcy and fulfil his role in this story!


    "No, I mean, you''re a prince! Don''t you have a responsibility to this kingdom? If you had people you liked here, wouldn''t it be more prudent to stay?"


    "Katie, I''ve told you before. I have no power here and nobody wants me around anyway. I don''t see a point in staying. We can always make more friends in Shibatsu. Besides, you''ll still have me."


    He still wasn''t getting my point. This was so frustrating!


    I couldn''t say tantly that he needed to stay here to fix the plot and the constant twisting of words to try and make things go my way was exhausting.


    "This isn''t about me," I insisted.


    "Then what is it about? I know you want me to side with Franz but why should I? He never did anything for me when I was invisible growing up. It doesn''t matter to me who bes king. My life won''t change either way."


    I sighed heavily. Al''s I-couldn''t-care-less-about-anything attitude was going to be the death of me.


    "I wish you would care about other people a bit more."


    "I care about you. Isn''t that enough?"


    My heart nearly stopped. Based on his facial expression he was perfectly serious. My mind went nk and I couldn''t formte a reply.


    He wasn''t supposed to care about me. I was no one. I didn''t belong here. We had gotten entangled with each other entirely by ident and yet he said he cared about me?


    Many of his actions since I came here shed through my head in a disjointed jumble. He did care about me.


    I was the only person he interacted with that he showed genuine interest in. And when I was homesickhe held me as I cried and went to all the effort of getting someone to put together a hamburger for me.


    It was the sweetest yet single most dangerous thing I had ever heard from him because if Al cared about me, it would be very difficult to run away alone.

 Chapter 44: Selfish

    Chapter 44: Selfish


    I tried distancing myself from Al after that. I needed time to think.


    For the next several days we yed a game of cat and mouse where he would try and track me down and I would do my best to hide. I was doing a fairly good job but it was incredibly difficult because he knew the castle better than I did.


    I couldn''t hide in the library, my quarters, or the stables because he would look for me there.


    Mari wasn''t much help either because when she wasn''t having tea with the queen and Rosenia, she was holed up in Franz''s office taking on some of his workload. I hid out in there a couple of times before Al came looking for me.


    It was incredibly awkward. When he knocked on the door and poked his head in, I dove underneath the desk and scrunched myself into as tight a ball as I could considering my cage and corset.


    "Alpheus, what brings you here?" Mari asked serenely, as if her friend had not scurried beneath her abandoning any semnce of dignity.


    "I am looking for Katie, have you seen her?" he asked in a gloomy tone. I could very easily imagine the apanying sadness in his eyes.


    Guilt threatened to break through the cracks of my resolve but I still hadn''t figured out what to do yet so I couldn''t bear to see him.


    At meal times we didn''t talk much anyway because the rest of the royal family was present and I always somehow managed to slip away afterwards.


    "I''m afraid not," she lied smoothly. "I do believe she mentioned she was tired out from her lessons this morning. She may be resting in her chambers."


    "I already checked there," he sighed dejectedly. "Thank you anyway. Good day, Mari."


    "Good day, Alpheus."


    My heart took several minutes to return to its regr pace after he left. That was nerve-wracking! I crawled out once I was sure the coast was clear and Mari scrutinized me.


    "Why on earth are you hiding from your fianc? I thought you got on quite well."


    I couldn''t tell her about how we were in a novel that was meant to go a certain way but she did know more about me than anyone else here so she might understand if I exined it partially.


    "You know how different my world is from this one. I have no desire to be a princess. Once I have helped Franz achieve his goal, I do not intend to stay in the pce. It would be better if Alpheus stopped relying on me so much."


    Mari was so taken aback that she dropped her fountain pen in shock.


    "I can understand why you wish to leave butare you mad?! How exactly do you intend to defy a royal decree? You would have to leave the country!"


    Awareness dawned in her eyes.


    "Is that why you have been so curious about my homnd? You n to go there? What about the wedding? It is only two weeks away! You are not a member of the royal family as of yet but once you are, running away is"


    "Treason, I know."


    She reached for my hands and sped them tightly, looking more serious than I had ever seen her.


    "You cannot do this. I know better than anyone how frustrating it can be in this ce but if you get caught you will be killed! I could not bear to lose you that way and neither could Alpheus.


    "It may have taken me a while to adjust but I am making the best of it here, you can too! Things will get better inside the pce once Franz in in charge so why do you still want to go?"


    "I can''t tell you," I said with my eyes downcast. "Please just believe me when I say that I am not supposed to marry Alpheus. It is better for everyone this way."


    "You are wrong," Mari said coldly, dropping my hands.


    "You see what you wish to see and no more than that. This kingdom needs you. Alpheus needs you. And II need you too. Running away is not only foolish and cowardly but incredibly selfish. I did not think you were that sort of person but it appears I was mistaken."


    My eyes stung. The one person who knew the truth of my identitythe one person here I thought might actually be on my sideand she used me of being selfish.


    I was trying to do the right thing! If I was really selfish, I wouldn''t have bothered going to the extra effort of trying to get this story back on track. I would leave the plot in shambles and let Sigmund win because that was the easier thing to do.


    "You don''t know what you''re talking about," I sniffed.


    Franz walked into the office then and smiled at me in surprise.


    "So this is where you were, Katie! Alpheus is looking for you."


    He then noticed the atmosphere in the room and the fact that the two of us were standing across from each other facing off and his smile immediately dropped.


    "What happened?"


    "Nothing of great significance," Mari said loftily, like the princess she truly was. "Katie was just about to leave."


    I stiffly exited the office, my hands balled into fists. I believed that she would keep my secret but felt that I had lost a trusted confidante.


    Now what was I supposed to do? I was even more alone and confused than before. I hadn''t found a way to get Al to fall in love with Marcy or care about anything other than our supposed escape n.


    The wedding loomed before me and it would be much more difficult to obtain a divorce than it would be to run away while I was still single and unattached.


    Did I have to stay until Franz''s n wasplete? I had already contributed the main idea that Marcy had.


    In the novel she helped smooth over the little details since she was amoner herself and understood how they thought but I couldn''t do that anyway since I was in the body of a noble.


    If I left now, Al would be lonely again. With any luck he would turn to Marcy forpanionship since they were already on friendly terms.


    The only problem with leaving now is that I had no way to get out of the country. Security was tight and I hadn''t left the pce grounds once sinceing here.


    As the princess-to-be, I met almost everydy of high standing during tea parties held by the queen. With preparations for the wedding underway and the weight of my bridal lessons, the royal family had not attended any social gatherings as a group.


    Unfortunately that would be changingter this evening. Madame Chise deemed me fit for public consumption and a grand ball would be held to celebrate the engagement and impending wedding.


    I absolutely dreaded it. The more people that knew my face the harder it would be to escape.

 Chapter 45: Another Ball

    Chapter 45: Another Ball


    I walked around aimlessly for an indeterminate amount of time as I pondered my predicament.


    One of my maids managed to track me down before Al did, shrieking about how there wouldn''t be enough time to beautify me for the ball. Joy. More of the Barbie doll treatment.


    My stare was nk and my expression emotionless as they stuffed me into an evenrger cage than usual and an borate sky blue gown studded with jewels that trailed down the skirt from arge cluster around the bodice.


    It was so heavy I could hardly breathe.


    My hair was twisted into an intricate series of braids, leaving just enough space for the tiara that boasted a sapphire in the center that matched my dress.


    I had never worn a real tiara before. Wearing a fake one and prancing around in a princess costume with Abby one Halloween as kids had never seemed farther away.


    Mari wouldn''t look me in the eye when the royal family gathered together in front of the grand ballroom to make a dramatic entrance.


    She pointedly clung to her husband''s arm and ignored me. He noticed and shot me a confused look before smiling softly down at her as she gazed up at him.


    Rosenia looked as excited as she was capable ofusually she had such a bored, disdainful expression. Of course. This was her chance to show off in front of everybody.


    She stood near her husband but did not speak to him. I couldn''t help but wonder if those two had any sort of rtionship at all or if it was entirely political.


    Al approached me hesitantly, looking every bit the dashing prince in a formal blue coat that went well with my dress.


    "Are you alright? I haven''t seen you muchtely."


    "I''m not but now isn''t the time or ce to discuss it," I sighed.


    I didn''t have an adequate exnation for why I had been so distant. At this point, I didn''t know anything.


    Should I just give up and ept my fate in this fantasy world? Could I afford to?


    "Butyou are willing to discuss it?" His gray eyes met mine earnestly and my heart sunk.


    He looked so hopeful but that couldn''t overshadow the same despair that radiated from him when we first met. How one pair of eyes could express so much at once was beyondprehension.


    "Yes," I said quietly.


    It wouldn''t be so much of a stretch to put it down as nerves, would it? Didn''t everyone get cold feet before they got married?


    Especially since I was bing a princessthat was a lot of pressure. Al would probably buy it.


    My guilt increased. He didn''t deserve to be lied to like this. He trusted me. Lying to someone who trusts you is worse in a way than lying to someone who doesn''t.


    Al gave me a sad sort of smile before offering me his arm. "It''s starting."


    I took a deep breath and ced my hand daintily on his inner elbow. Show time. The herald announced the king and queen first and descended by order of rank until it was our turn.


    "His Highness, Prince Alpheus Randolph McLeod of Annias and Her Ladyship, Catherine Arabe du Pont, future princess of Annias."


    My grip on Al''s arm tightened as we stepped onto the dais. Hundreds of eyes were on us. I got the vibe that he wanted tofort me somehow but couldn''t since he was frozen in position with everyone watching.


    We descended the grand staircase slowly so I wouldn''t trip in my manyyers of skirts and high-heeled dancing slippers.


    Everyone wanted a piece of usit wasn''t every day a ball was held in honor of a new princessbut thankfully a familiar face got to us first.


    "Eddie!" I cried with delight, about to go in for a hug before I realized Madame Chise was probably watching from somewhere and would kill me for breaching etiquette in such a way at my very first outing as part of the royal family.


    Instead I opted for reaching out and sping his hands in my gloved ones. "I thought you were at school!"


    "Well," he said with a teasing glint in his eye. "When you get a letter that says your sister is about to be a princess certain exceptions get made. You should have seen the dean''s face when I told him! You''ve been the talk of Cbaster Academy. I even got to miss exams for this!"


    "Of course that''s all you care about," I said with augh.


    Since I left Edmund honestly believing we would never meet again, this was unexpectedly nice.


    "Oh, where are my manners. Eddie, this is myfiancAlpheus. Al, my brother Edmund."


    Al stuck out his hand to shake. "I''ve heard a lot about you."


    "And I''ve heard almost nothing about you but it''s nice to meet you anyway," Edmund said cheerfully as he epted it. "I still can''t believe you of all people ended up with a pri"


    "Edmund." Percy''s curt voice cut him off. "I believe you are holding up the line."


    I frowned. I wasn''t nearly done talking with one of the only people in this room I actually knew and liked.


    It was a bit awkward seeing Percy after all this time. The countess had taken full advantage of visiting with the queen on a regr basis under the pretext of wedding nning but Percy was too busy with the earl trying to learn the ropes for when his day in court came.


    I had only seen him once since the day I arrived at the pce. It didn''t help that I was basically being held hostage. I hadn''t left the pce at all since security was so tight.


    "Percy, I only talked to him for a minute," Iined.


    He gave me a wry smile. "It is nice to see you too, Catherine."


    It almost sounded like he was ming me for ourck of contact. I pouted.


    "Hey, I haven''t been able to leave. You could havee to see me if you wanted."


    "That is true," he conceded. "But really, you have many more people to talk to. Edmund is staying with us until after the wedding. I can bring him by to see you tomorrow if you have time."


    My lessons were virtually over. I had nothing BUT time. "Please do."


    "We could all y cards," Al suggested, finally rejoining the conversation. He was so quiet I had nearly forgotten he was there.


    Edmund grinned. "So she taught you too, huh? I look forward to it. See you Katie! Your Highness!"


    Al sighed as we moved on and grumbled under his breath. "You get to be Katie but I''m stuck being Your Highness."


    I gave him a strange look. "You realize that less than ten people in this entire country call me Katie. I''m just as sick of being called ''Lady Catherine'' as you are of ''Your Highness.''"


    "At least you''ll be joining the ranks soon enough."


    The reminder of our impending marriage made my expression darken ever so briefly before we were greeted by the next set of guests. It seemed like we were stuck talking to people for a lifetime before the music began.


    As the engaged couple, we started off the first dance of the night.


    "Can you talk now?" he asked as we began whirling around.


    I shook my head. "Too many people. Somebody might hear us."


    "Can you at least tell me if it''s because of something I did? I''ve been worrying about what I could have done for days."


    There was that wounded expression again. It cut me to the core.


    This wasn''t really his fault. How could I me an incredibly bored, lonely person fortching onto the first one to show them fun? My mistake was getting involved with him in the first ce.


    I gave him a reassuring smile. "It''s nothing you did, promise. Sorry for worrying you."


    He practically wilted with relief before resuming his dance posture. "Thank goodness. I had to wonderbut why were you avoiding me then?"


    "I needed some time alone to figure things out," I admitted. "Can we not talk about this here? Thest thing I need on my te is more gossip."


    "Alright, what do you want to talk about then?"


    I don''t know! I''m barely trying to get through this ordeal, okay?! "Do we have to talk?"


    He squinted at me in concern. "My Katie, not wanting to talk? That''s new."


    "Who''s yours," I muttered.


    "Look around us. This whole ball is to celebrate that you''re mine," Al said almost smugly.


    I wanted to protest but the song ended and it was time to change partners and he disappeared into the crowd.

 Chapter 46: Why Do People Keep Throwing Me Off Today?

    Chapter 46: Why Do People Keep Throwing Me Off Today?


    Even at one''s own engagement ball, it''s not proper to only dance with one partner the whole time. I danced with Percy (decent), Edmund (fun), the count (horribly awkward), and a couple of random noblemen (also horribly awkward) after my dance with Al ended.


    I was afraid of who I might end up with next. I couldn''t decide whether thest person I wanted to dance with was Sigmund or Duke O. Both options were equally horrendous.


    "May I have the honor of dancing with my future sister-inw?" Franz asked, offering a hand out to me as the next song was starting.


    I smiled at him gratefully and epted. I thought he might want to talk about what had happened earlier in his office but he brought it up in a way I didn''t expect.


    "Katieyou know that Mari holds you in very high regard."


    "Oh?"


    "Whatever she said to you today, she still respects you and values your friendship." Does she? She was awfully upset when she practically threw me out.


    He continued with a look of concern on his face.


    "You were right before. She has been terribly lonely. I have neglected her by being caught up in my own work and you are the one who made me see that clearly. I will always owe you for that. Even though I am trying to be better about being there for her, she still needs femalepanionship that I cannot offer. Please make up with her, will you?"


    My head spun nearly as quickly as the dancing couples surrounding us. I didn''t think he would y the loving husband card.


    "Franz, what happened today was a fundamental disagreement of opinion about something that Mari doesn''t fully understand. I can''t exin it either so there is no way of resolving the issue."


    "Does the issue have to be resolved in order to spend time together?" he pleaded.


    I had never seen him like this. His love for Mari was stronger than I thought. They must have bonded a lot since our little talk in the sitting room.


    Did it? I doubted Mari would want to spend time with me knowing that I nned to run away. What would be the point of getting closer to someone destined to leave?


    "I think it does."


    Franz sighed. "I feared that might be the case. Please do try to reconsider. She likes you best out of everyone in Annias after all."


    Thest statement was tinged with bitterness. He realized his shorings as a husband had cost him her affection.


    At least he seemed to be on the right track now. Mari had been much more content since he started giving her work to do.


    "Maybe this is an opportunity for that to change," I suggested. Wasn''t that my n with Al anyway? Slipping away would bring him closer to Marcy. "Without me around, she''ll need someone to talk to."


    His eyes narrowed. "You are a shrewd, heartless woman Catherine du Pont. I cannot deny that your idea would most likely work but it would cause her pain and that is thest thing I want to do."


    I had been called shrewd before but heartless? Was I really so bad for not wanting to be a part of this world that wasn''t my own? For trying to set things back to the way they were before I arrived?


    In the novel Mari and Franz were supposed to be close before Marcy even met them. What had gone wrong? Why were things in this novel so different than they were supposed to be?


    I had to fix everything and I hated it!


    I was in a bad mood when the dance ended and it got even worse when I was approached by my old nemesis the duke. I amended my earlier statement of confusionhe was definitely thest person I wanted to see.


    "Lady Catherine, it has been a while. May I have the pleasure of dancing with you?"


    I couldn''t exactly say no. "Yes, Your Grace."


    "The past few weeks have been quite eventful," he said in his usual t tone though he appeared to be trying hard to sound conversational. "I do hope you have been adjusting well."


    Thatwas not what I expected from him. Why do people keep throwing me off today?


    "I have been adjusting perfectly fine, thank you," I said crisply.


    He didn''t deserve to know my business. Hadn''t I stayed away from him for that exact reason in the beginning?


    Too bad that had backfired on me in the worst way possible. The phrase ''out of the frying pan and into the fire'' had never been more applicable.


    "It is a shame that your talents are going to waste though. The third prince is not nearly as bright as his brothers. Ady such as you should be with someone of their intellectual caliber."


    Whoa, back up there. Did he just call Al stupid? I gave him a frosty re.


    "I''m sure I misheard you, Your Grace. Someone of your ''intellectual caliber'' wouldn''t make the mistake of insulting a member of the royal family in front of another."


    "You are not a member of the royal family yet," he said in a way that really creeped me out. What was THAT supposed to mean?


    "I''m as good as," I said haughtily, feeling unountably annoyed that the guy I mentally berated all the time for beingzy and apathetic was being insulted by someone I didn''t like. "I would watch my words if I were you."


    "I do apologize, Lady Catherine, I meant no offense."


    There was no way those words could not be considered offensive. If I were truly a girl in love, talking down to my fianc right in front of me would mean a death sentence for the offender.


    As it was, I already didn''t like this guy. His intent was clear enough.


    "I''m sure you didn''t," I said sarcastically.

 Chapter 47: Safe

    Chapter 47: Safe


    Dancing with Duke O couldn''t end fast enough. It looked like he wanted to keep talking to me but a familiar shadow towered over me and came to my rescue.


    "Charles, I believe my fiance needs to rest. I can take care of her from here," Al said firmly as he wrapped an arm around my waist and whisked me off the dance floor to a secluded corner with a ss of lemonade.


    Normally I would have teased him about saving me but I felt odd after my conversation with the duke. Al wasn''t stupid. He just wasn''t putting his capabilities to the test because he didn''t care to.


    People didn''t give him nearly enough credit. If Al had been born in my world, I could see him as one of those grad students who keep going back to school forever to avoid getting a real job. I knew a few of those in college. They were highly intelligent but had no sense of direction.


    "Are you alright? I know you don''t get along well with him."


    I nced up at my savior. Concern lit his smoldering gray eyes and the look on his face was oddly familiar. I had seen it somewhere beforesomewhere back in my world. Where had I seen it?


    An unexpected wave of tenderness washed over me. Al was just Al, looking out for me as usual. He was a really good friend.


    "I would have been a lot less alright if you hadn''t showed up," I admitted. "I was about to deck him."


    "Deck him?" he asked, confused.


    "Ah, I mean I was this close to punching him in the face." I held my hands close together for dramatic effect.


    Alughed so hard that he actually slumped into the chair next to me because he was unable to stand up straight.


    "What I wouldn''t give to see that! What on earth did he say to upset you so much?"


    It wasn''t nice to tell people when others were making fun of them. Al got put down all the time; it was unnecessary to pass on this particr insult.


    "He insulted someone I care about."


    "Edmund? I thought they were friendsbut after meeting him I can see how he might set off someone like Charles," Al mused while straightening his jacket. It had be a bit crumpled due to hisughing fit.


    "Yeah, I don''t know how they even became friends at all," I agreed.


    Circumventing the question was the best solution at this point. I knew Al cared about meI was his only friend. But if he knew I cared about him it would be harder for me to leave. I didn''t want him to take it the wrong way.


    "They are about as different as night and day."


    I yawned and blinked sleepily. All the dancing was starting to get to me. Moving around in such restrictive clothing was a real workout!


    It was no wonder all those dancepetition shows had such skimpy costumes. I bet they were a lot easier to move in.


    "Katie, you look like you''re about to fall asleep right here," Al clucked. "Do you need to call it a night?"


    "Madame Chise would kill me," I mumbled, evoking anotherugh from him.


    "Probably true." He stood and offered his hand to help me up. "At the very least we can go to one of the side parlors for a little while. If she puts up a fuss, I''ll say it was my idea."


    Al lead me to a private side room with plush velvet couches. We sat down on one and he said I was wee to rest my head on his shoulder, reasoning that my hair was less likely to get in the way than if I tried lying t.


    The offer surprised me. "You sure? I don''t want to be a bother. I have so many pins in my hair that I might identally stab you."


    "Well, it wouldn''t be the first time. Sword practice didn''t always go well, you know," he joked.


    His shoulder was softer than I thought it would be. The fabric of his formal coat looked stiff but it wasn''t so bad.


    I btedly realized my heavy makeup might smudge on his jacket. I jerked away, trying to exin, but he said he didn''t care. He didn''t like the coat anyway.


    Al finished his point by saying "I only wore it because we''re supposed to wear couple clothes today. Blue looks better on you than it does on me."


    "Are you calling me pretty?" I asked in disbelief.


    Al had never said anything of the sort before. It was one of the things I liked about himhe didn''t seem enamored of Catherine du Pont''s looks like just about every other man I had met here.


    "In a roundabout way. I suppose I should have mentioned that earlier. You are particrly stunning tonight." His tone was likely meant to be offhand but I could hear the embarrassment in it.


    My stomach felt weirdly tight at thepliment. "thanks."


    "You''re wee. I know you''re ufortable withpliments but it needed to be said."


    This wasn''t my body. Of course I would be ufortable withpliments.


    Katie Pullman was a slightly overweight, round-faced girl with e scars, thick sses, and hair that was the most boring shade of brown ever. Catherine du Pont was a porcin doll.


    I had spent most of my adolescence self-conscious about my looks, wondering what it would feel like to have someone think I was pretty. It meant next to nothing now that I wasn''t me anymore. This body was beautiful but it was all people saw.


    "Are you sure we won''t get in trouble for this?" I asked with another yawn. "I don''t want to get yelled at."


    "I won''t let anybody yell at you. Rx for a while. I''ve got you," he said softly.


    His voice was deep and soothing and I found myself drifting off on his shoulder, not caring about the hundreds of people in the ballroom that had undoubtedly noticed our absence. I felt safe.

 Chapter 48: Cake Testing

    Chapter 48: Cake Testing


    It turned out I was more tired than I thought. My napsted until the ball was almost over and someone frantically burst into the room looking for us so we could stand and look regal while the king gave a speech about how our union would benefit Annias.


    I brushed the powder off Al''s jacket as best I couldit was unbelievable that it all came from my faceand he quickly straightened a few loose pins in my hair before we headed back out.


    The inevitable chewing out came the next morning at breakfast but I think we actually got off easy.


    A few snide remarks from the queen and Rosenia were the extent of our punishment. It probably would have been a lot worse if we hadn''t been found in time for the closing ceremony.


    Bridal lessons were over so aside from more dress fittings and having a hairstylist testing different hairdos for the day of the wedding, my schedule was nearly as free as Al''s.


    Edmund came over nearly every day to spend time with me. Al won him over by pulling the 52 Pick-Up trick on him. My brother thought it was hrious and dered that he was ''alright for a prince.'' Al wisely chose not to reveal that I was the one who taught him that.


    With more than two people, my card game options grew and I somehow managed to gloss over where I learned them in front of Edmund, who knew that his sister had never left the earldom beforeing to the capital for her debut. I think he was having too much fun to care.


    It was nice ying games I thought I might never y again but at the same time I was panicking.


    The wedding was a week away and with Edmund visiting we hadn''t seen Marcy at all. I hadn''t seen Mari outside of meals either but that was because neither of us was willing to budge on our stances. She was less of a priority though. I needed to get this wedding called off somehow!


    "Al, we should show Edmund the kitchens. He never got to have any treats from Carmine''s Bakery before their star baker left. I''m sure Marcy would be happy to see us," I hinted towards the end of a rather long card game that I was losing terribly.


    "I could go for a doughnut right now," he said while stretching. "I''m not good at this game anyway."


    "What''s a do" I frantically waved my hands in front of me to indicate that Edmund needed to shut up NOW while Al wasn''t looking because I had told him doughnuts were from home.


    If my brother didn''t know what they were, the lie fell apart.


    Edmund swept the board with us and we headed off to the kitchens without further ado.


    Al told him a bit about various parts of the castle we passed, reminding me of my first day here when he gave me a tour. Had it really only been five weeks? It seemed like years ago. Like sitting through a boring lecture at school, time goes slower when there''s not much to do.


    "Marcy!" I called from the entrance of the kitchen, waving so she could see us.


    She looked around for the source of her name before spotting us and smiling adorably.


    "Come on over!" she hollered from clear on the other side of the massive kitchen.


    Edmund scanned the room with interest, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells. "This is the biggest kitchen I have ever seen."


    "It does feed a lot of people," I said dryly.


    "Good to see you as always, Your Highnesses," Marcy said with a curtsy.


    "And here I thought you were finally calling me by my name," Iined.


    She still called Al ''Prince Alpheus'' but she''d been calling me Katie for some time now. Was it Edmund?


    Ah. She didn''t know who he was or his rank. The thought of Edmund of all people being intimidating nearly gave me an aneurysm from holding in myughter.


    "Marcy, this is my brother Edmund, the second son of the earl of du Pont. He''s a pretty casual person too."


    "Good old Percy is more than stuffy enough for the both of us, thank you very much," Edmund said cheerfully. "Nice to meet you!"


    Marcy beamed at him, responding naturally to his bright attitude. "Nice to meet you too! Any friend of Katie''s is a friend of mine. She''s my number one customer, you know."


    "I can only imagine. Katie''s sweet tooth is known for miles back in the countryside."


    "Eddie!" I protested crossly.


    There was no way that was true. I had barely lived there for half a year. Unless he was referring to the original Catherine.


    Did she like sweets too? If so, she would have loveding to the capital for her debut and trying pastries from Carmine''s Bakery. Suddenly I was a little sad for her loss.


    "Why does that not surprise me?" Al grinned. "Honestly, Katie, you''re hopeless."


    I wasn''t hopeless! I considered myself lucky since Catherine du Pont''s metabolism was far better than mine. I don''t think I''d gained an ounce since being in her body.


    I stuck my tongue out at him. He wasn''t even surprised by it anymore, continuing to grin for all he was worth. I had more than enoughments at my expense so I changed the subject.


    "What are you making today?"


    "Actually, I was going toe looking for you anyway so your timing is uncanny. Today I''m testing wedding cake vors since the big day is so close now," Marcy said. "I''ve already made about five but if you have any special requests be sure to let me know. In order to feed everyone the cake is going to be eight tiers high."


    "Eight?!" I eximed, staggering backwards right into Edmund in shock.


    Abby had made me watch a few baking shows back in the day. Weren''t most wedding cakes 3-4 tiers at most? One of my coworkers had only had two and was perfectly fine!


    How many people would it take to eat eight entire tiers of cake?! Had I even met that many people in my entire life? Royals sure did know how to do things to the max.


    "I was wondering if you wanted different vors for different tiers," Marcy said thoughtfully, ignoring my panic. "It would make the most sense to do two tiers per vor but theoretically you could have up to eight different vors."


    "Eight vors," I said faintly. "That''sso much cake. Where are the extra samples going?"


    "They''ll be sent off as today''s tea time sweets, don''t worry. It would be a crime to let that much cake go to waste."


    "You picked the best day to bring me to the kitchens," Edmund said fervently as his mouth watered. "It''s been ages since I''ve had cake. Cbaster doesn''t have much in the way of sweets."


    "Oh, you''re a student? I''ve heard of Cbaster Academy. Is it nice there?" Marcy asked conversationally as she began pulling out different tiny tes of cake.


    "For the most part. Some of the professors are a bit stuffy but it''s not too bad."


    I frowned. Maybe bringing Edmund here was a mistake. He was being too chatty. Al was supposed to talk to Marcy, not him!


    My frown was wiped away by the first bite of cake though. It was fantastic! I had never tasted anything like it before.


    "What is this? It''s amazing!" I mumbled with my mouth full.


    Marcy double checked my te before answering with a smile as she fiddled with a strand of hair that hade loose from her bun.


    "Lavender cake with ckberry filling. I''m d you like it."


    Rather than getting a te of his own, Al grabbed a fork and stole a bite off mine. "You''re right, this is good. I assume you''ll be wanting this one then?"


    I scowled at him for stealing some of my cake away before remembering there was more cake to test and I would get sick if I ate it all. "Yes."


    The lemon cake with raspberry frosting was also an immediate yes but so was the almond cake with cherries, the chocte cake filled with chocte mousse, and the cake inspired by strawberry shortcake.


    It was absolutely unfair to put so many delicious choices in front of a cake lover and try to make her choose between them.


    "Marcy, these are all too good, there is no way I could ever pick," I moaned. I tried limiting myself but the cake was scrumptious and I ate way too much.


    "I liked the lemon cake best," Al piped up. "Maybe we could use all the vors but do two of those?"


    "But that still leaves two tiers! I''m uselessEddie, what was your favorite?" I asked desperately.


    His face was still somewhat covered in frosting but he spoke as seriously as he could despite that.


    "Personally, I liked the chocte." He turned to Marcy. "Since my darling sister is useless, what is your favorite?"


    She turned a bit pink at the attention. "Me? Oh no, I''m not fit to pick a vor for such an important cake."


    "There''s no one better than you; you''re the one making it! Go on, then," Edmund encouraged.


    "I supposeif I had to choose, thevender cake is my favorite."


    "So it''s decided," he said with a happy p of his hands. "Great teamwork, everyone!"

 Chapter 49: A Random Observation

    Chapter 49: A Random Observation


    I was a bit too full of cake to notice anything off about what had just happened. I wanted to get Al to talk to Marcy a bit more and then go lie down and let my cake digest.


    To my dismay, it was difficult to get an opening. Edmund was busy chatting with her about other kinds of fillings that went well with chocte cake. He really did love his chocte. I hadn''t been around him enough to notice that before.


    Al stood back and watched the two of them with a quizzical expression on his face. "Is Edmund always this talkative?"


    I shrugged. "As far as I''ve seen."


    "Hmm. If I didn''t know any better, I''d say he was interested in her."


    I choked on the water I just sipped to try and wash down some of the cake. He immediately rushed towards me to make sure I wasn''t dying and held my shoulders as I doubled over with coughs.


    "What did you just say?" I wheezed out.


    "Oh, it''s nothing. Merely a random observation."


    Random observation my foot! He couldn''t be serious. Al had spent less time with Edmund than I had, though admittedly not by much. There was no way he would be able to gauge that so quickly.


    Edmund was simply being Edmund. He may not be as uptight as Percy but he was still an earl''s son. He knew his duty was to finish school, work with the steward under the earl''s direction, and marry one of the gentry.


    The eand more to the point, the countesswould be appalled if they knew he was even being friendly to a servant.


    Edmund and Marcy were so engrossed in their conversation about chocte cake that they didn''t even notice my near death experience. Through watery eyes, I tried to get a better look at them.


    Edmund was talking animatedly but that was his natural state. Actual-ray-of-sunshine Marcy was doing the same. With two such bright people it was impossible to tell if there was infatuation on either side.


    I squinted at my brother. I wouldn''t call Edmund handsome per se but he was definitely cute. Cute enough that back in my world he''d have at least a couple of girls crushing on him in the hallways.


    Marcy was practically angelicanyone would have to be blind not to notice her. Like my dumb, blind friend the prince. What part of Catherine du Pont was better than Marcy Grandin?


    She reminded me of this actress back home that was everyone''s dream girl so she was way out of Edmund''s league. At least, she would have been if not for the ss system in Annias.


    As it was, Edmund was far out of Marcy''s league. But hey, she''d married a prince in the book. She was the poster girl for dating out of her league.


    What was I thinking? Marcy was meant for Al. Al was meant for Marcy. Edmund du Pont wasn''t even a character in this book justlikeme. I screwed up again.


    "Edmund, we need to go," I said weakly. "I feel sick."


    Marcy frowned apologetically. "I''m so sorry, Katie! It''s entirely my fault."


    "Don''t apologize for something tasting too good," Edmund chided. "It''s her fault for being such a pig."


    "Don''t talk to your sister like that," Al practically snapped, his eyes zing. "She is not a pig."


    He may tease me a lot but he wasn''t beyond being offended on my behalf. I was oddly touched but at the same time I was afraid he might start an actual fight with my brother.


    To lighten the mood, I let out a soft ''oink.''


    "Sorry Al, Miss Piggy here needs her royal beauty sleep," Edmund said with a wink.


    He had gotten into the habit of calling the prince that way because of me. He turned his gaze back to Marcy as Al supported me out the door because I looked about as good as I felt.


    "It was a genuine pleasure meeting you, Miss Marcy. I do hope we''ll meet again."


    "As do I," she said with a smile. "Come visit again while you''re still here!"


    "I will. I haven''t tried nearly enough of your baking. Katie was right, you do make the best sweets in the kingd"


    "Eddie!" I cried, already out of the kitchen. "Hurry up!"


    "Coming! Until next time." he hastily bowed in Marcy''s direction before following us out the door.


    I sent both of them off once they deposited me to my room. I did feel sick to my stomach but I didn''t think it was just the cake.


    I made too many waves here. First with Al, then with Mari, and now possibly with Edmund. I tried my best to get the story back to how it should be but what if all I was doing was making things worse?


    Lying in bed with my silky nightgown on and the curtains drawn, I wondered if it was even possible to untangle the web I had unintentionally woven.


    Even if Al was right and Edmund did like Marcythere was no way she''d like him back, right? Even if she didthere was no way the earl or countess would ept a marriage with anyone less than a bar''s daughter. And even if they didwhat about Al?


    Marcy was meant to take my ceher original ce that I had identally stolenonce I left.


    Edmund had no dealings in the capital. He had a bit less than a year left in school and once he was done he would go back to the earldom to continue his training as Percy''s aide. Marcy worked and lived in the pce. There wasn''t the slightest chance a rtionship could work between them.


    I was overthinking things. Why did I put any stock into what Al said? He didn''t know squat about people or rtionships since he had spent so much time alone.


    I was being paranoid. Nothing more.

 Chapter 50: Wedding Thoughts

    Chapter 50: Wedding Thoughts


    My leisurely days in the pce were over. With the wedding so close, everything was down to the wire and both Al and I were forced to be involved.


    Last minute fittings, practicing what to do during the ceremony so it would go off without a single w, and endlessly greeting the visiting dignitaries as they arrived took up every ounce of avable time.


    After our excursion to the kitchen, the only time I saw Edmund was when he brought Adelewho was allowed to attend the wedding after promising to remain perfectly silent throughout itfor a short, scheduled visit.


    I was so happy to have a taste of her sweetness and adoration again that I scooped her into myp and held her close. She happily remained there during the entire tea party. Since the group consisted only of my siblings and Al, no one cared enough to stop her.


    Al watched our interactions with an amused smile on his face,ter telling me during yet another ceremony practice that Adele was a lot like me. I think that was supposed to be apliment.


    He had to go take his ce at the front of the room before I had the chance to ask what he meant by it and by the time we were done, I forgot all about it.


    For most of the week I had been too busy to breathe, let alone worry about plot progression, but I finally cracked the day before the wedding. I hadn''t been able to get Al near the kitchens at all since our unofficial cake testing. Time had run out.


    The easy wayrunning away without getting marriedhad be impossible. With all the foreign dignitaries milling about, security had increased tenfold. My chances of escape were less than one in a million.


    It would be much harder to get Marcy to fall in love with a married man but what else could I do?


    Being single since birth, I had never really thought about my wedding day. Abby was a romantic and had her entire wedding nned out using ideas from Pinterest but the closest I ever came to thinking about wedding ideas was the day my phone died when I was stuck in the waiting room of a doctor''s office for 45 minutes and all they had to read were bridal magazines.


    I read one from cover to cover as I waited and thought if I ever got married it would be nice to use peach and mint green for my colors and have a simple sleeveless dress with noce.


    That wasn''t happening. My dress was enormousimagine the biggest, frilliest, puffiest cartoon princess dress you had ever seen and magnify it by three. The puffed sleeves were as big as cantaloupes. Lace, pearls, and other various white adornments made the dress weigh over thirty pounds.


    I had been forced to practice walking in it for hours because of the weight. If I had a choice between my wedding dress and a potato sack, I would choose the sack. Hands down.


    The cathedral that was attached to the pce specifically for these sorts of asions had been decorated with the colors from Annias'' gred, royal blue, and deep green.


    I assumed my bouquet would match those but hadn''t seen it. The cake would likely be decorated the same way. I had never even seen pictures of an eight tier cake. It would no doubt be quite a sight to behold.


    I couldn''t put a stop to it. I was getting married.


    The only wedding I had ever been to was my paternal aunt''s when I was ten years old. It was pretty boring for a kid to sit through but I had fun dancing around with Abby and a few of my cousins during thetter part of the reception.


    The one thing that struck me about that day was how happy Aunt Be looked as she gazed up at her husband and vice versa. No one could doubt their love for each other. That was how brides were supposed to be. Me? I hadn''t wanted to be a bride in the first ce.


    Despite myck of dates, I always assumed I would fall in love and get married someday. We would buy a house somewhere near Abby''s and our kids would grow up ying together.


    My husband and I would have backyard barbecues, read books together, travel. All the things I had seen my parents do before we lost them to that storm. We would have a happy family, just like my first one.


    Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I''d be forced to marry someone I didn''t love inside a fictional world.


    Tears pricked my eyes as I sat with my arms around my knees in a tight ball underneath a nket by the dying fire. I had shooed all the maids out, wanting to be alone with my mangled thoughts.


    This might be thest time I was able to be alone for a very long time. Who knew whether or not n B would work and I would be able to get away? I might be stuck a prisoner of this pce for the rest of my life!


    "Katie?"


    I whipped my head around, startled, and saw Al in a pair of in ck pants and a loose white shirt quietly shut the door behind him.


    Hastily wiping the tears off my face, I asked him what he was doing here. It had to be after midnight. Why was he still awake?


    "I just wanted to see how you were doing. Can I sit?" I nodded and he joined me on the other side of the couch.


    Firelight reflected the depths of his eyes as he looked at me seriously.


    "I know this isn''t what you wantedand that it was unfair of me to drag you into my problems. But since I had to marry someone, I''m d it''s you. I promise I''ll be the best husband possible so you won''t have to regret it."


    I buried my head in my arms, not knowing how to respond to him. I regretted it already. I regretted every decision I ever made that brought me to this point. Al was my friend but I didn''t want to marry him.


    After an ufortable silence he asked, "Do you not believe me?"


    "I believe you," I mumbled into my knees. "You''ve been very nice to me since I''ve been here. I justdidn''t think my life would turn out this way."


    "Because you were nning to run away and live as amoner?"

 Chapter 51: Princess Catherine

    Chapter 51: Princess Catherine


    Running away was my n aftering to the capital. I thought it was the only way I coulde close to living the kind of life I would have back in my world.


    It backfired on me horribly. While running away I met the man that proposed to me and would be marrying in less than 24 hours.


    Al was still waiting expectantly for me to answer. I couldn''t bear to lift my head and look at him but I could at least try to be somewhat honest.


    "I wanted to be normal. Get a job. Fall in love. Have a family. Being a princess was never part of the n."


    "would you have fallen in love with me if I wasn''t a prince? Once we leave Annias, I won''t be one anymore. We''ll just be Al and Katie."


    My head snapped up then. His expression was unfathomable so I had no idea what he was really thinking.


    If I hadn''te hereif I had met Al back homewould I have fallen in love with him? The idea was preposterous.


    For one, he never would have noticed the in Katie Pullman. Plus he waszy, childish, and had more mood swings than a teenage girl. No, I wouldn''t have fallen in love with him.


    "Why are you asking me this?"


    Al gazed into the fire, brooding.


    "No particr reason. But II couldn''t bear it if you hate me after all is said and done. You are the most important person to me, Katie. Nothing else matters as long as you''re happy and by my side."


    It was on the tip of my tongue to say that I could never stay with him because he was meant for someone else but I couldn''t do it.


    I had nothing else to say so we both ended up staring at the fire for a long time in silence.


    The heat from the fire burned my eyes after a while and I had a hard time keeping them open. All thoughts had drained out of my head and I was warm and sleepy.


    Al noticed when I started nodding off. He gave me a soft half smile before he scooped up my nket-burrito-self in his arms.


    "What''re you doi" I couldn''t even finish my slurred sentence because I let out a big yawn.


    "Carrying you to bed so your feet don''t get cold on the stone floor. Be good. Tomorrow will be a long day for both of us," he said gently.


    Al crossed the room and delicately set me on the bed and tucked the covers around me.


    I wanted to say thanks but it got cut off by another yawn. I think he knew what I meant though.


    He smiled at me tiredly. "Good night, Katie. Sleep well."


    "Night," I mumbled before turning over and burying my face in the pillow.


    ***


    Al was right about it being a long day. I was woken before the crack of dawn to start getting ready. I was oiled, scrubbed, perfumed, and prodded long before I was truly awake.


    The maids spent more than three hours getting me ready between bathing, hairstyling, caking on makeup, and stuffing me into the dress.


    Because the dress was so difficult to maneuver in, it took me thirty minutes to get from my quarters to the hallway outside the cathedral. The maids took that into ount so we left with time to spare.


    I stood ufortably in that hallway for a long, long time with the dress weighing me down before I heard the music that was my cue.


    Everyone stood and looked at me as I entered. I recognized one face in thirty but none of these people were my friends.


    Abby. If I had to get married, she should have been here. She would''ve been my maid of honor but they didn''t even have the concept of bridesmaids here.


    I walked down the infinitely long red carpet to the makeshift altar alone to meet Al and the priest at the front.


    He looked every bit the handsome prince in his white wedding outfit with the red sash but I couldn''t muster a single emotion other than nerves.


    If I tripped and fell in front of all these people, I might be executed for embarrassing the royal family. My focus had to be entirely on walking from point A to point B.


    However, my anxious panic-filled brain still registered that Al was beaming at me for all he was worth.


    He actually looked like a groom was supposed to look on their wedding day. I filed that can of worms away forter.


    Left, right, left, right. That was all I had to do. Walk, walk, walk.


    By the time I made it to the front all the eyes on me were burning a hole in my back and I felt like I was going to fall over from my heavy dress being supported by nothing but tiny stilettos but Al took my gloved hand as practiced and I regained equilibrium.


    I barely registered everything the priest was saying but I managed to say my bit without difficulty. Goodness knows I had rehearsed it enough times.


    Once we finished the vows we turned towards everyone with our sped hands raised, as the tradition went in this country, and I noticed a few different gazes from the front rows of the audience.


    The countess was overjoyed. Mari looked conflicted. Duke O gnashed his teeth. Everything I had been dreading was over. I was officially married.


    When we signed the register I became Catherine Arabe McLeod.


    A tiny part of my brain flickered with the thought that if this had been my world, my driver''s license would have read Katrina McLeod once I did the name change paperwork. Why I even thought of that at a time like this was beyond me.

 Chapter 52: I Told You I Would Be a Good Husband

    Chapter 52: I Told You I Would Be a Good Husband


    The wedding feast was long and arduous since I couldn''t enjoy anything in this death trap dress. I felt a bit pitiful since I really wanted some of each vor of cake, too.


    Al, who was sitting next to me, noticed my line of sight and whispered that there would most likely be leftovers in the kitchenter since the portions being served were so small. It was the first thing he said to me as my husband.


    All I could do was nod. I was overloaded by all that happened and wanted nothing more than getting out of my wedding dress.


    My wish was granted three hourster after much congratting and small talk. It urred to meter that I hadn''t found out anything about Shibatsu trade routes.


    The n was blown because my head had been up in the clouds. Or so I thought. Al was craftier than I gave him credit for.


    "Why do you look so miserable?" he asked offhandedly as he loosened his cravat once we were in hisnow ourchambers. "I thought you would be d that it was over."


    I sighed heavily. "I screwed up the n. I didn''t get a chance to ask about the next trade shiping from Shibatsu."


    Heughed lightly.


    "Is that all it is? Don''t worry, I have that covered. It was when you were getting your makeup touched up after dinner. The next ship arrives in the spring so we''ll have to wait about half a year."


    My jaw dropped and I couldn''t speak for a few moments before finally getting words out.


    "Not gonna lie, I''m impressed. Good job, Al!"


    My knees nearly gave out in relief. Hepletely saved my n for getting out of here. All I had to do was get this kingdom and the plot back in order in the next six months and I''d be home free.


    His grin was a bit smug. "I told you I would be a good husband. Married less than a day and already picking up your ck."


    I stuck my tongue out at him. His casual teasing helped me rx a bit. Al was the same as always. Bing my husband hadn''t changed the fact that he was my slightly ridiculous friend.


    "Alright, alright. Can you call for someone to help me get out of this thing? I''m dying."


    "Let me do it. Everybody is probably long gone already."


    I narrowed my eyes at him. "Don''t get any strange ideas now."


    Almost everything Al had said and done up til this point indicated he wanted a built-in best friend.


    I was happy to fulfill that role until it was time for me to leave but I would go no further with someone I wasn''t supposed to be with in the first ce. I had never even been kissed!


    ''You may now kiss the bride'' wasn''t a part of the vows here. Thank goodness.


    He held up his hands innocently. "I simply want you to be morefortable. Rx. I won''t bite."


    "I''m holding you to that," I warned.


    I had already undone the very detailed hairdo so my hair was a tangled mess cascading down my back. I held it up so he could start unbuttoning the back of my dress without anything getting snagged.


    Goosebumps appeared all over me as I felt the buttons being undone. This was the most intimacy I had ever experienced with a man.


    I backed away very quickly once they were to the point where I could get out of the thing myself and stammered a demand that he turn around while I get changed. True to his word, Alplied.


    I flopped back onto the bed in my nightgown with a happy sigh.


    "Much better. That thing was a torture device."


    "Do you hate dresses that much?" he asked curiously.


    "Dresses are fine when they don''t involve corsets, cages, or underwire of any sort. Good old fabric is enough for this girl. It''s hard being a woman in this world."


    He didn''t seem to notice my odd word choice. "I''ll take your word for it."


    I realized my precarious position then and hastily sat up. The bed wasrgeprobably a king sized mattressbut I had to share it. With a guy who stood there in a loose v-neck night shirt.


    The awkwardness in the air was tangible. This was not what I bargained for.


    As I sat there frozen, Al blew out themps in the room and took the initiative to climb into the other side of the bed first.


    "Go to sleep, Katie."


    "Okay." I scrambled under my half of the sheets.


    The bed was huge; I should be perfectly fine if I stuck to my side.


    ***


    I was not perfectly fine. In the middle of the night I got cold and clung to the nearest heat source like an octopus in my half-asleep state.


    I didn''t realize until first thing in the morning when I woke up with my head on my husband''s chest and an arm and a leg slung across him. Reflexively, he had an arm around me too.


    I tried staying very still once I realized what had happened. I didn''t want him waking up and getting the wrong idea. I was trying to pawn him off on someone else after all.


    I very slowly extracted myself from Al''s arm and scooted over to my side of the bed, which was freezing. The fire must have died sometime in the night.


    I huddled under the nket as best I could trying to ignore the frantic hammering of my heart.


    That was close. I would have to make sure the fire was stoked better before we went to bed in the future.

 Chapter 53: Agree to Disagree

    Chapter 53: Agree to Disagree


    The foreign visitors slowly dissipated over the following week but before they did Al and I still had to keep up appearances as ''important'' members of the royal family.


    We hardly had a moment to ourselves. The small talk was really starting to get to me.


    The only somewhat interesting part of all this was seeing Mari''s reaction to the delegates from Shibatsu.


    The king had sent over one of the warrior members of his royal cab, who apparently knew Mari well, and the second prince Jondein. While she seemed very happy to see her brother, her reaction towards the cab member was odd.


    If I didn''t know any better, I''d say it looked like a meeting of exes after a rtionship didn''t end well.


    Come to think of it, I didn''t know much about Mari''s life before she became a princess of Annias. She typically used generalities when talking about the people she knew back in her homnd.


    She imed she had never had any notions of love but unless my eyes were deceiving me, this warrior ss delegate was obviously in love with her.


    And I wasn''t the only one who noticed. Franz was in a VERY bad mood whenever the Shibatsu party was around.


    I wanted to ask Al but he was pretending not to be bored while listening to the prime minister of Rowenhilde go on about exported chocte.


    Apparently cocoa beans couldn''t grow here but they did grow in one of Rowenhilde''s southern territories so all of Annias'' chocte came from them. Who knew?


    The day before everyone left, I finally began mending my rtionship with Mari a little by saving her from an awkward encounter with that warrior from her country.


    I wasing back from thedies'' room when I came upon the two of them in an empty hallway. I stayed back at first, not wanting to interrupt the conversation.


    "there is no way a man from this country could show you the respect that you deserve, Princess. The king misses you dearly. I am sure I could convince him to let youe home."


    "You know as well as I do that will never happen. Without me here the alliance between Shibatsu and Annias would copse. There is no need to worry about me, Hansel. I am treated quite well here," Mari said softly.


    She flushed slightly, no doubt thinking about Franz. As predicted, she had grown closer to her husband during our estrangement.


    "You never should have been a bargaining chip to begin with," Hansel disagreed angrily, banging his fist on the wall as he leaned over her.


    Mari shrunk against it, difort written all over her face.


    I saw the need to step in then.


    "Mari! I''ve been looking for you everywhere. Mother wants us all to bid farewell to the chieftain of the Ruby Inds."


    Hansel the warrior reluctantly stepped away. Even as the unimportant third princess, right now I imed to be speaking for the queen.


    Mari shot me a grateful smile as she said goodbye and even went so far as to link her arm through mine. That guy must have really unnerved her.


    "Are you alri"


    "Shh! I will tell you about itter," she said as her eyes darted around nervously. "Not here."


    I held her to that. A few days after everybody left and Al and I were forgotten once more I met Mari for tea in Franz''s office.


    I hadn''t been in there since the day of our argument.


    Franz was off meeting with less significant members of the court. The session was about to end for the year and most would be heading back to their country estates soon so he was busier than ever.


    The court met biannually so everyone would be back in the spring. He nned to make his move then but first he had to gather enough allies to make it happen.


    It would time almost perfectly with my escape n. The country would be taken care of and a few weekster I could leave on the Shibatsu trade ship.


    She fidgeted nervously behind the desk, which was unlike her.


    "I am sure you are thinking something untoward has urred between Sir Hansel and me."


    I shook my head, surprised. It was pretty obvious that his interest was one-sided.


    "I didn''t think that at all. In fact, I only came over because you looked ufortable. If you were enjoying your conversation I would have left you to it."


    Mari raised a delicate brow.


    "Left me to it? People from yournd have the strangest sense of morals."


    Ah, she thought that I condoned cheating. That wasn''t it at all! Given her views on love, I thought it unlikely that she would have a secret lover back home.


    If anything, I thought Hansel was an old friend she would enjoy catching up with because she was homesick.


    "You misunderstand me. I never thought the two of you were an itemI figured you might want to talk to a friend from home."


    Her expression settled back into its usual tranquility.


    "I see. Well, Hansel is a friend from home but he has been in love with me for longer than I can remember. I always brushed it off and made excuses because I knew it would never go anywhere and did not return his feelings but it became impossible to ignore when he went on a rampage after my engagement to Franz was announced.


    "He is lucky my father values his military expertise so much or his punishment would have been much harsher. He was allowed to retain his seat in the cab and somehow convinced my father to allow him toe here and see me."


    What a melodrama! I bit my lip, unsure of whether or not I should ask but


    "Would you go back if you could?"


    She blinked at me like I was an idiot.


    "I thought I already made myself clear on the matter yesterday. This is my home now. I have epted my fate. Besidesit is not as bad as it used to be. Franz has been much more attentivetely. The homesickness is much easier to bear when he is around."


    The look on her faceit couldn''t be. I squealed like a teenage girl at a sleepover party.


    "Are you in love with him?!"


    She stood so quickly that the chair fell over.


    "Don''t be ridiculous! He is good to me and I enjoy spending time with him but that is all. I have long forgotten such silly notions."


    Mari''s face was a dead giveaway. Even if she wouldn''t admit it to herself, it was in as day that she was beginning to have feelings for her husband. Good for her.


    Since she had resigned herself to her role as a political tool, it was better that she learned to love the one she was stuck with so she didn''t have to be so alone in a newnd.


    "Uh huh, sure," I agreed easily.


    She would figure it out soon enough. My job meddling wasplete.


    "What about you?" she asked suspiciously. "You have said yourself that it is impossible to go back. Why not try to make it work here?


    "You have the benefit of being able to see Catherine du Pont''s siblings. I know you are fond of them. They may not be able to rece what you have lost but you are less alone here than I am."


    "It''s not about being lonely," I hedged. "It''s about freedom and making things right."


    "Making things right?"


    "I was never supposed to be here," I said helplessly.


    After having time to think about it I came up with somewhat of an exnation without explicitly mentioning this was all happening inside a novel.


    "I assume Catherine du Pont died when I took over her consciousness. She was the simple, yful daughter of an earl. If I had stayed in my world, she would have been married to some random nobleman, not embroiled in pce politics. I only ended up here because of my political science degree. Can you understand that? I was never supposed to be here in the first ce. Alpheus was supposed to marry someone else!"


    Mari pondered my words. I could tell they were sinking in better thanst time because I had a sufficient exnation for my actions.


    She picked up her chair and settled back into it, looking very much like the queen she was meant to be.


    "KatieAlpheus was ''supposed to'' marry an insignificant baron''s daughter. He would have been as miserable as ever with her because she would not have been interested in being his friend, only in being a princess, like Rosenia. You are a far better option for him. Why not ept that? He would be heartbroken if you left."


    I held my tongue, unable to bring up Marcy because Mari was a princess. She would not believe that a prince was destined to marry amoner.


    She went off of the pce gossip that the archduke had brought up during that croquet tournament where my life got turned upside down.


    After a prolonged silence she sighed.


    "I cannot understand why you are so insistent about this but I will let it go. I would much rather try and convince you to stay through actions since words are clearly not working. Enough of this. Would you like to see the list of minor nobles we have gotten on our side?"


    So we were agreeing to disagree. I could live with that. It would be nice having Mari back.


    I smiled genuinely as I replied "sure."

 Chapter 54: In the Rain

    Chapter 54: In the Rain


    We had been so busy since my falling out with Mari that Al hadn''t noticed the two of us weren''t spending time together. So when I practically bounced into the library after our meeting he was confused.


    "Why are you in such a good mood?"


    "Today is a good day, that''s all."


    He eyed me strangely.


    "What''s so good about today? Haven''t you noticed there is a thunderstorm out there? The windows have been rattling all day; I can hardly concentrate on my book."


    "Stop reading then."


    "There''s nothing else to do!"


    "Why not go y in the rain?" I suggested brightly.


    Too bad I didn''t have an umbre or rain boots. I would go outside right then and dance around in the rain beforeing back inside for a nice warm bath and hot chocte.


    Al nced out the window before looking at me like I was crazy.


    "You want to go outside. In that? You''ll be soaked to the bone!"


    I frowned. I guess the concept of waterproof items didn''t exist here. How did anyone survive in a world without umbres or rain coats?


    I thought back on an online article I had read once about the history of the raincoat. People had made coats out of animal intestines or covered wool in certain types of oil to keep sailing when it rained.


    Since boats existed here, they had to have figured something out for the sails or everyone would be lost at sea any time there was a storm.


    Aristocrats didn''t need to go outside when it rained but surely themon folk who had to care for animals had found a solution in order to do their jobs.


    I stared out at the rain. It was getting colder and colder. Our noble visitors left when they did to avoid the first snow.


    Water resistant clothes had to exist somewherebut what about snow clothes?


    Living in Arizona my whole life, I had been sledding exactly once when my family visited the mountains but the snow was so packed that we couldn''t do anything else.


    I wanted to build a snowman, have a snowball fight, make snow angels, and possibly build an igloo.


    The one time we went, my mom borrowed clothes for us from a friend of hers who used to live in Wyomingsnowsuits, thick rubber boots with instion, waterproof gloves, puffy coats.


    None of that existed here. So how were we supposed to y in the snow? It was the one thing about winter I looked forward to!


    Come to think of it, I wasn''t sure I had even seen a sweater in this world. Did the concept of bundling up not exist here? How many people froze to death each winter?


    I would kill for a sweater in this drafty castle. Fires were lit in every room but that didn''t help the hallways.


    I had seen a couple of the servant girls wearing scarves. The concept of knitting had to exist so hopefully that meant sweaters were avable formoners. I would need sweaters to survive the rest of the winter.


    My wardrobe consisted of regr dresses, light stockings, and thin jackets that ended at my ribs thus far. That wouldn''t cut it once it started snowing.


    If I had to spend the entire winter shut up in this ce without a single breath of fresh air I would go mad.


    "Al," I said in a wheedling tone as I leaned down in front of him with puppy dog eyes. "Since everyone left, do you think security has gotten any lighter? I want to go to town."


    "Now?!"


    "Not now! We can wait until the rain stops," I sighed with disappointment.


    I still wanted to y in the rain but I wasn''t sure if he would let me go now that he knew that was my n.


    "What do you want to go to town for?" he asked, putting down his book and focusing on me.


    "I want to go shopping!"


    "Why? Can''t you order anything you want here using catalogs?"


    I shook my head. "What I want wouldn''t be in a royal catalog. Pretty please?"


    "Alright but you''ll have to dress warmly. I hate the cold! I''m stuck in here even more than usual," Al said with an adorable pout.


    I couldn''t help butugh. If my n worked, he wouldn''t have to stay inside all winter anymore.


    I snatched a biscuit off a te he had clearly been snacking from and he didn''t even bat an eyelid. I nibbled on it from my spot on the chair next to him as he read.


    A few minutester he snapped the book shut with a sigh.


    "The wind is way too loud. Do you want to y cards?"


    "Actually I only came here to see if you wanted to go outside with me. I''m still nning on going."


    He frowned. "You''re going to make yourself sick."


    "I''ll only be out for a few minutes! I''ll ssh in a few puddles and that''s it."


    I rose from my chair so I could go grab a hooded cloak.


    Al stood up and grabbed my wrist with a sigh.


    "I''ming too. Knowing you, you''ll stay out way too long and catch a cold. My cloaks are pretty sturdy, you can borrow one."


    No one paid us any mind on the way out of the castle because hardly anyone was around. Only I would be interested in going outside on a day like this.


    Al was still apprehensive but couldn''t do anything to dampen my enthusiasm. I wanted rain, I got rain.


    Wind and water practically pped me in the face when we opened the door leading outside. I was not expecting it to be so cold.


    Most of the rain where I came from happened during the summer. Warm rain is the best kind to y around in but I wasn''t about to back down when we had bothereding all the way out here.


    "Whoo hoo!" I yelled as I darted out into the downpour with my hands up, running around in circles and stomping in every puddle I saw.


    Al shook his head indulgently at my antics, choosing to lean against the wall where it was slightly less wet rather than join me.


    I hadn''t really expected him to. Dancing in the rain wasn''t exactly his style.


    I spun with my arms out and let the icy rain hit my face, feeling more alive than I had since first setting foot in the pce.


    Nobody could stop me from doing something stupid and funnot even Al. In that moment I was free.


    Laughing breathlessly, I spun until I was dizzy and the hood had fallen off, soaking the top of my hair.


    Myughter stopped abruptly when Al appeared in my sights.


    He was smiling at me but it wasn''t one of his usual smiles. It was softer, somehow. Gentler. It reached his stormy eyes and lit them from within.


    That smile made me feel a bit funny. I stood there and stared until his smile dropped.


    "What''s wrong? Are you cold? Let''s go back inside."


    He held out his hand to me and the weird feeling in the pit of my stomach multiplied. I epted it and he yanked me towards him so he could put my hood back up.


    The rain continued seeping into my clothes as he brushed a bit of my wet hair off my forehead under my hood but for some reason I didn''t feel cold.

 Chapter 55: Embarrassment

    Chapter 55: Embarrassment


    It was easier sneaking out than back in. Two sopping wet people left twin trails of water anywhere they went.


    Al urged me forward by putting an arm around my back and pulling me with him after checking around corners to see if the coast was clear because I was still in a bit of a daze. Going out in frigid rain wasn''t my best idea.


    One of the servants that worked in Al''s wing of the pce spotted us near the entrance of our bedroom and gaped at our sorry state.


    Al gave no exnation. "Prepare two baths."


    "Yes, Your Highness," the maid said with a low curtsy before scurrying off to boil water.


    Inside our room, Al hung our cloaks to dry and grabbed me by the shoulders before parking me in front of the fire.


    I stripped off my damp stockings and wrung out the hem of my dress as best I could.


    What I wouldn''t give in that moment to be able to change into a warm, fleecy pair of pajama pants, fuzzy socks, and a sweatshirt.


    "Here," he said as he gingerly ced a nket around my shoulders.


    It was nice to have something dry so I shot him a grateful smile.


    I moved my wet hair so it was on top of the nket rather than sticking to my skin and gazed into the embers until a maid announced that the baths were ready.


    "Uh"


    I stared at the dual bathtubs in this country''s version of a bathroom that was connected to the bedroom by a door. Why were there two? There had only been one before!


    "His Highness ordered two baths so we brought in a second bathtub, Your Highness," the maid said simply.


    Ah. Since getting married we had always bathed at different times of day so there was no need for more than one tub. Did she really not see any problem with this though?!


    "Everybody out," I ordered tly.


    "But Your Highness"


    "Out!"


    Normally the maids insisted on helping me bathe but there was no way I would let them today. Not while Al was here.


    My face was redder than the min'' Hot Cheetos I used to eat while studying for examste at night to keep me awake.


    I buried my face in my hands. "You''reughing at me, aren''t you."


    "No," he said while clearly straining not tough.


    Half a secondter he couldn''t take it anymore and cracked up so hard he had to hold his stomach for support. "Yourface!"


    "Yeah, yeah,ugh it up," I muttered bitterly.


    He was having way too much fun at my expense. I was a pitiful sight, red-faced and pouting while looking like a drowned rat from the rain.


    When he finally managed to get a hold of himself he held up a hand.


    "Sorry. I had no idea they would put the bathtubs so close together. Why don''t we just face each other back to back? I promise I won''t embarrass you by looking."


    I wanted to sink into the floor but the way the tubs were situated about a foot apart from end to end, his n should work.


    "Fine. But you''re getting in first. Tell me when you''re in."


    The bubbles were at least five inches thick so we should be safe but this was still easily the most mortifying thing that had ever happened to me.


    Squeezing my eyes shut tightly, I covered them and turned around for good measure and didn''t open them until after I heard the ssh from Al settling into the water.


    "You''re clear, Katie."


    Keeping my eyes on the back of his head the whole time to make sure he wasn''t looking, I stripped faster than I ever had in my life and jumped into the tub.


    I couldn''t tell if the water or the embarrassment was warming my body but I definitely wasn''t cold anymore.


    If I were alone I would have enjoyed the heat of the water and let it soak into my bones but as it was I wanted out of this situation as quickly as humanly possible.


    With this much hair it was a near impossible task to shampoo and detangle it all on my own. I wanted to cut it but the countess had never let me. Once I left the pce I nned to chop it to my shoulders like I always wore it back home.


    Al was quietwas he already done?but I was still sshing around trying to deal with my hair.


    "I''m going to get out now. Umdo you need anything?"


    "A hole to crawl into and die," I mumbled into the bubbles.


    "What was that?"


    "Nothing. Just go."


    I sunk as low as possible beneath the bubbles to hide my shame but my knees still poked out a tiny bit.


    This was the biggest bathtub I had ever been in and it still couldn''tpletely cover my knees! Was this a universal problem or what?!


    When I opened my eyes again Al was gone. I hoped I could finally rx and enjoy the hot water but I was still too embarrassed so I got out as soon as my hair was done and hastily tied the thick fleece robe around myself.


    This materialit reminded me of my fuzzy pajama pants back home. Could I find someone to make pants out of this?


    I didn''t want to wear nightdresses for the rest of my life. I would have to ask in town when I asked about sweaters.

 Chapter 56: Hair

    Chapter 56: Hair


    Al wasn''t in the room when I came backprobably getting someone to bring us a warm drinkso I hurriedly put on my nightgown and a different dry robe for warmth and sat on a couch by the fire with my hair wrapped in a towel turban.


    "What on earth are you wearing?"


    I turned and saw Al holding a tea trayplete with doughnuts with a very confused look on his face.


    "This helps dry my hair faster. It''s a trick from the countryside."


    "The countryside sounds like a very interesting ce," he said while setting the tray down.


    "No hot chocte?" I asked with a crestfallen expression on my face.


    This was tea! Al knew I didn''t like tea so why?


    "Apparently this kind of tea is meant to prevent colds. I expect you to drink two cups."


    "Two?!"


    "Two," he confirmed sternly. "I don''t want you to get sick because of your little stunt in the rain. I brought doughnuts topensate for it."


    Alright, I''d ept that. I begrudgingly sipped my tea though my tongue recoiled at the taste. This wasn''t the worst tea I ever had but it wasn''t the best either.


    Taking bites of doughnuts between sips helped. Marcy had made zed and cinnamon sugared ones this time. Bless her.


    A thought urred to me. "Al, did you go all the way to the kitchens like that?"


    "No! I put on shoes and a coat first. A long one. I would never let other people see me in my nightclothes," he said indignantly. "What do you take me for?"


    Ah yes. A pce isn''t like a house. One does not simply walk around in their pajamas where the staff could see.


    "Alright, no need to get defensive about it."


    "Drink your tea," Al muttered.


    Iplied though I hated it. He sat as far away from me as possible while still on the same couch and drank a cup of his own while looking like a sullen child.


    What was his problem? This whole excursion had gone so wrong. I was never going to bring him to y in the rain again.


    Eventually I finished my nasty tea and unwound my turban to check on the status of my hair. It was damp but much better than before.


    Now was the time to brush it out so the curls wouldn''t be horribly tangled in the morning. I absentmindedly detangled a few sections before the brush was snatched out of my hand.


    "Let me do it."


    I hunched over with my arms around my knees, too tired to argue. Fine. He wanted to brush my hair, he could go right ahead.


    "Justif you hit a knot, hold the hair above it before you keep brushing or it will hurt."


    He nodded before meticulously getting to work. Nobody had brushed my hair for me like this in about fifteen years.


    The maids who twisted my hair into borate styles didn''t usually use a brush as they worked due to the fact that curly hair can only be brushed when wet unless you want a gigantic frizzy puffball.


    "Your hair is so long," Almented after a while.


    "I know, I hate it," I sighed. "When I get out of here, the first thing I''m doing is cutting it."


    He continued detangling, pausing so briefly I wasn''t sure whether or not I imagined it.


    "Why? I think it looks good the way it is."


    "It''s heavy, difficult to work with, and gets in the way of everything unless it''s up. You try having this much hair weighing you down. Especially when it''s wet it feels like I have twenty pounds hanging off the back of my neck. Why is long hair such a big deal anyway? As long as it''s long enough to pull back somehow it''s golden," Iined.


    "I suppose I never thought of it that way."


    Of course he didn''t. Unlike his brothers, Al kept his inky hair short.


    "I thoughtdies liked having their hair done up."


    I scoffed. He had clearly never talked to an actual girl about their hair before. Everybody I knew back in my world griped about their hair at some point.


    To be fair, things might be different in this world though since most noble girls wanted nothing more than a titled husband.


    "I''m not ady."


    Al chuckled a bit. "You''re certainly one of a kind. That''s what I like about you."


    My heart sunk a bit. Which kind of ''like'' though? Thest thing I wanted was for this princefor my husbandto fall in love with me. That wouldpletely ruin the story.


    I wasn''t stupid enough to ignore the signspletely, as much as I wanted to. I knew he liked me as a person or he wouldn''t have chosen me to be his coconspirator.


    I suspected he liked me as a woman because he got jealous, smiled at me differently than he did other people, and went along with anything I wanted to do.


    How was I supposed to convince somebody who had a crush on me to fall for someone else? The easiest thing to do would be distancing myself but I had already tried that and it was a dismal failure.


    I thought about what Mari said before. I was already here. However things were supposed to happeneven though I wasn''t supposed to be a part of this worldI came anyway.


    Was it even worth it to try and get things back to how they would have been without me?


    Would it be better to just let the chips fall as they may and ept my role in this world as it was now? I didn''t know if I could do that.

 Chapter 57: You Look Like You

    Chapter 57: You Look Like You


    The rain stopped the following morning and we slipped out of the pce using the tree Al had shown me after lunch once it warmed up a bit.


    My mind was clearer than it wasst night. I would focus on my missiofortable winter clothesand nothing else.


    Since we were jumping a wall, I changed into my least restrictive dress with a ''half corset'' very simr to one of my bras back home before we snuck out.


    Unfortunately my sportswear of sorts wasn''t going to help me with my fear of heights.


    "Uh, Al? I think I''m stuck up here," I whimpered as I looked down at him.


    It was about a seven foot drop and I was not prepared.


    He held his arms out. "You''re not stuck. Jump."


    "I would rather stay here," I said feebly.


    "Sit on the wall and push yourself off. It''s not as high as if you''re standing."


    I squeezed my eyes shut and did as I was told. I hit something solid with a thud and a shooting pain went up my knee.


    Al set me down and rubbed his own knee for a minute.


    "Sorry!" I squeaked.


    "It''s fine, I''m the one that told you to jump. Let''s go."


    He held out his arm, expecting me to link mine through it like I did with Mari.


    At my quizzical look he shrugged and said, "This way I won''t lose you in a crowd."


    Sure, Al. No matter. It wouldn''t be good to get lost out here since I didn''t have my own way back into the pce. I followed his lead on the path to town.


    Our cloaks hadn''t driedpletely from the night before so I was wearing a shawl over my braided hair and Al was wearing a cap and servant''s clothes so we wouldn''t be recognized.


    "What is it you want to buy exactly?" he asked as we passed various high-end boutiques.


    "Soft,fortable winter clothes."


    I could tell he had questions but he wisely let me lead him into my clothing shop of choice. I looked around. Homespun shirt samples hung on the walls. That was promising.


    A sweet-looking old woman sat behind the counter. She was wearing a sweater! They existed in this world!


    "What can I do for you dears?" she asked kindly.


    "May I feel your sweater?" I blurted.


    My aunt gave me a horribly itchy sweater before and that was thest thing I wanted.


    She seemed a bit surprised but let me. I heaved a sigh of relief when I found that it was soft.


    The old woman smiled. "Do you like it? My granddaughter''s husband is a traveling merchant. He found some very nice wool yarn in Rowenhilde a while back."


    "It''s wonderful," I said fervently. "Do you sell them?"


    "I do. They take a while to make though so I''ve been working on some all year. I''m not sure I have any that are small enough for you. The ones I have would better fit yourpanion here."


    Al held up his hand with the ornately carved wedding band on it.


    "Husband. I''m her husband."


    I shot him a dirty look for interrupting which he ignored. "I don''t mind! Can I see them?"


    "Certainly."


    She pulled out five sweaters in various colors: beige, dark brown, royal blue, ck, and red.


    They looked big andfy, just like the oversized ones I used to buy on purpose so I could hide my hands in the sleeves when I got cold and wear over my leggings.


    My eyes shone with delight. "I''ll take all of them."


    "Are you sure? I could try and make something your size. With my granddaughter''s help it would only take a few weeks."


    I was about to say that wasn''t necessary when Al spoke up.


    "Can you make two? Pink and light blue."


    "Yes, but it will take longer."


    "That will be fine; she has these to tide her over."


    The old woman gestured for me toe behind the counter so she could take my measurements.


    That was when I took the opportunity to ask her if it was possible to make fleecy pajama pants out the kind of material used in my bathrobe that could be cinched with a ribbon. She said it was possible but she would have to order the materials and it would be pricey.


    I didn''t care about the cost. I would pay ANYTHING to have a few pairs of normal pajamas again.


    I also tried some simple floor-length skirts made of warm, thick fabric. The flimsy but beautiful dresses they gave me at the pce were neitherfortable nor practical with theing winter.


    They needed to be altered a bit but pedal-powered sewing machines existed in this world and they were able to adjust the skirts to my size while we were still there.


    We left the shop with my bundle of new giant sweaters, skirts, and some tightly knit warm socks, promising toe back for the other orders in a few weeks.


    I didn''t mind wearing skirts during the day as long as my legs were warmly covered and didn''t have a skirt riding up in the middle of the night.


    "Is that all you wanted to do?" Al asked as he carried my bags for me.


    I shook my head.


    "I''m done with this hair. I won''t cut it too shortthe middle of my back should still be long enough for the maids to work with for now."


    If I was going to befortable, I may as well go all the way.


    He didn''t say anything as we walked into the barber shop but after my hair was cut and braided back he quietly said that it looked nice that way.


    I smiled at him. This was the most I''d felt like me sinceing to this world.


    I may not be able to take Mari''s advicepletely but I acknowledged that I needed to learn how to live in this world, my way. I was here and had to make the best of it.


    When we got home, I swapped out the top part of my two-piece tan dress set with the giant white sweater and put my hair back in a ponytail tied with a ribbon, opting to wear my new thick maroon socks rather than stockings.


    The sweater was baggy enough that I didn''t need to wear the half corset. Finally, I could rx!


    I sighed blissfully as I leaned against the back of the couch.


    "Looks like I''ve spotted the rare Katie-bird in her natural habitat," Al teased before growing more serious. "You seem really happy."


    "I am really happy. I''m finallyfortable!"


    "Rightyou mentioned that you hated the fashion in the capital before. So this is what you like to wear?"


    Yep. All I was missing was yoga pants. With any luck, I could find a seamstress willing to make something simr for me at some point.


    I refused to live my entire life in nothing but skirts once I escaped the pce.


    "It''s warm, soft, and easy to move in," I exined.


    "I''m surprised Countess du Pont ever let you wear anything like this. It''s in but it suits you."


    "Uh, thanks?" I couldn''t tell if that was apliment or an insult.


    "I meant it as apliment! You look nice. I mean, you look nice in everything you wear but" the poor guy knew he had walked into a trap so I cut him off before he panicked.


    "It''s fine. I know what you mean. Thanks, Al."


    "You really do look nice though. You look likeyou, if that makes any sense at all."


    My smile grew wider. So he noticed too.


    "It makes perfect sense to me."

 Chapter 58: I Was Bribed

    Chapter 58: I Was Bribed


    As the wife of the forgotten prince, nobody cared what I wore during my free time as long as I was ''properly dressed'' during meals, morning tea with the queen and other princesses, and on the rare asions where Al and I were required to make public appearances.


    They would dress me up like a Barbie but as soon as I was free it was back to myfy casual wear.


    One day a weekter as we were curled up in the library reading in adjacent chairs, Al reached over and rubbed my sleeve on his cheek.


    "What are you doing?"


    "You seem so happy in these. I want one too. You''re right, it is soft"


    Iughed. He was jealous of my sweaters? Well, they were probably the least stiff article of clothing he had ever seen as a royal. Poor Al.


    "You can order one when we go back to pick up the rest of my things. These are mine."


    "I can''t even borrow one?"


    "I''ll think about it."


    "You''re cruel, Katie McLeod," he said as he dramatically draped himself over the arm of his chair. "Not letting your poor husband wear something nice with you."


    "Stop," Iughed, bopping him on the head with my book.


    He sat upright and grinned at me. "So you''ll do it?"


    I had an idea. "I''ll let you borrow my ck sweaterif youe with me to meet your brother this afternoon for a strategy meeting."


    Al instantly stopped smiling. "That''s not fair!"


    "That''s my deal, take it or leave it."


    In the end, his desire to wear one of my sweaters won out over his dislike of getting involved.


    As predicted, the ck sweater went very well with his overall aesthetic. ck hair and sweater, gray eyes and pants. He looked good and I told him so, which made him blush.


    I wore my white sweater with a blue skirt that red out around my calves, showcasing my favorite maroon knee-high socks and the slippers I normally only wore in the bedroom buttely had been a constant fixture because they were the mostfortable shoes I owned.


    Al and I technically matched but hadpletely opposite vibes.


    Mari was used to my fashion choices at this point but I hadn''t worn a sweater around Franz yet so he was quite surprised when I walked in the door, especially since Al was in tow.


    "What are you doing here, wearing that?" he asked in astonishment.


    Al crossed his arms and scowled, stepping behind me. "I was bribed."


    I could tell Franz wanted to pursue the matter further but he wisely let it drop rather than picking a fight.


    I had a feeling Al would throw hands with the next person that said anything to him so I subverted the danger by hugging his arm and leaning my head against his shoulder. He wouldn''t do anything if I held him back.


    "So, Franz, how have things been progressing?" I asked, changing the subject.


    "Quite well, it seems," he said with a raised eyebrow, obviously alluding to the two of us.


    It wasn''t like that! I was just trying to save you from getting punched because that would ruin all future chances of coboration!


    "Franz," Mari said in a warning tone. "Stay on topic."


    "Yes, dear," he replied brightly and shuffled the papers he was holding before reading off of one.


    "Using your idea as incentive, we have managed to get a third of the lower nobility on our side, which is pretty good considering the time frame. My contacts have begun talking the n up to their usual allies so there is a good chance that number will grow to half within the next few weeks."


    "Nicely done," Imended as I sat and yanked Al down into the chair next to me. He still did not want to be here. "What do we need to do next?"


    "I was hoping you could draft a simply written version of your proposal that could be shown around to themoners that the lower nobles interact with who could be representatives," Franz said.


    "Would you be willing? I would need at least a dozen copies to start but I could have Mari and a few of my aides help rewrite further copies to be passed on."


    "Sure, I don''t mind."


    "I do," Al interjected. "That''s a lot of writing in a short period of time. Her wrist could cramp."


    He turned to me with a sigh. "If you write the first one, I''ll help with the others."


    My eyes shone with excitement. He was finally participating! I felt like a proud PTA mom.


    "That would be great, thanks!"


    "Yeah, well, I know it''s important to you," Al said wearily, picking at the sleeve of my ck sweater and not meeting anybody''s eyes.


    "Besides, I won''t have anything to do if you''re busy anyway. But afterwards we need to build card houses, alright?"


    "Deal," I said happily, holding out my pinky. He linked his without hesitation now.


    Mari smiled knowingly but Franz watched us with total bewilderment.


    "What are they doing?" he whispered to his wife.


    "Bonding," she whispered back.


    Back in the library I had a hard time writing my draft. It reminded me of a project I did in one of my political science sses where I had to exin a difficult concept on a video meant to be shown to middle schoolers.


    I knew nothing about themon people here. What vocabry words would they know or not know?


    "I''m stuck," Imented, crossing and uncrossing my ankles behind me as Iy on my stomach on the couch and tapped my pen against the armrest.


    "Why not go talk to somemoners and try to get a sense of their ways of speaking? You could use a snack break anyway."


    Al offered a hand to pull me up and I brushed my skirt down before we headed out.


    Marcy was baking gingerbread when we arrived. Cookie cutters weren''t a thing here so they were in boring old square shapes rather than gingerbread men.


    I was suddenly reminded of a family tradition where we would decorate a gingerbread house before Christmas but weren''t allowed to eat it until New Year''s Eve.


    I would probably never make another gingerbread house again unless I figured out how to cut and connect the pieces myself and I was no engineer.


    "Prince Alpheus, Princess Katie, nice to see you!"


    "Please don''t call me Princess," I muttered.


    Al elbowed me. "Just ept it."


    "Never."


    Marcy ignored me. "What brings you here today?"


    "I was hoping you could read this for me and tell me whether or not you understand all of it," I said sheepishly. "And maybe give us some of that gingerbread while you''re at it."


    "It''s good, I''ve had it before," Al praised.


    Marcy looked it over briefly. The confusion in her eyes turned to rm and she lowered her voice so no one else could hear.


    "You''re trying to addmoner representatives to the court? Do you really think that any of the upper nobility will allow that?"

 Chapter 59: It Would Be Nice Not To Care

    Chapter 59: It Would Be Nice Not To Care


    Considering the n was Marcy''s idea in the novel, her pessimism surprised me. I wasn''t sure what to tell her.


    Franz wouldn''t want gossip to get out but Marcy had worked with him on this originally...what was I supposed to do? In my ns to get the plot back on track I had mentally separated defeating Sigmund and getting Marcy and Al together.


    I thought that as long as both of those things happened in the end it would all be okay somehow.


    In this version of the story, the one where I existed, Marcy was friendly with Al and me but she did not know any of the other royalty.


    I trusted Marcy because she was supposed to be the main character but Franz didn''t.


    Then there was her reaction to contend withMarcy seemed afraid of something. It hit me.


    All of their political meetings happened in the safety of Franz''s office, not the bustle of the kitchen.


    If somehow word got back to Sigmund from one of the kitchen staff everything would bepletely ruined. He would nip it in the bud with no one the wiser.


    My blood ran cold. I nearly made a fatal mistake.


    "Please keep it to yourself. I just wanted to know if it was readable."


    Marcy''s eyes darted around and she leaned in closer.


    "It''s readable. Take it and go. But first pretend like you''re asking me about somethingpletely different and take some sweets to go so no one suspects you. The two of you have visited enough times that it shouldn''t be suspicious."


    I wanted to know how someone who was supposedly a simple pastry chef understood the nuances of the pce spywork better than I did but I couldn''t ask.


    I would have to investigate this moreter. Marcy Grandin just became a lot more interesting.


    "So do you think you could make a dessert like that?" I asked brightly, making sure I was loud enough for passing kitchen workers to hear.


    If they thought I was showing her a reference for a dessert I wanted, it would seem perfectly normal.


    "Yes, the blueberries would be a nice touch," she improvised. "I''ll get on that right away, Your Highness. In the meantime, please take these gingerbread squares."


    Marcy handed me a teful and ushered us out of the kitchen with a strained smile on her face.


    I folded my draft several times before clenching it in my fist. I needed to be much more careful.


    Al and I spent so much time alone that I nearly forgot other people might be working for Sigmund in this pce. How stupid was I?!


    "That was certainly exciting," Al said dryly as we returned to the library. "Mind telling me exactly what happened back there?"


    I triple checked every corner to make sure we were alone before slumping onto a chair in exhaustion.


    "I was careless. I shouldn''t have involved someone else, let alone in such a public ce."


    He swallowed his bite of raspberry tart before looking at me questioningly. "Why does this matter to you so much?"


    "Why doesn''t it matter to you?" I countered.


    As much as I sympathized with themoners in this feudalistic society, my primary concern was getting the plot back on track.


    Catherine du Pont wouldn''t care about either of those things so I didn''t have a good exnation for my obsession.


    "Nothing matters to me but our escape to Shibatsu to live a normal life," he said nonchntly. "You know this already."


    I did know that already and it infuriated me to no end. The world had long turned its back on Al so he turned his back on the world.


    His mentality wouldn''t bother me so much if it didn''t personally cause so much trouble trying to put this shambles of a novel back together. Mari''s words came back to mewhy bother?


    Why did I care so much? Did I think some great cosmic ident would happen if I didn''t put things back the way I found them? What exactly would happen if I couldn''t fix the plot of this book?


    I started reading From Pastry Chef to Princess out of boredom at a doctor''s office one day. It was argely unknown YA novel with a barcode from the public library that I assumed some patient left behind on a table and didn''te back for.


    They ran multiple tests/scans on me so I was there for over three hours and got about halfway through it. I finished it at home and brought it back to the library on that stranger''s behalf the next day so they wouldn''t have to pay a fine for losing a book.


    Back then I thought of it as nothing more than a cute, clich love story with a dash of political intrigue but rtively 2-D characters by a no-name author. I gave it 3 stars on Goodreads.


    What a horrible joke the universe had yed on me by sending me into such an insignificant novel.


    If I had to end up in a strange book world, why hadn''t it been Hogwarts?!


    I would much rather be one of the many barely-named witches in the background that got to enjoy learning magic without being a central part of the story than end up a princess right in the middle of things.


    That was off-topicmy point was, why was I trying so hard to right the wrongs I had created? Why couldn''t I simply go with the flow?


    Was whatever mystical force that sent me here impressing the importance of plot progression into my mind or something? What would happen if I stopped caring, like Al?


    Part of me realized that the only thing really stopping me from doing whatever I wanted and letting things happen was that I didn''t want to be here.


    Helping Franz ascend the throne would ease my conscience because I already knew Sigmund was a viin.


    Putting Marcy and Al together would make me feel less guilty for ditching him and going off to find a job and life of my own in Shibatsu.


    Going with the flowif I did that, I would be stuck here ying cards and finding other ways to entertain Al for the rest of my life when I wasn''t stuck socializing with snooty nobles I didn''t want to talk to.


    What would happen to Marcy? I had stolen her true love! It was an ident but that didn''t change the facts. I had to give him back to her.


    My suspicions of Al''s crush on me grew stronger all the time. If I stayed in the pce for the rest of my life with him as my primarypany, I might grow used to his affections.


    I mean, the number of books and movies that involved arranged marriages out therethe couple almost always fell in love in the end. That was thest thing I wanted.


    As a modern, independent woman, I did not want to spend my life cooped up in a castle drinking tea and producing princelings. If I ever wanted to build a real life here, I had to leave Al behind.


    The thought made my chest grow tight. I would probably even miss him from time to time. We had spent a lot of time having fun together. That sort of thing isn''t easily forgotten.


    He was the most normal person I had met in this world; who knows if I would find another with his sense of humor to be friends with in Shibatsu.


    "Katie?"


    I snapped out of it. Al was looking at me with concern because I hadn''t said anything in a while.


    Between his slightly tilted head of mussed hair and my ck sweater he looked even more like a normal twenty-one-year old college student. My heart skipped a beat.


    "I was just thinking how it would be nice not to care."

 Chapter 60: Trendsetter

    Chapter 60: Trendsetter


    Al loved my ck sweater so much that he refused to give it back; iming it was toofortable and I would be fine since I had more sweaters on the way.


    I couldn''t dispute that. My pale, blondeplexion didn''t look as good in ck as he did anyway.


    When we went back to the shop to pick up my appropriately sized sweaters and pajama pants, he ordered more for both of us.


    The shopkeeper was thrilled because Al offered a hefty tip. I also picked up more thick socks while we were there and bought what was meant to be a child-sized pair of boys'' pants for myself when we inevitably yed in the snow.


    The cold wind and heavy clouds in the air looked promising and I wanted to be ready.


    While we were still in town I picked up the other makeshift snow clothes I had previously ordered for both of us, including fur-lined boots. All I had to do now was put that oil on the wool and we should be set.


    It was one of the few things I was looking forward to.


    We barely made it back in time for dinner but since I wasn''t appropriately dressed Al imed that I didn''t feel well and requested food be brought to our quarters.


    No one cared enough to question him. Apparently Al had a history of not showing up for meals before I came along. I couldn''t me him after seeing his interactions with his family. If I were him, I would avoid them too.


    I wanted to try on my fuzzy new pajama pants so I went to the bathroom and swapped them with my skirt. They were better than I could have dreamed of.


    Sure, they were in white instead of covered in cutesy patterns like I was used to but I would take it! The shopkeeper had made me four pairs so I could stay cozy all winter long.


    "What are those?" Al asked in confusion.


    "Nightclothes! So my legs stay warm. They''re super soft," I said dreamily.


    "You look like a cute little sheep," he teased, walking over to pat me on the head.


    I looked down at myself and saw that he had a point. My sweater was white today too and I was wearing ck socks that could be seen as hooves.


    "Very funny."


    "Baa." He grinned at me, his hand still on the crown of my head. "Want to y cards?"


    "Sure."


    I sat cross-legged for the first time in forever, basking in the glory of my pajama pants as we yed Spit by the fire.


    I used to sit just like this with Abby in our pajamas on Saturday nights in her bedroom ying this very game. This was the most normal I had felt sinceing here and it was fantastic.


    ***


    "I do believe you have started a trend," Mari said with a smallugh as she watched Al turn and go to fetch us some treats as we worked on writing out copies of my draft.


    She was referring to the red sweater he was wearing. Winter was fully upon us and Al had nearly as many colors as I did now on top of the ck one he stole from me.


    I was beyond relieved when we were able to pick up thest of our order before snow made the roads impassable.


    A four-day-long blizzard continued to rage as we spoke. I couldn''t wait to go outside once it subsided.


    "What can I say, sweaters are a wintertime must," I shrugged. "Arizona isn''t nearly as cold as here either! I wouldn''t survive without them."


    "I am tempted to get one myself."


    "You should!" I encouraged. "I can order one for you. The shop I go to usually caters to the merchants who live in town but the goods are high quality."


    Mari would be stunning in avender sweater. Who was I kidding, she would be stunning in anything. She wasn''t called the jewel of Shibatsu for no reason.


    She smiled. "I would like that. Anyway, these drafts look fine though Alpheus'' handwriting is a bit small"


    Small? You practically needed a microscope to see it. Apparently when he was younger his tutor taught him that way and he couldn''t writerge if he tried. That was what he said anyway.


    Personally I thought he was doing it on purpose to give his brother a hard time. He hated Sigmund but didn''t seem to like Franz any better.


    "That''s putting it generously," I chuckled, leaning over her shoulder to see the extent of the damage.


    I hoped people would still be able to read it or the copies would be useless.


    He only volunteered to do this so I wouldn''t get carpal tunnel. If I had to rewrite them anyway it would all be for naught.


    "Ie bearing the specialty of the day: custard tarts," Al announced as he barged back into the office.


    My mouth watered slightly but Mari grew pale and pped hand over her mouth before hunching over and vomiting into the wastebasket.


    I cried out and rushed over to her as she continued heaving and Al set the tray down with a tter.


    "Mari, what''s wrong?!" She couldn''t respond.


    She was too busy puking. I looked up in a panic and ordered, "Al, go find the court doctor! Then Franz! But the doctor first!"


    He nodded and rushed out the door, wanting to get away from the vomit smell as quickly as possible.


    Once she stopped, I gently led her to the couch and fluffed the pillows for her so she could lie down, promising that I would be right back with a maid to clean up the mess. She nodded weakly and didn''t speak.


    "The tarts smell horrible," she moaned once I came back and the maid took the wastebasket away.


    I gave them a precautionary sniff. I didn''t smell anything weird. Taking a tiny test bite, they didn''t taste weird either.


    I put the metal dome-shaped cover that Al had pulled off when he came in to show off back over the te and she rxed a bit. How strange.

 Chapter 61: This Isnt Good

    Chapter 61: This Isn''t Good


    Franz burst into the room frantically with the royal doctor and Al on his heels. "Mari? Does anything hurt? Are you still feeling ill?"


    He hovered over her like a fruit fly does a bunch of bananas as the doctor began his ministrations. Al and I hung back by the door, grave-faced.


    "I ran into Franz on the way," he whispered. "He has been panicking the entire time. Quite annoying, really."


    I shot him a look. "She''s his wife, it''s normal for him to worry when she''s sick."


    "Nobody should worry that much."


    "You''re saying you wouldn''t worry about me?" I teased.


    I meant is as a lightheartedment, thinking he woulde up with some sarcastic reply but he remained silent.


    Oh. He actually would worry about me. My stomach flip-flopped. I wasn''t sure how to feel about that.


    After several very tense minutes, the doctor smiled at Franz.


    "Congrattions, Your Highness. The princess is with child! She appears to be about two months along."


    Al and I both gaped at them but poor Franz looked even more shocked that we did.


    "I''m going to be a father?"


    The doctor nodded. "I''m sure the king and queen will be most pleased to hear this news."


    "Please do not tell them yet," Mari finally spoke up, forcing herself to sit up with the ghost of a smile on her face. "I would like to wait a while longer."


    Franz came back to his senses, his dazed expression reced with his usual sharp one.


    "Yes, please refrain until the pregnancy is more stable. I would not want to excite the king and queen unnecessarily."


    The doctor''s eyes lit with understanding. "I see. I will not say anything, rest assured Your Highnesses. Many blessings on your child and Annias. I shall take my leave."


    They both nodded as he left and Franz instantly knelt in front of his wife, sping her hands in his. Joy and dread flitted across both of their faces.


    "We should go," Al said quietly.


    I nodded and followed him out. The atmosphere was clear to read. They were worried about their child.


    But why? Wasn''t pregnancy supposed to be a happy thing? AlthoughMari had never gotten pregnant in the novel.


    I was horrified at the thought but it might be because of me. My cheeks med.


    Their rtionship improved after I meddled. But I only meddled because it was already supposed to be good in the novel! How had this happened?!


    Al sighed and flopped onto the couch back in our room. "This isn''t good."


    "It''s about the crown prince, isn''t it," I surmised.


    Having time to think on the walk back it was the only conclusion I coulde to. Since he was still childless he would see any royal baby as a threat.


    Sigmund and Rosenia had been married for almost four years and she had never been pregnant.


    If the baby was a boyand the king died before Sigmund could produce an heirthe court might rule that it was better to have a king that could continue the bloodline.


    His position as crown prince could be threatened.


    "Yes. If Sigmund finds out he may try to do something to prevent the baby from being born. I imagine Franz isn''t going to leave Mari''s side for a second to personally monitor all of her food and drinks for the next seven months."


    "That''s horrible," I shuddered. "Poor Mari."


    I couldn''t even imagine it. I was in the middle of the worst kind of period drama.


    "This has always been how things work in the pce," Al said bitterly, not meeting my eyes.


    "My father didn''t have to deal with it personally because he was the only surviving son but my grandmother had several miscarriages before he came along and foul y was suspected.


    "My grandfather wasn''t originally the crown prince either. Sigmund is ruthless. He would do anything to keep his position. Do you understand now why I don''t want to be involved? Siding with Franz puts targets on both of our backs. I''m used to it but youI can''t lose you."


    "Sigmund doesn''t know I''m working with Franz," I said uneasily. "If he did he would have made a move by now."


    "And how much longer is that going tost? At the very least he knows you are close with Mari. You are still a threat."


    I suddenly remembered the ''hypothetical'' question he posed to me a while back about what to do with a weak enemy that gains a powerful ally. My heart began to race.


    "You think he''lle after me?" I squeaked.


    "Eventually. I imagine once the news gets out about Mari''s pregnancy she will be the bigger priority."


    "We have to do something!"


    "We are doing something. Leaving. Then you''ll never have to worry about the dangers of pce politics again," he said with a tone of finality.


    "But what about Mari?" I asked in a panic.


    She was my friend; I couldn''t leave her to fend for herself.


    "She has Franz. He''s not an idiot; he''ll keep her safe."


    "But"


    Al sat up and put a finger against my lips. I was so startled that I stumbled backwards and he caught me and held me only a few inches away from his chest.


    "Katie. It''s his job to take care of Mari. My job is taking care of you. I promise we''ll be out of here before anything big happens. We just have to wait it out. Understand?"


    I nodded and he released me. I didn''t like this. There had been absolutely no mention of inter-family violence and attempted fetus murder in the novel.


    Things had spun even farther out of my control. Did I really want to be involved in this? Could I afford to back out now?


    Flopping onto the bed, Iy there with my heart racing for quite some time trying to process it all.


    All this time I thought I could fix the plot by erasing myself from the equation.


    Clearly that was no longer the case. Another life had been brought into existencea new character that did not exist in the novnd I wasn''t entirely sure whether or not I was involved in making that happen.


    Mari and Franz had a decent rtionship the whole time in the novel but that rtionship didn''t yield a child. Had I really done this? Was I capable of changing the story so much?


    I could get divorced. I could make sure Marcy''s n was still enacted. I couldn''t ''undo'' a life being created. The story had already changed and I had no idea what that meant for me.

 Chapter 62: Al Tells the Truth

    Chapter 62: Al Tells the Truth


    The blizzard continued for another three days. In that time I stayed out of Mari''s way and she never called for me so I assumed she was still processing what had happened and was trying to figure out what to do alongside her husband.


    With no one able to enter or exit the pce due to the snow, I wasn''t even expected to have tea with anyone since neither the queen nor Rosenia were interested in me when not keeping up appearances in front of other nobility.


    Al and I were left entirely to our own devices, which got very, very boring.


    We built about fifty card houses, yed more than a dozen rounds of every game I had taught him, read books until our eyes zed over, and went to the kitchens for treats twice.


    I really wanted to talk to Marcy about what she knew regarding the pce''s innerwork but I would need to do that when no one else was around.


    There had to be a way to meet her alone outside of the kitchen.


    Maybe I could try and find her the next time Al took a bath. This was a conversation I did not want him to be a part of.


    She was a good actress, I''d give her that. Both times we met her Marcy was bright, cheery, and chatted lightheartedly like the incident had never happened.


    None of the other kitchen staff thought our interactions were strange either. Good. I hadn''t blown it.


    If I did nothing else in this world, I had to at the very least make sure themoners got representatives in the court.


    That was the biggest plot point other than the romance. And honestly, I didn''t know if it was even possible to make that happen anymore.


    I was nearly certain Al was in love with me by now. His overprotectiveness after I found out what sorts of things went on during power struggles in the pce kind of clinched it for me.


    He said he couldn''t bear to lose me. If that''s not love


    In order to figure out how to proceed from here I needed to know how he felt.


    If he truly was in love with me, wouldn''t it be cruel to try and push him onto another woman? I would have to find another way. What that other way wasI had no idea.


    ying Truth or Dare ought to do the trick. I hadn''t done this since a sleepover when I was in sixth grade.


    I didn''t want to tell who I had a crush on because his twin sister was present so I did the dare and got mayonnaise smeared all over my face.


    I nearly puked from the smell. They didn''t have mayonnaise here so I should be safe.


    I exined the rules to him and he seemed intrigued since he was just as bored as I was.


    "You go first, show me how it works."


    "Okaypick either Truth or Dare."


    "Truth."


    "What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you?" I asked.


    "Sigmund dunked my head into a bowl of soup when no one was looking during a banquet when I was ten. A piece of carrot got up my nose and the doctor had to extract it in front of everyone. Is that the sort of thing you''re looking for?"


    So he was always evil. Figures. "Yeah. That''s pretty terrible though."


    He shrugged. "That sort of thing happened all the time. No use worrying about it now. Truth or Dare?"


    "Dare," I said confidently.


    Telling the truth here was nearly impossible with all the secrets I was keeping.


    "I dare you to drink an entire pot of jasmine tea," Al said with a wicked glint in his eyes.


    While I was horrified at the prospect of choking down that much tea, I couldn''t deny that he really understood the spirit of Truth or Dare. I made a bunch of inhuman faces but did as I was told.


    We went back and forth for a while like that. Al varied his choices but I consistently picked dare.


    I found out that his weirdest childhood habit was wearing his pants backwards and that he could do a handstand for a full minute.


    He made me shove an entire ir in my mouth in one bite and spin for five minutes straight.


    Now that he was warmed up, the next time he chose Truth I asked my loaded question.


    I didn''t want to make it too obvious so I used my head. Marcy was his first love in the novel.


    Since I had sort of taken her ce, I figured it was better to ask "what is the name of your first love?" than "are you in love with me?"


    Surprise lit his eyes for a split second before he ran a hand through his hair in agitation.


    "You tricked me into ying this. This was what you really wanted to know all along, wasn''t it?"


    I hadn''t expected him to see right through me.


    "Answer the question Al. If you back out, the dare is for you to run out into the blizzard barefoot for a whole minute."


    It was obvious he was debating which was the lesser of two evils.


    All this time he kept ying the friend card, presumably so he wouldn''t scare me off. Our deal didn''t include romance.


    He teased me about our marital status asionally but wasn''t willing to push it because he had promised me that he only wanted someone to keep him from going crazy with boredom and I was holding him to it.


    Eventually he held up his hands in surrender though his face was redder than a cherry tomato.


    "Fine. My first love was a radiantly silly debutante who offered to run away with me after we had only met twice by the name of Katie du Pont. Happy?"


    I rocked back slightly from my position cross-legged on the floor and pointed at him usingly. This was one instance where I wasn''t happy about being right.


    "I knew it! You liar, you never wanted friendship from me!"

 Chapter 63: The Dare

    Chapter 63: The Dare


    In his panic, Al scrambled forward on his hands and knees in a rather undignified way.


    "No, that''s not true at all! I always wanted to be your friend. I just wanted to be friendspermanently. Didn''t you once say that couples were supposed to be friends?"


    I had, hadn''t I? But that was referring to Franz and Mari, who were already married and needed to make the most of their situation.


    Al had been nning to trap me by his side from the beginning.


    I was angry but I shouldn''t have been. I knew he was a suitor from the start and deluded myself because out of everyone I met here he reminded me the most of an average American guy.


    Whatever crush he had on me in the beginning had probably been made a lot worse by all the fun we had together while I was trying to keep him from dying of boredom as per our agreement. I brought this entirely on myself.


    I exhaled heavily and leaned my head against the couch cushion. "I did say that, huh? Alright."


    He ogled at me in disbelief. "That''s it? I thought you would be mad."


    I was mad but that was beside the point. "I asked a question and you answered it. It''s part of the game."


    "that was pretty mean, you know. I tried so hard to hide it too. Don''t you dare avoid me nowI didn''t want to say anything."


    "I won''t."


    If I did that I would go mad with boredom too. Besides, I already pretty much knew. I simply wanted to confirm my suspicions to formte a more efficient n of attack. This didn''t really change anything, as much as I didn''t want to hear it.


    Al eyed me distrustfully for a moment before noting that my expression was calm and I was serious. "Alright, my turn. Truth or Dare?"


    "Dare." I figured he would do something slightly mean spirited as payback like making me dump a ss of water on my head.


    "I dare you to kiss me for two minutes straight."


    He stared me down defiantly as I tried to gather my wits about me. They had fled the moment I heard ''kiss.''


    "I choose Truth," I said shakily.


    No way was I going to kiss him! We''d been married for a month and nothing had happenedI fully intended to keep it that way.


    "Then tell me your deepest, darkest secret."


    Ah. This was exactly why I''d been avoiding Truth.


    Which one? The fact that I''d been reborn in Catherine du Pont''s body? That we were inside a novel? Or that I was trying to pawn him off on Marcy so I could run away? None of these would sit well with him. I couldn''t make up anything believable on the spot either because I was too panicked.


    "You''re the worst," I said with a scowl.


    "No worse than you," he replied with a satisfied smile, knowing which one I would pick by the look on my face.


    "I hope you realize this is a one-time deal," I warned as I scooted closer, feeling heat creep up the back of my neck at the very thought of giving away my first kiss.


    I couldn''t believe I was about to kiss someone I didn''t have feelings for, even if he was my husband. This was so embarrassing!


    "Whatever you say," he replied with a shrug.


    How do I even do this?! I saw him stare at me expectantly with an indecipherable look in his eye.


    I wanted nothing more than to bury my face in my hands and give up but I had made my bed so I needed to lie in it. I embarrassed him, he embarrassed me. We would be even then. It was only a game.


    Deciding to get it over with quickly, I grabbed a fistful of sweater and pulled him closer to me, mming my lips onto his. Neither of us had done this before so it was a bit awkward trying not to bump noses for a second there but as if by instinct, Al wrapped one arm around me and crushed me to his chest as the other hand tangled itself in my hair while we continued to kiss.


    I could feel his affection for me pouring out through his lips and for some reason that made me want to cry. Though there was the slightest hint of passion, it was mostly soft and sweet, like nothing would make him happier than to keep kissing me.


    I''m pretty sure I let him go on for waaaaay more than two minutes but that didn''t matter.


    Nothing mattered. Not the plot, not my n to run away, not the fact that I really shouldn''t be letting him take advantage of me like this since he knew I didn''t love him back.


    For the first time in my life I was being kissed by a man who loved me. I let myself rx and enjoy the experience since I didn''t know if I would ever be able to have that again in this world. I wasn''t certain of anything anymore.


    All of my rationality had gone out the window the moment I chose to go along with his dare. Absolutely nothing mattered to me right now except taking full advantage of the moment.


    When we finally broke apart Al gently stroked my face with his thumbs as his forehead rested against mine. In the silence I could practically hear his heart pounding. Mine was racing right along with it. He gently nted a kiss on my forehead before wrapping his arms around me and slumping forward so his head was in the crook of my neck.


    My mouth was pressed up against his shoulder so I was a bit muffled. "Al."


    "Katie?" he asked breathlessly.


    "That was more than two minutes."


    He let out a brief, exhrated sort ofugh. "Sorry."


    Don''t be. Even if it ruined everything I had aimed for up to this point, I couldn''t have asked for a better first kiss.

 Chapter 64: Snow Day

    Chapter 64: Snow Day


    I thought things would be awkward after that but Al chose to act like the kiss hadn''t happened and like I didn''t know he was in love with me the following morning when we woke up.


    He twisted from his ce sitting up under the covers and looked out the window.


    "It finally stopped snowing. You wanted to go y in it, right?"


    If he was going to y it off I was perfectly happy to go along. It had just been a dare. It didn''t mean anything. We were still friends.


    "Yeah, I do. You''lle with me?"


    "I assume you have a bunch of interesting ideas to keep us busy so how could I refuse?"


    "I do," I admitted. "Have you ever yed in the snow?"


    "Not really. When I was really little I would make tracks on the way to the stables to visit the horses and sometimes do different patterns but that''s about it."


    Al looked at me with a gentle smile on his face. "That probably doesn''t count though."


    "Nope, I have more involved things in mind than that. That''s why I picked up that waterproofing oil near the docks thest time we were in town. We don''t have to do everything today either. That much snow isn''t going away anytime soon. I''m not sure how long we''ll be able to stand the cold so we might have to do things one at a time."


    "I''ll have breakfast brought to us so we can get ready and go right after."


    Al hopped out of bed with a spring in his step and rung for a maid. After cing his order, he zipped back and climbed under the covers before they cooled too much.


    I couldn''t help butugh at his behavior. "Someone''s excited about breakfast in bed."


    "It''s warmer here and we''re about to freeze outside. Don''t judge me."


    "I''m not judging," I said as I snuggled deeper under the nkets. It really was cold. The fire needed stoking.


    When the maid came back with breakfast consisting of sausage, fried eggs, and toast, she tended to the fire and we ate in peace in the warmfort of bed.


    I hadn''t enjoyed breakfast in bed since I was about ten years old. My mom tried surprising me for my birthday but I ended up spilling a ton of syrup on the sheets and she never did it again. Thankfully I was a lot less clumsy now.


    I talked to myself as I assembled my makeshift snow gear. "Okay, get some pants and a coat that you don''t usually wearthey need to be coated with oil. You have leather gloves lined with fur alreadyOh hats!"


    I actually bought the yarn and crocheted the beanies myself because it was something I used to do back home when watching TV to keep my hands busy. They didn''t even take that long, only about an hour a piece.


    I crocheted in front of the firece one day during the storm while Al did a dramatic reading from a dictionary. It was one of the funniest things I had ever seen him do. He really would be lost without me entertaining him constantly.


    I waddled out of the bathroom in my ''snow pants'' because the oil made them a bit stiff. My light pink beanie matched my sweater.


    I tossed the gray one I made for Al back and forth between my hands before standing on tiptoe to pull it down over his ears. He bent over so I could reach because of our 10 inch height difference.


    Once we had everything I skipped down the halls in my eagerness to go out. Snow day, snow day, snow day!


    Al struggled to keep up a bit even though his legs were so much longer than mine because I was brimming over with energy. Opening the door we usually used to get to the back of the pce grounds was a bit difficult since the snow was packed halfway up.


    "Give me a boost," I instructed. "I need to get to the top of this."


    "You''ll sink through!"


    "No I won''t, trust me! I know the secret."


    I had read about it years ago. When snow was too deep, you weren''t supposed to walk across it, you were supposed to army crawl across the surface so you didn''t sink and get stuck.


    "Alright," he said skeptically before picking me up as if I weighed no more than a feather and practically basket-tossing me to the top.


    I sunk a little because I wasn''t prepared to be tossed like that but I reoriented myself and poked my head out from the top of the snow heap.


    "Come on in, the water''s fine!" I quoted.


    I could tell he didn''t have a clue what I meant but followed suit anyway, using the doorway as a brace and hauling himself up, identally face-nting in the snow as a result.


    He came up sputtering but fully alert. The cold woke him uppletely.


    The snow was deep enough that it would be perfect to build a snow cave or possibly even a tunnel to slide through if it was packed properly.


    I led us forward about a hundred yards after he carefully pulled the door shut behind us. I didn''t want to go too far out with this much snow around.


    "Now what?" Al asked, swiping at his face to try and get snow off it. His nose was already red from the cold.


    "We dig," I said mischievously before cupping my hands and frantically burrowing into the powder below.

 Chapter 65: The Full Snow Cave Experience

    Chapter 65: The Full Snow Cave Experience


    "Have you ever done this before?" Al asked as he dodged the snow I was flinging behind me.


    "Nope!"


    "That''sforting," he muttered. "What happens if it copses in on you?"


    "Then you''ll have to dig me out or I''ll freeze to death and you''ll be a young widower," I said dryly. "Don''t worry about it. It''s not going to copse on me because I''m building it tost! Aren''t you going to help?"


    I turned back to look at him and he was like a deer in headlights. "Me? What do you want me to do?"


    "Help me make it wider. It''s no fun if only one of us fits in it."


    "Oh, alright."


    Al knelt beside me and copied my motions, flinging snow behind him. I showed him how to pack the walls of the cave as we dug so it wouldn''t copse in on itself so much and we got into a groove.


    I''m not sure how long it took to dig our cave but in the end it was barely wide enough for two people to slide down into side-to-side. I fit into itpletely but since Al was so much taller than me his head stuck out.


    "It needs to be deeper," I insisted. "You''re missing out on the full snow cave experience."


    "I think I''m fine with missing out on the full snow cave experience."


    "Don''t be such a killjoy! We both need to fit."


    He sighed dramatically. "You''re the queen."


    "Ugh, I don''t even want to think about being queen. Too much tea, not enough fun," I said while screwing up my face to indicate my disgust.


    "That''s a fair point. You have a hard time just being a princess. So what do you want to be once you''re free from the pce?" he asked conversationally as he continued helping me dig.


    "A librarian." I really hadn''t minded my job at the school when I wasn''t in excruciating pain and hadn''t been on earth long enough to find a more suitable career path.


    "I can picture it nowKatie McLeod, librarian extraordinaire. You certainly read enough. I imagine the inside of your head is a library all its own."


    I purposely shoveled a bit of snow into his face with my hand while rolling my eyes at him. I was in a good mood.


    Building a snow cave was more fun than I expected though the makeshift snow clothes were not nearly as insted as the stuff back home so my extremities were going a bit numb. We would have to head inside soon.


    "I think that''s good," I dered, leaning back on my knees and admiring our handiwork. "Let''s test it!"


    We slid down next to each other head first. Al didn''t stick out of the top this time. Mission aplished. I giggled to myself. If only Abby could see me now, two feet under the snow. She would never believe it.


    Al gazed at my giddy face with adoration. "I stand corrected; the full snow cave experience isn''t so bad."


    My breath hitched in my throat a bit. His face was so close to mine that I could see every tiny crinkle in the corner of his eyes as he smiled. He was really cute when he was happy. What was I thinking?! Al wasn''t cute!


    These were just lingering emotions from the kiss yesterday. Anybody would be a little moved after being kissed like that but this girl wasn''t about to fall for his tricks.


    "We should probably go in now."


    "Right, it is getting colder," he agreed quickly with a cough to clear his throat.


    He shimmied his way out using his arms first and then pulled me up by the ankles, which felt very strange since I slid upwards. It made snow touch my back under my sweater too. Ugh.


    We army crawled our way back to the door and it was stuck so he rammed his shoulder against it, spilling onto the floor below when the snow pack beneath him crumbled away. Since I was right behind him, I went down too.


    We were an odd jumble of snow, limbs, andughter as wey there partially on the floor.


    "Princess Catherine? Prince Alpheus? What on earth are you doing?" a monotone voice asked with a hint of astonishment.


    Al and I looked up in sync and did not expect to see Duke O standing a few feet away from us.


    He quickly brushed himself off and helped me to my feet, staring down the duke with his arms around me protectively and his head resting atop mine. I couldn''t tell if he was doing it solely for his own benefit or because he knew I didn''t like the scary duke.


    "Charles, what brings you here?"


    "I was in the pce when the storm hit and had no way to leave. I have been here the whole time. Why were the two of you outside in this weather?" He eyed our unusual attire with suspicion.


    "My wife was showing me how to"Al began but stopped when I stomped on his foot. This guy had no need to know our business. Besides, Duke O wasn''t capable of fathoming the concept of fun.


    He noticed what I did andmented somewhat sourly, "I see the two of you are quite close."


    "We are," Al said proudly. "Now if you''ll excuse us, I need to get my wife into some dry clothes."


    He was really ying up the wife card. The guy already lost; there''s no need to antagonize him! Thest thing I wanted to do was purposely pick a fight with someone on the enemy''s side.


    "Al," I hissed while tugging on his arm. "Let''s go."


    "Good day, Charles."


    "Good day," the duke responded bitterly before heading in the opposite direction, no doubt reporting to Sigmund what he had seen.


    Everyone in the pce knew that the third prince and princess spent most of their time holed up together. This shouldn''t be news but still


    Al ordered two baths to be preparedseparately, this timeand we peeled off the coats, boots, gloves, and hats while we waited by the fire. I was impressed by how well the waterproofing held up.


    The baths were ready faster than I anticipated and I sunk into the water gratefully, letting the heat soak into my bones. As I soaked, I had time to think.


    Since things were deviating from the plot so quickly around here, I couldn''t help but worry that Sigmund''s faction might have tricks up their sleeves that I wasn''t aware of. Especially with my newfound worries about Mariwhat if he decided to make a move against me? In the novel, Marcy and Alpheus fell in love and worked together but didn''t get married until after Franz ascended the throne at the end.


    As his wife, I might have a target on my backI couldn''t help but feel uneasy after my run in with the duke. What if he said something that made me seem like a bigger threat?

 Chapter 66: Not Used To Rejection

    Chapter 66: Not Used To Rejection


    Charles Lancaster, the Duke of O, was not used to rejection. Everyone had been willing to lick his boots from a young age when he took over his father''s old and prestigious title.


    He worked hard to live up to others'' expectations and wasuded as a prodigy among the nobility. So why? Why did the one thing he actually wanted have to be taken away by someone so useless?


    The first time he saw Catherine du Pont he was intrigued by how she put her brother Edmund, one of the most ridiculous people he knew, in his ce. His curiosity only grew when he saw her reading such advanced political texts in her father''s library.


    She was as sharp as she was beautiful. The perfect duchessunlike his mother, who wasted her days on needlepoint and gossip.


    The dukedom of O was barely beneath the archduke in terms of power and prestige. Yet Catherine had chosen a useless, forgotten prince with no political power of his own simply because he made herugh.


    He couldn''t forget what she said that day in the back garden. How could such a beautiful mind be wasted on a buffoon!


    Used to quelling any and all emotion because that was what dukes were meant to do, Charles was surprised by the rage that rose within him when he saw Catherine, beautiful and breathless with sparkling sapphire eyes,ughing with her idiot husband in the snow.


    It was even worse when he put his arms around her right in front of him and she did not protest. She practically used Prince Alpheus as a shield and hurried away as quickly as possible to avoid him.


    "Sigmund, something must be done about the third prince," he dered resolutely as he returned to the office.


    Charles came upon that hallway solely by chance after taking a walk to clear his head because he had been stuck in the pce for the duration of the storm and worried about the state of affairs back in the dukedom. Court had closed for the season and he was meant to go back three days earlier.


    The walk hadn''t worked. If anything, his head was more muddled than before.


    "Why, what did he do?" Sigmund asked sharply, looking up from a pile of paperwork on his desk.


    His hands balled into fists. "I saw him and Princess Catherine in the hallway,ing back inside from the snow. Who in their right minds would go outside in this weather unless they were up to something?"


    Sigmund''s eyes narrowed and he set down his pen, sping his hands together under his chin.


    "That is suspiciousthe other day I heard from some servants that they were spotteding back inside soaking wet as well. They may be meeting with someone. Alpheus would never start something on his own so it must be Katie''s doing. He is obnoxiously infatuated with her and lets her drag him around the castleoh, sorry, Charles."


    He cut himself off when he noticed his friend''s knuckles growing progressively whiter. Rising from his chair, he strode across the room and pped a hand on Charles'' shoulder.


    "I will find out what they are up to. Don''t trouble yourself too much. If it makes you feel any better, I have been watching those two carefully for some time now. I am certain she has no real attachment to him. Once I figure out how to get him out of the way once and for all, Katie will be all yours."


    Charles wasn''t stupid. He saw how much fun they were having with his own two eyes. "I mean no offense, but I believe you are mistaken."


    Sigmund''s smile grew wicked. "I am not. Alpheus has been isted since childhood. He saw a bright, pretty thing and took it to y with simply to alleviate his own boredom. I have informants within the pce.


    "Did you know that they spend hours each day doing nothing but ying cards? Katie is independent and intelligent but has to spend her daysing up with countless ways to entertain a bored prince. She is more his nanny than his wife. That would grow tiring fairly quickly, no?"


    He made a fair point. A mind like Catherine''s needed to be stimted. If all she was doing was focusing on keeping the prince busy, it was a terrible waste of her abilities. She could easily grow to resent him.


    Charles could challenge her and help keep her sharpbut he could not make herugh. The sound of her joyfulughter earlier rang in his ears.


    "What do you intend to do?"


    "I have not decided yet. Katie is too close to Mari for my liking but as far as I can tell, Alpheus has no interest in the bid for the throne. I cannot act without adequate reason. But the moment he shows any signs of betraying me, I will find sufficient evidence to have him convicted of treason. Then his wife will be all yours," Sigmund said with a shrug.


    All hisCharles had to find that evidence. He suggested, "Why not have the crown princess try and get close to her as well? Rosenia might be able to get the truth out of her."


    Sigmund''sugh was tinged with ire. "Me? Get that woman to do anything? Rosenia and I have an agreement but I am afraid convincing her to do something she finds disdainful does not fall under it."


    Right. Rosenia was allowed to do as she pleased as the crown princess in exchange for her brother the king of Rowenhilde''s ear and ess to a portion of the tariffs from Rowenhilde''s mighty export industry.


    Sigmund could ask no more of her. He hardly even saw the woman, which was likely why she still hadn''t borne him an heir.


    "If you exined that it would help consolidate her position it might work."


    The crown prince smirked. "This is why I keep you around, Charles. Always thinking outside of the box. Go back to your estate and handle your affairs for a while once the snow is cleared. I will handle things here and keep you informed."


    Charles was reluctant to leave since he wanted to take the third prince down personally but he had no real excuse to stay in the pce now that the court session ended. And he did have a lot of work to do back in the dukedom.


    He would leave it to his friend. Sigmund, like Charles, almost always got his way in the end.

 Chapter 67: Youve Already Used Up Your Kissing Privileges

    Chapter 67: You''ve Already Used Up Your Kissing Privileges


    After being caught by Duke O, I was hesitant to go back outside until I knew he was out of the pce.


    I had no idea he was even lurking about but the thought of him being in the same building as me, albeit a veryrge one, made me ufortable.


    I had seen a trace of actual emotions on his face when he saw us acting close. He was angry. His feelings for me may have run deeper than I originally anticipated.


    It wasn''t fair. Back in my world I hadn''t managed to attract the interest of a single guy in my entire life buting here in the beautiful Catherine du Pont''s body I was suddenly the most popr girl around.


    Al and Duke O were the only wild cards. The duke wanted my mind. Al wanted my personality.


    I doubted that cold duke could even be moved by something as trite and human as beauty but Alwould he have even looked at me long enough to notice my sense of humor if he had met me as Katie Pullman?


    I wasn''t hideous but I was in. Boring. Blended into the background.


    Al was a good-looking guy. If we were spotted together in public in my old body, people would surely whisper about how we were mismatched.


    I''m not sure why the thought stung. I didn''t like Al. I was trying to get a divorce and run far, far away. To go live somewhere in the sun where I could develop tons of freckles and have short hair and be the normal person I always was instead of a princess.


    "What''s wrong? You''re pouting," Al noted as he plopped down on the couch next to me.


    I gave him a sad smile. "It''s not a big deal."


    "Are you worried about the duke? He left this morning; you don''t have to worry about running into him for at least a month."


    That was nice to hear but it wasn''t what I was concerned about at the moment. How had my worries piled into a mountain like this anyway?


    I hadn''t even been so stressed when I had three bad pain days in a row during finals week one semester in college and failed one of my exams. The reminder of all the things I did have to worry about soured my mood even more.


    "That''s not it. I have so many things to worry about I can''t even keep track of all of them," Iined, burying my face in my arms on top of the arm rest.


    "I''m sorry," he saidmely. "My fault again."


    "Yeah, it is your fault," I sniffed.


    He reached over and hesitantly patted my back.


    "I have an idea that might cheer you up. A path has been cleared to the stables. Why don''t we go visit the horses for a bit? We won''t be able to take them out for a ride until the groundskeepers clear a bit more snow but we could at least go bring them a treat. I''m sure they would be happy to see you."


    I peeked out at him. He was smiling at me but the expression was tinged with heartache.


    Oh. I made him feel bad again. It was a bit more difficult giving him a hard time about things now that I knew for sure that he loved me.


    Thest thing I needed was more guilt; it was already eating me alive. How could I still n to leave him when he looked at me like that?


    As much as I hated to admit it, Al was important to me. He had grown on me like a weed.


    Yes, he could be annoying and needy but he was also unexpectedly kind and fun to be around. I hadn''t felt this close to another person since Abby went away to college.


    I didn''t want him to be sad but what could I do? I wasn''t a part of this story. We weren''t even supposed to meet in the first ce.


    Back home, I read to fill a rtional void. Fictional friendships and couples made me happy because I lived vicariously through them.


    When I first came here I developed rtionships with the du Pont siblings so they wouldn''t discover I wasn''t their sister. I made friends with Mari and Marcy originally with the intention to fix the plot.


    Al was the only one who sought me out first. How could that not have an impact on me?


    "Katie?" He looked at me with a mixture of worry and tenderness. Honestly, I should''ve noticed sooner. This guy''s face was a dead giveaway.


    I heaved myself to my feet. "Yeah, let''s go."


    I had heard of women who remained friends with guys who confessed to them but always wondered how they could do that. Wouldn''t it be horribly awkward? How could they act like nothing had changed?


    Finally I understood. They did it because they valued the friendship. Just like I did.


    I might not be in love with Al but he was the best friend I had made in years. Leaving him would hurt me. I hadn''t thought that was possible at first.


    What originally seemed like harmless fun with the most normal person in this fantasnd had developed into something real. I would miss him when I was gone, which was terrifying.


    How could I leave? But I couldn''t stay either!


    If I hadn''t dropped into this story, Al and Marcy would have been together by now. No matter how much I would miss him, I couldn''t steal someone else''s soulmate. His feelings were confused because he was lonely.


    I tried to shake my thoughts free once we got to the paddock. The least I could do while I was still here was be attentive. My horse, Rapunzel, nickered happily when she saw us approach.


    "Hey pretty girl," I cooed as I affectionately rubbed her nose. "It''s been too long since I''ve seen you, huh? We''ll have to go for a ride once the paths are cleared up a little."


    Al watched my lovefest with my horse with a satisfied expression. "I knew this would make you feel better."


    I stopped nuzzling Rapunzel long enough to nce at him. Though there were a lot of things he didn''t know about me, I couldn''t deny that he understood me on a profound level. I guess it was because of how much time we''d spent together the past few months.


    "You''re a good guy, Al," I said a bit wistfully.


    A good guy that was never mine to begin with. I needed to talk to Marcy and find a way to return him to her.


    "...good enough to get another kiss?"


    He appeared to be half-joking but that meant he was half-serious. Since he hadn''t brought it up for a while I thought I was safe but apparently not. I wasn''t sure how to respond to him. This was treading on dangerous ground.


    "You''ve already used up your kissing privileges by going over two minutes," I said lightly after some deliberation. ying it off as a joke seemed like the best option for now.


    "Katie, you''re breaking my heart," he joked and pretended to stab himself, enacting a very dramatic death scene where he fell onto a pile of hay and stopped moving.


    He looked so ridiculous that I actually snorted. I was right not to take him seriously. Al popped back up grinning though there was the slightest hint of longing in his eyes.

 Chapter 68: What?!

    Chapter 68: What?!


    I finally managed to track down Marcy by pretending to get lost on my way to visit Mari about a weekter, ending up in the servants'' quarters. I didn''t look like a princess in my baby blue sweater and white skirt embroidered with a simple flower on the hem and my hair down but by this point people knew my face.


    "Princess Catherine, what are you doing here?" A kitchen worker I vaguely recognized dared to ask while giving me a deep curtsy.


    I pretended to act sheepish. "I got lost. I''m afraid I''m still getting used to the pce since I spent most of my time in the same general area."


    "I''ll escort her back," Marcy said firmly, appearing behind me. What luck! Just who I wanted to see.


    "Thanks, Marcy!" I said cheerfully.


    We rounded the corner before I pulled her into what appeared to be an empty storage closet of some sort while no one was looking and walked her to the very back where no one could hear us through the door even if they tried.


    She didn''t seem surprised and ran a hand through her auburn locks ruefully. "I wondered when you would try toe and find me. You''re sharp as a tack."


    "Then you know why I''m here. How do you know about the spywork inside the castle?"


    Marcy sighed. "I know about it because I''m a part of it. My cousin Luke is one of the royal guards and is a core member of thework the second prince formed tobat his brother''s. Based on the document you showed me, I assume you are too?"


    I nodded despite my confusion. In the novel Sir Luken Marino joined up because of Marcy, not the other way around. So many things in this world didn''t add up with the novel! At least I was finally getting some answers.


    She continued her exnation. "Life is going to get a lot worse for most of this kingdom''s subjects if the crown prince takes the throne. Prince Franz brought me into the pce because Luke rmended me under the pretense of doing it for the second princess because she likes my pastries. My parents are merchants that work with Baron du Batts so I''ve always been well educated on matters that affect both lower nobles andmoners alike."


    No wonder she was able toe up with the representation n originally! Her rm when I presented her own n to her suddenly made a lot more sense. She was already an informant and worried about the other side overhearing.


    But wait a minute...how did this tie into the original story?


    Marcy smiled at me angelically, not noticing my confusion. "You''ve been a greater help than you realize. I had hoped to meet Prince Alpheus in order to get him on the second prince''s side when I came here. Even though he doesn''t have much power it would be better than if he stayed neutral or, heaven forbid, sided with the crown prince. I never would have imagined that you would do my job for me!"


    What.


    "I mean, two potential allies walking into the kitchen specifically looking for me? I was so thrilled I could hardly contain myself!" she gushed. Her entire countenance overflowed with excitement. "I thought I would have to win you over somehow and was still trying to think of a way to bring it up when Luke told me he saw you hanging around with Princess Mari as she worked. Weren''t you the one who suggested Prince Franz utilize his wife''s talents in the first ce? You''re amazing! The work has be so much more efficient since she joined us! I think we have a real chance now!"


    WHAT?!


    I blinked in shock, trying to process what I was hearing. Marcy came to the pce with the intention to spy on the crown prince. She said she wanted to approach Al in order to get him involved in the family politics he tried so hard to stay out of but I did it first...did this mean she wasn''t sincere in the novel?!


    I had to reevaluate everything I thought I knew. Marcy ''bumped into'' Alpheus in the hallway. This was most likely deliberate.


    He sought her out in the kitchen because he was already crushing on her. She flirted and smiled and showed him how to have fun, which helped their rtionship develop...


    Those scenes were in Alpheus'' perspective so Marcy''s true intentions were never revealed to the reader. Poor Al!


    "Yeah, I think we do too. Nice to know we''re on the same side. Let me know if you need anything," I said robotically.


    I needed to get out of there. It was bing hard to breathe with how fast my heart was racing.


    "Sure," she agreed happily, not sensing my inner turmoil.


    We parted ways after making sure no one saw us exiting the closet and I headed back towards my quarters in a daze. I still couldn''t believe my ears.


    Marcy married Alpheus in the end and they seemed truly happy...but was that the truth? Did she fall for him amidst the pretending or did she do it simply to show the lower sses that it could be done as a sign of solidarity for King Franz''s policies?


    They didn''t get married until after they won after all. So which was it?


    Even if she did fall in love with him in the end it didn''t change the fact that she used someone who genuinely cared for her. Al''s apathy and desire to leave made a lot more sense now. That was always what he wanted.


    Marcy changed his mind because she was the one person who was kind to him and he wanted to please her, just like he always went along with what I wanted to do. Oh, Al!


    The desperately lonely young man who craved positive attention like a drowning person craved air had never changed. In the novel he followed Marcy around like a lost puppy and did whatever she wanted because she showed him affection, even though it went against his wishes.


    In the current timeline I was the one who caught his attention and we already had amon goal. Why would he care about what was going on in thisplicated ce if he saw a chance to get what he actually wanted? There weren''t inconsistencies in his character; he had been apathetic all along!


    This posed a problem. How was I supposed to leave him with Marcy in good conscience if she didn''t actually care about him?


    Her goal had already been reached so she had no need to cultivate a rtionship. There were no guarantees she would take care of him for me.


    Even if she did...as someone who cared about Al, I was indignant on his behalf. He didn''t deserve someone like that! So much for soulmates.


    Al told me once that I was the only genuine person in his life. What a joke. I was no more genuine than Marcy. She wanted his political power and I had done nothing but y along until I could ditch him, fix the plot, and live my life in peace.


    I wanted to cry. Someone so sweet and desperate for love kept falling for people who didn''t cherish him properly.


    For the first time I realized how much I had wronged him. He called me his best friend but I was the worst kind of friend there was. Selfish. We were both so selfish.


    He brought me here to be his friend despite my wishes and I fulfilled that role to a T but nned to run off and leave him alone again to get what I wanted. Al and I were quite a pair, weren''t we?

 Chapter 69: Im a Bad Person

    Chapter 69: I''m a Bad Person


    I was so embroiled in my bitter, self-reflective thoughts as I walked that I didn''t notice the subject of said thoughts was standing a few feet in front of me until he spoke up.


    "Katie, I was wondering where you got off to! I think the snow has been cleared enough for us to go riding, do you want to go?"


    Al looked happy to see me and had a rxed smile on his face. The very sight of him brought me to tears. I lost control of my emotions andunched myself at him, dangling from his neck since this body was so tiny.


    "Al!" I drew out his name with a sob.


    He stiffened momentarily in surprise before tightening the hug so I didn''t fall. "What''s wrong? You''re acting like you thought I died or something."


    I couldn''t speak as the tears rolled down my face. My thoughts and feelings were all tangled up in knots.


    He deserved to be happy. He hadn''t done anything wrong but everyone treated him terribly! Including the people he loved the most.


    Why couldn''t anything be fair in this world? How was I supposed to fix the plot now and leave him with someone who had never loved him?


    "Come on," he said quietly. "Let''s go back to our room."


    He held my hand and led me as I furiously swiped at my waterfall of tears and snot with the other. My head was down so no one else would see. I didn''t want to embarrass him.


    Back in our room he wrapped me up in a nket like a sad little burrito and sat down on the couch, patting the seat next to him. "Can you tell me what happened?"


    I shook my head and let out a tiny ''no'' before joining him as the tears kepting. Al lifted the nket bundle that was me onto hisp and loosely held me in ce as I rested my head on his neck.


    "Cry it all out then. I''ve got you," he said softly.


    His kindness, which I did not deserve, made me cry even harder. I didn''t know what to think anymore so I selfishly let him hold me andfort me until I ran out of tears.


    "I''m a bad person," I whispered.


    "Who told you that?" Anger tinged his tone, like he was ready to pick a fight with anyone who insulted me. It made me feel worse.


    "Nobody. I just am."


    "Well that''s not true. You happen to be the kindest person I know." Yes, and that was the problem!


    "You''re surrounded by terrible people so anyone would seem kind byparison," Iughed bitterly. I should know; I was one of them.


    "Not for much longer though," he said optimistically while rubbing my back over the nket. "This time next year we''ll be out of here and away from the terrible people."


    Would we really? Could I get away with disrupting the plot by kidnapping the Prince Charming character just to protect his heart?


    Though I was thest person who had the right to even talk about protecting his heart. He had given it to me and I nned to throw it away because I didn''t want to stay in this fake marriage.


    Even if I did get him out of the country like he wanted, it was highly unlikely I would be able to shake him. Shibatsu wasn''t all thatrge and a blonde blue-eyed girl would stand out. If I took Al with me I would be stuck with him for the rest of my life.


    Would that be fair to either of us? I shouldn''t have to spend the rest of my life with someone I had been forced to marry who I saw as only a friend. At the same time, he deserved to be with someone who was just in love with him as he was with her.


    Our rtionship was unbnced. Neither of us would ever be truly happy together because we wanted something the other couldn''t provide.


    "Al...about that," I hedged. I wasn''t sure what to tell him.


    I didn''t want to get his hopes up but I couldn''t confess to my n either. Especially since I couldn''t exin that I had originally intended to hand him over to Marcy but changed my mind based on new information that didn''t match the book.


    "You''re going to keep your promise, right?" I asked quickly before biting my lip. I hoped he remembered which promise because I didn''t want to say the ''D'' word out loud right now.


    "What promioh. You mean letting you go live your life once we get out of here."


    I couldn''t bear to look him in the eye but his tone was sad enough to pierce my heart anyway, especially when he dropped his arms away from me.


    "Am I so horrible that you never want to see me again?"


    No! That wasn''t it at all! I would love to stay in contact with him if not for the fact that no decent sort of man would want a woman who was still close with her ex-husband. He would never be able to move on either if he saw me all the time.


    If anyone in this ridiculous novel world deserved happiness, it was Alpheus McLeod. I wanted him to be happy almost as much as I wanted to go back home.

 Chapter 70: Giving In

    Chapter 70: Giving In


    I sat up straight so I could look at Al''s face. Dejection was written all over it.


    "That''s not it. I think you deserve better."


    I really, truly did. Al deserved the best possible person for him and it wasn''t me.


    "Nobody in this world could be better for me than you," he said stubbornly as he stared back. I could practically see his resolve tangibly surround him like a wall.


    "Al"


    "I don''t expect you to love me; I just want to be near you. Can''t I do that?" he pleaded softly before sighing and rubbing his forehead.


    "This is why I didn''t want to tell you but you just had to trick it out of me. What was the point of that? Satisfying your own curiosity? Weren''t things fine the way they were?"


    Again, I had no exnation since I wanted to gauge where he was at to figure out what to do about Marcy. Since that was off the table, now what? I could admit where I went wrong.


    "I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have done that."


    "Well, I can''t regret itpletely," Al admitted, holding his hand to his head in a way that obscured his eyes. "You wouldn''t have kissed me otherwise."


    My cheeks med and I buried my face in my hands. Could we not have this conversation while I was sitting on hisp? Mentioning the kiss made me think about his lips and how close they were to mine right now.


    It would be too easy to kiss him again. What on earth was wrong with me? I was not that kind of girl, okay?!


    I tried scooting onto the other side of the couch but he stopped me by holding Burrito Katie tightly. My knees and elbows were bent underneath the nket so I was truly stuck.


    "What are you doing?"


    "Holding you hostage."


    "Why?" I asked nervously.


    "Because I want the truth about how you feel. I''ll let you go afterwards," Al said firmly.


    His expression was more somber than I had seen it in a very long time. Probably since before I came to the pce.


    My heart stuttered. How did I feel? What did I want from Al? What did I want, period?


    This novel was a mess and I didn''t know if I even had the heart to fix it anymore. So if I disregarded the fact that I was in a novel that should follow the plot, what did I want to do?


    The sparkle of my wedding ring under themplight caught my attention. It was a sapphire surrounded by a halo of flower-shaped diamonds that had been part of the royal treasury for generations. We were married. I was allowed to kiss him if I wanted to.


    My problem was a moral oneis it really okay to kiss somebody you don''t have feelings for? Or should it be used as a way to try and grow feelings? Could I abandon my principles and make the best of it like Mari?


    I probably wouldn''t find anyone else who felt like a normal person in this world. I knew Al and liked him as a person. He understood me better than just about anyone. I had fun with him. And I wanted him to be happywhat would make him happier than sticking to the original n of escaping this ce and living simple lives together?


    Was I crazy? I was actually considering staying married to him even though I was absolutely against arranged marriage!


    "It''splicated," I saidmely.


    "What''splicated? Either you like me or you don''t."


    "Of course I like you! Out of everybody here, you''re my favorite! But that''s as a person, not"


    "Not as a man," Al stated bluntly. He ran a hand through his hair, a bit desperate.


    "Is there anything I can do to change that? I did want to woo you properly you know, but I was so afraid you would be snatched away that I had to act fast. I thought I could do it subtly over time but that''s out of the question now since you know I don''t want to be just a friend."


    So he had nned this from the beginning. Marrying me quickly before someone else could and getting me to fall in love with himter once I was stuck. How maniptive.


    I wanted to be mad but couldn''t muster the energy for it. I quit. It was easier to give into the madness.


    I may as well try out being husband and wife to see if I could handle it long term. I was tired of fighting against what was probably inevitable all long.


    Maybe somewhere the author of this novel wasughing at me. I tried so hard to make things follow her n but in the end I became the main character and got the prince''s heart. What would it hurt if I tried to give him mine?


    "Just kiss me," I blurted before squeezing my eyes shut. Toote for regrets now. It was out.


    Al gaped at me in utter shock. He couldn''t even form a coherent sentence and stuttered out random words like ''you'' and ''what'' for a while before giving up. It was kind of cute seeing him so flustered.


    I gathered my courage and spoke as nonchntly as possible.


    "I do fully expect you to woo me. I''m a romantic at heart and am not happy I got tricked into this marriage but since I''m here I may as well give you a chance. Last time wasn''t terrible so it''s probably a good starting point."


    How I said all of that with a straight face, I''d never know. I wanted to bury my head in a hole like an ostrich and nevere out. The absolute wonder shining on Al''s face was the only thing that prevented me from running away screaming in mortification.


    It was the happiest I had ever seen him and my heart warmed a bit at the sight. He really loved me. How crazy.


    As promised, Al released me and I took the nket off. It wouldn''t do to kiss someone while in a cocoon.


    I imagine I didn''t look very good in that moment between my messy hair, puffy eyes, and wrinkled outfit but none of that seemed to matter because he gazed at me with an impossibly soft look in his eyes. I practically squeaked in embarrassment but that didn''t stop him from moving closer and rubbing a loose curl between his fingers.


    He sighed happily. "I''m not dreaming, right?"


    "Would you like me to pinch you?"


    "I''ll pass." Al suddenly reached forward and pulled me back into hisp like I weighed nothing before kissing me fervently.


    I officially abandoned the plot of the novel in favor of living my life the way I wanted it. Right now I had no greater priority than enjoying being kissed by my husband. Little did I know, my choice would cause a much greater shift to the story and this world than I ever could have anticipated.

 Chapter 71: He Did Nothing

    Chapter 71: He Did Nothing


    Three months passed as I tried to get used to my decision to make my marriage work. With all the nobles back at their estates, things were quiet on the political front.


    Mari spent her days as usual at first but once her belly began to show Franz insisted she remain secluded. It was insane that no one had figured it out yet but I was willing to bet Sigmund was getting suspicious after she didn''t show her face at any meals for over a week.


    Once I decided not to y matchmaker for my husband with Marcy, there wasn''t really a point in orchestrating meetings between them. Our trips to the kitchen for food became slightly less frequent but I couldn''t stop thempletely for no reason. Both Al and Marcy would be confused and besides, it was a way to kill time.


    I had to hand it to her, she was a phenomenal actress. If our conversation in the storage closet never happened I would still believe in her sincere desire to be our friend. As it was I couldn''t tell what was real or fake.


    Did she actually like us or only showed her friendly side because we were working toward amon goal? I was d Al hadn''t fallen for her tricks this time.


    That being said...things with Al were a bit hard to describe. Our habit of keeping busy didn''t change much. We went out in the snow, yed cards, read books, and rode horses in our usual war against boredom.


    However, it was very obvious that he was courting me because he regrly gave me gifts,pliments, and physical affection.


    I took an online lovenguages quiz a few years ago when I had nothing better to do and discovered that my primary lovenguage was acts of service. After a few weeks of ''dating'' Al it was obvious that his was physical touch.


    If we were reading, he would sit close with an arm slung around my shoulders. When we went riding he insisted on helping me on and off Rapunzel personally rather than let the stable hands do it. He frequently yed with my hair or touched my arm casually when we sat around talking.


    I couldn''t help but wonder if he was touch-starved from all his years alone. Sometimes when I saw his blissful expression simply from me mussing his hair to tease him I wanted to go punch every member of his family in the face for not showing him any love growing up.


    I wasn''t in love with my husband but I couldn''t deny that I was protective of him. Or that I rather enjoyed kissing him.


    Though both of us were novices in the beginning it got better with practice. I put my foot down about anything beyond that though, not wanting to end up like Mari. If we were going to start a family someday it would NOT be under threat.


    That had been an awkward conversationto the point that we couldn''t look each other in the eye for the rest of the daybut I had to do it.


    Back home, having a family was a mystical, far-off concept since I was so single I didn''t even have a crush on anyone.


    I always thought I''d settle down and be a mom around thirty. I may be mentally twenty-four now but this body was seventeen. Kids were out of the question.


    Even if they weren''t...My mom came from a home with an abusive father. She told us that when we chose a partner to spend our lives with, we needed to think about the kind of parent they would be. Al had a kind heart but no sense of responsibility. What kind of dad would that make him?


    "What are you thinking about?" Al''s voice sounded in my ear as he hugged me from behind.


    I nearly jumped out of my skin and iled my arms at him angrily as I broke free. "Don''t scare me like that!"


    It''s very disconcerting when someone you''re thinking weird thoughts about sneaks up on you. My heart raced as I observed his gray eyes overflowing with mirth.


    He was wearing his favorite ck sweater that used to be mine and his shaggy hair could use a trim. His genes mixed with Catherine du Pont''s would produce beautiful babies.


    "Sorry, I didn''t realize you were so lost in thought," he said sweetly before leaning over to kiss my cheek. My face was red before but now it waspletely ame.


    "I was thinking about visiting Mari," I said quickly. "She''s probably even more bored than we are since she''s stuck in her room."


    This wasn''t entirely trueMari''s situation was but one stop on the train of thought he derailed. But I would rather die than tell him what I was actually thinking about when he startled me.


    We may have been married but we were also in the ''testing the rtionship to see if it worked'' stage so bringing up a future would only get his hopes up. I was taking it one day at a time.


    Al frowned. "I don''t know what they intend to do. Feigning an illness only works for so long. They''ll have to announce the pregnancy any day now."


    It was too bad ultrasounds didn''t exist here. If Mari was having a girl she wouldn''t be a threat since only males could inherit the throne.


    She would be able to get Sigmund off her case earlier. But if she was having a boy that would cause further problems before he was even born. Maybe it was for the best.


    "But then Mari will be in danger until the baby is born! And afterwards, if it''s a son..." I trailed off.


    What kind of monster would hurt his own nephew? Then again, Sigmund had no attachments to anything but power. I wouldn''t put it past him.


    "Franz is crafty, he won''t let anything happen to his family," Al said bitterly. "That child might be his ticket to the throne."


    What a horrible thing to say. As if Franz wouldn''t protect his wife and child out of love. I saw how much he cared for Mariof course he would cherish their child just as much.


    Although...he hadn''t done anything over the years to help his little brother.


    Al''s belief that he only cared about people who were of value to him wasn''tpletely unwarranted. Was it because he was technicallypetition? But Al never wanted the throne! He just wanted people to like him for who he was instead of for his title.


    "Al, what exactly did he do to you to make you feel that way?"


    He sighed and closed his eyes. "Nothing. He did nothing as Sigmund tormented me, Mother berated me, and Father ignored me. I cannot forgive him for standing by and watching. To me, he is nearly as bad as Sigmund. That''s why I don''t care who bes king."


    I still hadn''t figured out why everyone treated Al so poorly. It was almost as if he weren''t actually a part of his family.


    He certainly didn''t look like anyone, with their warmer skin and hair tones. But if he were an illegitimate child, wouldn''t the novel have said something about it?

 Chapter 72: Babies

    Chapter 72: Babies


    For the longest time I mentally chastised Al for not wanting to involve himself in his family''s problems for the sake of the plot. Now I felt guilty about my double standards. If he were anyone else, I would have agreed that he should cut ties with them and live his own life happily.


    Since disregarding the plot and trying to think of this as just another ce Inded in that was not a novel and had no set future, I went back and forth about whether it would be in our best interests to stay or go.


    There was still treason to contend with. Maybe Franz would just let us leave once he became king and we wouldn''t have to worry about it.


    I wrapped my arms around him.


    "I''m sorry you had to deal with all that. I don''t support his inaction but I do believe he''ll treat the people of this kingdom better than Sigmund will and that''s why I''m on his side. We won''t have to worry about any of this once the spring court session is over."


    He returned my hug tightly and buried his face in my hair. "I hope this all blows over by then, for your sake. I imagine you don''t want to leave any loose ends."


    "I do wish we could see Mari''s baby be born though," I said wistfully.


    It would be fun to be an aunt. Since Abby was worlds away and Adele was too young, this might be my only chance.


    "Why would you want that?" he asked in confusion while stepping back to better gauge my reaction.


    This didn''t surprise me much. Extended family being close to you was a foreign concept here. I didn''t even meet any of the du Ponts'' rtives until my debut and even then they were politely distant like any other member of the nobility.


    My mother was an only child and all of my dad''s siblings lived out of state for most of my life so I only saw them a few times a year but our family reunions were always happy asions.


    "I''ve always wanted to y with a little niece or nephew," I said simply.


    Al shook his head indulgently. "You and your strange ideas again. That isn''t how things work here. If you want to y with a baby so badly we could always"


    I covered his mouth with my hand while looking away so he wouldn''t see my mortification. Was he a mind reader or something? How had wee back to this topic when I purposely tried to avoid it?!


    "Quit while you''re ahead, buster."


    He peeled my hand off. "I was going to say we could go down to the city and visit the orphanage before we leave. What were you thinking of?"


    My face heated even further. So I was the one with my mind in the gutter. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing."


    "Right," he said sarcastically. He totally knew what I thought and was messing with me on purpose!


    I red at him. "Sometimes I think you like to see me panic."


    "What can I say? You''re extra adorable when you''re flustered. Usually you''re so unppable."


    He looked so mischievous in that moment that I punched his shoulder. "Don''t do that."


    "Whatever you say, my queen."


    "I told you to stop calling me queen."


    I know the guy didn''t like his mother but did he have to speak so lightly of treason? If anyone else ever heard him say that he would be in big trouble and so would I by association.


    Al was third in line for the throne. I would certainly never be queen even if we didn''t n on escaping this treacherous ce. Besides, the king was still alive so speaking of such things was forbidden.


    I spread out on the couch so he couldn''t sit next to me, still a bit miffed that he wouldn''t stop teasing me.


    Al was the most troublesome guy I had met since the 3rd grade when Billy Hargrove wouldn''t stop pulling my hair sitting behind me in ss. Sometimes I questioned my sanity in choosing to stay with him.


    He noticed my defensive posture immediately. "Come on, Katie, don''t be like that!" he coaxed.


    "Like what?" I asked crossly, refusing to look at him.


    "I''m sorry for teasing you. Believe me, I know better than you do why now isn''t a good time for that. We can have as many babies as you want once we get to Shibatsu."


    Who said anything about wanting babies! I was way too young for that. I just wanted to be the fun aunt I wouldn''t get to be for Abby''s kids! He didn''t understand because I couldn''t exin that to him but I was still annoyed.


    I stood abruptly and tossed "I''m going to see Mari" over my shoulder before striding out of the room. I needed time to cool my head.

 Chapter 73: Girl Talk

    Chapter 73: Girl Talk


    Franz hadrgely moved his base of operations into their shared bedroom so he could watch over his wife but once he saw that I was in a bad mood he kissed her briefly and headed back to his office, leaving us alone to talk.


    "What did Alpheus do this time?" she asked with a lightugh.


    She knew me too well. He was the only person in this ce that could really get a rise out of me.


    "He won''t stop teasing me about having children," Iined. "He knows I''m not ready for that but keeps giving me a hard time."


    Mari didn''t understand where I wasing from. Her world had always been about getting married as a political tool. Children were an incidental but natural part of that.


    If her baby wasn''t under threat, she would have been proud to bear offspring. As it was, her worry couldn''t hide her maternal glow. It was obvious she loved the baby already.


    I did my best to exin that things didn''t work that way in my homnd without mentioning medical tech like birth control that she wouldn''t understand.


    I could tell she was trying to be supportive even though she didn''t get why it was such a touchy topic for me. She had been thrilled when I epted Al''s position as my husband but couldn''tprehend my thought process about it.


    Even if the pregnancy thing wasn''t an issue, I needed to go through the stages of dating first for the sake of my own sanity. I didn''t have exact terms to exin my situation but it was basically like I was trying him out as a boyfriend to see if I could develop feelings for him.


    A heart could be stubborn. Since I hadn''t liked Al first and had friendzoned him for so long it was as if there was a dam holding back any potential romantic feelings.


    Our rtionship right now was kind of like a subdued version of friends with benefits. Not that Mari or anyone in this world would know what that meant. Trying to exin my muddled feelings was exhausting.


    "Katieyou think about things differently because of your home country. For Alpheus, talking about these things as a married couple is perfectly normal."


    "I know," I said sourly.


    I just wanted toin, okay? Was that not allowed anymore? Girl talk back home always involved ranting about something or other.


    It was time to change the subject. I wasn''t going to get anything else helpful out of her. I pulled my legs up onto the bed to sit cross legged and leaned forward expectantly.


    "So, have you thought of any baby names yet?"


    Her eyes lit up at the mention of the baby and she rubbed her stomach lovingly. "Yes, Franz and I have talked about it. We are considering Rnd Augustine for a boy and Diana Estelle for a girl."


    I would never in my entire life name a child Rnd but names were a bit different here. For the most part, they either seemed super outdated, like something a great-grandparent would be named, orpletely made up. I sincerely hoped I would be able to give my children normal American names.


    "Those sound nice," I said supportively. I was sure they were perfectly lovely names in Annias or Shibatsu.


    I had never given much thought to the names I would give my future children. My parents had been fairly traditional themselves, naming their daughters such outdated names as Katrina and Abigail but they always called us by nicknames so it didn''t matter much.


    It could be a bit annoying dealing with the legalities of it though. I forever had to exin to people at the doctor''s office, at new jobs, or during the roll call at school that my name was Katie. Katrina felt weird because I literally never used it.


    For the longest time, I didn''t even know it was my name.


    My mom liked to tell the story of how when I was about three I was ying in my cousin''s bedroom by myself and my aunt, who had only met me as an infant previously, called me to lunch using the name Katrina.


    I didn''t know it was my name so I didn''t respond and kept ying. She found me twenty minutester, hungry and wandering out to the kitchen for a snack. She felt terrible about it but my mom thought it was hrious.


    Flower names like Lily and Violet always seemed pretty. Maybe I could run that by Al someday. Far, far into the future. As for boy namesI had nothing.


    A knock sounded on the door and a maid stepped inside to announce a visitor. "Crown Princess Rosenia hase to visit you in your illness, Your Highness."


    Mari and I exchanged worried looks. Rosenia had to know I was in here; turning her away would be incredibly rude. But why was she here in the first ce? She and Mari were barely civil!


    Sigmund must have sent her. This could end very badly.

 Chapter 74: See-Through

    Chapter 74: See-Through


    I hurriedly whispered for Mari to lie on her side as I grabbed another nket and a few pillows to pad her and hide her growing belly. That should be sufficient cover if Rosenia didn''t stay long.


    "Let her in, Patrice," Mari said softly.


    I hopped off the bed and stood tall for decorum''s sake, even if I was wearing one of myfy sweater outfits.


    Rosenia glided into the room without sparing the maid a nce. "Dear Mari, you''ve been ill so long. The queen and I are worried about you."


    "It ismon to be ill this time of year but thank you for your concern."


    Mari''sposure never wavered as she spoke though she was lying in a rather undignified position. I admired her for that. If it were me, I would have been sweating bullets.


    "What is it that afflicts you so? You have been bedridden for over a month and hardly attended any tea parties long before that." Rosenia was definitely here snooping for information.


    "Don''t you know it''s rude to ask people about their health problems?" I demanded, my royal manners deserting me. My natural speaking patterns tended to manifest themselves more when I was nervous.


    I was terrified for Mari''s baby. Rosenia was one of thest people they wanted to find out. She would tell Sigmund immediately and the plotting against the unborn child would begin.


    Rosenia''s benign expression turned disdainful and she curled her lip at me.


    "Who are you to question me? Your lower birth is evident in your harsh way of speaking. As is the way you dress. You are unworthy of your title."


    Did she really think that would get to me? I knew better than anyone that I was unworthy of my title. Her words bounced right off me leaving no impact.


    "I am merely looking out for one of my own," I drawled.


    Her beautiful eyes narrowed into slits. "You consider the second princess one of your people?"


    "Why not? She''s my friend. We less important princesses ought to stick together."


    I could tell Mari was trying very hard not tough at Rosenia''s increasing ire. Good. I was happy to amuse her.


    Staying in bed all day must be dreadfully boring. Franz was with her most of the time but he didn''t strike me as the most humorous fellow.


    Rosenia was so obviously insulted that she couldn''t even think of a retort. We had a bit of a standoff for a couple of awkward minutes.


    The three of us were quite a sight: Mari under a mountain of nkets, Rosenia dressed to the nines and trying (but failing) to maintain herposure and me in my casual outfit and ponytail.


    "I only wished to inquire about your condition, Mari. It seems your guard dog won''t even let me do that," she sniffed haughtily. Guard dog was a title I would happily ept if it got her to go away.


    "Please forgive Katie, she is trying to look out for me in her own way," Mari said soothingly to cate her. "Your concern is much appreciated. You can tell the queen that she does not need to worry; the doctor has been checking in on my condition frequently and I am expected to recover."


    This appeased her slightly though I could tell she was still pissed. She smoothed out her skirts and drew herself up to her full height.


    "That is good to know; I am sure Mother will be pleased to have you rejoin us for tea soon."


    It was a mercy when the woman finally left.


    Mari groaned as she sat up with pillows propped behind her. Being on her side so long was terribly ufortable. She had to shift positions frequently because her belly was starting to seriously get in the way.


    "Thank you for covering for me back there. I''m afraid I won''t be able to pull off the charade much longer," she said with a heavy sigh. "I wish I were at home for the duration of my pregnancyI wouldn''t have to worry about any of this conflict."


    I supposed the Shibatsu royal family wasn''t anything like this one since the king had many children that all grew up to be healthy adults. Goodness knows this sort of thing wasn''t a problem in my world. Babies didn''t cause nearly this much controversy among extended families.


    My heart went out to Mari. This was supposed to be a happy, exciting time in her life.


    She should have been like my coworkers who were free to post pictures of their baby bumps, ultrasounds, and gender reveals. Instead she had to hide her good news in fear of both of their lives.


    "Any time. She''s so see-through; it waspletely obvious she was here to spy on you for the crown prince," I scoffed.


    Worry creased her brow.


    "Yes, but she maye againI am unsure how much longer we will be able to hide this from the court. I imagine after a few more weeks the queen will insist on bringing in a specialist to assess my situation. It may be time to simply announce it on our own rather than deal with all of that additional hassle."


    She went silent for a while after that. I tried my best to distract her with lighthearted topics until Franz came back to relieve me of my post. I headed back to my chambers in poor spirits.


    Whoever thought being a princess would be fun was dead wrong. Being a princess could be terrifying. The sooner Al and I got out of here the better.

 Chapter 75: The Most Romantic Thing Youve Ever Said To Me

    Chapter 75: The Most Romantic Thing You''ve Ever Said To Me


    Left with no other choice, Franz and Mari spilled the beans a weekter. She needed the excuse to stay in her chambers. Apparently here, like in 1800s Ennd, it was normal to stay in bed for the entire duration of a pregnancy.


    I couldn''t even imagine that. I had coworkers who kept teaching right up until their water broke.


    One particrly eventful school year a teacher started going intobor right there in the staffroom. Her husband was called immediately and the vice principal was given the honor of driving her to the hospital.


    I felt bad for the substitute they called in who had to exin to all those little first graders what happened to their teacher. That must have been super awkward.


    Franz left Sir Marino guarding Mari''s door when he made the pregnancy announcement at dinner. I nearly jumped out of my skin from the deadly aura Sigmund gave off under a thin veneer of false politeness.


    Rosenia seemed miffed that she hadn''t realized it when she came to visit but other than that I couldn''t sense much hostility from her. The king and queen exchanged nervous nces but that was the extent of it before they offered congrattions.


    Al was as nonchnt as usual when it came to matters involving his family. He didn''t really care what happened to any of them. I couldn''t me him but it was still sad.


    The entire atmosphere was so awkward that I took it upon myself to be the one to break the silence after the bomb was dropped. "Congrattions, Franz. I wish peace and good health to your first child."


    "Thank you, Katie," he said with a hint of relief showing through his stoic expression.


    I stomped on Al''s foot under the table so he would say something. He caught my drift and coughed before speaking. "Yes, many blessings on your child."


    The queen finally spoke up though her words belied her true thoughts. "This child will be a blessing to the kingdom of Annias. Please pass my congrattions onto Mari."


    "Weing the next generation is something worth celebrating," the king said gruffly. "When is the child expected to be born?"


    "Early summer," Franz said a bit stiffly. He was probably nervous that he would be asked why he had held off the announcement so long.


    Rosenia smiled sweetly though I knew there was venom in that smile. She was preparing to put on a show.


    "Dear me, that means she must be halfway through her pregnancy. We could have celebrated the news so much sooner. Isn''t that right, Father?"


    The king scowled. "Indeed. The announcement should not havee thiste."


    "Forgive me, Father, Mari and I wanted to be sure the baby was stable first so we would not disappoint any of you were it to be a false rm."


    It was a decent excuse. They might actually buy it. I watched the king''s expressions closely as he thought it over though I pretended to be interested in my soup. It looked like he couldn''t publicly fault his son no matter what he personally thought on the matter.


    The king harrumphed and thoughtfully sipped his soup before answering. "Very astute of you. No matter. Sigmund, Alpheus, when do you n on joining your brother in continuing the bloodline?"


    Al seemed startled at being addressed. It wasn''t something that happened often. The king most likely only did it to hide the fact that he wanted Sigmund to have an heir first.


    "The time wille soon, Father," Sigmund said soothingly. "It is my responsibility as the crown prince."


    He said this with a snide nce at Franz. He definitely believed that his position was being threatened. Oh boy. Interfamilial conflicts in this pce were about to get much worse.


    I didn''t expect my husband to speak up at all but Al surprised me by casually remarking, "Sigmund and Franz have greater obligation than I at this time. They have been married longer and are older than I am."


    It seemed harmless on the surface but Sigmund would definitely see it as a dig at him personally. After all, he was the oldest and had been married twice as long as Franz had.


    Was Al ying with fire on purpose? That wasn''t like him.


    I couldn''t tell if that barb was meant to support Franz or was simply because he hated Sigmund. My money was on thetter but the crown prince wouldn''t necessarily see it that way.


    What was Al doing? Hadn''t he been the one who told me to keep my head down until we could get out of here in the spring?


    Being the forgotten prince sometimes had its benefits. No one replied to his questionablement and the rest of the meal continued in silence.


    "Want to tell me what that was about earlier?" I asked once we made it back to our room and I was busy changing out of my stiff princess dress into something morefortable "I mean, he totally deserved it but"


    Al sighed. "I''m sorry, I shouldn''t have let them get to me. I was feeling petty and wanted to rub salt in his wound."


    So I was right. Still, it was a reckless thing to do.


    "Al, do you really need Sigmund to hate you anymore than he already does?"


    "What can he do to me that he hasn''t already?" he asked with a shrug.


    I could think of a lot of thingsI had read way too many books with both fictional and historical ounts of royal family conflict ending in death. My imagination may have run a bit wild and I panicked, running out to hug him only partially dressed.


    "He could kill you!"


    Al turned redder than a tomato as he felt the mostly bare skin of my back from catching me as Iunched myself at him. I was only wearing a half corset and a skirt. "Actually, I think you''re more likely to kill me right now than he is."


    "Huh?"


    I realized what I had done and squeaked in mortification before sprinting back behind the screen. "Sorry!"


    "Do you want to beat Sigmund out for an heir so badly?" he teased.


    Now my face was the one that was red. "Shut up! I wasn''t thinking clearly for a second because I didn''t want you to die."


    "That may be the most romantic thing you''ve ever said to me."


    I was about ready to tear my hair out. Why did he have to tease me like this?! My virgin heart was not equipped to handle these kinds of taunts.


    "I take it back. You can go ahead and die now."


    I heard him trying really hard not to crack up. Jerk.


    "You wound me, my love," he said as seriously as he could after getting a hold of himself. Wait, I was wrong. He started cackling again.


    "You''re the worst!" I yelled, emerging fully-dressed from behind the screen to push him onto the couch, where he continuedughing. "Why do I even like you?"


    "Probably because I''m so handsome."


    I threw a pillow at him and huffed. He popped up from behind it a momentter, grinning. He really was handsome. A handsome idiot.

 Chapter 76: More Cautious

    Chapter 76: More Cautious


    After Franz announced Mari''s pregnancy the entire pce was in an uproar for over a week. Suddenly the rtively forgotten second princess was the most talked about person in the capital. News spread like wildfire throughout the town.


    Al and I found that out while escaping the pce one day for some peace and quiet. No matter how hard we tried, it seemed that we couldn''t escape our problems. Whispers about the line of session followed us wherever we went.


    Eventually we were so sick of listening to other people that we headed to thepletely empty beach and sat on that rock where we met by chance the day he proposed to me.


    "How does Mari stand it?" I asked.


    The poor thing knew she was the subject of much gossip but she was still stuck in her room. Franz never left her side and had guards he trusted personally inspect all of her meals for poison before she consumed them.


    Al stared out at the sea glumly. "She''s a princess. She''s used to this sort of thing."


    I gathered from his tone that he, as the unwanted third prince, was used to this sort of thing too. Had anyone ever tried to kill Al? I didn''t have the courage to ask.


    I was technically a princess too but I would never be used to this sort of barbarism. I hadn''t been born into the world of royalty and backstabbing though. This was still new to me. Even so, this didn''t seem like the sort of thing a person could get used to.


    The ocean was a greenish gray today. It seemed colder and more mysterious than usual, matching the dark mood that had befallen us. What would we find across that sea when the time came for us to escape?


    The closer the time came the more worried I was about logistics. Would we really be able to get away with it? What would we do when we got there? It probably wouldn''t be easy building a life from scratch in a new country.


    "Do you really think we''ll be able to afford enough books to start a library when we get to Shibatsu?"


    Al turned toward me, the ghost of a smile on his face. "In case you haven''t forgotten, your husband is filthy rich. We could survive for years asmoners with a single month''s worth of my allowance."


    I hadn''t, but Al didn''t have ess to that money personally most of the time. He had to go through a steward in charge of his expenses if he wanted to purchase something outside of the pce.


    Seeing my hesitation, he was quick to reassure me. "I''ve been cutting corners by buying cheaper things for us the past few months and having the steward give me the difference."


    I frowned. Wouldn''t that look highly suspicious if anyone talked to the steward?


    "What if somebody notices you doing that? They''ll get suspicious. The steward might talk; you never know who is on Sigmund''s side in the pce."


    He shrugged it off. "You really think someone is going to care enough about me of all people to tell? No one has ever cared what I''m up to before. It is how we''re able to get away with going out like this."


    He had a point but I couldn''t help but be paranoid. Who knew if we were being plotted against this very moment? If Sigmund suspected we (but mostly me) were on Franz''s side on the issue of session we would both be targets.


    He didn''t like his little brother anyway. Looking for an excuse to get rid of him wouldn''t take much prodding. Especially since Duke O was his right hand man and he particrly seemed to hate Al.


    "You need to be more careful," I scolded. I didn''t want him to get in trouble and drag me down with him.


    Al brightened slightly as he leaned over to kiss the top of my head. "You worry too much and I don''t worry enough. Weplement each other perfectly."


    I rolled my eyes. He was such a cheeseball.


    Sometimes I didn''t know how to handle the things he said. Over time he had gotten a lot better at making me blush because I couldn''t always dismiss such statements as ridiculous. It was part of his attempts to court me.


    I couldn''t deny that sometimes they got to me and touched my heart. But not right now when I was a bit cross with him.


    "Al, I''m serious. We need to be more cautious. I know you think we''re safe because all eyes are on Mari right now but that doesn''t mean we should getcent. We still have to survive here a while longer."


    He sighed and stretched out his legs in front of him on the rock. "I know we do. But there isn''t another way I can get money for us to leave so I''m doing my best here."


    I softened a little at his words. I really couldn''t fault him for trying even though his methods weren''t the wisest. All he wanted was for us to get out of here as quickly and efficiently as possible to live a better life.


    Al wouldn''t have to keep cheating the steward if there was another way for us to make money. What if I used my crocheting skills to set up a stall in town? The yarn''s expenses would being from the royal treasury and wouldn''t personally cost a cent.


    I knew how to make beanies and scarves. If I offered a discount because the cold season wasing to a close people might be more likely to buy them. But I would also be taking away from the livelihoods of people who needed the money more.


    Unlesswhat if I used our monthly budget to buy up all of the other hats and scarves so I had a monopoly? Everyone would get paid and I could potentially donate all the things I bought to the orphanage. This could work.


    I stood up and offered Al a hand. "Come on. I have an idea."


    "Where are we going?"


    "To the yarn shop. We''re going to ce a huge order to be sent to the pce. I know what''s going to keep us busy for the next month," I said mischievously.

 Chapter 77: A Mountain of Hats

    Chapter 77: A Mountain of Hats


    Al could not, for the life of him, follow my crochet instructions by hand. I wished I had a loom to teach him on; it would make my job a hundred times easier. Because there was no way I could aplish all of this by myself.


    Then it hit me. I may not have ess to the stic looms they sell in the craft aisle of chain stores but hadn''t the original looms been made out of wood?


    There was a small fleet of carpenters who worked in the castle. I found one of them and showed them a drawing of what I needed. It only took him two days to do it. He did such a good job that I had him make one for me as well.


    Just because I knew how to crochet with my fingers doesn''t mean it was the most effective way to do things. With a loom, I could make an adult sized hat in an hour.


    Al was a bit slower than me but we still spent most of our free time holed up in our quarters making hats so progress was steady. We soon had a small mountain of them in the corner of our bedroom. When our hands got too sore, we would revert to our usual activities like reading, cards, or horseback riding.


    I tried visiting Mari as much as I could to help her break up the monotony of being stuck in bed. I would crochet as I talked to her. Sometimes Al came with me but whenever he did he spent the entire time ring at his brother.


    It annoyed mehow childish could he get?but I didn''t confront him about it. Whatever made him feel better. As a person with a happy family growing up, I had no room to judge him.


    "Do you think we have enough yet?" Al asked one day over a month into our hat-making venture.


    He didn''t know how to make scarves so once he got faster at making hats I started focusing on those exclusively. Right now we had approximately 77 hats and 23 scarves. Surprisingly, scarves only took about an hour longer than hats to do.


    "We should have one hundred hats and fifty scarves," I said after eyeballing the piles.


    It would be easier to rent out a booth and try to sell everything in the span of a few days than it would be to keep a steady business running. We couldn''t get away with sneaking out all the time, especially once the nobles began arriving for the spring court session.


    We were running out of time.


    "Remind me how much you intend on selling these for."


    "Two coppers for the hats, three for the scarves," I said with a shrug.


    I had checked the average market prices from multiple clothing vendors. Hats normally cost about four copper pieces while scarves, which required more yarn, were about six. If I sold them for half the usual price they would likely sell like wildfire.


    In this world, twenty copper pieces equals one silver piece and ten silver pieces equals a gold piece. I did the math on a bit of spare parchment; if we managed to sell everything we would earn one gold piece, seven silver pieces, and ten copper pieces all together.


    That didn''t sound like much, but for reference, an average peasant family in Annias lived off of about eight silver pieces a year. They were simple people whoboredrgely in exchange for their living quarters andnd to grow their own crops as well.


    Most of their money went towards raw materials they couldn''t create themselves to make their own household goods. They often performed backbreaking work for the nobility and barely made enough to get by.


    They were too overworked to riot now but if Sigmund chipped away at their rights even furtherthe nation would be thrown into a state of chaos. They needed representatives in the court to negotiate for a better way to provide for themselves.


    Al sighed. "My n makes money much faster. And doesn''t make our hands sore."


    He had lessened his coin snitching after I nagged him too often but didn''t stoppletely. It was apromise we reached. If he was going to keep doing it the least he could do was make it less obvious.


    "At least this gives us something to do. Would you really rather have yed another thousand games of Go Fish?"


    I had yed so many games of cards since moving into this pce that I would be happy if I never saw a deck of cards again. Unfortunately, Al loved them and it wasn''t like there was much else to do.


    It was times like this that I really missed TV. I could have binged every single show on Netflix in the time I''vezed about the pce. If this world had technology, I was willing to bet Al would have be one of those people who literally never gets up from the couch because they''re always watching something.


    I put the scarf I was working on and stretched. This was tiring, time consuming work. I could practically feel my brain screaming for something more stimting. Where was a good Sudoku puzzle or crossword when you needed one?


    ActuallyI could probably make a Sudoku puzzle of my own. All I would have to do is draw the boxes. I would have to remember that forter. We could spend hours on that too once all these hats were done.


    Realizing there were things from home that could trante over here was always a happy urrence. I was so desperate for my world that I would take anything I could get.


    I had been working sprawled out on one couch while Al was on another. I crossed over to where he was and parked myself on hisp. He looked up at me in surprise; this wasn''t something I did often.


    "What are you doing?"


    "I need a break. Entertain me."


    I kissed the corner of his lips so he got my meaning. Mindlessly making out for a while would be better than mindlessly crocheting. He had gotten to be a pretty good kisser.


    A certain gleam appeared in his eyes and he abandoned his loom to grant my request immediately. Ah, it could be nice to have a husband.

 Chapter 78: Kanta Blood

    Chapter 78: Kanta Blood


    By the time all the hats and scarves were finished, the weather had improved considerably. Al and I headed out using clothes we had borrowed from the servants'' wing and set up shop in the part of town that held the public market.


    I had already enacted the first part of my n by having all of the other hats and scarves being sold bought up and delivered to the orphanage earlier in the week. We were the only ones selling and with our low prices they were clearing out pretty quickly.


    Al went off to find us some lunch while I held down the fort. I made three sales in the first five minutes he was gone. I knew this idea would work!


    "Miss, do you have hats in children''s sizes?" a female voice asked as I was finishing up with another customer.


    I bid the person I was helping a nice day after wrapping up their hats for them and turned to the next customer. My eyes nearly popped out of my head. The woman had ck hair and startlingly gray eyes. Just like Al. I had never seen anyone else with his coloring in this country.


    The majority of Annias'' citizens were blonde or had hair in varying shades of brown. And no one else had gray eyes.


    "I do," I said,ing back to my senses. "How many do you need?"


    "Three, miss. And two for adults."


    I hastily grabbed what she needed and epted her coins but I couldn''t let her go just yet. My curiosity was eating me alive. I had to know if this woman had some connection to Al.


    "You have the most beautiful gray eyes," Iplimented. "I thought my husband was the only one with that color."


    Surprise lit her face. "Your husband is from the Kanta region as well? I didn''t know of any other refugees in the capital."


    Refugees? Why did this ring a dim bell? I had definitely heard of the Kanta region but I didn''t know anything about their people.


    Ooh, where had I read about it? Was it in the earl''s library or aftering to the pce? This was going to bug me.


    "What does having gray eyes have to do with the Kanta region?"


    The woman seemed confused by my ignorance. "Wouldn''t your husband have told you? Those who hail from the Kanta mountains have always had gray eyes and ck hair. The original leader of our n three hundred years ago had ck hair and was blessed by the mountain spirits with gray eyes. All of his descendants have been as well."


    She lowered her voice into a conspiratorial whisper. "My mother married a shopkeeper from Annias after escaping the raids twenty-two years ago as a young widow with me in tow. All of my younger half-siblings have the Kanta look despite their father being blonde. My children are the same. Any child born with Kanta blood will look this way."


    Any child born with Kanta bloodAl looked nothing like any of the other members of his family, who all had the lighter hair and warmerplexionsmon in Annias. If what this woman said was true, there was no way he could be the son of the king and queen.


    So which one of them had cheated? I had never heard so much as a whisper in the pce of Al being illegitimate. That seemed like the sort of thing that couldn''t be hushed up so easily.


    The queen must have given birth to him herself; if they randomly brought in a child from the outside there would have been talk. Yet this woman said she had never heard of any other refugees in the capital. Where had Al''s true fathere from?


    I was still trying to figure all of this out when Al came back. The woman I was talking to saw him and a bright smile appeared on her face. "This must be your husband! It is so very nice to meet a fellow nsman. I am N."


    His brow furrowed in confusion and he mouthed "fellow nsman?" to me. All I could do was shrug, indicating he should go along with it for now. I would exinter. But yikeshow was I going to tell him his father wasn''t who he thought?


    "I''m Al."


    "My mother will be so excited to hear about you! She misses home terribly at times. How did you get out? You seem young; someone must have taken you. Where is your family?" N went on eagerly, grabbing Al''s hands.


    "Sorry, I have no idea what you''re talking about," he confessed.


    Her face fell. "Butyou''re Kanta. You have to be. Who are your parents? They might be friends of my mother''s."


    He pulled his hands away. "I can guarantee they''re not. My parents are from Annias. The Kanta n went extinct ages ago."


    N looked at him nkly for a moment, not believing what she was hearing. She tilted her head as she examined Al more closely. He seemed distinctly ufortable with the attention.


    I could practically hear him screaming "Katie, do something" but what was I supposed to do? I couldn''t convince N to change her mind. She seemed to be on the level but I would definitely have to look into this further when we got back to the castle.


    The Kanta raidsI know I read about them somewhere. There had to be more information I could gather that would help make sense of all this.


    "You must have been ced with a family in Annias for your own safety," N concluded. "My mother married a citizen of this country for the same reason. We had to blend in. The king couldn''t get away with destroying the families of his own people even if he did see us."


    Al froze in shock. He turned to be robotically. "What is she talking about?"


    "Um, she thinks you''re one of her people because of your eyes and hair. Apparently they''re unique to the Kanta n," I whispered back.


    "I can hear you. And I don''t think, I know," she sniffed, clearly offended. "No one else in this part of the world has thebination of ck hair and gray eyes. There are a few countries in the far north with ck hair but their eyes are different."


    A dozen emotions shed across Al''s face before his mouth settled into a hard line. I knew that face. That was his ''nothing anyone says is going to change my mind'' face. It made me nervous. What had he decided to do about this?


    "Katie, we''re leaving."


    "But we still have a third of these left to sell!" I protested.


    "Then I''m leaving without you," he said resolutely and turned on his heel to go without another word to either of us.


    I wanted to go after him but someone needed to stay behind and finish this. We could talk about all of thister once I got home. He needed some time to cool off and process what he had heard.


    I apologized profusely to N for his rudeness but she merely shook her head. "No, I understand. It must be upsetting finding out that you aren''t actually rted to your family. Especially since he appears to know about what happened to our homnd. It must be a lot to take in. Thank you for the hats."


    "Thanks for your business," I said faintly. She made it a few feet away before I called after her. I needed a way to contact her again, just in case. "Wait! Where can I find you if Al has more questions?"


    She smiled. "My family lives on the south side of town. We aren''t hard to find; ask any of the neighbors about the children with ck hair."


    N disappeared into the crowded market and I had to deal with a line of irate customers who were kept waiting while we had our little chat. Even though they were angry to be kept waiting, they stayed because of the low prices. Everyone wanted to stock up for next winter while they had the chance.


    I sold the rest of the goods in about two hours and headed back to the pce. The problem was that without Al to boost me up, I had no way to get over the wall myself. I would either have to wait for him to show up or find another way in.

 Chapter 79: Confrontation

    Chapter 79: Confrontation


    Al didn''t show after twenty minutes of waiting by the wall so I gave up on that idea and tried looking for the staff entrance. There had to be someone there who would recognize me and let me in.


    The risk with this idea was that I might run into one of Sigmund''s informants. I didn''t want him knowing I had left the castle. That could only result in trouble.


    Thankfully, luck was on my side today. I ran into Marcy as she was heading out to personally pick the best strawberries in the market to use in strawberry shortcake.


    "Katie! What are you doing over here?" she asked, bewildered.


    "I got locked out," I said sheepishly. "Think you can sneak me back in real quick?"


    "But what were you doing out in the first ce?"


    I couldn''t tell her the truth. She worked for Franz and he couldn''t know we were trying to escape. Not right now, anyway.


    "I was out for a bit of fresh air," I lied easily. "I hate being stuck in the pce. I''m used to having freedom to roam in the earldom."


    Marcy bought my excuse, making a thoughtful expression. "I can see how it would be a difficult adjustment. Still, this was dangerous. At the very least you should be taking Prince Alpheus with you."


    I couldn''t exactly tell her that he ditched me, either. It was too embarrassing. For someone who imed to love me, he had forgotten me far too easily. He would have to pay for thister.


    I pretended to take her words under advisement and let her lead me back into the castle. Once inside, I made it back to my chambers painlessly enough. I was used to sneaking around undetected in this ce.


    "Alpheus McLeod, you are in a world of trouble," I growled when I opened the door and found him sitting near the fire in a daze.


    He looked up at me miserably, not registering the annoyance on my face. "Is that even my name?"


    All of the fight drained out of me. I sat down and hugged his arm in an attempt tofort him. N was right. He was upset because he believed her.


    Al sighed wearily and stared into the mes.


    "Of course I''d heard of the Kanta region. The previous king started encroaching on their territory because of the rich mineral deposits hidden in the mountains. They didn''t have a formal military or the power to fight back against a nation asrge as Annias.


    "My fatheror I suppose, the current kingcontinued the conflict, eventually putting out an extermination order to seize the mountains by force. Thousands were killed. What few survivors remained fled, primarily to neighboring countries. I learned about all of this in my history lessons growing up. But I neverI didn''t know what they looked like.


    "Once I got home I looked up every book I could find on the Kanta region. N was right; with my eyes I have to be from her n. The raids were conducted when I was an infant. But how did I end up with the royal family of Annias?"


    His eyes were bloodshot when he looked back at me. I could feel his heartache and confusion and it shook me to the core.


    "It exins a lot, though," he chuckled bitterly. "Why no one here ever treated me like a member of this family. Because I''m not."


    That was the final straw. I climbed onto hisp and wrapped my arms around him in a fierce hug, burying my face in his neck. His entire world had been turned upside down today. How could I notfort him?


    I didn''t want to jump to conclusions. We didn''t know for sure that he was a full-blooded Kanta nsman. He might still be the queen''s son. But it was awfully suspicious that the raids happened when he was a baby.


    Besides, wouldn''t the king have executed her for treason if she gave birth to an obviously illegitimate child? But the queen had definitely been pregnant ording to everything I heard. Everyone thought Al was the third prince of this nation.


    "I think you might benefit from talking to N''s mother," I said quietly. "She might be able to help you figure things out. She might be the only other person we can find who would remember what happened during the raids."


    Al tightened his hold on me. His hands were trembling.


    "I need to talk to Franz first. The king and queen won''t tell me anything about this but I might be able to force it out of him."


    I didn''t like the sound of forcing it out of him but I couldn''t dissuade him. It wasn''t like there was another member of the royal family who would be willing to give us the answers we were seeking.


    "You want to do that now?" I asked hesitantly.


    Al nodded. "I need answers. Today. Too many things about my life here haven''t added up. This might finally help me make sense of it all."


    His logic was undeniable. So we quickly changed out of our servants'' attire and went to confront Franz.


    He didn''t seem surprised to see us, probably assuming we were here to visit Mari like usual. We were invited in warmly. Mari was happy to see us, which made me feel a bit guilty because we hadn''te for her.


    "Out with it, Franz. Tell me what you know about the circumstances surrounding my birth," Al said in a brittle voice.


    His mouth rounded into an ''o'' in surprise. "I do not believe I know what you mean."


    "I know we don''t share the same father. Tell me the truthdid your mother give birth to me or not?"

 Chapter 80: Somebody Important

    Chapter 80: Somebody Important


    Franz stared at his little brother in utter shock. Usually Al was pretty passive-aggressive towards him so I could understand how that amount of straightforwardness would throw him off. Maybe I''d had more of an influence on Al''s personality than I thought.


    "Where on earth is thising from? Of course we have the same parents. Who gave you the idea that the king isn''t your father?"


    Al red at him and crossed his arms over his chest, looking surprisingly menacing. He was normally such a human puppy that I forgot how intense he used to be. Granted, that intenseness was more gloomy than scary but he still had the capacity for heightened negative emotions.


    "I assume you know about the Kanta n. Didn''t you ever hear that they all inherit ck hair and gray eyes? I''ll ask again. Did your mother give birth to me?"


    Mari looked back and forth between the two men having a standoff with anxiety written all over her face. Did she think Al was going to attack her husband or something? To be perfectly honest though, he might.


    "I didn''t witness it personally but she was definitely pregnant. She had a difficult delivery and no one was allowed to see her but Father for about a week. That was when I finally met you."


    Al and I exchanged nces. A week. The king, queen, and royal physician were likely the only ones who knew the truth but I was willing to bet that Al was not the baby the queen gave birth to.


    Did she lose her own child? It would exin why she went into seclusion. Maybe she was depressed about losing her child so the king went out to find a substitute. But why grab a baby from a war-torn area you''re in the middle of conquering?


    I imagined that babies were lost frequently in this world because of theck of medical technology. I read about this sort of thing happening before the year 1900 in my world. Whichever baby Al reced couldn''t be the only one the queen had ever lost. He was on the younger end of all of the royal children.


    Another suspicious thing is that with all of the issues of session already going on that they would bother bringing in another male child. If the queen wanted a baby so badly wouldn''t it have made a lot more sense to bring in a female who couldn''t ever take the throne?


    I felt like there was a lot more to this situation than met the eye. None of this made sense.


    If they were really going to adopt a child to rece the one they lost, wouldn''t they show him more love? Al had been ostracized inside this castle from a young age. He had been isted most of his life. That wasn''t how adoption was supposed to work.


    This might be my paranoia talking but it was almost like they wanted to keep him close to watch him and make sure he never rued any power or support from others. That could only mean that Al was somebody important.


    Franz gave his younger brother the oddest look. "Who have you been talking to from the Kanta region? That n went extinct over twenty years ago."


    "Because your father killed them," Al said with clenched fists. "And for what? Resources? They could have traded for them ore to some other agreement. Nobody had to die."


    I could tell he was on the verge of duking it out with Franzhe had to take his anger at the royal family out on somebody and he happened to be closestso I wrapped my arms around him from behind to hold him back.


    "Al," I said soothingly. "We got what we needed. Let''s go."


    He shook me off, startling me. He had never refused my touch before. His eyes became molten steel as he stared down his opponent.


    "What I gather from this conversation is that either you''re more stupid than you look or you really thought it was okay to ignore your actual blood brother because everyone else was doing it. You''re pathetic, Franz," he spat out angrily.


    "epting everything at face value and never questioning anything. Someone like that doesn''t deserve to be king any more than that selfish pig Sigmund. Both of you make me sick. This entire family is rotten to the core! Katie is the only family I need."


    Al turned and stormed out of the room, dragging me along behind him. I shot Mari an apologetic look as we went and she simply nodded her understanding. That ended up being far more dramatic than I anticipated.

 Chapter 81: The Epitome of a Handsome Prince

    Chapter 81: The Epitome of a Handsome Prince


    Once back in our room, Al paced back and forth so much it was making me dizzy. I wanted to ask him to stop but couldn''t open my mouth. He might be angrytoo angry to talk to me properlybut he had dered that I was the only family he needed less than ten minutes ago.


    That was a pretty bold thing to say. Despite forgetting me outside and not listening to me sinceing back, I was the only one Al really trusted. It made me feel guilty considering the things I was keeping from him.


    "Al," I prompted gently. "What do you want to do?"


    He stopped pacing and whirled around to look at me helplessly. "Do? What can I do? My entire life is a lie! Do you have any idea what that is like?"


    I had a pretty good idea. Our problems were simr but opposite. He found out that he wasn''t who he thought he was. I had been pretending to be someone I wasn''t to survive. Both of us had experienced some form of identity crisis.


    I couldn''t tell him the truth now. He wouldn''t believe me and even if he did, it wasn''t the right time. We needed to focus on his problem right now without bringing my impossible story into the mix.


    Choosing to stay with my husband and try to make this work meant we were a team. Being there for him right now was imperative.


    This novel world had spiraled so far out of control, even if you didn''t factor in all of the things my arrival messed up. Franz and Mari''s strained rtionship in the beginning. Marcy being a spy. The circumstances surrounding Al''s birth.


    Did the author n all of this? Or had her characters and world developed on their own and she merely wrote down what she saw on the surface? None of it made sense.


    I didn''t know what to say tofort him, even as his expression seemed to be pleading with me to tell him how to make sense of it all. How was I supposed to do it when he couldn''t? The only thing I could think of was visiting N''s mother but we couldn''t leave the pce twice in one day. It was difficult enough trying to sneak out once a week.


    "Not everything is a lie," I managed to say. "No matter what else is or isn''t true, you can count on the fact that I care about you. Even if everything you thought you knew about your identity is wrong that doesn''t change the fact that you''re my husband or my best friend."


    I did care about Al. I enjoyed hispany and wanted him to be happy. He was the most solid connection I had in this fairy tale world and despite not knowing my secret, he understood me pretty well. Aside from my sister, I had never felt so close to another human being.


    I missed her and my old world terribly. But on the extreme off-chance that I was able to go back, I wouldn''t want to go unless I could bring Al with me.


    The sad thing was that while I knew he loved me for my personality, there was a decent chance he never would have noticed me long enough for that to happen if we had met while I was in my old body. Catherine du Pont was captivating at first nce. Katie Pullman was not.


    Tears filled his eyes at my words and all of the fight drained out of him. He slumped forward onto my shoulder, nearly knocking me over because of how tall and heavy he was.


    "What would I do without you?" he asked in a broken voice as his arms tightened around me. "Katie, you''re all I have."


    He was all I had too. The one person here who waspletely on my side.


    My heart ached for him. Until we could get this figured out, I needed to help him feel loved and supported at the very least. It was all I could for him. I hugged him tightly and rubbed his back in an attempt to beforting.


    Al went silent for a while, soaking up my affection once we moved to the couch where it was easier to cuddle. He was sprawled across the couch at a nt, propped up by the arm rest, and I was on top of him being held much like a teddy bear. All I could really do at that point was rub his arm that was around my torso.


    "You feeling any better?" I dared to ask after a while.


    He didn''t answer. He had fallen asleep. It couldn''t be terriblyfortable trying to sleep like that so I tried to wriggle free and at the very least put a nket over him since lifting him on my own was impossible.


    No dice. I was caged inside his arms.


    I managed to twist around so I was facing him and gazed up at his sleeping face. He looked more at peace than he had since meeting N even though he had fallen asleep in a weird position.


    He truly was the epitome of a handsome prince with his sculpted jaw, straight nose, and those stormy gray eyes. If Abby could see the hunk I had married she would never believe it. Of course, she would never believe I had ended up inside a novel either. She thought I was dead.


    I sighed and trailed my fingers down the side of my husband''s face. Looking at him like this did funny things to my heart sometimes. He was the most attractive person I had ever met but that personality of his!


    Even if he was frequently moody or childish and had no sense of responsibility for others, the way heughed with me and hung onto every word I said as if I were the most interesting person in the world made up for it. Would I have chosen him on my own? I don''t know.


    I tried to think about how I would have even met him if we had both lived in my world. We were both shut-ins by nature so it would have been difficult, if not impossible. But say we had.


    If I had met this apathetic bundle of contradictions under different circumstances, would I have wanted to date him? Maybe, if he had smiled at me the way he did now, like I was the most wonderful thing imaginable. But no one would have ever smiled like that at the old me. Not even Al.

 Chapter 82: Alamar

    Chapter 82: mar


    The following morning we both woke up sore from sleeping on the couch but Al seemed much more refreshed. And determined to visit N''s mother.


    We had to eat breakfast with the rest of the royals and I had a very dull tea party with the queen and Rosenia first. Once that was over and done with, I changed back into myfy clothes and we made our way over to the back wall.


    N had been right; they weren''t hard to find considering the group of children running around the neighborhood with ck hair and gray eyes. Her home was on the end farthest from the castle.


    Was it intentional? N said that the few Kanta nsmen who hadn''t fled Annias entirely had assimted into the families of citizens so they wouldn''t be killed. The king couldn''te after them without cause or riots would start but they still most likely tried to stay out of royal notice as much as possible to be safe.


    As we approached, some of the children eyed us curiously. It made sense. They might not have ever seen another Kanta they weren''t directly rted to.


    We knocked on the door that a neighbor had directed us to but no one answered. One of the little boys spoke up, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Who are you looking for?"


    He was missing a few teeth and seemed a bit taller than the other ck haired children in the group. Possibly the oldest. He was also wearing one of the hats I had crocheted. At a second nce, about half of these kids were wearing my handiwork.


    They must be N''s children. Were the others her nieces and nephews? She mentioned that she had half-siblings with the Kanta look. This sort of familial closeness was more simr to the way things were in my world than the distance between the nobles and their extended families.


    I suddenly found myself wishing my soul had been transnted into the body of amoner instead. Life would have been harder but from what little I had seen, it also would have been more simr to home. After all, they did wear sweaters.


    With a smile, I got down on the boy''s level to appear as unthreatening as possible. "Your mother bought those hats from us yesterday and invited us toe visit."


    He seemed much less suspicious after that. If I weren''t telling the truth, how would I know about the hats? A friendly expression crossed his face. "Follow me; she''s out back in the barn."


    The barn was a fraction of the size of the royal stable and consisted of a single horse, two goats, and to my delight, a litter of kittens. I hadn''t seen any animals that could be considered pets in my world since arriving here so I had assumed they didn''t exist.


    It made sense that I hadn''t seen them. Catherine du Pont was a noble and cats were considered wild animals. But things were different on a farmthey probably used cats to keep rats and birds away.


    Not that I would consider this an actual farm. Based on everything I had seen, there were signs of a vegetable garden buried under the snow and they only had a few animals. If I had to guessthis family made a living by selling milk and cheese. None of the other houses we had passed had a barn.


    Forgetting myself for a moment, I rushed over to the kittens,pletely ignoring why we actually came. There were four of them and they were rolling around in a scattered pile of hay.


    "Oh, you''re the cutest thing I''ve ever seen!" I cooed as I bent down to pick one up and snuggle it against my chest.


    N, who was milking one of the goats, blinked up at me in surprise. My face turned beet red, realizing I had barged into her barn to hold her kitten without even saying hi. I lost my head in the face of the familiar cuteness.


    "Mama, these people said you invited them. Did you?" the boy asked, looking at me strangely after my embarrassing disy.


    She nodded. "Yes, I did. Thank you for bringing them over dear. Go run and y now; we have things to talk about." The boy epted her words and scurried back out to where his siblings and cousins were waiting.


    "I''m so sorry; I didn''t mean to pick up your cat without asking. It''s been ages since I''ve seen one and"


    N shook her head and cut off my pathetic exnation with a smile. "I do not mind. But I am surprised the two of you came so soon. Come and meet my mother. I am sure she will be able to tell you what you wish to know."


    An older woman whose ck hair was streaked with white had been too focused on milking the other goat to pay us any notice when we first came in. But hearing her daughter refer to her made her finally look up.


    She was so startled at the sight of Al that she knocked over the entire pail of goat milk. Jumping to her feet with surprising agility for her age, N''s mother crossed the floor and seized my husband in a hug.


    His eyes widened and he looked at me frantically but I didn''t know what to do either. I had never been hugged by a random stranger I didn''t know!


    "mar," the woman sobbed. "I thought you were lost forever."


    N tilted her head curiously. "You know this person, Mama? He knows nothing of our n."


    "Of course I know him! He is the spitting image of my dear older brother. I thought his entire family died in the raids." She let go of Al to examine his face more closely. "Sweet child, how did you survive? My husband and your parents died together before my very eyes. All I could do was take N and run because I thought you were already gone."


    Al slumped against the wall, taking this information in. I knew it! I knew the king and queen of Annias weren''t his parents! Coming here had been the right idea to get information about his past.


    "Idon''t know," he admitted quietly. "I was under the impression that the people who raised me were my true parents until I met N yesterday. Can you tell me more about my family?"


    Tears filled her eyes again as she hesitantly reached out to take his hands. "I would love to. We should move inside first; it is too cold out here."

 Chapter 83: The Truth About Al

    Chapter 83: The Truth About Al


    N''s mother Ayana led them into the house and informed them that she had been living with her youngest son since her second husband died but that she bounced back and forth between her children''s homes to help with the chores. Settling into a chair by the fire, she gestured for the rest of them to sit down as well.


    N looked at the two of us in a new light now that she knew that she and Al were rted by blood. Finding long-lost family members had been about thest thing I had expected going into this.


    I tried to gauge Al''s reaction but he still seemed shell-shocked. Hopefully he would get the answers he was seeking without suffering aplete mental breakdown. Right now things were pretty up in the air.


    "Your father''s name was Amare," Ayana began fondly. "His name meant ''one who builds'' and it fit him well, since all he ever wanted to do was carve things out of wood. But he knew his duties as the future n leader and focused on learning everything there was to know about taking over from our father.


    "He fulfilled his duties with pride but in his free time he made beautiful jewelry, home decorations, and even toys. That was what originally caught your mother''s attention. He had given her younger sister an exquisitely carved toy flower because she was crying one day as he did an inspection of the town with our father."


    I was reeling from the fact that Al was the son of the leader of the Kanta n. From what little I knew about them, the Kanta didn''t have formal royalty but since the leadership was passed down from generation to generation in the same family it was basically the same thing.


    He had been born a prince and was adopted as a prince as well. Did the king know this? What would he want to do with the future leader of the Kanta region?


    Ayana continued her story as I tried to mentally work this out. "Her name was Calista and she was the most beautiful woman of her generation in the n. Originally she was expected to marry a wealthy miner who had prepared a glorious bride price to her parents but she only wanted your father.


    "You have to understand, the leader of the n is well respected because he is the direct descendant of the one honored by the mountain spirits, but it is his duty and honor to serve the people. He has only enough money to live off of. Her parents disagreed at first so she ran to Amare for help.


    "He already liked her then but since she was promised to another there was nothing he could do about it. Calista ended up going on a hunger strike for five days until she eventually fainted. Her parents saw how serious she was about Amare and gave their blessing."


    Ayana''s smile became misty and she wiped at her eyes before continuing.


    "They loved each other very much and were married a monthter. Seeing them so happy was a beautiful thing for me. Though I was younger, I had already given birth to N a few years before he met your mother. Sometimes I worried he would never find someone because he was so serious all the time.


    "Calista got pregnant with you right away. That was around the time the king of Annias got greedy and tried to encroach upon our mountains. Your father did his best to negotiate but that horrible man refused. He wanted the mines for himself."


    As she talked, I was pretty sure I had figured out the truth. The king had killed off the majority of the Kanta n in order toy im to the mines and had kidnapped the newborn son of the n leader in order to prevent any further uprisings.


    Everything about Al''s upbringing was starting to make sense. As the third prince, he had no im to the throne. They isted him and made him so downtrodden that he would never question anything.


    Keeping him close and showing him no warmth was their way of trying to kill off the Kanta way of life for good. The Kanta nsmen who had escaped were deeply spiritual and believed that their n leader was blessed by the mountain spirits. Without their leader, they could never rebuild.


    How horrible. I had already loathed Al''s supposed family for the way they treated him but this was in evil.


    His life would have beenpletely different if he had managed to make it out with another member of the n. At least that way he would have grown up loved and epted instead of as an outsider.


    "Your name, mar, means ''gilded'' or ''covered with gold'' because there was a lot of gold in our mountains in those days. Calista got the idea after Amare dipped a ne he had carved for her in melted gold and the effect was quite beautiful," Ayana said with augh.


    Her expression grew hard. "The raids began two weeks after your birth. We had warriors in charge of hunting and protecting the n but they were no match for Annias'' military. They began with the Kanta towns further from us since we were the ones closest to the mines. By the time news reached us and we scrambled to protect ourselves it was toote.


    "I lost everyone but N. Or so I thought. If I had only known you were alive! I would have moved heaven and earth to get to you, even if it meant my own death. Where have you been all of these years? What do they call you? Please tell me about yourself."


    Al spoke for the first time since making his request to hear about his family. His eyes were like steel. He was angry again.


    Instinctively, I reached out and ced a hand on his leg in a futile attempt to calm him. He couldn''t blow up here in front of these people we had barely met, even if they were rted to him by blood.


    "Katie calls me Al and she is the only one that matters," he said stiffly. "I do not consider those people my family."


    I bit my lip. Did he really have no intention of telling them he had been captured and taken as the unwanted third prince? I supposed it would be devastating to hear that he had been raised by the people who killed everyone she knew.

 Chapter 84: Small Talk

    Chapter 84: Small Talk


    N sensed the tension and looked between the two of us. "Right, you said he was your husband. How did the two of you meet?"


    Al rxed fractionally since it had nothing to do with his role in the pce. He even managed a tiny, strained smile. "I first saw her at the seaside dancing carelessly in the waves. Less than five minutester, she was chewing out a doctor for administering improper first aid. That left quite an impression on me so when I saw her again at a dinner party I couldn''t stop staring."


    "Yeah, it was weird," I said, elbowing him in the ribs. Taking N''s lead to try and lighten the mood was the best course of action.


    "Hey, at least I saved you from dancing with someone old enough to be your father," he countered. "I think that earned points in my favor."


    I rolled my eyes and whispered conspiratorially to my new ally. "He introduced himself to me as Al right off the bat! Nobody does that! I was baffled enough by that to keep thinking about him after the night ended."


    It was the extremely watered down version but it was the truth. Nobility weren''t the only ones to have balls around here. The merchant ss and even the farmers had dances of their own to meet people and escape a little from the drudgery of their daily lives. That much information wouldn''t give us away.


    N eyed me curiously after that. "You didn''t know his full name when you first met?"


    Oops. Maybe that had been the wrong thing to say.


    "No, I didn''t find that out until we had met a few other times." And he had already proposed to me. But there was no need to mention that.


    "You two are interesting," she said after a moment of silence. "Don''t you think so, Mama?"


    Ayana nodded, getting emotional again. I felt sorry for her. It must be really hard meeting your long-lost nephew again and not even knowing who he is or anything about his life. I wanted to nudge Al to tell her the truth but didn''t think it was my ce.


    What could we tell her that wouldn''t give away the fact that he was royalty? Given the fact that he vanished during the raids, he had to have been taken by a noble. Knights were usually the second or third sons from noble families who weren''t set to inherit titles.


    Nobles led pretty cushy lives but nobody was as idle as Al and I were. At least other nobles had jobs of some sort. Even Edmund, my ridiculous brother, had his duties as a second son.


    "We y a lot of card games," I hedged. "And go horseback riding when the weather is nice. For fun, I mean. When we have time."


    The minimal information I offered pleased Ayana. She continued her line of questioning in a simr vein, not wanting to upset Al further. "What sort of foods do you like? Do you like to read? Do you have any children?"


    "Katie has a sweet tooth and has rubbed off on me. We eat a lot of pastries. I do read a lot but prefer being outside. And we don''t have children yet," Al replied.


    Small talk like this continued for a while. We learned that Ayana had three other children named Nira, Rhea, and Ido. All of them were married but Nira, the youngest, didn''t have any children yet. We had seen all of her grandchildren but Rhea''s infant son and Ido''s two-year-old daughter outside earlier.


    The boy who had shown us to the barn was named Jasper. He had two younger sisters named Kari and Brisa.


    The Kanta n tended to favor names that were a bit different than most in Annias. For the most part, they sounded more Middle Eastern or African. Most names in Annias were old fashioned European ones.


    I was no linguist but I had looked up endless lists of baby names out of boredom and curiosity before when one of my coworkers got pregnant. She said she wanted to do something unique but not impossible to spell or pronounce that had a nice meaning. That seemed like a pretty tall order to me but it got me curious about name meanings, hence my random research.


    mar. Gilded. Al''s real name had a pretty cool meaning. Ironically, both Katrina and Catherine meant ''pure'' because they came from the same root word. It was the same no matter which name I used.


    To me, Alpheus was a character in a book that was quite different from my husband. He didn''t look like an Alpheus to me since I met him as Al and always referred to him that way. Finding out that the name he had been born with could also use Al as a nickname was kind of funny.


    Another way we were alike. He could be Al as either mar or Alpheus like I could be Katie as Katrina or Catherine.


    Suddenly I wanted to tell him the truth about methat this was something we shared. But I couldn''t do it because of all of the emotional upheaval he was experiencing right now. I had a feeling I was in for an earful when we got home.


    I watched him carefully as they talked. He seemed to enjoy hearing what Ayana and N had to say though I could sense turmoil brewing under the surface. Yep. Definitely in for an earful.


    Al was obviously doing his best to hold it together for their sakes so it appeared that he liked them. There were so few people in this world he actually liked. Other than me, I was pretty sure the only other people he didn''t barely tolerate were Marcy and Edmund.


    It was good that he liked them but it also posed a potential problem to our ability to leave Annias. If he had something to stay for, he might not want to go anymore. Our departure was supposed to be only a few months away.

 Chapter 85: Blackmail

    Chapter 85: ckmail


    After a few hours of visiting with Ayana and N, we really needed to get back to the pce in time for dinner. Our absence would be noticed if we missed it two days in a row.


    "Al, we need to go," I told him reluctantly as I watched the sun begin to sink in the sky.


    Ayana''s face fell. "will you visit us again? I would love to tell you more about the Kanta n. Anything you want to know. And you have to meet my other children and their families."


    Al smiled softly at his aunt. "I can''t promise when because it is a bit difficult for us to get away but yes, we''ll be back. I want to know everything you can tell me about our homnd and my parents."


    This appeased her and she let us go. Al''s face hardened the moment we were outside. Here ites.


    "You had already figured it out, didn''t you?" he used. "Who I am."


    I held my hands up in defense. "I did wonder if the king was suppressing you because you were someone important briefly before but it wasn''t confirmed until I heard Ayana''s story. I wouldn''t have kept something like that from you if I was sure!"


    He sighed and tilted his head up to gaze at the cloudless sky. "It never would have even urred to me. You truly are a political genius. No wonder everybody wants a piece of you."


    I didn''t know how to respond to that. I wasn''t a genius. Any poli-sci student was capable of thinking the way I did in my world.


    But that was the problem. This wasn''t my world. The way I acted, the things I said, and my particr type of thinking were all foreign here. They made waves no matter where I went or what I did. All I was trying to do was be myself but I kept making a mess of the plot.


    Al being the heir to the leadership of the Kanta nplicated things. He had never felt like he belonged in his familybecause he didn''tso now that someone who knew about his past and valued him hade along he wanted to know everything.


    I couldn''t me him for that. In his shoes, I would likely be the same way. But what did this mean for the future of this novel world?


    He hadn''t thought it would matter if Sigmund or Franz became king because he didn''t like either of them. He allowed my support of Franz''s bid for the throne because it mattered to me and he wanted me to be happy.


    That might be thrown into disarray now. Al loathed the king; that much was obvious based on his attitude the past two days. He probably didn''t care if the entire monarchy fell at this point.


    His apathy towards the people of Annias had been there from the start. Nobody cared about him so he didn''t care about anybody else either. That had been the primary reason he had wanted to run away and start over somewhere else.


    Now that he knew the truth about his heritagewhat if he started caring about the scattered remains of the Kanta n? As his friend, I would be thrilled if he cared about something other than me but it could spell definite trouble for our peaceful future.


    Sigmund was even worse than his father. If he knew the truth about Al, he would have him killed without a second thought. Especially if he decided to try and get the Kanta region back from the kingdom.


    I was getting ahead of myself. Al hadn''t said anything about wanting to take over the role he had been born into. This was nothing but overthinking on my part.


    "What are you thinking?" he asked after a while.


    It was a long walk back to the castle and I had been silent for most of it because I was too wrapped up in my thoughts. Al had even more to think about than I did but I was the type whose mind went a million miles a minute when I was stressed.


    "I was wondering what you want to do with this new information," I admitted.


    He wouldn''t meet my eyes. "Do? What is there to do? Knowing about the past doesn''t change the reality of the present. I''m still the useless third prince with no power. Even if I wanted to help the Kanta n somehow it wouldn''t be possible."


    So the thought of regathering them had crossed his mind. I should have known. His apathy only extended as far as people who weren''t interested in him. Ayana''s deep love for him as her brother''s son was obvious as they talked.


    "You won''t like this," I said slowly. "But I think Franz can be reasoned with. If he sits on the throne instead of Sigmund we might be able to convince him to give the Kanta theirnds back and negotiate a trade deal about the mines."


    Al finally looked me in the face and showed the most incredulous expression I had ever seen from him. "You think that selfish pig would do anything to help me out after what I said to him yesterday?"


    I hadn''t factored Franz''s pride into this. But it wasn''t the only thing at y. We had an ace up our sleeves.


    I smiled wryly. "Weren''t you just talking about how everyone wants my brain? Use me as a bargaining chip. I''m sure he''ll cooperate if I threaten to go over to Sigmund''s side and tell him how to thwart his ns."


    "You would really resort to ckmail?" Al asked doubtfully. "I thought you cared about Franz''s n since you were the one who came up with it."


    "I do carebut I care about you more. If you want to rebuild the Kanta n, I''m with you every step of the way. I told you that I''m on your side no matter what. It''s my job as both your best friend and your wife."


    He reached out to take my hand and squeezed it. The rest of the walk back to the pce was quiet but I could tell he was thinking over what I had said. I really did want themoners here to have more rights but if Franz was willing to go along with our n we could have that and rebuild Al''s homnd.

 Chapter 86: Leader of the Kanta Clan

    Chapter 86: Leader of the Kanta n


    It was decided that I would visit Mari alone first and gauge how angry Franz was after Al''s usations. I headed to her chambers the moment I was free from morning tea the following day.


    Shey in bed looking over some of her husband''s ledgers while he worked on something else in a chair by the fire when I came in. He raised an eyebrow at me. "I notice your shadow isn''t with you this morning."


    "Franz," Mari said warningly.


    "It''s alright," I reassured her.


    Thatment could be construed as slightly hostile but aside from that, he didn''t seem terribly angry. Yet. I was here to stir the waters and test out the depth of his ire. I took a deep breath before continuing.


    "I won''t apologize for what Al said. All of you royals have treated him terribly and deserve more than a few terse words. The only reason I am helping you is because I believe Sigmund would be a worse king. That doesn''t mean I like you or will forget what you''ve done."


    Franz surprised me by smiling. Unnerved, I instinctually took a step back. Getting chewed out by someone is not supposed to make you smile.


    I thought I had the guy figured out. He wanted to be king because he felt that he was smarter and more civic minded than his crazy brother. And he was emotionally dense because he had to take love advice from a girl who had never even been on a proper date about how to treat his wife.


    He had seemed to fit neatly in a corner of ''sheltered royal who thinks he knows everything but doesn''t really.'' Nothing he had done had surprised me in months. So why was his behavior pattern changing now?


    Franz sighed. "You know, Alpheus has never once spoken his mind in front of me before two days ago. He always stood by and epted everything that was said and done, albeit reluctantly. I never understood him. After a while I stopped trying because it was easier not to.


    "His usations were more urate than I would like to admit. I ignored his distress because I was trying to get my parents'' attention away from Sigmund and onto me. I never questioned why he was treated that way at all. I did a little research into the Kanta n after he stormed out with you in towI believe he is right about his identity. Knowing my father, I would guess that he is someone of great importance to those people."


    So he had thought along the same lines as me. Well, we were both well-versed in politics. I wasn''t about to give away Al''s secret though without knowing where his adoptive brother stood.


    "What would you do if he was?" I asked casually.


    Franz eyed me strangely. "Why would I need to do anything? Any remaining Kanta had to have scattered too far to ever regroup. I cannot agree with my father''s genocidal actions but I cannot undo them either."


    What a disappointment. Maybe I really had backed the wrong horse. No, that wasn''t true. Sigmund was aplete tyrant ording to the novel. This idiot was supposedly a decent king but right now I was questioning that.


    He couldn''t bring all of the people the king killed back to life but he could restore theirnds to the survivors andpensate them for the use of the mines all those years. It was the very least he could do.


    I shook my head. "There is a thing called restitution, have you heard of it? Anything is better than nothing."


    Now was my time to pull out the big guns. All of my acting skills had to be put into y now. "And here I thought you would be a better king than Sigmund. I guess I was wrong. It isn''t toote for me to take up his offer to be an aide. I''m sure he would give me what I want since he wants my input so desperately."


    Mari didn''t get offended on her husband''s behalf or try to entreat me. She watched me through narrowed eyes, obviously understanding what I was trying to do. Sometimes people had to be tricked into doing the right thing.


    Franz took the bait, as I knew he would. Nothing mattered to him more than recing his brother as heir to the throne.


    "You cannot do that! You are too involved in my n; I will not allow you. II will" he blustered, realizing he couldn''t touch me.


    I was a princess, albeit an unimportant one, and switching who I supported was not an act of treason. He couldn''t threaten or punish me in any way and it was driving him mad. I could see the gears turning in his brain as he weighed the options.


    "What do you want?" Franz asked tly. "In exchange for remaining as one of my aides."


    The battle was already won. I replied with a victorious smile on my face.


    "Simple, really. Return thends to the Kanta people and give them an equal value to half of the profits their mines have made over the past twenty-two years. That should help them rebuild. After that, they control the mines. You''ll have to barter with the n leader for any future use of those minerals."


    "Their n leader was killed! Who would I" he cut himself off and narrowed his eyes. "Are you serious?"


    I shrugged innocently. "I didn''t say anything."


    I didn''t have to. Franz wasn''t an idiot; putting two and two together was simple enough based on our conversation. He had already deduced that Al was important to the Kanta n. Who was more important than the one who continued the bloodline of the n leader?


    Ayana had told us that every n leader''s firstborn since the very beginning had been a son as part of the mountain spirits'' blessing. Only the firstborn son could take over control of the n. The king knew this, which was why he had taken Al and raised him far from the mountains he was destined to protect.

 Chapter 87: An Awfully Manipulative Person

    Chapter 87: An Awfully Maniptive Person


    I stood there staring Franz down as he struggled to find what to say next, rather enjoying myself. It was always fun seeing self-confident people get flustered. Especially when it was because of something I had done.


    Was I always this petty? No. Coming to this world and dealing with nothing but nobles day in and day out had changed me.


    "So Alpheus is the n leader''s heir," he said finally. "I should have known. You''re an awfully maniptive person, Catherine du Pont. Pushing him to support me so you could further your own agenda. I suppose being the third princess wasn''t enough for you. You want to be a ruler''s wife."


    Sparks shot out of my eyes at the nonsense he was spouting. Hearing my fake namewhich wasn''t even correct anymore ording to the marriage registerfrom someone who normally called me Katie pissed me off.


    It briefly urred to me that my name wasn''t even technically Catherine McLeod in this world. Members of the Kanta n didn''t have properst names; they were identified by which vige they lived in. Except the n leader and his immediate rtives, who were known by ''de Kanta.''


    My name had changed too many times in my life. I was tempted tough a little bit about the way Katrina de Kanta sounded in my head. It sounded almost like a tribal chant or a witch''s spell. I was losing my mind. Katie de Kanta was slightly better.


    But I needed to focus. I was also mad about the fact that Franz imed I was power hungry and using Al to further my own cause. That was so far from the truth that I didn''t even know how to respond to such an idiotic statement.


    Helping the Kanta had been entirely Al''s idea! And we only found out about this a couple of days ago so how could I have possibly been nning this from the beginning? I wanted to p him.


    Mari spared me from acting on it and potentially getting beheaded by sharply rebuking her husband. "Katie is not like that and you know it."


    She turned to me, wanting an exnation. I had always been honest with her so she knew she could trust what I had to say.


    "We ran into a Kanta nswoman out in town two days ago," I admitted. "Imented on her eyes, saying I hadn''t seen anyone else with them but my husband and she got all excited because no one outside the Kanta looks like that. We went back to visit her today and got the full truth because her mother recognized Al. Apparently he looks exactly like his father."


    Mari nodded. "I knew there had to be a simple exnation. Franz, apologize right now."


    "Forgive me," he muttered. "But you cannot deny that you came here solely with the intent of ckmailing me into getting what you want."


    "You seem to be under the mistaken impression that I''m the one wanting Al to take over the n. That was entirely his idea. Ihad other ns. But he''s my husband and I''ll support him until the end."


    Mari and I exchanged a look. She must be remembering how I had wanted to run away before the wedding. She didn''t know that I was still nning on fleeing this crazy country until now. Oops. The cat was out of the bag.


    But it didn''t technically count as treason because we weren''t going now, right? Although plotting to overthrow the crown prince was technically treasonous too. No matter what I did, I was up to my ears in treason.


    I sighed. Was it so much to wish for a simple life? I was a librarian! A l i b r a r i a n. I helped children check out books for a living beforeing here; I wasn''t equipped for all of this potentially deadly political intrigue!


    Briefly I wondered if there was even a concept of a library in the Kanta n. If there wasn''t, I would have to make one so I could fulfil my dream of being a simple, normal librarian again. That had originally been my n when I ran away to Shibatsu after all.


    "You changed him," Franz said with a disbelieving shake of his head. "The brother I knew held no opinion or desire for anything."


    I stood my ground. Any changes that had happened had benefitted Al; he had been the human embodiment of gloom before I came along. "Maybe I did but he''s happier now than you people ever made him so deal with it. He''s mine and I''m not going anywhere."


    It was my first time showing such possessiveness over my husband. If he could hear me, he would probably be thrilled but I would die of embarrassment.


    "So I''m yours, huh?" a horribly familiar voice asked with a hint of amusement in it.


    My eyes widened. "How did you get in here? There were at least two guards posted outside and we would have noticed something!"


    Al shrugged, seeming lighter and happier than I had seen him since the day we met N. My cheeks zed. He was definitely going to hold this over meter. "I came in through the bathroom. You might want to tighten your security there, Franz," he said in an almost teasing tone.


    The man glowered at him but had nothing to say about that because he was right. He changed the subject. "How long have you been listening in?"


    "Long enough. Are you going to work with us or not? Like she said, she can and will take her expertise elsewhere if you don''t cooperate."


    Franz threw his hands up in the air, giving in. "I already said I would. I am not as terrible as you think I am, Alpheus."


    "That isn''t my name. I am mar de Kanta. If that is too strange for you to get used to, feel free to call me Al like Katie does. I am done being a royal puppet to the man who murdered my family. The only reason we are still assisting you is to help my people.


    "Do you swear on your life, Mari''s life, and the life of your unborn child that you will return ournds to us the moment you be king? Because if you don''t, I will make you regret it," Al said so fiercely it was almost frightening. It wasn''t like his usual goofy personality at all.


    Franz blinked at him, unable to process the show of power from someone who usually acted like a sheep. "I swear. Al."

 Chapter 88: Like A Brick

    Chapter 88: Like A Brick


    Satisfied, my husband''s ferocity melted away in an instant. "And if you allow a word about my true identity to leak out of this room, I''ll tell Sigmund all about your ns and we''ll get beheaded together. Got that?"


    I rolled my eyes and elbowed him. "You''re such a drama queen."


    "What''s a drama queen?"


    "A saying from the countryside, I imagine," Mari said with a slightugh, saving me once again.


    I pounced on her exnation gratefully. "Yeah, it means an overly dramatic person."


    Al shook his head fondly at me. "You say the strangest things sometimes. I really ought to visit the countryside sometime and see where you picked them all up."


    That would be impossible, since people near the earldom of du Pont spoke nothing like me but I wisely chose not to say anything. The likelihood of the two of us ever traveling there was minimal. The Kanta region was quite far from there.


    Now that our business wasplete, I changed the subject, asking what Franz needed us to do as spring grew nearer. He seemed surprised, since we had not been actively involved in his attempts to win people over until now.


    The circumstances had changed. He absolutely had to be king or Al would never get his people''snds back. We were more invested now than before.


    I wished I could at least bank on the earl''s vote but that was impossible because he was one of the higher nobles who didn''t care one whit about anyone without a title. Even if Percy was the one with voting power, I highly doubted I could convince him either.


    Our hands were tied. Al had no connections in the pce or with other nobles whatsoever since he had been so secluded. Franz said he would prefer being able to pick my brain behind the scenes as needed and suggested we focus on trying to round up the remaining members of the Kanta n.


    That would be quite an undertaking. Ayana might know where some of them had gone but if she didn''t, the only nsmen they would be able to take back were her and her children.


    We had already promised to go back and visit her so we would have to find a way to sneak out again soon. If Al was truly going to take over leading what was left of the n, he would need to know everything about their culture and the duties of the n leader.


    Having the sister of the former n leader nearby was an incredibly stroke of luck. She would likely be able to tell Al everything he needed to know and then some.


    I was more worried about how it was going to get progressively more difficult to sneak out once court was in session. We only had a few months left before nobles woulde pouring in from their country estates.


    That creepy duke who was obsessed with me would be back in the pce too. Joy.


    Duke O worried me the most as Sigmund''s right hand man. I did not like his interest in menow a married womanone bit. It was obvious he still had feelings for me thest time I ran into him. I had a sinking suspicion that he would be on the lookout for any hint of wrongdoing on Al''s part so he could boot him out and bind me to his side.


    Thest thing I wanted was to spend my life shackled to that boring old viin. It was the entire reason I had gotten married to Al in the first ce!


    We plotted with Franz and Mari until it was time for lunch. Afterwards, back in our quarters, Al cornered me about my embarrassing statement earlier. I knew he wouldn''t let this go!


    "Soabout what you said earlier."


    I sniffed, trying to avoid his obvious question. "I don''t know what you mean."


    "Come on Katie, don''t be like that," Al said earnestly. "Why did you say I was yours? I want to know."


    Why did I say that? Was it only because I was trying to prove a point that Al couldn''t be pushed around by his fake family anymore? Or was it because I really did think of him as mine?


    It didn''t seem like it had been that long since I even agreed to give him a chance and we started ''dating.'' I couldn''t deny that I held a deep amount of affection for my husband even though he sometimes drove me crazy with his inconsistent personality and teasing.


    Back then I decided to give staying with him a shot. Now I was thinking about how to n out the rest of our lives together. I had said on multiple asions that I had his back no matter what so I guess I had already decided in my heart of hearts that I wasn''t going anywhere.


    But was it because it was easier to do that or because I loved him? Staying with the one person I knew I got along with in this fantasy world was heartless but practical. Staying because I was in love with him was a different story.


    Having never been in love, I wasn''t entirely sure what it felt like. The only example I really had to go off of was my parents. They had fun together, supported each other, and were pretty cuddly.


    I did all of those things with Al. I was protective of him, defending him against others, and held him through it (literally) when it seemed like his world was falling apart. Plus I rather enjoyed kissing him and sometimes even wanted more.


    It hit me like a brick. Oh. I guess I was in love with him.


    He wasn''t anything like what I thought my type would be but here we were. Goofy, moody, and apathetic as he was. Warts and all, he was my husband and I loved him.


    I let out a slightugh at myself for not realizing it sooner before answering his question. "Well, it''s probably because I love you."


    Al stared at me as if his brain had stopped working. He was supposed to say something back to that kind of deration, wasn''t he?! But he didn''t. Or, perhaps more urately, couldn''t. I had broken him.


    "Al?"


    He finally snapped out of it when I called his name. "You love me? Really? When did you figure that out?"


    "just now, actually."

 Chapter 89: After We Get Out Of Here

    Chapter 89: After We Get Out Of Here


    That was embarrassing to admit out loud but I didn''t want to lie. It had taken the craziness of thest few days for it to finally sink in that I had fallen in love with him. I was even denser than Franz.


    A glorious smile lit my husband''s face and he stroked my cheek with his thumb. What he said next shook me to my very core. He said thank you. He was thanking me for loving him.


    His life had been so horribly sad and devoid of love that he thought it was necessary to thank me for what I realized now waspletely natural rtionship progression. Arranged marriage or no, Al was a lovable guy once you got to know him. As averse as I had been to staying with someone I had married out of necessity, I had been doomed to fall in love with him from the start because of the kind of person he was.


    More affected than I should have been by his depressing words, I pounced on him and began kissing him with all of my might, desperately hoping my feelings got through to him. Al was such a lovely person and he didn''t even know it.


    His childishness and apathy were because of the way he was raised. Yet when it came down to the wire, he knew how to pull through for others. Why else would he want to reim thends of a people he didn''t even know he was a part of until two days ago?


    He didn''t care about much but when he did care, it was with a much deeper conviction than most. It was one of the things I loved about him.


    Al responded to my kisses as if he was drowning and they were air. His desperation made my heart ache so I kissed him harder, grasping the back of his shirt with one hand as the other tangled in his hair.


    "Katie," he sighed against my lips.


    I knew it couldn''t go farther than this if I didn''t want to end up like poor Mari but in the moment I didn''t want to stop. I needed him as much as he needed me; it had been a rough couple of days and there was no better way I could think of to make us feel better than finally bing one.


    I buried my face in his chest. I couldn''t do it. I couldn''t put myself in danger like that.


    His heartbeat sounded in my ear, thrumming like a hummingbird''s. He obviously didn''t want to stop either but respected my wishes to wait until we were settled in a safer ce.


    All we had to do was wait until Sigmund was out of the picture. Then it wouldn''t matter if I got pregnant. The one part of this extremely derailed novel that I hoped stayed the same was Sigmund''s execution. It was the only way we would be able to live peacefully and rebuild the Kanta civilization.


    "I love you too," Al said finally as his heartrate began to slow. "Should have mentioned that earlier."


    I actually snorted. That was such a redundant thing to say after that kind of make out session. "I already knew that but thanks for telling me."


    As many honeyed words as he had spoken to me throughout our courtship, he had never specifically said ''I love you.'' When I originally tricked him into revealing his feelings he said who his first love was rather than using the traditional phrase.


    I knew he loved me; it had beenpletely obvious from everything he said and did after a certain point. But it was nice to hear all the same.


    Al continued holding me close as he spoke more seriously and traced circles on my back.


    "We''re going to have a good life after we get out of here, I promise. Ayana said the n leader is in charge of helping everyone but that his lifestyle is simple and that''s exactly what you wanted, isn''t it? You can stay involved in politics and we can build a library for you to run too."


    I liked the sound of that. Ever sinceing here I had wanted a simple life filled with books, horseback riding, and love. The only thing I would miss about the pce was the pastries. Maybe I could get the recipes from Marcy before we left for the mountains.


    "Mmhmm," I said nomittally, thinking more about the future with Al than I ever had before.


    All of our kids would look like him but I didn''t mind since this body didn''t even look like me. Our first child would be a son ording to the tradition sustained by the mountain spirits. I was inside a fantasy novel I had read; at this point I would believe anything.


    I still didn''t know what kind of father Al would be but if he loved our kids anywhere near as much as he loved me they would probably be fine. He was a gentle soul overall.


    Once all the danger was behind us, the only thing I really had to worry about was finding other things to do together that did not involve cards. I would be happy if I never saw a deck of cards again until the day I died.


    Though maybe it wouldn''t be so bad if we could y games with more yers once we had more friends or older children. I looked forward to having more of a chance to try and recreate things from my world here, like different types of board games.


    I wasn''t much of a writer or an artist but there had to be people out there who were who could write different types of fiction than the gothic novels that existed here. Even though I was living the plot of one right now, I still missed myics.


    I would have all the time in the world to figure out how to properly adjust here as soon as I wasn''t a princess anymore. Maybe that was when I could finally tell Al the truth about myself. When the worst of it was behind us.

 Chapter 90: Anything But Small Talk

    Chapter 90: Anything But Small Talk


    We spent as much time as we could visiting Ayana and N over the next few months. They introduced us to the rest of the family and all of them were interested in reviving the Kanta n when we brought up the possibility, which surprised me.


    N, Ido, Nira, and Rhea had all married citizens of Annias. But they were peasants so their lives wouldn''t change much even if they did move. N''s husband was a milkman. Nira and Rhea''s husbands sold vegetables in the market. Ido''s wife stayed at home with the children all day and collected the eggs for him to sell from the chicken coop.


    "We can keep doing exactly what we''re doing now in the mountains," Ido said with a shrug. "I''ve always wanted to see where Mama grew up."


    Just like that, we had eighteen people willing to revive the Kanta region with us. Ayana knew where a few other refugees had ended up as well and had minimal contact with them through letters. When we told her our n, she sent out letters to them immediately.


    If they all said yes, our numbers would be boosted significantly. Like Ayana, her escaped friends had families of their own once they settled elsewhere in Annias or Rowenhilde. Most of them had grandchildren and one even had great-grandchildren.


    It took over a month for everyone to get back to her. All missed their homnd terribly and would go back in a heartbeat. Some of the younger generation was interested immediately. Others needed convincing.


    But a few short weeks before court convened in the spring, we had no less than sixty-two members of the Kanta n willing to move back to their homnd. I waspletely floored, not expecting that much of a response.


    More likely than not, there were still nsmen in other nearby countries as well. Once Franz was crowned king we would be able to send the news out to our allies so everyone coulde home if they wanted to.


    Al spent all of this time learning everything he could from Ayana about the mountains she used to call home. And the duties of the n leader.


    She could go on for hours about everything she had seen her father and brother do over the years. Her memory for detail amazed me. We might actually be able to revive the Kanta traditions from her alone.


    During this time, Franz continued gathering support from the lower nobles. Marcy helped by getting in contact with merchants her father knew. I provided asional ideas on how to make things work. We spent hours holed up in his chambers with a very pregnant Mari going over everything.


    The castle was still drafty and cold despite the snow melting outside so I continued wearing my sweater and skirt ensembles as I walked around. Nobody cared as long as I wasn''t attending any official functions.


    One day in March I wandered toward the kitchens looking for MarcyFranz wanted to consult with her againand I ran into someone I did not want to see. Duke O. He hade back from his estate early.


    No doubt he was here to help further Sigmund''s evil ns. The very sight of him gave me goosebumps.


    "Princess Catherine," he said tly. "I am d to see you are well. What brings you to this part of the castle?"


    I tried my best not to shudder and pasted on a polite smile. I hated being called princess or Catherine and the way this guy said it was even worse than usual. He was so stiff! I almost wanted to tell him to just call me Katie but that would give him the wrong idea.


    What sort of guy would Charles Lancaster be in my world? I had wondered about the people around me many times and had a few ideas about them.


    Mari would have been a rockstar diplomat or politician. Al would have been azy grad student who never stops going to school to avoid getting a real job. FranzI hadn''t figured out yet. But Marcy would be one of those bakers who wins cash prizes on televisedpetition shows.


    Duke O was so deeply entrenched in this world that I couldn''t imagine him as anyone from mine. Except maybe one of those CEOs who was born and bred to take over the expensive and lucrative family business.


    "Duke O," I replied evenly. "I felt like stretching my legs and taking a walk around the castle."


    I didn''t want to tell him where I was headed because it might give away the fact that someone from the kitchens was working with us. Al had offered toe with me but he was in the middle of reviewing what he knew about n leadership.


    I hadn''t wanted to disturb him but I totally regretted that now. Having him here would definitely get this guy off my back sooner rather thanter.


    "Oh?" the duke asked with interest. "Do allow me to escort you then. Someone as esteemed as yourself should not be wandering the castle alone. You never know who you might run into."


    Yeah, like you! I kept my thoughts to myself though. This guy already knew I didn''t like him. There was no need to be rude. Unfortunately, I couldn''t squirm my way out of this one.


    Having a cell phone would be so nice at a time like this. I could fake a call to get away. Or text Al toe rescue me. Neither of those things were possible so I found myself walking around the castle with my least favorite person in this fantasy world.


    I tried to think positive. Maybe I could get a read on what the duke was up to as we walked.


    He didn''t give me much to work with. This one was all about the small talk. I had always loathed small talk. Talk to me about what makes different types of clouds shaped certain ways or the history of cheese making or the mating dances of tropical birds. Anything but small talk.

 Chapter 91: Proof

    Chapter 91: Proof


    Charles Lancaster was quite pleased to run into the only woman who had ever interested him. Even more so since her worthless husband wasn''t around. A captivating mind like Catherine du Pont''s was wasted on such a man.


    She had strange dressing habits,ughed too much for a nobledy, and seemed to have no sense of decorum after living inside the pce for a while and being allowed too much freedom but that didn''t matter to him. As long as he was able enjoy her sharp wit, he could tolerate nearly anything.


    Still, he couldn''t deny that he hated how coldly she treated him. He had been warmer toward her than anyone else since the beginning. He had done his very best to be attentive so why had she fled from him straight into that dunce''s arms?


    Sigmund''s spywork had kept him informed about what the third prince and princess got up to. They snuck out of the pce frequentlynobody knew where they wentand the rest of their time was spent either visiting Mari or with each other.


    Hearing how much time they spent together, especially in each other''s arms, made Charles'' blood boil. He was a hundred, no, a thousand times better than that idiot prince. Catherine had married a jester solely to have him make herugh.


    "Has your winter passed peacefully?" he asked the taciturn woman next to him.


    She replied stiffly. "I would say so. How has your estate fared?"


    "Quite well. Everything is taken care of until I must return at the end of the court session."


    Charles was pleased she was inquiring about his estate even though he knew it was nothing more than a formality. She wasn''t fond of formalities ording to Sigmund''s spies. She woremoner''s clothes when she wasn''t attending formal functions, never drank tea if she could avoid it, and preferred to be called Katie over Catherine.


    He couldn''t see it. Such an exquisite creature shouldn''t have such a diminutive pet name. Catherine suited her better. But he supposed that was part of his problem. He had done his best to be the kind of suitor any youngdy would wish forbut Catherine du Pont wasn''t any youngdy.


    Whatever Alpheus had done to woo her had suited her unique sensibilities. Despite Sigmund''s earlier reassurances that she was little more than his nanny, all reports now pointed to Catherine being in love with her husband.


    "If you''ll excuse me, I must go visit the second princess," she said crisply. "She is most distressed being without her mother and sisters at this time and I am the closest thing avable."


    So she was giving him the slip. Again. His fists clenched as he thought about all the times she desperately tried to escape his presence as quickly as possible but managed to keep his expression and voice calm.


    "By all means. Good day, Princess Catherine."


    "Good day."


    Catherine disappeared around the corner and Charles returned to his friend''s side in a dark mood. He noticed immediately and patted his shoulder in a show of sympathy.


    "Did you run into Katie and Alpheus?"


    "Just Catherine," he admitted begrudgingly. He was not fond of being teased.


    Sigmund sighed. "I must admit, I do not understand that girl at all. I gave her multiple opportunities to join us and yet she always ignores them. She spends hours each day visiting Mari but I suspect she also has my brother''s ear. He never leaves their chamber anymore out of paranoia."


    Charles couldn''t help but think that Franz''s paranoia was warranted. Sigmund had been trying to get poison into that pregnant princess''s tea for months to no avail. At this rate he would have to wait until the child was born to act.


    Personally he was against infanticide. He found it distasteful. The child had done nothing wrong. Sometimes he was grateful not to be a member of the royal family. Nobody tried to kill the son of a duke in order to inherit the dukedom.


    This wouldn''t even be an issue if Rosenia had done her duty as crown princess and borne Sigmund a son. She reaped all of the benefits of her title without doing much to earn it. Charles supposed she was helping back Sigmund through her brother, the king of Rowenhilde, but that wasn''t enough.


    Charles saw Rosenia about as often as her husband did. Which was almost entirely at royal affairs where any of the upper nobility could see her. Those were the only times she even bothered to pretend to be part of a happy couple.


    "Can you really not find any proof of where they sneak off to when they leave the pce?" Charles asked somewhat desperately.


    He needed proof that Alpheus wasmitting treason. That was all it would take for Catherine to be his. Sigmund had already promised to manipte things so she would not be executed and would be quietly sent to his side instead.


    Sigmund frowned. "No. My people see them sneak out over a back wall and head into town but that is all. They vanish after a certain point. If I didn''t know any better, I would say they are visitingmoners. When theye back there is always a certain amount of dirt and fur on them."


    "Fur?" he asked incredulously. What could a princess be doing that involved fur of any sort?


    "Cat fur, I believe. Isn''t that barbaric? Those pests are not good for anything but killing rats out in the stables. But Katie''s sweaters are always covered in it upon her return ording to my spies."


    How perplexing. Dirt and furare they spending time in someone''s stables? Their contact on the outside must be passing messages somehow. Stables wouldn''t be entirely out of the question if they were involved with a courier.


    Charles voiced his thoughts and his friend gave off a sinister smile. He agreed with his analysis of the situation but had no proof. using a prince of treason was treason in and of itself without concrete evidence.


    He was of half a mind to go out and follow them personally the next time they left the pce, even if it was unsightly for a man of his rank. If a prince could sneak out, so could he.


    Over the years he had be quite skilled at blending into the shadows. Most of the time his steward didn''t know he was right behind him until Charles spoke up. If he wore a cloak made with the kind of materialsmoners used it would be possible. He would do anything to get Alpheus out of the way.

 Chapter 92: She Changed Him

    Chapter 92: She Changed Him


    It took Charles four horribly undignified days of staking out the back wall for him to spot Alpheus and Catherine escaping. They were yfully squabbling about something he couldn''t quite catch but it was clear that they were both amused.


    His heart constricted. How dare she smile so prettily at that buffoon! How dare she jump into his arms to get over the wall! Had she lost her mind?


    He followed them anyway. They held hands and talked as they walked away from the pce, though he was too far away to hear what was being said. Both of them were dressed likemoners so if you didn''t already know they were royalty it would be impossible to tell.


    Charles would have thought they would stop somewhere downtown but they kept walking. For miles. He was getting slightly winded from keeping up with them but pushed forward regardless.


    Finding out what they were up to would put the final nail in Alpheus'' coffin. He wanted to ensure that happened personally.


    The two of them wandered into the poorer part of the capital, which was about as far from the pce as one could get while still being in the city. What on earth would possess them toe here?


    On the veryst row of houses in the slum, a small herd of ck haired children greeted them with big smiles and showed them into the house. Charles had never seen so many people with ck hair in one ce.


    His hair was dark too but that was only because his maternal grandmother had been a foreigner. Hair like this wasn''tmon in Annias. The only other person he had seen with it before today was Alpheus.


    He dared to get close enough to the windows of the house to peek inside. A group of peoplealmost entirely with ck hairwas crowded inside a tiny living room. Only Catherine''s and one other man''s golden hair were different.


    Charles had no idea what they were talking about but the atmosphere was cheery. Everyone there seemed quite close.


    Upon further inspection, he realized that all of the dark haired people in the room also had the same gray eyes as the prince. If they were all rted to royalty, why were they in the slums? Something about this did not add up properly.


    He needed to tell Sigmund what he saw right away. Perhaps he would be able to make sense of this.


    ***


    Sigmund was as baffled as Charles had been. The only conclusion he coulde to was that those people were all foreignersbut that did not exin why Alpheus looked like them. He was the son of the king and queen.


    Members of the royal family of Annias frequently married foreigners in order to strengthen political tieslike Rosenia and Mariso it wasn''t too suspicious unless you thought about how none of their other children looked like Alpheus either.


    Charles had been young thest time he saw the princesses before they were married off to allied countries but they all had much lighter hair like Sigmund and Franz. This didn''t make sense at all.


    Sigmund''s eyes narrowed. "I do believe I need to have a long conversation with my father."


    Unfortunately, that was difficult to do. The king had fallen ill recently and was not the most lucid. He might have better luck speaking with the queen but she was as tight-lipped as she was regal. Getting information out of her would not be easy either.


    "Putting that aside for nowwhat do you intend to do about Franz? Court opens in slightly over two weeks and we still do not know exactly what he is nning," Charles pointed out.


    His friend''s hand curled into a fist on top of the desk and his expression grew much darker. This was one of his sorest points. Try as he might, Franz''s true ns always evaded him.


    "No, we do not. Since Mari''s pregnancy was announced he has not left the pce nearly as often as he used to. All of his correspondence is handled by a royal guard he trusts implicitly, Sir Luken Marino. My spies have not seen so much as a single line written on those messages."


    Charles wished the second prince was less careful. They would have already figured out his ns by now if he was not the most paranoid person on earth.


    Alpheus was not nearly so careful. If he was, he would have noticed someone following him earlier today. And all of the other times Sigmund''s spies trailed them partway to town. For someone who might very well be working with his brother, he had none of hismon sense.


    "Do you think whatever Alpheus is up to is connected to Franz''s n?" Charles asked.


    There had to be a connection somewhere. He and Catherine spent far too much time supposedly visiting Mari. That would provide plenty of time for all of them to plot together. However, it did raise the question of what Alpheus was getting out of it.


    Charles had known him for many years because of how much time he spent in the pce with Sigmund. The third prince was a gloomy, apathetic person who did not care about anything that happened either within the pce or outside of it. All of his time was spent alone.


    At least, that was how it was until Catherine came along. With her sharp political mindhad she convinced her husband to work with Franz? Why would she do that?


    "I do," Sigmund said darkly. "I also believe that whatever it is, Katie is behind it. She changed him for the worse. He was much easier to control before she came along. He never would have dared to defy me before."


    Charles didn''t like that one bit. He could see it too. That dull, depressed prince had be lively under his wife''s influence. He had the feeling that if she wanted something that Alpheus would move heaven and earth to make it happen.


    The real question was what Catherine wanted. What had made her side with the second prince instead of the crown prince? What potentially brilliant ideas had she given him? How much danger was Sigmund''s position in?


    "You promised not to touch her," he said slowly, suddenly unsure. "Even if she is an instigatoryou won''t do anything to Catherine, will you Sigmund?"


    His friend''s expression hardened and softened so rapidly Charles wasn''t sure whether or not he had imagined it. He seemed perfectly calm when he spoke. "You know I am a man of my word, old friend. I promised Katie to you no matter what she has been involved in and I intend to make that happen."

 Chapter 93: What If I Wasnt?

    Chapter 93: What If I Wasn''t?


    Katie felt chills go down her spine a little while after she made it back to her quarters. Someone was discussing her, she could tell. Her money was on Sigmund and the duke.


    It shouldn''t have surprised her that he came back to the pce early considering he was the crown prince''s right hand man but she had still been caught off guard. The way he looked at her sometimes! It was like he wanted to dissect her and remove her brain.


    "What''s wrong?" Al asked with a frown, noticing her grimace.


    "I have a bad feeling about Duke OI ran into him earlier," I admitted.


    The quill he was holding snapped right in half. I had avoided mentioning my little encounter for this exact reason. Al thought of him as a love rival (ha, as if I had ever been interested in that guy!) but didn''t realize how dangerous he truly was.


    In the novel, when Sigmund got executed the duke managed to use clever words to prevent himself from meeting the same fate. It was as if he experienced no attachment to his supposed friend at all.


    Someone as slippery as that who could abandon all his morals in a secondhe couldn''t be up to any good. He had always wanted me toe over to the crown prince''s side but I also asionally got the feeling he wanted me for himself.


    Duke O believed in this society''s rules and restrictions. If I had married him, not only would I have ended up having to help Sigmund, I would have been nothing more but a pretty bird in a cage meant to entertain people with my unique wit.


    That sounded horrible to me. I didn''t like all of the fakeness in this fictional countryit was why I had gone along with Al''s ridiculous n in the beginning. He was the realest person I had met here.


    I had the horrible, sinking feeling that the duke wanted to get rid of Al so he could have me. I couldn''t shake it. There was something in the back of his eyes on the rare asions I bumped into him since getting married.


    If it were true, his motivations to help Sigmund would have increased. He might even try taking matters into his own hands.


    "I don''t think we should visit Ayana for a while," I said quietly. "At least not until things are settled within the court and Franz and Mari''s baby is born."


    Al eyed me shrewdly. "You mean until Franz bes king, don''t you? Who knows how long that would take? Why don''t you tell me what has you worried. I know you wouldn''t suggest this without a reason."


    He knew me too well. How was I supposed to exin my suspicions? I wanted to wait until everything blew over after Sigmund''s execution but at this point I wasn''t even positive that was going to happen.


    Everything in this novel world had been messed up by my arrival. The duke wasn''t supposed to be obsessed with a woman. Marcy was supposed to marry Alpheus and live happily ever after, without him ever knowing the truth about his identity. Mari wasn''t supposed to get pregnant.


    The one thing that absolutely could not get messed up was Franz bing king. ording to the story, the current king would die less than two weeks after the vote to letmoners into the court was passed.


    Sigmund would take the throne and try to ignore the neww and do whatever he wanted. The people would revolt and in the ensuing chaos, he would get killed. Rosenia goes back to Rowenhilde, the duke goes back to his estate, and everybody lives happily ever after.


    I wanted to believe that this would still happen as long as we managed to get the resolution to pass in court. But as time went on I got progressively more worried.


    I was the only one who knew what might being. If there was a revolt, we needed to be out of this castle before that happened. But Sigmund would likely try and trap the remaining members of the royal family here as soon as he was crowned.


    Exining what I knew about the future would be futile. At the very least I could tell my husband why I was worried about Duke O.


    "I have a bad feeling that the duke is looking for any excuse to get you executed," I said, squeezing my eyes shut.


    The words pained me to say. And the thought of not having the one person who felt like someone from my world and being left alone threatened to crush me. I could not lose Al. Sinceing to the pce, he had been like my lifeline.


    That only increased once I realized the extent of my feelings. I wanted to spend my life with him without anything getting in the way. I may be an unimportant side character but I want my happy ending, dang it!


    I continued earnestly, grasping his hands between my own. "We need to be more careful! There are eyes everywhere in this ce. If Sigmund found out who we were visiting or whyyou would lose your head for sure. I can''t continue living in this world if you leave me."


    Tears formed in the corners of my eyes. I really couldn''t. As much as I enjoyed talking to Mari, once she was queen I would hardly be able to see her alone. If Al was gone and I had to spend the rest of my life wasting away in this pce with my sole purpose being the queen''s friend I would go insane.


    Al gathered me in his arms tofort me the moment he saw my distress. But he was confused by my wording. "Can''t continue living in this world?"


    Ah, I had slipped up again. I meant that I couldn''t carry on in this fantasnd without the one person who kept me grounded but it could also be construed as me being too depressed to stay alive if he were gone.


    I was no Juliet Capulet, okay? I wouldn''t kill myself over a man. If something happened to Alheaven forbidI would run away to another country and try to live as normal a life as possible as I originally nned. And bepletely miserable without him.


    I had already died once. Thest thing I wanted to do was throw away my second chance at life.


    "you wouldn''t understand," I said softly, burying my face in his shirt.


    Al sighed. "You say the strangest things sometimes, Katie. I really don''t understand you. It is almost as if you aren''t from Annias at all."


    My heart rate increased when he said that. Was this my chance to tell him the truth? That I understood his identity crisis because I had one of my own? I had nned on telling him eventuallywhy not now when I had an opening?


    I took a deep breath before asking a question that could spell my doom. "What if I wasn''t?"

 Chapter 94: In A Novel

    Chapter 94: In A Novel


    Al blinked at me for a moment, notprehending what I had said. "Pardon?"


    I repeated myself. "What if I wasn''t from Annias? What would you think of me?"


    He stared at me in silence for a few minutes. "I would say it made sense. You are different than anyone else here. But I would also say it didn''t make sense because you are definitely the daughter of the earl and countess of du Pont."


    This was true. Unlike in Al''s situation, the du Ponts treated me like family. I looked like them. There was no doubt I was a part of their family. Technically, I was, but only in body.


    I was Schrdinger''s girl. Dead and not dead. Catherine du Pont and not Catherine du Pont. Catherine in body and Katie in spirit. Would he believe me if I told him the truth? What could I say to convince him that I wasn''t crazy?


    "Would you believe me if I said both were true?" I asked lightly.


    "Yes," Al said without hesitation. "But only because it is you. I would not believe anyone else. Can you tell me the truth about yourself, Katie? Oris that not your name either?"


    It was the second time someone had asked me that. But this time I wanted to tell the whole truth instead of part of it. Al trusted me so he might not think I''mpletely insaneand it would exin all of my behavior up until this point.


    "My name was Katrina Pullman but I had gone by Katie my entire life," I began. "I am not from Annias or any of the surrounding nations. I am from another world in a ce called Arizona. Everything I ever said was from the countrywas actually from my home.


    "All of my knowledge came from things I learned back home. Jellyfishpoliticscard gameshat looms.I want to be a librarian because that was my job before. I died in a carriage ident and somehow woke up in Catherine du Pont''s body."


    I took a deep breath before continuing shakily. "That isn''t even the craziest part. In my world, Annias is fictional. I read about it in a novel. Catherine du Pont wasn''t even a character! But youSigmundFranzMarcythe dukeyou all were.


    "I was dead set on avoiding all of you and staying out of the plot so I could have a peaceful life but that didn''t work. I ended up right in the middle of things, which was just my luck. But don''t you see? That was why I was resistant to you for so long. I thought you were destined for someone else.


    "The story has changed so much since I got hereI don''t even know whether or not we''re going to get our happy ending but I had to try. That''s why I was so set on working with Franz. He has to be king in order to get at least part of the plot back on track.


    "Once that''s done, I don''t care about anything anymore. I want to be with you and live a peaceful, normal life. You''re the most like people from my world out of everyone I''ve met here. But I''m scared of Sigmund and what he might do. The plot has already changed so much and if he wins I don''t know what will happen to us."


    There. It was all out.


    I sniffled and wiped my eyes, feeling rather emotional after getting that off my chest. I dared to peek up at Al and he looked shocked but also like he was thinking over what I had said. He didn''t think I was crazy. Yet.


    He didn''t speak for a while and when he did it was simply to ask "You''ve been carrying all of this on your own ever since you got here?"


    Yes. I had. Mari knew about my world but didn''t know we were inside a novel or how hard I had tried to make things go ording to the author''s wishes. Telling her about my home had been nice but I didn''t feel as free then as I did now.


    "Mari knows about my worldbut not about my knowledge of the future or this being a novel. She guessed I wasn''t actually Catherine du Pont pretty early on because I don''t act the way noblewomen are supposed to act," I admitted.


    Al surprised me by smiling. "No, you do not. But that''s part of what I love about you. Umcan you tell me what the original plot was? It might help having someone else know about it."


    I could not believe he was taking me so seriously. The level of trust he had in me was astounding. But I supposed it was warranted, since I was the first person to ever show him kindness. If he couldn''t believe in me, he couldn''t believe in anything.


    So I told him.


    I told him about how he was supposed to end up with Marcy and everything that I had messed up bying here. I told him all of the things I had discovered that didn''t match up with the plot already, like his true identity and how Marcy was a spy.


    As embarrassing as it was to admit, I also confessed that finding that out was why I finally abandoned sticking to the plot and decided to give him a chance. How I had felt indignant on his behalf that she hadn''t even loved him.


    I finished with what happened to Sigmund. "he gets killed in the revolt and Franz bes king. You marry Marcy and everybody lives happily ever after. It was why I wanted to get out of here as soon as the new bill was passed; to avoid the aftermath."


    Al took a few minutes to process this. I watched him nervously but saw no signs of him thinking I was crazy now either. Maybe he was a little too trusting but I couldn''t deny I was touched.


    "Well that certainly exins your behavior when we were engaged a lotI can''t believe you were trying to push me off onto someone else the entire time," he said with a shake of his head. "But Sigmund dies? Really? What a fitting end for a tyrant like him."

 Chapter 95: Talking

    Chapter 95: Talking


    Al''s arms tightened around me as he continued to digest everything I had said. After a while, he spoke up again a bit hesitantly.


    "I see why you don''t want to leave the pce for a while. We''ll be more careful until everything is said and done. I won''t let anything happen to you, I promise. But Katiewhy did you feel so strongly about following the story before? And what changed your mind?"


    I had wondered that many times. Bending over backwards to make the author''s original intentionse to pass had been exhausting. Maybe it was to have a sense of normalcy, honoring a story from my world.


    For some reason back then I had a horrible feeling that something bad would happen if I didn''t keep the story the same. Plus I felt guilty about stealing Marcy''s man. Thest of my inhibitions on the matter went out the window when I realized she had been using him the entire time in the novel.


    "I don''t know why I felt so strongly about itconsistency, maybe? Trying to keep what I knew the same? I had gone through a lot of crazy changes bying here. As for what changed my mindit was you," I confessed.


    "I had originally nned to run away alone and leave you with her. But when I found out she only wanted your connections for her own political gain I knew she wouldn''t take care of you for me properly so I couldn''t leave you alone again. I cared too much."


    Al''s expression softened and he fiddled with a strand of my hair. "I hope you know that you''re ridiculousbut you sure know how to make me feel loved."


    How did that make him feel loved? I had just admitted to nning on leaving him and going my merry way! I suppose he was focusing on the fact that I didn''t leave because I couldn''t bear to leave him alone in this terrible ce.


    He was handling this a lot better than I had thought he would. Every crazy thing I said had been taken in stride. I frowned. "Alwhy do you believe me? What I''m telling you is impossible."


    Heughed. "Perhaps so, but I know you Katie de Kanta. You wouldn''t lie to me."


    Well, not now, but I had lied to him a lot in order to keep my secrets. Yet he still trusted me. Love truly was blind.


    "Thank you," I said quietly.


    I had always been myself more around Al than anyone else in this world but now he knew the entire truth. I had been set free from a self-imposed cage. The weight I had been carrying alone wasn''t as heavy with someone else sharing it.


    "You said you didn''t think you were even supposed to be here and that was a part of why you tried to ''fix'' things but I think everything happened exactly how it was supposed to," he said thoughtfully.


    "I''m so grateful you came here so I could meet you. I always wondered if there was someone out there who would truly understand meand there was, in apletely different world. Can you tell me more about your home? I want to know everything about your life there."


    With that invitation, I ended up talking for hours (with asional breaks for Al to ask questions) about my life back in Arizona. Everything from my childhood exploits with Abby to my parents'' deaths to my health problems and social istion.


    I tried to exin technology as best I could but there weren''t proper equivalents to most of the things I was describing, like TVs and cell phones. He was intrigued by how different things were, especially based on the foods I had attempted to have made here already.


    Without even having to bring it up myself, Al said he wanted to help me recreate as much here as we could. That made me fall even more in love with him. He had always understood me better than anyone else here but now that understanding wasplete.


    Like Mari had been when I told her about the fashion differences, Al was sympathetic to my plight. Suddenly my strange fashion choices for when we lounged about the castle made a lot more sense.


    "The clothes in your world sound nice. If you really don''t like wearing skirts all the time, we can find someone to make you some pants when we get out of here. You did say that you usually wore pants, didn''t you?" he asked.


    Iughed. Usually? I hadn''t worn a skirt in about two years before I came here. Pants were my life. I wore jeans or cks at work but when I was at home it was pajamas or gym shorts all the way.


    "I never wore skirts beforeing here! I miss pants. The only time I wore them in this world was when we yed in the snow. Let me tell you,ing up with snow clothes that would work here was a challenge. Back home we have a special waterproof material with instion made especially for"


    And that sparked another long tangent about my life back on earth. Al listened intently, soaking up all of the information like a sponge. I could tell he was sincerely interested in my world, as Mari had been.


    That was to be expected. Earth was so different from wherever this was.


    We ended up talking for the rest of the night. The conversation was a mixture of things about my past and ns for our future. Having someone else in on my secret made nning for a proper life here a lot more fun.


    Eventually I nodded off in my husband''s arms on the couch. He sighed and pressed a kiss to my forehead before speaking to no one.


    "Your world sounds amazing, Katie. As much as I wish you hadn''t struggled so much hereas much as you have wanted to go homeI''m d you''re stuck here with me in Annias. I''ll do my best to make sure you want for nothing as soon as this is all behind us."

 Chapter 96: Feeling A Bit Faint

    Chapter 96: Feeling A Bit Faint


    The days leading up to court reconvening for the spring were tense. Franz, Mari, Al, Marcy and I went over every tiny detail we possibly could to make sure everything was set and ready to go. We felt confident that our n had not been leaked to Sigmund''s men, which was a smallfort.


    The bad news was that we were expected to attend formal functions again as the nobility came trickling back in from the countryside. On the plus side, I was able to see Percy and Adele. But I also had to deal with a few very awkward encounters with the earl and countess.


    Gone were the days I could get away with wearing whatever I wanted within the pce. Now I was stuck in a full corset and cage every single day.


    Two days before court convened was a grand ball celebrating everyone''s return to the capital. My dress and hairstyle were even more borate than usual and I felt like a porcin doll.


    "Not a word," I hissed at Al as he snickered slightly at the ufortable look on my face.


    "I can''t even say that you look lovely?"


    I scowled. Sure, the overall effect was dazzling, but he had no idea how difficult it was to move in these things. I had been spoiled by my sweaters.


    "Compliments on my looks mean nothing," I sniffed haughtily.


    Al knew what I had originally looked like. I had told him the night we stayed upte talking about my former life. He had said with confidence that he would have fallen in love with me anyway, iming that I had a beautiful soul. He earned a lot of kisses for that.


    He shrugged me off. "I was only teasing you, Katie. We''ll survive this ball and then you won''t have to do anything until the resolution is passed."


    Technically, as a prince of this nation, he had a vote on the council of nobility but he had never once bothered attending because the royal family had thoroughly convinced him he had no power. He never had anything to say until now so he never bothered to go.


    As a female, I wasn''t allowed to attend, but Al had promised to vote in my ce. I was in for a few very stressful days of waiting.


    And yet I was expected to be a pretty little figurehead at this extravagant ball. I had more important things to worry about! Unfortunately, not attending would arouse suspicion.


    Only Mari, who was nearing the end of her pregnancy, was allowed to skip out. Franz still had to make an appearance. He hadn''t liked that one bit and had instructed Sir Marino and another guard he trusted to keep her in their line of sight every second he was gone.


    My poor friend probably felt like a bug under a microscope but it wouldn''t be much longer now. She was due in slightly under two months. I really hoped the castle wouldn''t dissolve into chaos before then and put her in danger.


    Getting a heavily pregnant woman out of here without anyone noticing would be difficult. Al, Franz, and I could escape on horseback but she would need a carriage.


    Using my foreknowledge, I suggested that Franz have a way to smuggle her out of the castle handy in case our n didn''t work out the way we hoped. Knowing how paranoid he tended to be, I was sure he had some sort of backup n.


    When Al and I were officially announced at the top of the stairs I felt a million eyes on me. I hadn''t seen this many people since our wedding ball and that felt like a lifetime ago.


    Even though I was married, everyone still wanted to dance with me because I was a beautiful princess. The rules allowed for anyone to dance regardless of marital status so of course I found myself unlucky enough to dance with a variety of men I couldn''t care less about.


    Including Duke O. I got through the first half of the dance using up every bit of small talk that I could but I could feel my energy draining away.


    There was nothing else to talk about! What did this guy want with me anyway?


    "I have not had the pleasure of seeing youtely," he said coolly. "I do hope you have been in good health."


    Ugh, the way he said it made my skin crawl. But I also caught onto something. We had only run into each other once since he got back into town because I had been hiding after running into him. His words gave me the impression that he had seen me more than that.


    I knew I had been getting a bad feeling about leaving the pce. Did he spy on me personally or send someone else to do it? Duke O seemed like the kind of person to prefer getting his own hands dirty.


    Hang ondid he see Al and I leave the pce or not? Did he know where we went? Did he know anything about the Kanta? And if he did, what about Sigmund?


    My blood ran cold. Now was the perfect time to feign a swooning episode. It would signal Al toe get me from where he had been cornered by a couple of lower aristocrats. I needed to tell him my suspicions right away.


    "Actually, I have been feeling a bit faint," I lied, trying to make myself look pale and sweaty. I fanned myself with a gloved hand for effect.


    My bad acting worked. I guess the duke had never had the wool pulled over his eyes like this before. His cold, emotionless exterior cracked momentarily with panic. He stopped the dance and led me over to a chair to sit down, running off to fetch me a ss of water.


    Al spotted me from across the room with a frown. I signaled him with my eyes to get his butt over here. If Duke O really was onto us, we were in deep trouble and needed toe up with a n.

 Chapter 97: Pacing

    Chapter 97: Pacing


    There was an awkward standoff when my husband and my one-time suitor both arrived at my side at the same time. I epted Duke O''s water reluctantly, unwilling to actually drink it in case he put something weird in there.


    "Thank you for your assistance but I believe my husband can take it from here," I informed him as politely as I could.


    He gave me a stiff bow. "It is a gentleman''s duty to see to ady''s needs. Please excuse me, Your Highnesses."


    Duke O turned and stalked away in the other direction. I heaved a sigh of relief as he went, dumping the water out into a floral arrangement next to me. I had gotten rid of him for now but my sense of unease about our conversation remained.


    Was I being paranoid? Even if I wasparanoia was how people stayed alive in this world. Franz had already proven that because Mari and the baby were safe and sound despite Sigmund''s best efforts to breach the fortress their quarters had be.


    Al raised an eyebrow at me and I realized I had a bit of exining to do. I had put on quite a bit of a show back there.


    "Thanks for saving me. I think Duke O has been spying on us," I whispered anxiously.


    "What did he say to you?"


    "I might be paranoid but I get this feeling"


    I exined my thoughts based on his earlier wording and Al looked troubled. I hadn''t been wrong about this sort of thing before. We might be in some seriously deep water. My only hope was that we didn''t drown.


    It was difficult making it through the rest of the party after that. The atmosphere was so tense I thought I might scream. But I didn''t, because princesses weren''t allowed to react like that.


    Over the next two days I repeatedly told myself that everything was going to be fine and we were going to make it out of here. Helping Franz in ce of Marcy had been the only thing I had (at least so far) sessfully managed to keep on track.


    As long as he won the vote, the king died on time, and the people revolted we would be good to go. So long as we didn''t caught up in the violence. Then Al and I would be home free.


    "It''s going to be fine," Al reassured me as I helped him with the ridiculous amount of buttons on his most formal coat. "The proposition is going to pass. Then things will progress the way they''re supposed to, right?"


    He knew that the only part of the novel I still cared about keeping on track was ensuring Franz became king. Especially now that he had promised to help us restore Al''s homnd. I wanted our future to be set more than anything.


    "I certainly hope so," I muttered. "You have to tell me how everything goes the second they release you for the day."


    My husband sweetly kissed my lips once the buttons were done and stroked my cheek. "I will. Every boring detail."


    With that, he was off and I was left with nothing to do but worry. Visiting Mari seemed like my best option so I made my way to her quarters. Unlike me, she wasn''t at all worried about the resolution passing. She had faith in her husband and all of the hard work we had collectively put into this.


    I wished I had her confidence. I was concerned about it passing but I was more concerned with what came after. Sigmund was going to go on a rampage and if he suspected Al''s true identity, he would have the power to kill us as soon as the king died and he took over.


    We already had an escape route nned but after that I didn''t know where we would go. If Duke O had followed us all the way to Ayana''s house already it wouldn''t be safe there. Our friends would be in danger too.


    I sincerely hoped that Sigmund didn''t know. That my paranoia was simply getting the better of me. Because if Al went down for treason I probably would too. We would both be dead and that would be a horrible end to my little adventure here in fantasnd.


    Living long enough to be able to help Al''s people reim their home and trying to replicate as much as we could from my world was imperative. I would not let that slimeball crown prince kill me before I could make those things happen.


    Mari sighed. "Katie, watching you pace is making me agitated. You need to rx. Shall I call for some pastries from the kitchens?"


    I was never one to turn down Marcy''s pastries but was now really the time? My appetite was nonexistent with how stressed I was. "I''m sorry," I apologizedmely. "I just wish I could see what was happening right now for myself."


    "As do I. But we shall receive word shortly, I am sure of it. In the meantime, my baby wants some of those jam-filled doughnuts covered in powdered sugar that Marcy makes. If you do not want any I will dly eat your portion."


    "I''ll go; there''s no need to send a servant," I said as I heaved myself to my feet. "If anything happened to you on my watch while Franz wasn''t here he would murder me and dance on my grave."


    Franz''s carefulness about poisons had only grown stronger the closer his wife came to the end of her pregnancy. Going myself was the most efficient way to make sure nothing happened while it was being transported.


    "I cannot envision my husband dancing on anybody''s grave but go if it will help you work off some of your nerves," Mari said in a more irritable tone than I used to believe she was capable of.


    Being cooped up for so long and dealing with pregnancy hormones had caused her usualposure to crack more often over the past few months. I felt sorry for her. And here I was making things worse by adding to her stress.


    The castle was more bustling than usual today because of all of the nobles'' wives who hade up from the countryside. Most of them wanted to cozy up to the queen and crown princess.


    I had already endured horrendous tea parties every morning since they began returning to the capital. The pastries hadn''t even been enough to make up for how annoying those were since I didn''t even have Mari there to help me run interference.

 Chapter 98: The Vote

    Chapter 98: The Vote


    When I found Marcy, she seemed even more high-strung than I was. She was whipping cream so forcefully that it was a miracle it didn''t all stter on the person rolling out dough next to her.


    I felt an instant sense of camaraderie and walked over since she was focusing too intently to see me wave. "Hey Marcy, are you too busy to make some jam-filled powdered donuts for a hungry pregnantdy?"


    She gave me a strained smile, not bothering to stop her whipping frenzy. "I''m never too busy to help a pregnant woman in distress. I can get started on them as soon as this cream is done. Someone else can fill the cream puffs for Princess Rosenia."


    Apparently Marcy was already in the middle of making doughnuts for someone else because she began cutting circles out of the dough the kitchen girl next to her had been rolling out. She heated a pan with a shallowyer of oil and began dropping the dough circles in it.


    She anxiously called for someone to go find her the raspberry jam before sighing and leaning against the counter. Poor thing. She really was more stressed than me.


    I supposed it made sense because this proposition had originally been her idea. Of course Marcy would be heavily invested in the oue. The lives of her friends, family, and neighbors might be about to improve drastically.


    "Breathe, Marcy," I reminded her.


    She fiddled with a strand of hair that hade loose from her braid. "Sorry. I just"


    "I know. No need to apologize. Mari was getting annoyed with how anxious I was too. It''s why I offered toe get these myself."


    Marcy bit her lip and nodded, unwilling to speak more in case any more of Sigmund''s agents were in the kitchen. He was in court right now but there was no telling who might report back to himter. We could still get in trouble as long as he was the crown prince.


    I didn''t like this either. The waiting. The suspense. We wouldn''t know what had actually gone down until the end of the day.


    ===


    Al got a lot of strange looks as he sat down in court that morning. He had never been present to a single court session before even though everyone there recognized him on sight. The useless third prince.


    He didn''t care what people thought of him anymore because he had a purpose. He would not spend the rest of his life wasting away in this castle like he had always assumed would be the case. He had a civilization to rebuild.


    Ignoring the stares and whispers was easy when he thought about how Katie was anxiously waiting for news. He would not disappoint her.


    Since the king was sick in bed, the archduke led the proceedings. He droned on about how important the nobles were to deciding things for the kingdom and a lot of other self-important drivel.


    Al shifted ufortably in his seat as a few other resolutions were brought up. When it came time to vote for the one to addmoner representatives to the court, many of the higher nobles expressed their outrage.


    "We cannot do such a thing!"


    "It would undermine the entire court system."


    "Who proposed this n?"


    Franz spoke up seriously. "Duke Renaya, our entire economy is reliant on the work done bymoners. Word gets around; conditions have not been so great for them in the past few decades. If we do not wish to see a riot on our hands, it is important to keep them appeased.


    "If you read over the n carefully, you will see that there are only a set number of representatives based onnd-holding nobility. They will not outnumber us but will still feel satisfied that their interests are being represented."


    It was actually rather clever to phrase it this way. Now it seemed like this was merely a symbolic gesture and it would not be possible for their votes to count against the nobles'' even though that wasn''t true.


    Al didn''t like his foster brother as a person but he couldn''t deny that he asionally had good ideas. Maybe he would make a better king than Sigmund after all.


    Duke Renaya and a few of the upper nobility calmed down once Franz exined things to them but Sigmund was ring daggers at him from across the table. He hadn''t been able to figure out what his younger brother was doing beforehand but he understood his intentions immediately now that they were out in the open.


    When the vote was cast, they barely managed to pass by two votes.


    The breath Al didn''t realize he had been holding in came out in a whoosh. They had actually done it. Months of hard work and stress had paid off! Katie would be so excitedand nervous because of what came next in the novel.


    It was decided that the nobles would send word back to each of their territories right away so the people could elect their leaders before the court session was finished for the spring. A few more resolutions needed to be passed but Al didn''t really pay much attention to them and voted as he saw fit on a case by case basis.


    Franz radiated undeniable smugness and he was tempted to roll his eyes. Today had been a victory but the war wasn''t even close to over yet.

 Chapter 99: Blindsided

    Chapter 99: Blindsided


    Sigmund was furious when he stormed back to his quarters. How? How could he have beenpletely blindsided by his brother like this?


    All this time he had operated under the assumption that Franz was trying to be the crown prince by making himself seem like the better candidate. He never would have guessed he was trying to get more representatives on his side in the court.


    This had to be Katie''s idea; that sted woman! Franz wasn''t smart enough toe up with something like this on his own.


    He knew he had promised to keep her alive for Charles'' sake but she was too dangerous. As long as she was capable of thinking and speaking, she was a threat. There were so many better women out thereCharles would forgive him eventually.


    Even if he didn''t, he was a single aide whose loyalty would remain to the crown. Which Sigmund would wear at all costs.


    "ROSENIAAAA!" he roared as he threw open the door to her private drawing room.


    She was lounging on a chaise eating chocte covered strawberries and hardly looked up at themotion. Seeing her so nonchnt when her position was in every bit as much danger as his was infuriated him even more.


    "What is it?" his wife asked impatiently. "You have not purposely sought me out in weeks."


    Rosenia was a breathtakingly beautiful woman but right now the very sight of her disgusted Sigmund. This was her fault. If she hadn''t spent all of her time avoiding him and living the high life by using his title to her benefit he would have an heir already.


    "Franz had a victory in court today," he said through gritted teeth. "And his child is due in a matter of weeks. If you wish to keep your position I would rmend doing the one thing that is expected of you aside from being a beautiful room ornament."


    She sat up in a huff. "For heaven''s sake, Sigmund. Do not try to pin the me on me when your spywork was unable to dig anything up. This is the result of your own inadequacy."


    Blinded by fury, he seized her by the wrist. Fear briefly shone in her eyes but was quickly reced by a defiant expression. She had no intention of taking her words back.


    "My inadequacy? What about yours? Your primary duty as crown princess is to bear me a son. Four years and you have not been pregnant even once! Do I need to rece you?" Sigmund snarled.


    "You would not dare"


    "There is nothing I would not dare to do with my position in danger. So either you stop hiding yourself away eating sweets all day or go back to Rowenhilde in shame. I am sure your brother the king would be thrilled."


    It wasrgely an empty threat. Sigmund needed the support of the king of Rowenhilde and divorcing her, even for such a valid reason, would sever that tie. It might even be enough to start a war over.


    But Rosenia was thoroughly panicked now and not at all clever. She wouldn''t be able toe to that conclusion in her current state of mind. No matter what it took, he had to get her to obey him for once.


    "Fine!" she said with tears in her eyes, rubbing her wrist where a bruise was starting to form. "Have your way with me! I do not care. But you are not allowed to talk about recing me again."


    Good. She was scared intopliance. He had thought this would be more difficult since his wife was normally as obstinate as a mule.


    Sigmund would do anything to retain his position, even if it meant resorting to unsavory methods. He still needed to find a way to speak to one of his parents about Alpheus because what Charles saw the other day was truly perplexing.


    Getting rid of that annoyance would be his genuine pleasure. He had always been such a weak, pitiful child. Never bothering to fight back, he was an easy target. A boring one.


    His personality shift as ofte had been even more of a bother. Alpheus had never dared defy his older brothers before that wretched woman came along and gave him some sort of strange confidence boost. Yet another reason to get rid of her.


    A few hourster, his business with Rosenia was finished so he made his way to the queen''s chambers. Sigmund needed answers.


    His mother was pleased to see him until she realized what he wanted. Her face closed off immediately, which was suspicious. "That is none of your concern. Alpheus has no chance of attaining the throne. Do not worry about such trifling things."


    "Mother, I need to know. I fear he may be conspiring against the crown with foreign traitors."


    rm reced her nk expression and she gripped his arms. "Foreigners? What did they look like?"


    Sigmund felt that the answer must be significant. "I did not see them personally, Charles did. He said that Alpheus was meeting with people who looked like him in the slums on the edge of town. They all had ck hair and gray eyes."


    The queen slumped in her chair and rubbed her forehead in exhaustion. He had never seen this proud, dignified woman look so defeated.


    "Then our greatest fear hase to pass. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about it. Alpheus is impossible to kill."

 Chapter 100: I Shall Take Care Of This

    Chapter 100: I Shall Take Care Of This


    Impossible to kill? That made absolutely no sense. Every man was mortal.


    "What do you mean, Mother?" Sigmund asked.


    She sighed heavily and told him the truth. Alpheus was actually the son of the leader of the extinct Kanta n. The king tried to kill him as a baby and it did not work. Multiple times he tried to sh him with a sword and the blows always nced right off of him.


    Perplexed, he ended up taking the infant back to the pce with him to look into why this had happened further. A book about the foundation of the Kanta n mentioned a legend that was so old it had been forgotten even by the Kanta themselves. The n leader had the protection of the mountain spirits; until a sessor was born, he could not die.


    The king felt there was no other choice than to raise the boy to be utterly useless, never knowing of his heritage. The n would not be able to revitalize and he would go through life without being any the wiser about his power.


    The child she had given birth to was stillborn so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to keep him under their noses and prevent him from amounting to anything. The queen finished her exnation with a weary sigh but Sigmund was stunned.


    Stunned and skeptical. His mother had always been a no-nonsense kind of woman so he didn''t believe she would believe something like that without proof.


    There was no magic in this world; it was merely legend. Stories told to children. Besides, if the Kanta had some sort of divine protection how could they have been wiped out so easily?


    "Motherdid you see this for yourself?" he asked.


    "Of course I did! I would not take such a ridiculous story at face value," she said vehemently. "I tried a variety of tests. Not feeding him for days at a time as an infant. Poisoning him as a toddler. I never wanted that abomination in my house and I was forced to pretend he was a recement for the precious son I lost!"


    "When he was four years old he fell twenty feet out of a tree andnded on his neck. He was covered in scratches but otherwise perfectly fine. It was then that I was sure I was dealing with a monster. Did you truly never wonder why we treated him the way that we did?"


    No, he had not. He hadn''t cared. All of his siblings were threats to his glorious future as king so he didn''t like a single one of them as a child.


    But in hindsight it did make sense. The queen was a fairly loving mother considering she was royalty and had little time to spare for her children. She had always doted on Sigmund.


    Alpheus had been an outcast since he was old enough to walk and attempt to y with his siblings. After being rejected a certain number of times he gave up and retreated into his own little world that no one else could enter. Until Katie came along.


    Sigmund frowned. His mother appeared to be perfectly serious. If he couldn''t execute Alpheus for treason what was he supposed to do? He couldn''t exactly wait around for Katie to give birth; that could take years.


    He was about to ask why they couldn''t simply kill the few remaining Kanta that Alpheus seemed to be meeting with when his mother sighed.


    "Your father did not want any of you to know about this because there is nothing else he can do. The few refugees that remained intermarried with our people and we cannot kill them without reason. They are a very spiritual, traditional people; without their leader they are nothing.


    "Do you understand the problem we face? We broke their leader''s spirit and hid the truth of his birthright from him but it seems he may have found out despite our best efforts. We cannot kill any of them but I do not see any other way to prevent them from rising again."


    Sigmund thought about it. They couldn''t kill anyone yet but once there was proof of treason they could lock Alpheus in the dungeon. Katie and the rest could be executed; that would certainly push him past his breaking point.


    All he needed was proof! He would need to keep an extra close eye on those two troublemakers and send one of his agents to gather more information on the remaining Kanta nsmen.


    If Alpheus truly was trying to revitalize his n, he probably was working with Franz. He must have promised him the rights to hisnds back to gain his cooperation. Sigmund would bet anything that Katie had been the mastermind behind that n.


    Katie, Katie, Katie. It all boiled down to her, didn''t it? That no ount daughter of an earl.


    Franz was more desperate for the throne than he realized. In order to get Katie on his side, he promised away all of Annias''s mines. The very reason their father eliminated the Kanta in the first ce.


    They needed those mines to ess countless important resources used to keep the nobility''s way of life consistent. Metal. Chalk. Salt. Precious stones. All of those things deserved to belong to therger nation rather than a small group of backward mountain bumpkins!


    The Kanta n was named after a mountain range spanning about 100 miles. Before the raids, around a dozen viges had been scattered throughout those mountains.


    Sigmund had learned about them in his history lessons as a child. There had been less than five thousand nsmen total. They were a self-reliant bunch whose only contact with the outside world was selling resources from their mines to the nations of Annias and Rowenhilde, with which they shared borders.


    Before the raids neither country hadid im to the mountains because of how treacherous they were. Living there was thought to be impossible but somehow the Kanta survived generation after generation.


    Those mines were important; his father had made the right decision getting rid of such insignificant people to get them. They could not be allowed to make aeback.


    "Forgive me for disturbing your rest, Mother. I shall take care of this," Sigmund promised as he headed out the door.


    Yes, he would take care of this. Nailing Franz for helping them would get rid of all of his enemies in one fell swoop. Then nothing would be able to stand in his way to the throne. This day hadn''t been aplete waste after all.

 Chapter 101: Waiting For The Bomb To Drop

    Chapter 101: Waiting For The Bomb To Drop


    I was thrilled that the resolution passed but spent the next few weeks waiting for the bomb to drop. As expected, the king died. What wasn''t expected was that Sigmund didn''t immediately take his ce like in the novel.


    Mari was about eight months along at this point and most of the nobility wanted to wait and see if her child would be a boy before making a decision on who the king should be. After that news got out, Rosenia came to breakfast the next day covered in barely-concealed bruises.


    I actually felt a little sorry for her. She was petty but not scheming and hadn''t done anything truly wrong aside from letting her power as crown princess inte her ego.


    It was a good thing Al and I hadn''t visited the Kanta since I warned him because security at the pce tightened considerably. We couldn''t even leave our chambers without being monitored.


    The nation wasn''t supposed to operate without a king so court ended up being suspended indefinitely. The nobles weren''t happy about being stuck here and wanted to return to their estates but they had to wait for the royal baby to be born so a decision could be made.


    Mari was much more stressed than usual because of all the pressure. Her tea had already been poisoned once by one of Sigmund''s people but was caught in time because of a silver spoon.


    All of that security and someone still slipped passed it. After that she didn''t want to eat or drink anything.


    Franz tried to convince her she needed to take care of the baby and she went into hysterics. It hurt to watch because she was normally soposed. I quietly left the room as her husband tried tofort her through her sobs.


    "Poor Mari," I said sympathetically once I returned to Al.


    He blew out a frustrated breath. "Poor all of us. I feel like we are under house arrest. We haven''t even been able to go riding out on the grounds because Sigmund''s spies are everywhere. I can''t even send word to Ayana or N about why we aren''t visiting for fear someone will intercept it."


    His fingers tapped anxiously on the arm rest of the couch. "I am about to lose my mind. The weather is too nice to be stuck inside like this."


    I was far more used to staying inside from all the years I spent chronically ill but Al wasn''t like that. He preferred spending time outside. Even when he had beenrgely trapped in the pce growing up most of his time was spent out on the grounds somewhere.


    He would probably love living in the mountains with all of that fresh air, provided we were ever able to get out of here. With the way things were now I wasn''t sure if that would be happening.


    Of course it would be great if Franz was chosen to be king right away but I worried about what that would mean for us. The power struggle would likely continue even if we left and we would have no way to know if Sigmund would sabotage our attempts to rebuild.


    I wouldn''t feelfortable leaving the pce until he was dead. But you can''t kill a royal for no reason.


    He would have to be caught in the middle of doing something horrible with multiple indisputable witnesses for that. Like straight up murdering a member of the nobility. I wanted him to die but I didn''t want him to kill anyone for that to happen.


    I sighed. Al and I were equally antsy right now and the onlyfort we had was each other. I scooted closer to him before snuggling up against his chest. He imperceptibly rxed from my touch as usual.


    "Just think about all the fresh air we''ll be able to enjoy once we get out of here," I encouraged. "I bet it''s especially nice in the mountains."


    "Have you ever been to the mountains before?"


    "Obviously not herebut back home we took a road trip to Yosemite National Park once to go camping. We hiked and swam and so on and that was in the mountains. There were a lot of squirrels and they had absolutely no fear. After hiking to the top of a waterfall one snatched a bag of potato chips right out of my hand."


    Al, who had never seen a squirrel despite hearing about them, thought it was hrious. He wanted to know more about what mountains were like so I told him as much about the trip as I could.


    The trees. The giant rocks perfect for climbing. The rivers and waterfalls. That was my only experience with mountains; I had absolutely no idea what the Kanta region was like and I told him so.


    He didn''t seem bothered by it. "Even if it is different, imagining our new home is nice."


    Our new home. I liked the sound of that. A ce we could stake out and call our own. Living in the pce with all of these rules and etiquette and people didn''t suit either of us. Having your own house was a lot different than having a set of rooms within a giant ce like this.


    The only thing I would really miss here was the food. The thought of getting out of here and starting over somewhere else with the man I loved by my side was the only thing that kept me going in this crazy ce.


    "Yeah," I agreed. "It is."

 Chapter 102: Now What?

    Chapter 102: Now What?


    Al and I had to wait another month and a half for Mari to go intobor. We did a whole lot of nothing, not unlike when I first came to the pce for bridal lessons.


    All of the nobility were going crazy at this point because she was two weeks after her due date and still hadn''t given birth. I was forced to attend odious tea parties every morning with women I couldn''t care less about, including my fake mother, and all they could talk about was the royal baby or how inconvenienced they were by staying in town so long.


    What did they have to do back in the country that was so important? Their social connections weren''t nearly as readily avable back at their estates.


    Besides, they drank tea and gossiped no matter where they were so I didn''t see the difference it would make. These women baffled me. I didn''t understand them and I hoped I never would.


    I may be stuck living in this fantasnd but I refused to lose my modern sensibilities. They were an important part of me.


    Al and I spent a lot of time talking about my home and things we could potentially replicate here while we were stuck under house arrest. Most things seemed impossible due to theck of technology but it was nice to dream.


    The announcement that Mari had gone intobor came during the middle of a heated game of UNO. I had found some sturdy paper and created the cards as best I could,beling the corners with different letters because the only color of ink I had was ck. G for green, B for blue, and so on.


    It was a prettyme attempt but I had gotten so sick of traditional two-person card games that I would rather die than y another. Now that Al knew I was from another world there was no need to make the games we yed feasibly seem like they were from here.


    So I created UNO. Once I had more materials, I nned to make a lot more games from home to keep us entertained so we wouldn''t have to go back to regr cards.


    A servant came into the library where I had just hit Al with three +2 cards in a row and he was clutching his head in frustration to tell us what was happening with the second princess. Bewilderment flickered across his face for only a moment when he saw what we were doing before hisposure was back.


    "Your Highnesses, Princess Mari has begun the birthing process. She wishes for Princess Catherine to attend her."


    I was so shocked that my cards slipped out of my hand. I didn''t realize that was a thing here; I thought only doctors and midwives were allowed to be present when noble or royal children were born.


    Unable to say no, I shot Al an apologetic look and followed him out. When I arrived the chief royal physician and two assistants were the only other people present. Even Franz wasn''t allowed in. So why was I?


    Mari''s forehead was beaded with sweat and she gestured for me toe closer. She leaned over to whisper in my ear.


    "I lied and told them having a woman who is familiar with you is a tradition in Shibatsu even though their tradition is the same as the one here. You told me before that women usually have husbands, mothers, sisters, and close friends in the birthing room in your world. They refuse to let Franz in because it is improper but I cannot do this alone."


    My heart went out to her. She was in a foreignnd with few friends and had been in danger her entire pregnancy. Even now she was worried about whether or not her child would result in her husband bing the new king.


    I wanted to say something to make her feel better but couldn''t find the right words. All I was able to do was tell her that I was here and grip her hand but it seemed to do the trick.


    By the time I arrived, Mari was already pretty far along in thebor process. It only took another two hours for the baby to officially greet the world. As the chief physician picked it up and began examining it, he smiled at the new mother.


    "You did very well, Your Highness. It is a healthy young prince."


    Mari burst into tears. She had known all along that giving birth to a son would put her child''s life in danger as long as Sigmund was around. Having her worst fear confirmed while simultaneously being happy about her first child had overwhelmed her.


    I sat down on the side of the bed and wrapped my arms around her, trying to offerfort as best I could. Once the baby was clean and snugly swaddled, he was handed to his mother for the first time.


    She held him close and kissed the tiny tuft of silver hair on the top of his head. "Could someone please send for my husband? He needs to meet his son."


    The physicians'' assistants began cleaning up the mess on the bed as best they could without disturbing mother and son so I volunteered to go. I bumped into him pacing up and down the hall in front of their chambers.


    The worry on his face was undisguised and he gripped my hands. "Is she?"


    "Mari is fine and so is your son. Go see them," I encouraged gently.


    Franz nearly wilted with relief hearing they were alright and barely even seemed to register that I had said he had an heir. That made him rise in my estimation; when it came down to it, he was more concerned about his family than the fact that there was a good chance he would be king now.


    I gave them privacy and walked back to my quarters in a daze. Al was there waiting for me, having returned after I abandoned him mid-game.


    "Well?" he demanded.


    "It''s a boy," I said faintly. "We''re screwed."


    It had already basically been decided that if the royal baby was a boy that Franz would be king because of his ability to carry on the bloodline but it still needed to be put to a vote. This time all of the princes were prohibited from voting and it was solely up to the court.


    I was positive Franz would win now that themoner representatives had arrived from the countryside. They all knew he was the reason they were even allowed to be a part of the court.


    There were still plenty of nobles in Sigmund''s faction but even some of them had wavered because of hisck of progeny. So what did this mean for the story?


    Franz couldn''t exactly kick Sigmund out of the pce because royals always let their families continue to live here. It was tradition. Which would give the man plenty of time to try and plot something terrible, I was sure.


    Al already knew where I stood on the matter. He had wanted to get to the mountains as soon as possible but couldn''t deny that Sigmund could be a big problem for us so he reluctantly agreed that we should stay here until it was settled if Mari gave birth to a boy.


    He opened his arms with a worried sigh and I crumbled into them. From here on out we were operating in foreign territory. The plot had beenpletely ruined aside from themoners getting their representation.


    Now what?

 Chapter 103: Turned On Its Head

    Chapter 103: Turned On Its Head


    Franz was crowned king three dayster right after his son''s official naming ceremony. Rnd Augustine McLeod became the crown prince of Annias as his father held him up in front of all of the nobility.


    Sigmund was so furious that he didn''t even bother showing up to the ceremony, which was a source of great gossip right up until the nobility trickled back to their country estates. They wouldn''t return until the fall but I had a feeling they would still be talking about it then too.


    Aside from that brief, necessary appearance in public, Mari stayed in her quarters with her child, not even entrusting him to a wet nurse. She liked the ideas about parenting that Katie had mentioned during her pregnancy and wanted to spend as much time raising her son as she could.


    They were different than the ones she and Franz stayed in before. Now that he was king, he had taken over the most exquisite suite in the pce and the queen had been delegated elsewhere.


    The royal family had beenpletely turned on its head. With a new king and queen on the throne, Franz''s mother was now the dowager queen. Sigmund and Al were still princes but their position had changed slightly since their ces in the line of session had been shuffled around.


    Security around the queen and baby crown prince tightened considerably so there was no real opportunity to strike. Sigmund would not be getting his former title back so easily.


    I was most uneasy about what he might be up to. He hadn''t so much as shown his face at meals since Rnd was born. He might be sulking but he also might be nning something big. I worried about that adorable baby.


    I loved cooing over Rnd while visiting Mari but it filled me with homesickness. This was the closest I would ever get to being an aunt. Abby''s future children wouldn''t know me at all outside of any stories she might tell them about our childhood.


    "What are we supposed to do now?" I asked one day as we sat around eating crme puffs.


    "I am not sure what you mean," Mari replied, looking up from the nursing baby in her arms.


    "Well, Sigmund is obviously nning something but probably won''t get a chance to strike until court reconvenes in the fall. Shouldn''t we prepare some sort of counterattack?"


    She frowned. "We cannot prepare a counterattack for something we are not aware of. I do not believe he can do much now that most of his power has been stripped away. All he really has left is a vote in court and ess to the castle."


    It was the second part that I was worried about. He was still here like a sleeping snake that could wake up and strike any second. He could potentially attack someone before the royal guards were able to do a thing.


    As concerned as I was for sweet baby Rnd, I was also growing progressively more concerned for Al and me as well. Sigmund had assumed we were working with Franz before. He was probably positive of it now and might be out for revenge.


    I knew Duke O was out for blood. He had been radiating a murderous aura at the coronation about twenty feet away from me and I could still feel it. I had absolutely no idea what had been going through his head.


    Was he angry about losing his position as the crown prince''s aide? That his friend hadn''t be king and had ended up demoted? Or was this somehow about me?


    "I suppose you''re right," I said even though I didn''t believe it.


    Mari wanted to believe that this was all over and everything was okay even though she was still very conscientious of her son''s safety. I was the paranoid one because I had read the novel and knew the lengths Sigmund would go to in order to get what he wanted.


    One good thing came from Franz being in charge right away though. We were allowed to leave the pce again. Once the nobles returned to their country estates and everything settled down nobody cared what we got up to.


    Sigmund could no longer have us executed for treason so we decided to visit Al''s family for the first time in a couple of months. They were ecstatic to see us.


    Ayana threw her arms around Al when she spotted him. "Where have you been all this time? I thought something horrible must have happened to you!"


    She still didn''t know that we were technically considered royalty because Al hadn''t wanted her to think badly of him for being raised by the people who killed her family and destroyed her way of life.


    She was under the impression we were nobles with high ranking connections. We would have to be in order to get support for reiming their homnd. Now might be a good time toe clean.

 Chapter 104: The Third Prince

    Chapter 104: The Third Prince


    Al and I exchanged a look and a troubled expression crossed his face. He knew what he had to do but didn''t want to do it.


    "I''m sorry, Ayana. We were under house arrest for a while because of all the chaos with the royals and couldn''t even send word to you because of how closely we were being watched," he said regretfully.


    N, who was standing nearby, furrowed her brow. "Why would you be under such intense scrutiny because of what''s happening with the royals?"


    His shoulders slumped and he looked like he would rather do anything in the world than exin himself. I squeezed his hand in a show of support as he began to speak, not meeting anyone''s eyes.


    "because I''m one of them. I was raised as the third prince. Please forgive me for not telling you. I swear I never thought of them as family because they treated me terribly ever since I was young but I''ll understand if you hate me by association."


    Al shuffled his feet and fiddled with a button on his sleeve miserably as he waited for ''guilty by association'' verdict that didn''te. Ayana''s eyes filled withpassion and she reached out to touch his face.


    "Sweet boy, it isn''t your fault that you were taken by such terrible people. You did the best you could considering your circumstances and came out all the stronger for it."


    N didn''t judge him either. Sheughed slightly. "So you''ve been known as Alpheus all this time? I did wonder what other name you would have that the shortened version would be Al since it works for your birth name too."


    The first sign of a smile sinceing here appeared on his face. "Yes, it is rather ironic." I nearly snorted at hisment. Doubly ironic since we both had the same situation with our two names.


    Ayana frowned slightly. "We''ve been calling you Al all this timewould you prefer Alpheus?"


    He shuddered. "Please no. I have never liked that name, which is part of why I introduced myself to Katie as Al in the first ce. Al works fine but if you want to call me mar I won''t mind. It might take a bit of getting used to but I''ll adjust eventually."


    It made sense that he wouldn''t like it. Even before knowing his identity, he had resented the royal family deeply and had to live with the fact that he had been named after a long-ago king.


    He had always wanted to be close enough to someone to go by a nickname so he took a chance when introducing himself to me since it would also sessfully hide who he was. I had a feeling he woulde to like his birth name once he was used to responding to it because it was a symbol of his parents'' love.


    mar or Alpheus, he would always be Al to me.


    Ayana nodded gesturing for us toe say hi to everyone else. Some of her children were at work but all of the kids Rhea were nearby and equally excited to see us.


    "Look, it''s Al and Katie!"


    "Al and Katie are back!"


    "Yay! I thought they died."


    N chastised her son for being so flippant but Jasper''sment made meugh. It was such a little kid thing to say. They could be so blunt at times.


    I enjoyed the time we spent with Al''s rtives because they reminded me a bit of the way my aunts, uncles, and cousins had been back home even though I didn''t see them often. They helped fill a void in my heart slightly.


    I would never get my family back but at very least I could form a new one here. The prospect was far better than being alone.


    Eventually the kids lost interest in us and ran off to y so we talked to the adults while helping them work in the back garden. They were quite curious what was going to happen now that the old king was dead.


    "I assume the connection you spoke of who might be able to help get ournds back was King Franz," N said with a raised eyebrow. "How is thating along?"


    Al gave her an apologetic look. "It isn''t yet. He already promised he would but we haven''t gotten around to that. He has been very busy since the coronation but we also have a potential problem we need to take care of first."


    Ayana frowned. "What kind of problem? How long will it take? If we want to do anything to rebuild this year it will have to start soon because winters are long and brutal in the mountains."


    "I''m thinking we''ll have to wait until next year. I''m sorry. It will give us more time to find people. At the very least we can send word out to other countries within the next few months so people can begin preparing toe back if they want to."


    I was from the desert so I didn''t know much about snow but if I had to guess, I''d say we would need to get started on rebuilding in the spring in order to have enough proper shelters for everyone by the time winter hit.


    Spring. That gave us roughly nine months to figure out what to do about Sigmund. I wanted to say we could make that happen but at this point I was going in blind. Ever since the novelpletely derailed from its original ending I had been at a loss for what to do.


    It had been mypass from the very beginning, even after I decided to ditch the romantic part of the plot and keep Al for myself. I honestly didn''t know what to do in a situation where Franz was king but Sigmund was still alive.

 Chapter 105: A Declaration Of War

    Chapter 105: A Deration Of War


    "You what?" Al asked in a deadly tone.


    As soon as we got back from visiting his family we approached Franz to talk about potentially starting the reconstruction efforts in the spring. A stricken expression crossed his face when he exined that he couldn''t just give away money andnd without consulting the court first.


    "My hands are tied! I thought I would be able to do things like this on my own but apparently I''m notthe archduke has been very clear on what is and is not allowed," he finished sourly.


    I scowled. The archduke had been one of the biggest viins in the novel but hadn''t been a major yer up until this point. It seemed like he was finally making his move, no doubt wanting to continue exploiting the mountains for Annias''s benefit like the former king.


    "Who''s the king here, you or the archduke?! Shouldn''t you have more power than this?" I demanded.


    Even presidents back in good old America were allowed to dere executive orders now and then as a bypass for going through Congress. This was ridiculous.


    I had thought bing king would allow him to do whatever he saw fit to govern his country. Returningnds to a people your predecessor killed off and giving financial restitution to help rebuild should be within his jurisdiction.


    Franz sighed. "Sometimes I wonder. But he has served as an advisor to the crown since before my father''s time. I cannot dismiss him so easily."


    "If you back out on our deal now that you got what you wanted I will personally tie you to a chair and drop you in the ocean," I threatened.


    With my size and how many guards there would be to stop me, this wouldn''t be possible. But I wanted him to know how pissed off I was and it was the first thing I coulde up with. He seemed to get my message.


    "Katie, there should be nothing to worry about. All we have to do is wait until court reconvenes in the fall. The majority is on my side now so if I phrase the proposal correctly"


    Al cut him off angrily, his hands balled into fists. "No. Your father destroyed my people without the permission of the court and you will fix it the same way. The archduke can go jump off a cliff for all I care."


    A lightbulb flickered over my head and I smiled smugly. "Diplomatic rtions are not subject to the court, correct?"


    "Yes" Franz said warily. "Where are you going with this?"


    "The Kanta region was never formally considered a country before and was left to its own devices because no one else dared live there. That changes now. You are now speaking to n Leader mar de Kanta and Madam n Leader Katie de Kanta of the Independent Nation of Kanta. If you do not give us what we want we shall dere war."


    Al snorted before covering his mouth to muffle hisughter and Franz looked at me like I was crazy. "You don''t have an army! How can a nation be made up of two people?"


    "Our nation has more than two people," I sniffed. Technically speaking, right now it had sixty-two even if that was only in writing. "We may not have a formal army but we have enough people to wreak some serious havoc in the towns they live in without anyone being the wiser.


    "Make your choice, Your Majesty. Give us what we want or we will give you an awful lot of headaches. Do you really want to deal with repairs and infrastructure problems so soon in your reign?"


    My husband was no longer able to control hisughter and was doubled over with glee. I red at him. He was ruining my dramatic moment.


    Franz looked helpless for a moment before cracking a disbelieving smile. "You make a very convincing argument, Madam n Leader. I will begin making arrangements so you can begin rebuilding in the spring."


    I gave my best curtsy, acting like the diplomat I was pretending to be. "We thank you for your generosity."


    I had to pull Al out of the throne room in a rather undignified manner because he was still cackling. He didn''t stop until we made it back to our quarters and grinned at me widely. I was a bit put out with him for finding this so amusing.


    "What is it?" I demanded.


    "You just decided to form a country, gave yourself a title that doesn''t exist, and dered war on the biggest country on this continentpletely on a whim. How is that not funny? Madam n Leader," he snickered.


    I punched him in the shoulder. "Shut up, Al! I''m not creative and I was improvising. Where I''m from the leaders are called President and First Lady instead of King and Queen. I honestly couldn''t think of anything better on the spot. You already had a title so I matched yours."


    "I never said I didn''t like it. And I must admit, I can imagine Jasper leading an army quite effectively. They would throw rocks at every window and probably set something on fire," he said before dissolving intoughter again.


    I sighed. He waspletely hopeless.


    At least that was one problem out of the way. Now all we had to do was get rid of Sigmund on a permanent basis and we could rest assured that the peace treaty we would be signing wouldn''t be ignored during our lifetimes.


    But the only way to get rid of a royal without resorting to murder is catching themmitting treason. I was willing to bet Sigmund was cooking up something treasonous right now but the hard part would be proving it.

 Chapter 106: You Had One Job

    Chapter 106: You Had One Job


    Rosenia McLeod''s world hade crashing down around her and she didn''t know how to handle it at all. As a child she knew what was expected of herbeing a princess of Rowenhilde meant she would inevitably be married off to some foreign dignitary or other for political reasons.


    When she was seven, she watched her fourteen-year-old sister get shipped off to the barbaric southern nation of Idaris to be the king''s seventh concubine in horror. Dealing with an entire harem of women sounded like hell on earth to her.


    Rosenia was determined to be different. She became her oldest brother Rogan''s pet, showering him with adoration in the hopes that he would plead her case with their father when the time came for her to marry.


    Her n worked perfectly. The king passed away when she was thirteen and Rogan took the throne. Since they were close, he asked her what she wanted out of a political marriage before allowing suitors to approach.


    "I wish to live a life of luxury where I bow down to no one," she said boldly. "Preferably with someone less than twice my age who will leave me alone most of the time."


    Heughed at her wishes. "Is that so? You ask for much, baby sister. I shall see what I can do."


    It took two years of rejecting potential suitors before he found one who fit most of her requirements. He had done an exchange year at Cbaster Academy when Prince Sigmund of Annias attended there.


    Sigmund was four years younger but their paths had crossed. He certainly left an impression, showing the perfect amount of ttery and deference withouting across as weak even though they shared the same title.


    Rogan had thought that he ought to keep an eye on that one but never considered him as a marriage candidate for his sister until Sigmund approached him first. He wanted to secure a stronger alliance with Annias''s closest neighbor in exchange for his sister''s hand, saying he would do anything to make that happen.


    He was only six years older than Rosenia, handsome, and would be the future king of Annias. She could not possibly live a more luxurious life than one as queen. Sigmund epted the conditions Roganid out and Rosenia became the crown princess of Annias a yearter.


    She had loved her life here. The finest jewels, dresses, and pastries were hers for the taking. Sigmund never cared what she was up to and she hardly had to see him at all, which had been more than he could have hoped for.


    That is, right up until Catherine du Pont showed up in the castle. That woman was the harbinger of her doom.


    Sigmund was determined to have her political mind (boring) and tried to make her get involved when the girl got close to Mari. Rosenia was not a servant for him tomand. One attempt was more than enough for her, thank you.


    But then Mari got pregnant and everything began crumbling around her. Her position was suddenly under threat. She did her best to ignore the rumors, wanting to believe that the child would be female and couldn''t affect the session.


    Sigmund got far more irritable as time went on and the few asions she was forced to see him were even more unpleasant than usual. He kept trying to push her for an heir, which she knew she would have to provide eventually in exchange for her title, but these things couldn''t be rushed.


    He came to her every night and wasn''t the slightest bit gentle. But it was a fruitless endeavor. She did not get pregnant.


    The king died and Sigmund wasn''t immediately able to rece him. The nobles wanted to wait and see if the second prince''s child was a boy. Even though it was a fifty-fifty chance, he flew into a rage like nothing Rosenia had ever seen.


    She had never cared for her husband much but at least she hadn''t been afraid of him until then. Things only got worse when the child was determined to be a boy and Franz was crowned king. They lost everything.


    Sigmund lost the role he had been trained for his entire life to his younger brother and Rosenia lost the title and respect she had craved. Even worse, she had lost her sense of safety here.


    "This is entirely your fault! You had one job, Rosenia, one! And you could not deliver. You arepletely useless," he roared as he smashed vases around their chambers.


    Moving an inch would spell certain doom so she stayed perfectly still. Not that she could move anyway. She was frozen in terror, legitimately fearing for her life.


    The worst part was that this was at least partially her fault. If she had not been so determined to enjoy life on her own terms and fulfilled her wifely duty more often earlier on she would have been the first to bear a son and Franz never would have had a chance.


    As it was now, Sigmund was second in line for the throne after the infant crown prince and would likely never be king. Franz was young and healthy and that baby had his entire life ahead of him.


    Weeks passed like this. She tried appealing to the dowager queen to make her control her son but she shook her head helplessly.


    "I am sorry, my dear. Sigmund has always been like that when he is upset. There is nothing I can do to help you but offer my favorite bruise cream. The chief physician is quite familiar with it."


    The way she said it made Rosenia think that thete king had been cut from the same cloth. Rosenia wanted to weep. Franz doted on his wife and that idiot Alpheus followed his wife around like a puppy.


    Of course she would be the only one who ended up with a man who did not care for her at all. It had been nave of her to think she could have a good life with someone who did not love her.


    Marrying someone who adored her should have been the top priority on the list she gave Rogan. Unfortunately, it was far toote to change that now.

 Chapter 107: Are You Here To Mock Me?

    Chapter 107: Are You Here To Mock Me?


    Rosenia tried to stay out of her quarters as much as she possibly could but it was difficult to get away. Sigmund was there watching her every move and would pitch a fit if she tried to leave without permission.


    As afraid of him as she was, she was also disgusted. This fool hadn''t been smart enough to keep his title and med his mistakes on everyone else. He was no better than an animal at this point.


    More than anything she wanted to go home but she would be disgraced forever and shunted to a hidden part of the pce, never to see the light of day again. Rogan may have favored her over all their other siblings but that did not mean he was kind.


    If she strained diplomatic rtions between their closest ally because she could not handle her husband''s temper Rowenhilde would be in trouble. Rogan would not let that go unpunished.


    So she kept her predicament a secret and hid in the gardens as often as she could. They were beautiful with all of the buds in full summer bloom.


    Rosenia dreaded everyoneing back to the capital for fall court and the debutante ball. They would all see how far she had fallen. Sigmund was sulking like a child and likely would not even show his face at such an important event for the royal family.


    All because of a demotion! He was still a prince; he needed to act like one.


    She sighed. This was not the way she had wanted her life to turn out at all. She would much rather be married to a prince of less importance somewhere else if it meant she was treated well.


    She had paid a heavy price for her greed. Now she was trapped. Divorce was not an option; marriages were a life sentence unless she wanted to be forever shamed.


    No. It was better to be a princess and have a small chance of living in the light than be locked away forever back in Rowenhilde. Rosenia told herself that over and over yet it did not make her burden any easier to bear.


    Sometimes during her turns about the garden she would spot Alpheus and his wife heading to the stables. They were alwaysughing, smiling, or holding hands. It made her heart ache but it also made her furious.


    How dare this insignificant wretch who had been an enemy since the beginning live so happily when they had both been married off into this pce? What was so special about her anyway?


    Alpheus had no power and no real im to the throne but he and his wife were happy. Rosenia realized that their kind of marriage was the kind she should have sought all along and it only increased her bitterness.


    The rare asions she saw Mari were even worse. She was the queen with a husband that adored her, if not to the same extent that Alpheus adored Katie, and her future was perfectly secure. The future that Rosenia should have had.


    The woman was maddeningly serene about it all too. Could she stop acting condescending for five minutes? Everyone knew she had stolen Rosenia''s ce. There was no use gloating!


    One morning she fell ill in the gardens and a passing servant fetched the chief royal physician for her. He took her pulse and congratted her for being with child.


    She burst into hystericalughter when he left. If only this had happened a few months ago; everything would be different. She wondered how her raging beast of a husband would react to the news at this point.


    Probably with his usual levels of anger, thinking along the same lines as she was. If only, if only, if only


    Herughter turned to tears as she thought about her uing confinement. She would be in bed for the next seven months. If Sigmund continued moping around in their quarters it would be a nightmare.


    She was still crying when someone approached her and held out a handkerchief. Katie. Rosenia was mortified at the thought of being caught at such an un-princessly moment by this woman of all people.


    "Are you here to mock me?" she asked sourly.


    Katie sat down on the bench next to her. "No. I''m the kind of person who doesn''t think crying should be done alone."


    They sat in silence for a few moments before she spoke up again. "I know we''ve never exactly been friends but I''m worried about you, Rosenia. We''ve all seen the bruises and I can''t keep quiet about it anymore. What Sigmund is doing to you is wrong.


    "Out in the country things are a bit different. I realize you feel trapped because he''s your husband but you don''t have to be. There is a way out of this. You can leave him and go home. Wouldn''t you like that?"


    Rosenia blinked at her stupidly. How would that be possible? She was stuck with him until death did they part. Katie may be a simple daughter of an earl but even she would know this.


    "I am not sure what you are implying. I do not want to be executed for treason."


    She smiled in a way that made chills run down Rosenia''s spine. "There is more than one way to get rid of someone. All you would have to do is tell me what he''s up to. If my suspicions are correct, sooner orter he will be the one executed for treason. Then you can go home without causing any trouble for Rowenhilde."

 Chapter 108: The Wife Of A Traitor

    Chapter 108: The Wife Of A Traitor


    This tiny woman who normally seemed so silly to Rosenia was now deadly serious. She wanted Sigmund gone. Had she realized how deeply he hated her and her husband for betraying him in favor of Franz?


    It would make sense. Katie was supposed to be a political genius. Even the most basic yer in the game of politics knew that rendering your enemies useless was important.


    She had not interacted with Sigmund much yet she seemed to sense how dangerous he truly was. To continue living her peaceful life with her idiot husband she knew she would have to get rid of him.


    Rosenia did want him gone and this would be such a simple thing to do without personally getting her hands dirty and yet "I will still be shamed as the wife of a traitor. I do not wish to spend my life locked in a corner of my brother''s castle."


    Katie raised an eyebrow. "That''s your only objection?"


    "You are the one who brought it up! Do not judge me. I have no affection for that man whatsoever," she said defensively.


    The girl held her hands up in a gesture clearly meant to be cating. "No judgment here. I''m sure we can figure it out. A cover-up. The execution wouldn''t be publicized; we could convince Franz to say that he died from an illness. Then you wouldn''t be shamed at all."


    It was tempting. Widows had more rights than single women did. She could return to a life of simplicity and luxury in the king''s household without having to hide herself away or get married again.


    Most women with titles tended to stay in their adopted countries when their husbands died, like the dowager queen, but Rosenia wasn''t important enough for that to be necessary. She was the wife of a prince who had been cast aside.


    Annias had only been her home for a few years. It would be perfectly eptable to return to thend of her birth.


    This was too good of a deal for her. She narrowed her eyes. "Why would you do that for me?"


    "Because I feel sorry for you," Katie said honestly. "Do we have a deal or not?"


    Rosenia thought about it. She could return home and nannies would be able to take care of her child for her. She would never want for anything again and both of them would be safe from Sigmund''s wrath.


    She saw no drawbacks to this n. "Alright. But you should know he has not done anything as of yet. He has been too busy sulking."


    Katie gave her the same grim smile as before. "I''m sure he''ll have something figured out by the time court reconvenes. Just keep me posted."


    "Keep you posted?" Rosenia asked in confusion. She had never heard of that phrase before.


    "Ah, country ng. It means to let me know as soon as you find anything." Katie stood and walked away with a spring in her step at the thought of killing someone off. She really was such a strange woman.


    With a sigh, Rosenia looked up at the cloudless blue sky. If this worked she would be out of here before winter hit. The thought filled her with warmth. Home. She could be going home.


    ===


    Charles Lancaster was having a hard time focusing on the duties he needed to attend to at his estate. Ever since Prince Franz had been crowned king he had been boiling over with barely concealed rage.


    They had beenpletely blindsided, first by that n to introducemoners into the court and then by the king''s death. To make matters worse Sigmund did not do anything about that worthless third prince like he promised.


    He had talked to the queen when he was still the crown prince, Charles was sure of it. But when he came back he was tight-lipped about what they had discussed and said the matter was closed for the time being. He would continue searching for concrete proof of Alpheus''s treason on his own.


    No progress had been made because he and Catherine stopped leaving the castle once the king died. Everything was essentially on lockdown while waiting on baited breath for the royal baby to be born.


    Sigmund had been so furious when he found out it was a boy that he destroyed his office while Charles stood to the side and watched. He had never seen his friend fly into such a fury before and had been frozen in shock.


    The members of the nobility who were firmly on Sigmund''s side had been no match for the ones who cared more about continuing the royal bloodline. Charles had to deal with the aftermath of cleaning up the former crown prince''s faction alone since Sigmund had be unhinged.


    He knew that Franz never would have pulled it off without having the votes of all of thosemoners. The nobles had still been somewhat divided about the issue.


    It waspletely obvious that that had been Katie''s handiwork. If Charles had seeded in marrying her and bringing her over to his side everything would have turned out differently.


    When he saw her and her idiot husband beam at each other during Franz''s coronation he had barely been able to contain himself. They had gotten what they wanted but what about him? What about representing his faction''s interest now that their leader had gone off the deep end?


    It would be impossible to pin treason on Alpheus now. Whatever he had been doing with those foreigners wasn''t a problem in the new king''s eyes. Charles was tempted to challenge him to a duel but he knew that if he won Catherine would never forgive him.


    That was why he had wanted to get him killed off in a way no one could prevent. She would be more obedient that way.


    He sighed. There were only a few weeks left before he would be heading back to the capital and he still had no idea what to do about the situation. There was always poisonbut there was no guarantee it would work with how heavy pce security had be after Franz took over.


    He was a paranoid man and clearly believed Sigmund was going to try and do something to his child to get his position as crown prince back. If he was of sound mind, it sounded like the sort of thing he would do but right now he wasn''t capable of doing anything.


    Charles was disgusted. He had looked up to Sigmund for so long and he had bepletely useless at the first obstacle in his path. He had backed the wrong horse.


    If he had been on Franz''s side from the beginningwould he have managed to win Catherine over? But who would have ever thought the second prince would end up king! That sort of jumping ahead in the line of session rarely happened.


    No, Charles had done the best he could for himself given the original situation. Now that it had changed he had to do better.

 Chapter 109: Plans To Rebuild

    Chapter 109: ns To Rebuild


    Al and I spent a lot of time running back and forth working out ns to rebuild for the rest of the summer. We had to talk to Franz to find out what resources we would have then go visit the small band of Kanta on the outskirts of town to figure out how we could utilize them best given what their society was like.


    Ayana was a huge help on that front. Even so, it was difficult trying to ount for taking care of 60+ people. We didn''t know who all from overseas nations would want toe back.


    Franz wrote out several identical edicts to be sent back with thest trade ships of the season for each country Annias had dealings with. It included a formal apology about thete king''s actions and a promise of an alliance and ongoing financial and military support during the rebuilding efforts.


    They were signed and stamped with the royal seal by King Franz Leopold McLeod of Annias and n Leader mar de Kanta so it looked very official. I told Al that he needed a royal seal of his own since we were forming an official country but he had no ideas whatsoever.


    I ended up consulting Ayana. There hadn''t been any official seal before but I figured her input would be helpfuling up with some sort of crest.


    We ended up taking inspiration from a type of flower that only grows in the Kanta Mountains andmissioned a craftsman in town to create the seal for us. With that taken care of, we were able to add our own seal to the edicts and make it seem more official.


    I couldn''t help but wonder how many people would respond. Were there even refugees that made it overseas at all or had everyone ended up in Annias or Rowenhilde?


    We might end up being a nation made up of sixty-two people after all. Almost sixty-three. N just found out she was pregnant again. There might be a few more babies born scattered throughout the other nsmen as well.


    Franz promised he would help us build a settlement for whoever showed up originally but we couldn''t rely on his workers forever. I sincerely hoped that whoever would be joining us knew how to build houses.


    I knew absolutely nothing about construction in this world and very little from my own. It was time to hit the library. I read every book about building things that I could find in the royal library but worried the practical application would be a lot different.


    My original body had been pathetically weak because of all of the joint and muscle issues I had. This one may be tiny but it was healthy. Maybe I needed to practice lifting weights. If they even had the concept of weightlifting here.


    There had to be somethingthis country had knights. They had to have some sort of strength training. Did they lift logs or what? There was no way Catherine du Pont would be able to pull that off.


    "Do you really think we''ll be able to pull this off by spring?" I asked tiredly.


    There were still so many logistical things to think of when it came to setting up a country. I learned about constitutions of various nations in college but that was different. We weren''t setting up a constitution.


    We were bringing a very traditional group of people who had been living in a variety of different countries back together. Keeping with the old and bringing together the new at the same time would be difficult.


    And I had seen what the snow was like here on the coast; how much worse would it be up in the mountains? Would we even survive our first winter up there?


    We had to figure out what crops could grow, how to organize and divide up whatever resources we were able to get our hands on, and more. Everything I had learned was history or theory so I wasn''t sure how helpful it would be.


    "Yes," Al said firmly. "We have all winter being shut inside to figure it out. To be perfectly honest, I am more concerned about not getting things with Sigmund settled before we leave."


    My paranoia had finally gotten to him because he caught sight of his foster brother for the first time since the coronation and Sigmund was so furious that he began beating up my poor husband. A couple of guards had to break up the scuffle. He was fine but did have a nasty ck eye for a few weeks.


    Sigmund definitely med us for what happened somehow. Al said it didn''t seem like he was taking out his anger on an unsuspecting target. All of that rage was directed at him specifically.


    I babied him quite a bit after that incident and he soaked up every drop of affection like the lovesick fool he was. At one point he said he should let people beat him up more often if it meant he got extra attention from me. Thatment earned him another punch to the shoulder.


    I didn''t want to think about what that madman would do if he managed to catch me on my own. I was a lot more to me for this than Al, since my verying here ruined his predestined kingship.


    Granted, he didn''t know the original plot, but he did know I had supported Franz since the beginning. That probably made me his number one enemy.


    We became very careful abouting and going from the castle without running into him. Rosenia''s messages sent through servants didn''t mention anything specific he was nning at this point but I couldn''t shake the feeling he was up to something big.


    If nothing else, we had to worry about random attacks in the halls. He may have lost his rationality but that made him more dangerous than before.

 Chapter 110: What Gets Left Behind

    Chapter 110: What Gets Left Behind


    Court reconvened again before we knew it. Mari''s tea parties were slightly less terrible than the dowager queen''s had been. Partly because I got to spend the majority of the time holding baby Rnd and partly because she made sure to include lemonade for me.


    Unfortunately, it didn''t change the fact that tea parties were hot spots of gossip and inane chatter that made my brain bleed. Every single morning I had to sit around and deal with it.


    Rosenia got bad-talked in that special noblewoman way a lot in her absence. Everyone whispered about her fallen state and how she had gotten pregnant toote, being careful to be sure the queen didn''t hear. She probably would have burst a blood vessel if she was here so it was for the best that she was stuck in bed.


    I briefly wondered what these people would say about me once Al and I ran away to the mountains. Not that I cared. This pack of vultures meant nothing to me.


    The countess would probably lose her mind though, which could be a bit bothersome. She had been over the moon since I became a princess. The cynical part of me thought that Adele better marry very advantageously to make up for how much of a disappointment I would be.


    Technically speaking I would be the "queen" of our new nation but the Kanta were so small and even further behind technologically than the rest of this already primitive world. She would likely be horrified.


    I was petty enough to enjoy thinking about her future distress but also felt a tiny bit of guilt for the mess that would leave my fake siblings in. We had been spending a lot of time with themtely. It became harder to leave the pce when so many nobles were milling about.


    Percy had begun actively seeking a wife at his parents'' insistence and was not at all happy about the prospect. Out of all of my siblings I saw him least because he was too busy calling on various noble families with marriageable daughters.


    Adele clung to me like glue whenever she visited, which I didn''t mind one bit. But every time I saw heror any of my fake siblings, reallyit made me miss Abby even more than usual.


    Edmund hung out with us a lot too but usually found an excuse to go to the kitchens, be it by himself or with us apanying him. Al''s earlier theory that he might have a crush on Marcy didn''t seem so far-fetched.


    He had been finishing up his final exams at Cbaster Academy in the spring and hadn''t been able to join the family when they came up for court so this was his first time visiting since my wedding. I was surprised he had remembered Marcy from their one encounter.


    "What are you making?" Edmund asked eagerly, leaning over to peer into the contents of a bowl of red liquid.


    Marcy smiled sunnily at him and continued chopping strawberries into mush. I was amazed that she was actually pureeing something without the use of a blender. I supposed people must have done it somehow before they were invented but had never seen it personally.


    "I''m trying to get the juice out so I can have strawberry-vored whipped cream to put on top of miniature chocte cakes. I''ve never done this before but it''s fairly easy; all I have to do is mash up the strawberries with a knife and stick them over some cheesecloth to filter the juice."


    I was floored. She had simultaneously invented strawberry frosting and cupcakes. I had never heard of either of those things in this world before now.


    "You''re making cupcakes," I said stupidly.


    Marcy raised her eyebrow at me. "That''s a cute name for them. I suppose the wells I''ve been baking them in are like cups. You have the most interesting ideas sometimes, Katie."


    I flushed. Oops. It was a good thing she didn''t say anything about the doughnuts, which Edmund would definitely realize were not from the country. This wasn''t the only time this had happened either.


    She was a culinary whiz and had invented multiple things from my home, including ice cream without me saying a word about it. It tasted a bit different than what I was used to but I wasn''tining.


    Marcy liked experimenting in her free time. During the off-season when the nobles were at their country estates she had more time for that sort of thing. She created caramel, marshmallows, and even tapioca pudding after receiving some imported cassava nts from Idaris.


    I was most excited about the marshmallows. It took a long time for her to boil down the gtin but at least there were a lot of bones to use around here. Meat was on the menu almost daily in the pce.


    I would miss the ready avability of marshmallows for my hot chocte and all the other sweets Marcy made when we left here. No one would ever be able to rece her culinary talent but I hoped she would give me some recipes so I could still try.


    Adele held my hand as she watched Marcy continue dicing and straining the strawberries curiously. She looked up at her with big blue eyes and blinked innocently.


    "Can I have some first when you are done?"


    The pastry chef beamed at the little girl. "Of course you can! I would be honored to have you be my first taste tester."


    Edmund continued chatting with Marcy and eventually the subject changed from her culinary experiments to what it felt like for him to be done with school. Al and I hung back to give them a little space and make sure Adele didn''t touch anything she wasn''t supposed to.

 Chapter 111: Marcys Frustration

    Chapter 111: Marcy''s Frustration


    Watching the two of them made me sad. Marcy lit up around my brother in a way that she never did around anyone else even though she was always friendly. If I had to guess, this is what she looked like when she truly liked someone as opposed to her feigned affection in the novel. Looking back I wondered how I ever thought she genuinely loved Al because the difference was staggering.


    It wasn''t meant to be. There was no way the earl or countess would ept them, especially after my defection in the spring. Their infatuation was doomed from the start. The poor things.


    Al noticed my pensive expression and called me out on it in a whisper. "You''re worrying about them, aren''t you?"


    I nodded. "This girl has no luck in romance. First she had to pretend to like you and now the person she actually likes is unattainable. I may not be happy with how her alternate self acted in the novel but she deserves better than this. Edmund too."


    "Nice to know you think of me so highly," he said in a dramatically wounded tone.


    "Shut up, that isn''t what I meant and you know it."


    "I know, I know. It would be nice if things could work out for them but I''m d I met you first. You''re far superior to Marcy Grandin even if her food is delicious."


    I rolled my eyes at him but was secretly touched. Aside from the fact that she was a horrifyingly good actress with her own agenda, Marcy was the perfect girl. Pretty, friendly, quirky, and smart.


    Back in my world I had never felt all that special buting here I was a hotmodity. Part of it was the body I had found myself in but the other part was me. Katie Pullman. My confidence had risen quite a bit since I had originallye here, in no small part because of my husband.


    Even without him gushing about me all the time I had things worth being proud of. I put a better person on the throne for themon people even if it wasrgely idental. And I had formed a new country. Not many people could say they did that!


    We hung around the kitchen until the cupcakes were finished. They had to go into the walk-in ice box to cool down so the frosting wouldn''t melt and we continued supervising Adele as Marcy and Edmund talked.


    She didn''t know about our ns to leave yet. No one did aside from Franz and our friends in the vige who wereing with us.


    When he said he wanted to give the Kantands back to them and the archduke opposed it, he didn''t mention our names specifically. Nobody knew Al was the n leader yet. We hadn''t wanted to cause a riot while we were stuck here.


    Franz and Mari would have to put out those fires for us after we left. I felt slightly guilty about leaving them to deal with it alone but not guilty enough to change anything.


    The king should have to be the one to deal with it because his father had been the one to ruin everything. Al and his people were the victims here and didn''t need any more trouble. The primary reason I felt guilty was that Mari would get caught up in it too.


    She was a kindhearted soul and prone to loneliness. Once I was gone, she would be surrounded by wolves in sheep''s clothing alone again. Well, notpletely alone. At least this time she would have the love of her husband and son.


    I hoped that she found an attendant who could be her friend. Mari was a lovely person and I would miss her almost as much as I would miss the food.


    She was the first person I had trusted enough to tell my secret, even if it was only half of it. That trust was rewarded with her believing in me and wanting to know more. I would always have a soft spot in my heart for her because of that.


    I shook those depressing thoughts free and took my first bite of cupcake. Perfectly moist with the vors of chocte and strawberry entwining on my tongue, I was in heaven. I hadn''t had a cupcake since before I came here.


    There was this bakery near my house that offered a variety of crazy vors like carrot cheesecake, Almond Joy, Boston Crme Pie, and so on. The owner had won an episode of Cupcake Wars and everything I had tried there was absolutely delicious.


    Although these had much simplerponents, the quality wasparable. Marcy definitely would have been the reigning champion of the Food Network bakingpetitions back in my world.


    Her talent was wasted in this fantasnd but one good thing hade out of being the head pastry chef here. She had been in the pce when everything with Franz''s coronation went down and he said he needed people he could trust to be his advisors after that whole mess with the archduke.


    There was now explicitly forbidding women from serving as aides to royalty so Marcy became his first self-appointed political aide. She loved politics and spent many hours holed up in Franz''s office with him, much to the archduke''s dismay. Seeing his power and prestige slowly be whittled away brought me genuine pleasure.


    But when she wasn''t helping the new king work outplex political issues she was back in the kitchen, where she was mostfortable. Her job as an aide was on an "as needed" basis but the kitchen always needed pastries.


    These strawberry chocte cupcakes were the byproduct of needing to destress after a day in court where her idea was proposed but she wasn''t even allowed to attend because she was a woman. I had no doubt she would help feminize this country eventually but for now she needed to get her frustration out through baking.

 Chapter 112: However Long It Takes

    Chapter 112: However Long It Takes


    Court procedures continued and Sigmund didn''t make an appearance until the second tost day. I found this out from Franz himself because Al no longer saw the need to attend those meetings because nothing pertained to him.


    I continued urging him to go because he needed more political experience if he was going to be the leader of a country but he kept brushing me off. "Why would I have to worry about that when I have you?"


    He was exasperating. Just because I was a political science major he thought I could do everything. I barely had more practical experience than he did at this point!


    Al knew all of the Kanta traditions because of Ayana''s in depth exnations but he didn''t know how to solve real problems pertaining to taking care of a group of people without my help. I didn''t know much either so it was a case of the blind leading the blind.


    Ayana assured him that divvying things up fairly wasn''t as difficult as it may seem but I remained unconvinced. That sounded an awful lot likemunism to me and executing that had often ended in disaster back in my world.


    We would totally be winging it and the thought terrified me. If things didn''t go well we would have a whole lot of angry people on our hands.


    Based on everything Ayana told me, trust in the n leader was unconditional because he was the one who carried on the blessing of the mountain spirits. That was an awful lot of pressure to put on myzy, often apathetic husband.


    Al had shown more initiative about reviving the Kanta than he had about anything else, which made me hopeful that this would work out after all. I didn''t know what we would do if it didn''t.


    I was in the middle of worrying about all this when I got the news that Sigmund showed up and very quietly voted ''no'' on every single item proposed simply to be petty before storming out. What was he trying to pull?


    His logic was unfathomable to me. Why try to appear dignified only to storm outter? Had hepletely cracked or what?


    I didn''t know what to think. On thest day of court he ended up doing the exact same thing. He hadn''t caused the fuss I thought he would. Maybe we were safe after all and would be able to leave in the spring with no problems.


    Sigmund even came to thest ball of the season (without his wife, who was too pregnant to attend) and managed to keep hisposure. Perhaps his spirit of defiance had been broken the way Al''s had been once. If so, the irony was cruelly poetic.


    He began attending meals again too, even though he was quiet about it. Duke O was seen around him more than once looking rather angry. My money was on him being forced to pick up Sigmund''s ck and resenting him for it.


    That cold, stony duke had shown more emotion in the times I''d seen him since Franz''s coronation than all of the other timesbined. I was beginning to wonder if he was the real threat here.


    Duke O still hadn''t left the capital weeks after everyone else did. I had a bad feeling about that.


    "Princess Catherine, how nice to see you," he said smoothly as we ran into each other yet again in the halls. He barely acknowledged Al, who was standing beside me with his hand in mine.


    "Duke O," I replied tly.


    This happened nearly every day now. I would have sworn he was seeking me out on purpose. After the first two times it happen Al stopped letting me go ces without someone to apany me. Usually him.


    I didn''t know what he expected to gain from this. I was married. Happily married. He had to know that by this point. And our side had already won so there was no way I would so much as work with him.


    He had to have something sinister up his sleeve. The problem was that I hadn''t figured out what yet.


    Spring couldn''te fast enough. Leaving this particr thorn in my side behind would be a blessing. I had disliked the duke and wanted him far, far away from me since the moment we met and that feeling had only grown over time.


    "Charles, don''t you have business at your estate to tend to? How much longer do you intend to grace us with your presence?" Al asked with an edge in his voice.


    Ah, my overprotective husband. I was grateful he was here backing me up. I hated dealing with this guy on my own. Duke O knew how to keep me on my toes and I didn''t like it one bit.


    I preferred a simple, rtively stress-free life. That wasn''t possibly whenever he was around. He didn''t seem to understand that I had chosen someone else because I didn''t like him. It drove me crazy!


    "However long it takes," he replied cryptically. "My friend needs me."


    It would have been a nice sentiment if said friend wasn''t a horrible person who had been the main viin of this novel. With Sigmund acting more normally and the duke back in the picturenothing good coulde of this.


    The novel did describe them as friends but I didn''t realize someone like him could care about another human being enough to be concerned about them. Then again, he did have a creepy crush on me so he did have more feelings than he let on.


    "How kind of you," Al said sarcastically. "If you will excuse us, we have an appointment."


    There was no appointment but it did give us a convenient excuse to leave so I said nothing and let him lead me down another hall. I sighed wearily. Dealing with nobles exhausted me but especially that one.


    I didn''t dare speak until we made it out to the gardens. "What are we supposed to do about him, Al? He gives me the creeps. I know he''s up to something but I don''t know what."


    His expression hardened. "There isn''t much we can do. He may be an important political figure because of his title but his power has been greatly reduced after Sigmund''s demotion. He can''t do anything to us without getting in trouble himself. Right now nobody knows we aren''t royals so any harm to us is worthy of capital punishment."


    I wasn''t worried about the duke trying to kill me since he wanted me as his pretty little bird in a cage but I was terribly concerned about Al. If he found a way to make it look like an ident

 Chapter 113: Playing Nursemaid

    Chapter 113: ying Nursemaid


    Illness spread through the castle as the weather changed drastically. My immune system was much stronger as Catherine du Pont than it had ever been as Katie Pullman so I was perfectly fine. Al was not so lucky.


    He put up such a fuss you would have thought he was legitimately dying. It looked to me like nothing more than a cold.


    "Katie," he moaned. "I''m freezing. Come keep me warm."


    Sweat beaded on his forehead and he was shaking slightly. He had the chills that came with being sick. I was quite familiar with them. A quick forehead test showed that he was pretty warm but not hot enough to be truly concerning.


    Getting back into the warm, cozy bed was tempting but I was slightly concerned he would sweat on me. That would be really, really gross.


    He did look pretty pitiful though so it was hard to refuse him. I sighed and crawled into his arms. He buried his face in my chest and let me stroke his sweaty hair. It crossed my mind that he had probably never been taken care of when he was sick before.


    He had been so young when he lost his parents and then was taken to this cold, loveless ce. Having a nurse attend to you is different than being taken care of by someone who cares.


    When I got sick as a kid my mom would let mey my head in herp and tuck me under a nket to watch a movie of my choice. I always fell asleep during it as she gently petted my head. When I woke up, she would make me chicken noodle soup.


    As much as I didn''t like being covered in someone else''s sweat, I couldn''t deny Al the love he clearly needed right now. Everyone deserved to be taken care of when they''re sick but especially people like him who had spent so much of their lives alone.


    We snuggled for a while until he fell asleep. That was when I wiggled my way out of his embrace to go take a bath. I felt disgusting.


    The warm water helped me rx even though I was still worried about what Sigmund and Duke O might be nning. When I got out I sat down by the fire and read a book about mountain nts, wanting to know as much about my soon-to-be new home as I could.


    I had been on a research binge for a while whenever I had the time, which was more often now that court had ended for the season. I tried learning everything I could about this world''s minerals, flora and fauna, and crops.


    Based on how many mines were rumored to be in the mountains, I had no doubt that we would be able to support ourselves using that as an export alone. After doing a little research on the mining industry on this continent I learned a few things.


    The Kanta Mountains were situated not far from part of the border between Annias and Rowenhilde. Thetter had ess to other mines in another part of the country but Annias did not.


    Before destroying the n, they had to barter with the Kanta for raw materials. Now groups of miners were sent up to work like dogs for a few months in the summer and came home for the rest of the year because the environment was too harsh.


    To sustain the lifestyle of the nobles, about one hundred miners were currently employed by the kingdom. We would have less than one hundred people total and it wasn''t like everyone could be a miner.


    Most of the people who would being to us would likely be children. Until we had enough people to sustain the industry we might need to let the Annias miners keep working and get a fair profit from Franz.


    I would need to calcte all of that out but I was too tired for math at the moment. It had never been my favorite subject anyway.


    Al moaned in his sleep and I desperately wished for some NyQuil so he wouldn''t be so miserable. Medicine in this world was sorelycking. I sincerely hoped that regr hygiene habits would be enough to prevent our people from dying. Finding books on medicinal herbs became the next item on my to-do list.


    Eventually he woke up and I got someone to change the sheets and draw him a bath since his fever had finally broken. I dried his hair meticulously, not wanting a wet head to make things worse. He hummed sleepily at my touch.


    "I love you," he said with a yawn.


    I smiled. Al was extra cute when he acted like this. I stopped toweling his hair for a moment to wrap my arms around him from behind and rest my head on his shoulder to kiss his cheek.


    "I love you too. Are you feeling any better?"


    He nodded. "Mmhmm. At least I don''t have the chills anymore but my head still hurts and even though I barely woke up I want to sleep again."


    "You can go right back to sleep as soon as you''re dry," I promised as I resumed where I had left off.


    Al continued making small sleepy noises and my heart melted a little. How was he so adorable now that he was clean when earlier he was a demanding mess getting on my nerves? Feelings are fickle.

 Chapter 114: The End Of His Dream

    Chapter 114: The End Of His Dream


    Al asked me what I was reading, finally noticing the books on the side table. I told him how I was trying to learn as much as I could to be the best Madam Clean Leader possiblee spring.


    He sighed contentedly and leaned his head back against me. "I really don''t deserve you. You''re so amazing."


    My cheeks pinked. The fever must have gotten to him. "Don''t embarrass me! I''m not that great."


    "But you are, Katie! Look what you''ve done already to change this world for the better. I would have sumbed to their n to keep me and my people oppressed. Sigmund would be on the throne stripping away themoners'' rights. Worst of all, I would be stuck in this pce forever with someone who didn''t actually love me.


    "To me you are the stars that light the night sky, the river that brings life to every bit of thend it touches, and all that is good and beautiful. I didn''t think I could possibly love you more than I did when you first became my fiance but each day I love you a little more than I did thest."


    My face waspletely on fire at this point and I abandoned the towel to bury it in my hands. Since when had this goofball been so poetic?!


    Al turned around and began passionately kissing my neck but I was still too embarrassed by his flowery words to show my face. Eventually I got over it and tried to pry him off me. "You''re still sick. What do you think you''re doing?"


    "I told you I''m feeling a bit better," he said between kisses.


    "You also said you wanted to go back to sleep," I pointed out.


    He ignored that. "Later. Let me love you for a minute."


    There was no arguing with him. He had been sick for days; if I was going to catch it I would have already. Despite my blush, I truly had been touched by his words. My heart was overflowing with affection for him so I let him kiss me.


    His version of "a minute" ended up being more like twenty minutes and then he passed out right on top of me. I was trapped in an ufortable position for an indeterminate amount of time and the desire that boiled within me turned to rage. Sick or not, he would pay for thister!


    That traitor didn''t even realize what he did wrong. We had been on the bed already anyway and he crawled under the covers half-asleep before pulling me under with him entirely out of reflex.


    Al had be quite the sleep clinger ever since we got into the habit of cuddling at night. He continued squishing himself closer to me until my annoyance faded away and I was able to fall asleep too.


    His illness didn''t pass for another four days and during that time he remained every bit as needy as before. I started reading in bed so he could curl up with his head in myp.


    They didn''t have noodles here but I got the kitchens to send some sort of soup that had chicken chunks in it. If I was going to do what my mother did when I was sick I may as well go all the way.


    ===


    Catherine did not leave her quarters once the entire time her husband was sick and Charles was seething. What was she doing in there? Taking care of others was beneath the dignity of a princess!


    It made him feel worse than he already did. Sigmund had been in a foul mood ever since court ended even though he pulled petty tricks to make himself feel better. Apparently it hadn''t worked.


    At this point Charles did not even care who was on the throne. All he wanted was to get rid of Alpheus McLeod. Sigmund was his best chance of doing that because he hated his younger brother too.


    They might not be able to convict him for treason but there had to be another way to get rid of such a troublesome pest. Making him disappear entirely would be best but how?


    Wild animals were not exactlymon in this part of the country. That would never be believable. Falling from a cliff into the ocean might work but that would involve luring him out of the pce; he would never follow a known enemy there.


    Whatever Charles did, it had to be without Catherine''s knowledge or she would never forgive him. But what sort of ident could one feasibly conceive for a prince?


    Security had tightened considerably since Franz took over the throne. It was primarily directed at his wife and son but there were more guards milling about in general. Eyes would be everywhere no matter what he tried to do.


    "Honestly, Sigmund. Can you contribute something here?" Charles asked, exasperation tinting his normally t tone.


    He had already thrown out every idea he could think of and hadn''t gotten a response. It was as if he was talking to a brick wall. But a brick wall was more useful than this deposed crown prince.


    Sigmund looked at him nkly. "What do you want me to contribute? You have already listed the reasons why none of those ns will work. I have nothing more to add."


    Charles was tempted to grab him around the throat and shake him around to knock some sense into him. Obviously he was asking for additional ideas, not borating on the ones he already gave!


    "Do you not have a single idea of your own?" he asked through gritted teeth.


    Sigmund looked up at him dully. "Alpheus cannot die. We cannot kill him. None of your ns will ever work."


    Charles couldn''t believe what he was hearing. What sort of nonsense was this now? "What do you mean he cannot die? Everyone is capable of dying. Have you been drinking too much again?"


    With a heavy sigh, he began exining what the queen told him from the beginning. Every word he said was more unbelievable than thest.


    Alpheus was the son of the Kanta n leader who was killed? He had the blessing of mountain spirits and couldn''t die until a sessor was born? He backed Franz to be able to revitalize the n?


    "As you see, Charles, there is nothing we can do about him until his first son is born. Both of my parents have tried to kill him multiple times but that monster cannot die. It is a fruitless endeavor. The only way to hurt him is to hurt what he loves but you aren''t capable of doing that, are you?" Sigmund asked, radiating exhaustion.


    No, he was not. Was this truly the end for his dream of having Catherine for himself? If this ridiculous story was legitimate, Alpheus would not be mortal until a son was born. Who knows how many years that would take?


    Even worse, Catherine would be left with that man''s son. If Charles wanted to marry her, he would have to raise a child that looked exactly the person he hated most. The reminder would eat away at him for the rest of his life.


    This was too unbelievable. He could not ept it until he had seen the truth for himself.

 Chapter 115: I Hate This Scary Place

    Chapter 115: I Hate This Scary ce


    Charles wanted to conduct a little test to see if all hope was lost. He would sneak up on Alpheus from behind and throw a knife directly at his back. He had always been an excellent hunter and knife throwing was a good way to finish off a kill.


    He got his chance three dayster when Alpheus went off in search of the pce post master to send a letter. Taking aim, he had a perfect shot at the middle of that idiot''s spine.


    The knife flew directly at his target yet bounced off what seemed to be a wall of air and ttered to the ground. The prince whirled around at the noise and noticed the fallen knife with a mixture of confusion and rm.


    Having gotten the impossible answer he was searching for, Charles carefully crept away from the scene. He had been wearing gloves and the knife was not affiliated with the dukedom of O so he should be safe.


    Sigmund had been telling the truth. Alpheus was, for all intents and purposes, immortal. This made no sense. Even if you did believe in mountain spirits, the blessing worked in the strangest ways.


    Only a few weeks ago Charles had seen him sporting a ck eye. Did it only protect from deadly attacks? How would the spirits be able to distinguish between a regr injury and a potentially fatal one? What about illnesses?


    He understood very little about his enemy''s bizarre power. What he did understand was that the battle was lost. He should go home rather than stay here and torture himself.


    Never again would he find someone as beautiful or brilliant as Catherine du Pont. But what did it matter anymore? He had wanted a political partner but now the politics of this country were outside his control.


    There were plenty of women who could make a more satisfactory duchess than his mother at the very least. Charles would have the boring, lifeless marriage he had always imagined before Catherine came along. She would go on and use that brain of hers to benefit the tiny and pathetic Kanta n.


    All of the fight drained out of him. He wasn''t as unreasonable as Sigmund; he knew how to ept defeat after a certain point.


    Althoughthe way Sigmund had worded what he said about Alpheus'' immortality had been strange. He said the only way to hurt him was to hurt his wife. Did he intend to follow through on that?


    He had promised ages ago that he wouldn''t harm Catherine but with how erratic he had been actingtely it was entirely possible he would go back on his promise. To warn her or not to warn her?


    It was likely she already knew Sigmund was out to get her. She was always on guard with those she didn''t trust. Including him.


    Charles owed her nothing. He would go home, recoup his losses, and focus on the dukedom for a while. With any luck, by the time he came back to the capital she would already be off traipsing through the mountains.


    If she wanted to throw her life away she was wee to it. He did not care anymore.


    ===


    I scrunched up my face in worry when Al told me what happened in the corridor. "There was a knife on the ground near you that came out of nowhere?!"


    He nodded somberly. "Yes. It was almost as if it bounced off of something but I never heard it hit. I only heard one thump as itnded on the ground. The post master and I weren''t able to find whoever threw it either. There were no distinguishing markings."


    My money was on either Sigmund or Duke Obut which one of them? And why? Didn''t they know that attacking a member of the royal family would get them killed? You would think they would be sneakier about it.


    Right now that wasn''t as important as the fact that somebody had actually tried to kill my husband. I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face in his chest, trembling. He held me back tightly, clearly upset by this too.


    We were still in danger here. As things quieted down we had gotten toocent.


    I had expected a more subtle first move from the enemy, not something as brazen as knife throwing. Nowhere was safe now. Would I ever feelfortable leaving our rooms after this? Did I have to hide away until spring unable to do anything?


    "I''m so d you''re okay," I mumbled into his shirt as tears threatened to spill over.


    Up until now it had been alltent threats basedrgely on spection. I had not been ready to be confronted with actual violence. Suddenly I couldn''t help it. The impact of what happened hit me fully and I burst into tears.


    Al rubbed my backfortingly and said inane things such as "it''s okay" and "I''m fine" in an attempt to reassure me but it didn''t work. He could have died. All of this security in the castle and someone had still managed to get past it.


    Would we even be safe in our quarters? What if one of them came after us here? Should we run away now?


    "I don''t want to stay here anymore!" I sobbed. "I hate this scary ce!"


    "Katie" he said helplessly.


    There was nothing Al could do. None of his family had a spare room for us to stay or rations to spare during the cold, harsh winter. If we wanted to make it through to spring we needed to stay where we were, which was ironic considering someone here was trying to kill us.

 Chapter 116: I Beg Of You

    Chapter 116: I Beg Of You


    I refused to leave the room for another two days until Mari came knocking on our door. She had heard what happened and was concerned.


    "Are you certain the knife was not simply dropped? Al said he only heard one noise," she said rationally.


    One noise that somehow ended up right behind him when no one else was seen nearby? I didn''t buy that. "I''m positive," I said with a shudder. "This has Sigmund''s handiwork all over it. His or Duke O''s."


    "The duke returned to his estate yesterday. I doubt he was involved in this."


    He left? Just like that? But he hadn''t managed to aplish anything here. Unless he was the one who threw the knife and chose to leave when it failed. I couldn''t understand why he would do that though; he was more tenacious than that in the novel.


    Then again, nobody acted like they were supposed to so I couldn''t trust the stupid thing at all. If he had thrown the knife, now that he was gone were we safe? Could I finally stop stressing out?


    At this rate I felt like I was going to get gray hairs and this body wasn''t even eighteen yet. I wanted to cry again but was all out of tears. I was not built for this level of anxiety.


    "Why don''t youe out and have dinner with us today?" Mari encouraged gently. "The guards will be with us the entire time. You will be perfectly safe."


    I bit my lip. Security was tightest around Mari and Rnd. There was no safer ce to be in this castle than by their sides. "Alright. I''lle as long as we can havevender ckberry cake for dessert."


    She smiled. "Not a problem. I will send someone to the kitchens right now."


    In the end, Mari got what she wanted and I got my cake without incident. It helped me rx a little seeing that Sigmund looked calm and even a little defeated. It served him right for treating my poor husband so terribly all of those years.


    ===


    Sigmund realized that Charles had abandoned him as soon as he decided to go back to his estate. Since he was no longer useful to him, there was no reason to stay and try to help.


    His annoyance had been in to see for weeks now. So much for standing with your friends in times of need. He would have abandoned a pawn with the same callousness and yet having it done to him drove him toward the edge.


    He was ready to give up on everything when Katie and Alpheus finally exited their chambers and came to dinner for the first time in days. Seeing them look so unbothered by everything was the final push he needed to go over the cliff of insanitypletely.


    Why should they be happy when he had lost everything? He didn''t even care what the consequences would be anymore. He would make Alpheus watch as he took away what mattered to him most. He would never be able toe back from that!


    All Sigmund had to do now was wait until their guards were down and they thought they had nothing to fear. Katie would die by his hand and no one else''s for causing him so much trouble.


    Alpheus was utterly dependent on her. With her dead he would not be able to revive his n; his heart wouldn''t be in it. It was the smallest form of revenge he could take and he would manage it even if it cost him his life.


    What did he have left to live for anyway? Certainly not his useless wife. Even after sticking to her confinement rules perfectly she had still miscarried. She never would have been able to bear an heir anyway.


    No one else knew about this yet because it had barely happened overnight and she wanted to hide her shame. The news woulde out eventually and he would be even more embarrassed at marrying such a failure than he already was.


    What little dignity he had left was gone. If he was going to go down, he would take his enemies down with him.


    Waiting for that sted woman toe out into the open was going to drive him mad. It took weeks for her to lower her guard enough to travel alone. When the opportunity came, he snatched her from behind and held a knife to her throat.


    "Make a sound and I will kill you where you stand," Sigmund growled.


    Katie froze immediately, unwilling or unable to utter a single word. He could feel her trembling and it made him feel powerful again. That was right. He had the power here. He could end her life with a single wrist movement but wouldn''t do so until Alpheus came looking for her.


    It didn''t take long. Those two were always practically glued to each other''s sides.


    "Katie?" he called down the corridor. "Katie, where are you?"


    The most horrified look Sigmund had ever seen on his face appeared when he rounded the corner and saw them. It filled him with genuine pleasure. Making him watch this was going to be fun.


    By the time Alpheus found his voice, his face was white as a sheet. He held his hands out to indicate surrender. "Put the knife down. Take me instead, just let her live. I beg of you."


    His voice cracked with terror and Sigmund thrived on it. So he wasn''t aware of his own power yet? Interesting. It might be best to toy with him a little longer before slitting his wife''s throat in front of his very eyes.

 Chapter 117: My Savior

    Chapter 117: My Savior


    Sigmundughed. "Take you instead? As if your value equals hers. This insignificant daughter of an earl has caused me more trouble than you ever could. Do you honestly believe I would listen to you?"


    I hadn''t moved a muscle since he first grabbed me. I had been so stupid! How could I have let my guard down like that?


    Now I was probably going to die here for the second time and Al would be forced to watch. Tears ran down my face and plopped onto the de of the knife pressed against my neck.


    Had I really gotten a second chance at life here simply to fall in love and then die again immediately after? There were so many things I didn''t get to do. I never even got to consummate my marriage!


    My heart threatened to beat out of my chest but it was breaking at the same time because of the look on Al''s face. I wanted to tell him it would be okay somehow even though I didn''t believe it was true.


    How could it possibly be okay for him to watch me get killed right in front of him? I was his lifeline; it would destroy him. Then everything we had worked for over the past year would be for nothing. His people wouldn''t get their home back if he was lost inside his own head like before he met me.


    "Sigmund, please," Al begged. "Whatever it is you think she did, it was all my fault! Let her go and kill me instead!"


    My tears flowed even more forcefully. No, he couldn''t do that! His life was so much more important than mine. There were people who needed him. He was the only one who needed me in this world. Ultimately, I was every bit as insignificant here as I had been back home even if I did identally throw this world into chaos.


    "Your fault?" Sigmund scoffed. "Everything changed after she got here! Catherine du Pont, aplete nobody helped my brother steal my throne. And you say that it''s your fault?"


    "Listen to me! Whatever you want, I''ll give it to you if you let her go!"


    He pressed the knife harder into my neck and I felt a trickle of blood run down it. Al''s face, if possible, grew even whiter. They faced each other in a terrifying standoff and I could see my life sh before my eyes.


    My happy childhood memories with my parents and Abby. My painful lonely years during college and after. Coming to this crazy world and dealing with all of the nobility. Precious times spent with Al.


    "It''s okay," I croaked. "You''re more valuable than I am. The Kanta need you."


    I stiffened as Sigmund jostled me, causing another stream of blood to run down. I was actually going to die here. First a car ident then murder. What kind of rotten luck did I have?


    "I''m sorry we couldn''t do everything we talked about," I whispered. "I love you."


    Al was frantic, not knowing whether to take a step forward and try and wrestle the knife from his foster brother or if there was another way to save me. "Don''t talk like that!" he said wildly. "Sigmund, please, please let her go. I never should have sided with Franz but don''t take it out on her!"


    He smiled viciously. "You sided with Franz because of her. The best way to make you suffer is to take her away since I cannot kill you."


    Can''t kill Al? What nonsense was he talking about? Had hepletely lost his mind?


    "Yes you can! Go ahead and kill me if it will make you happy, as long as you let go of her!" Al shouted with tears in his eyes.


    Sigmund let out an unhingedugh. "No, I literally cannot kill you. You have the protection of the mountain spirits until a sessor is born. So many people have tried to end your life but somehow you always survive, like the monster you are. Since I cannot kill you, will make you suffer for the rest of your miserable immoral existence! Have fun withering away into nothing alone, you traitor."


    "The only traitor I see here is you," a horribly familiar monotone voice sounded from behind me.


    I heard a sh and in an instant, Sigmund dropped to his knees and the knife fell away from my neck. I was bleeding pretty badly but I wasn''t choking on it like in the movies. He hadn''t cut anything vital.


    I pitched forward, nearly passing out from the shock and trauma of what just happened and Al leaped out to catch me. He quickly ripped the hem of his shirt and tied the strip around my neck to act as a bandage with shaking hands.


    I wanted tofort him but couldn''t speak. All I could do was blink up at the scene before me: the insane man bleeding out on the ground and my savior, Duke O, holding a bloody sword and lookingpletely nonplussed.


    He killed a man and his expression hadn''t changed at all. What was he even doing here? He had gone back to his estate days ago!


    "You might want to get her to a doctor before she bleeds out," the duke advised dryly, wiping the blood off his sword with a handkerchief.


    Al immediately snapped to attention and rang a bell on the wall frantically, unwilling to let go of me with his other arm. Servants appeared and whisked me away on a makeshift stretcher made from a bedsheet. It was a good thing too because I was about to pass out.


    "YouI need to talk to youter!" he hollered over his shoulder as he followed after me.


    My eyes grew heavy and I couldn''t keep them open anymore. I had been so dizzy ever since I fell over. Thest thing I was aware of was Al''s voice begging me to keep my eyes open and stay with him.

 Chapter 118: It Was All Over

    Chapter 118: It Was All Over


    I woke up in the infirmary with a bandage wrapped around my neck. Al was holding my hand so tightly that it had gone numb.


    When he saw me stir, that same frantic look as before filled his eyes. "Katie? Are you okay? Can you speak to me?"


    "Al," I groaned. My neck did hurt but I hadn''t received damage to my vocal chords. "What happened?"


    "Sigmund is dead. Duke O killed him when he was seconds away from killing you. You lost quite a bit of blood and needed to have stitches. The doctor promised me that you wouldn''t have a scar as long as you keep the wound clean."


    Tears filled his eyes before he continued. "I''m so sorry. I waspletely useless and couldn''t protect you. If the duke hadn''t been there" He cut himself off, too emotional to finish that sentence.


    I was confused. What was he doing there in the first ce? "Why was he there?"


    The man in question appeared in the doorway and answered himself. "Something Sigmund said before I went back to my estate bothered me. Halfway there I had to turn around ande back so I would not lose my mind wondering. It seems I arrived at the right time."


    If he had arrived even a minuteter I would probably be dead. I couldn''t believe I was still here because of my old enemy''s intuition.


    "But why would you"


    "A mind like yours cannot go to waste in such a terrible way," Duke O said loftily. "The Kanta have much to gain from you. Do not disappoint them."


    It was perhaps the nicest thing he had ever said to me. I was at a loss. First he saved my life then his attitude toward me did aplete 180. For the first time he was supporting what I wanted instead of trying to use me to further his own agenda.


    Maybe I had misunderstood him all this time. Or maybe he had changed the same way so many other characters in this story had.


    "Thank you," I said fervently. "Really. I will always owe you for this."


    Al nodded and spoke thickly. "As will I. Anything that is in my power to give you as repayment for saving herI will."


    The ghost of a smile appeared on the duke''s face, making him seem much warmer than usual.


    "I am afraid there is nothing I want that you can give me. Perhaps I can call in a favor one day once your nation has been established. Or you could testify on my behalf that I killed a prince of Annias in defense of another so I do not meet the same fate. That would be repayment enough."


    "Of course," I promised quickly. "We can both do that no problem."


    Duke O nodded. "Then I have no further business here. I must return and exin the situation to the king. Prince Alpheus, would you apany me as a witness? Oh wait. I forgot you are actually n Leader mar. Whatever you are called, I need you toe with me."


    Al stood and followed him, reluctant to leave my side. I shot him my most reassuring look. I wouldn''t be going anywhere.


    The duke turned to bow toward me before he left. "In case we do not meet again, I wish you a speedy recovery Katie."


    It was the only time he had ever called me by my actual name. He had been one of the worst offenders Catherine-ing me to death. I was so shocked by this that I wasn''t able to get out a reply.


    Franz had wanted Sigmund gone anyway and with multiple witnesses it was easy to dismiss the whole case. The dowager queen was distraught at losing her oldest son and shut herself away in her rooms for the rest of winter.


    Rosenia was relieved he was gone though I couldn''t tell what her true feelings were regarding her miscarriage. As promised, we pretended Sigmund had died from natural causes so she could go home and live the rest of her life in peace. She returned to Rowenhilde shortly before the first snow of the season.


    It took Al and me months to recover from the trauma. Both of us had nightmares about the event but at the very least we had each other forfort when one or the other woke up in the middle of the night.


    I couldn''t believe how things ended. Instead of dying in a revolt of themoners as a tyrant king, Sigmund had been killed by his closest friend.


    Duke O surprised me. I hadn''t thought he cared enough about my life to do something like that after I rejected him so many times. He might not be such a terrible person after all, even if he was a viin in the novel.


    He had saved my life at the veryst possible second. As much as he had creeped me out since I met himI would always owe him for that.


    Al hated it but he would too. The man who had always seemed intent on stealing me away had been the reason Sigmund wasn''t able to take me away from him forever. The irony wasn''t lost on either of us.


    I wanted to find a proper way to thank him but wasn''t sure how. Maybe someday I would find the right words and perhaps a valuable gift. Though nothing would ever be as valuable as the life he extended.


    It was all over. The danger, the political intrigue, the ruined plot. It was nearly time for my husband and me to write our own story without having any guide to go off of.

 Chapter 119: Home

    Chapter 119: Home


    I kissed my cute chubby-cheeked Rnd onest time the day of our departure for the Kanta Mountains. It had been a long and uneventful winter, makingst minute preparations and negotiations with Franz for proper restitution.


    The baby was nearly a year old and was crawling everywhere. My heart ached that I would miss his first steps and likely never hear him call me "Ka-ee" again. He had been the closed thing I would ever have to a nephew unless the du Pont children decided to stay in touch after I left.


    As predicted, the countess was absolutely distraught. We made sure to head out before she could fuss too much.


    "Take care of yourself Katie," Mari said with a sad smile. "You too, Al. It will not be nearly as lively around here without the two of you."


    "You say that as if it is a bad thing," Franz muttered under his breath, which made meugh. We had caused an awful lot of trouble for him but hey, we had helped him gain the throne too. It all evened out in the end, didn''t it?


    "The builders and knights who will assist with the rebuilding efforts shall apany you to the mountains," he said formally. "Feel free to send me word if things are not going smoothly and I will send someone to remedy that."


    I gave him my best curtsy since we were in formal diplomatic mode now. "Thank you Your Majesty. May we have a fruitful alliance."


    Al rolled his eyes at me and gestured for me toe. He gave his foster brother onest stiff nod before we walked away from the pce forever.


    We met up with Ayana and all of her children''s families with the caravan full of supplies, things we brought from the pce, and people. The other upants of the slums looked at us with both confusion and awe.


    "Where are you going, Ayana?" one of them dared to ask.


    She beamed at her old neighbor. "Home."


    The journey was not so simple. It took weeks to move that many people and objects from the coast to the countryside to the mountains. Whatever roads had once been there were now overgrown so we had to travel on foot or horseback once we reached the mountains.


    Ayana led the way to where her old vige, Ilmir, once stood. There wasn''t much left after more than two and a half decades of neglect. A few crumbling buildings remained that didn''t look safe to step inside.


    "This is it," she said in a choked voice. "My home."


    All of her children looked around curiously at the ce where their mother had once lived. Al did too. A sense of loss clouded his eyes for only a moment before I could see the wheels turning in his head. He could imagine what this ce would be from our efforts.


    Right now there were only eleven adults if you didn''t count the people Franz sent over to help us. We had an awful lot of work to do.


    ===


    Construction was slow but steady. We started with homes for each of the four families who hade before building things like roads and buildings for other purposes, such as a granary and the library I wanted to run.


    A few weeks into our endeavor we were joined by six other families. More would join in the weeks toe. It seemed like a new group of former refugees showed up every time I turned around.


    More hands helped with the construction efforts but we had a very hard time keeping all of the small children upied and safely out of the way. Everyone took turns babysitting.


    I had thought we would have a hard time with all of the shing cultures considering we had peoplee in from Annias, Rowenhilde, the Ruby Inds, and Shibatsu already. But everyone was respectful and treated Al with the deference Ayana had promised they would.


    He was more than a little overwhelmed by the attention. All of the older generation who had known his parents was amazed by how much he looked like his father.


    Once the basic construction was done and a squadron of knights was charged with keeping watch around our borders, we had to deal with the struggle of assigning everyone jobs. A lot of the people who hade shared a profession.


    In a vige this tiny, we couldn''t afford to have two cobblers or two cksmiths at the expense of not having someone else we needed. Many people ended up requiring retraining of some sort, especially when it came to operating the mines.


    It was stressful because many of the people were resistant to change. Having adolescent boys who were old enough to take on a new trade helped a bit but didn''t fix everything. Al and I had to put out a lot of fires.


    Setting everything up from scratch because we couldn''t haverge things transported up the steep inclines of the mountain was even worse. We didn''t have enough stone masons or lumberjacks present and had to call on Franz for more help.


    Building up our tiny country was the biggest challenge I had ever facedeven more than the semester I took fifteen credit hours and ended up hospitalized so I barely passed everythingbut it was rewarding. The people came to trust us and depend on us more quickly than I would have expected.


    Being the second most popr person in town was a new experience for me since I had never been the most social. But everybody loved me because I usually had solutions to their problems.


    I struggled with both the attention and the expectations. I may be from a different world but that didn''t make me all-knowing! I did my best but I was totally winging it. Thankfully no one seemed to notice and continued to be impressed by my impromptu ideas.


    As time went on I grew used to it. That wasn''t the sort of thing my former self would have ever imagined getting used to but a lot had changed since I ended up in this novel world. I had gone from someone useless to someone dependable. Strange as it was, I was rather satisfied with how things turned out.

 Chapter 120: Happy And Overworked

    Chapter 120: Happy And Overworked


    Franz''s men left before the first snow hit because of how terrible the winters in this mountains were. Thankfully we finished all of the major construction before then, even the houses for the returning Kanta who cameter in the summer.


    They had to supply us with rations for winter because our own hadn''t grown yet. By this time next year we should be self-sufficient.


    Once everything was built we were able to breathe a little and focus on trying to build up our economy and shops in town that would keep us running. That was difficult to do once the snow hit.


    Winter here was ten times colder than winter in the capital of Annias had been. I woreyers andyers of clothes and still felt cold, even huddled in front of the fire. An Arizona girl was not equipped for this kind of snow without an electric heater.


    Life in the vige slowed to a standstill. The older generation knew how to keep going in the cold but no one else had lived here since they were very young or not at all.


    As the n leader''s wife, I was expected to help everyone all the time. But I was frozen to my very core so I didn''t see how I would be able to help anybody. I spent the first month of winter huddled up under every nket we owned, hardly daring to step outside.


    One good thing came of that winter though. To keep warm, Al and I spent a lot of time under the sheets (if you know what I mean) and I ended up pregnant with our first child.


    I already knew it would be a boy because of the blessing of the mountain spiritswhich nobody here knew extended to temporary immortality until Sigmund dropped that bomb on usand had a hard time deciding on a name.


    "Ayana says the n leader''s name has started with A for generations," Al said casually. "Would you be alright with continuing that tradition?"


    That still left me with a lot of options. I didn''t mind. "As long as I get to pick a name from my world."


    He tilted his head at me curiously. "What kind of names do they have in your world? Katrina and Abigail seem like they could feasibly belong to people in Annias."


    "My parents were old-fashioned," I exined a bit self-consciously. "Abby and I always went by nicknames because our given names are so outdated." I went on to tell him about popr names from my home, almost all of which he had never even heard of.


    Discovering I was pregnant brought my frozen self back to life. I was revitalized enough to continue my duties as the n leader''s wife for the rest of winter. But I had to admit, when spring finally came to melt away the snow I nearly cried tears of joy.


    We abandoned all of our other jobs to harvest the grains we nted in the fall and store them in the granary. Once the harvest was over we held a celebration of a traditional springtime festival. Not all of the Kanta traditions were dead even though many had been forgotten.


    The mountains were absolutely beautiful in the spring with all of those wildflowers beginning to bloom. Seeing that, I could understand why Al''s people loved their homnd so much.


    As spring turned to summer more refugees joined us so we had to focus on building again. Our mining export business was slowly but steadily growing even though we had to stop production so often to work on construction projects instead.


    There were so many ideas I wanted to implement but I wasn''t able to do much while we lived in a construction zone. At the very least, as promised, I got my library full of books donated generously by Franz and Mari.


    Many of the Kanta didn''t know how to read so I did my best to teach them. I was the n leader''s wife and had to stick to my duties but I was also a librarian and librarians helped patrons no matter what.


    Summer turned to fall and I was too pregnant to help with the vegetable harvest but nobody begrudged me that. I ran around a lot for a pregnant woman.


    It was exhausting and I struggled without the modern conveniences I thought I would have when pregnant. I craved foods that didn''t exist here and wanted to watch movies I couldn''t watch. Sometimes that, coupled with my hormones, made me irrational and angry.


    Throughout all of this Al was a saint. He continued to patiently love me through it right up until it was time for me to give birth in the fall.


    I refused to follow the tradition of kicking the husband out. My mother and sister weren''t here to coach me through this and I refused to push a human being out of me on my own. The midwife looked at me funny but let me be.


    Adam de Kanta came kicking and screaming into the world right as the sun began to rise over the mountains following and long and difficultbor. He was absolutely beautiful. My family would have loved him.


    Everyone in the vige celebrated the birth of the future n leader in a party thatsted for two whole days. I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of handmade baby items that people gave me wanting the future n leader to have something they made.


    Al epted everything graciously, thanking everyone for their contributions in the way only he could as their leader. Once everybody finally left, we had a moment to ourselves for the first time since the birth.


    I held Adam in my arms so he ended up holding me in order to cuddle both of us. He radiated both exhaustion and contentment.


    "I didn''t think it was possible to be this happyor this overworked. Or this happy about being overworked," he said with augh.


    I knew exactly what he meant. Snuggling closer, I replied, "This is what we get for starting our own country and starting a family at the same time. I''m happy too though."


    Looking up into those beautiful gray eyes seriously, I thought about how lucky I was that out of all the people in this world I ended up with him. I often wondered why my soul hade here after my death instead of going to a more traditional afterlife but as time went on I thought I knew.


    I was supposed toe here to be with Al and help the Kanta people recover what they had lost. My second chance at life hadn''t started off on the best footing but now I was happier than I had been since before my parents died, even though I still missed Abby terribly. If she could be here, everything would be perfect.


    "I''m d that out of everybody I could have met aftering here that I was able to meet you," I told him with a smile.


    My husband''s eyes softened and he kissed me before kissing our baby. "Me too, Katie. Me too."


    No matter what happened from here on out, I knew I would be okay because I had Al and Adam by my side. I had a family again and I would cherish them no matter what.

 Chapter 121: Organ Donor

    Chapter 121: Organ Donor


    Abigail Pullman had been in the middle of studying for midterms when she got the phone call that changed her life forever. Normally she wouldn''t have answered but she saw the area code and figured it must be important.


    She had changed her number to a local one after living in Anta, Georgia to attend Emory University for a couple of years. It had pained her to leave her only sister behind but Katie had encouraged her to go.


    The odds of getting a half-tuition schrship to a top thirty school were incredibly low. Katie told her to go get a great education, get a well-paying job, and buy them some prime real estate.


    Abby was fairly sure she was joking but it was nice to dream. Georgia did have some great real estate for a fraction of the cost it would have been in Arizona. But Katie was a homebody; she would never want to leave their hometown of Scottsdale.


    She had chosen to go to school at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, which was less than forty minutes from their apartment. Abby knew why; she didn''t want to leave her behind. Their parents passed away when they were eighteen and fifteen respectively.


    With a solid life insurance policy left behind and the ability to sell the house, Katie had been able to keep custody of her little sister. But it had been harder for her than she was willing to let on.


    All of those health problems she hadn''t fully been able to hide had hit her freshman year as she was still dealing with grief from losing her parents and struggling to deal with a moody teenage girl. One of the main reasons Abby went away for school was that she wanted to get a good job and help pay her sister back for everything she did for them.


    Katie barely managed to finish school and got a crappy part-time job because of her health issues. Abby had been across the country for most of her chronic illness progression but it was still terrible watching the person she loved most slowly waste away.


    Her sister had always been so vibrant and full of life with a ridiculous sense of humor. She should be running around outside somewhere beckoning for Abby to follow her lead like when they were younger, not cooped up inside a tiny apartment because of pain.


    She answered the phone apprehensively, hoping that it was something as simple as Katie losing her phone and calling to let her know she wouldn''t be contactable for a while.


    "Hello, am I speaking to the next of kin of Katrina Pullman?" a sympathetic female voice asked.


    Abby''s heart stopped beating. No. No way. Katie had gotten a phone call exactly like this when their parents died. This couldn''t be happening!


    "Yes," she said faintly. "What happened?"


    "I''m terribly sorry to tell you this but a woman we believe to be Katrina was in a terrible car ident and is currently in critical condition. She was driving her car and had her ID and credit cards in her purse. Are you able toe fill out some paperwork on her behalf?"


    Critical condition. She was still alive! Abby''s heart restarted. It was going to be okay. Katie would be fine.


    "I''m in Anta at the moment but I''ll be on the next flight," she promised.


    ''C''mon Katie,'' Abby thought desperately. ''Just hang in there until I get to you. You''re going to be fine.''


    She booked the first flight out, not caring that it cost her nearly $300, and touched down in Phoenix around 11 PM. Despite her exhaustion she rushed straight to the ER and asked about her sister.


    A man in scrubs came out to talk to her and led her quietly to an empty hallway. "Are you Katrina Pullman''s sister?" he asked.


    Abby nodded around the lump in her throat. This did not sound promising. Desperation made her voice crack. "How is she?"


    "I am terribly sorry to tell you thisbut she lost too much blood and received irreversible damage to her brain. We couldn''t do anything to help her. She was dered legally dead two hours ago."


    Dead. Dead! She couldn''t be! Abby had texted her this morning while she was in the waiting room for her doctor''s appointment. This wasn''t possible.


    She sunk to her knees and couldn''t prevent herself from sobbing so hard she thought she would crack in half. Her heart certainly had. Sure, she had friends at school but Katie was the only family she had left. Now she waspletely alone.


    Her sweet sister who pushed herself too hard despite being so sick all the time would never tease her again. Had Abby even said ''I love you'' when signing off this morning? When was thest time she had said it?


    Aftering all this way Abby still didn''t get to say goodbye. Katie had diedpletely alone.


    She finally pulled herself together after a while to go see her sister''s body. Her expression waspletely nk and her eyes were closed. This thing didn''t look like her sister at all.


    The mortician promised to make her look pretty for the funeral. He gently told Abby that because her sister had been an organ donor that multiple people''s lives were saved, as if it that was any constion.


    Katie was gone. Yet her heart, kidneys, liver, and who knows what else would live on in other people.


    Abby had been totally creeped out when Katie said she was going to be an organ donor. She had shrugged it off, saying "well I won''t need them anymore, will I? May as well help somebody else out."


    She never would have imagined that it actually would have happened this way. Organ donation only urred under very specific circumstances. The body had to be hooked up to a respirator when the brain died for it to even work.


    Katie''s body had still been alive for a little while even though everything that made her Katie was already gone. That big beautiful brain full of random facts and movie quotes had died. How could this have happened?

 Chapter 122: Impossible To Accept

    Chapter 122: Impossible To ept


    Abby went through the next year in a blur. She forced herself to keep studying because it was the only thing that kept her going. She stopped spending time with her friends and spent way too much time looking through old memories of her sister.


    Photo albums. Home videos. Katie''s diaries and social media ounts. It was impossible to ept that she was truly gone even though Abby didn''t get her daily random texts anymore.


    Graduation was especially hard. A few of her aunts and uncles hade out for the asion but it wasn''t the same. Her parents should have been there. Katie should have been there.


    Losing her parents had been horrible but at least she had Katie to hold her together. Who was supposed to hold her together now that she had lost her best friend?


    Abby got a well-paid graphic design job right off the bat and buried herself in her work. But when she wasn''t able to do that, she decided to finally get to the list of things Katie had always bugged her about watching and reading that she never had time for.


    Comics. Novels. TV shows. She spent several months consuming all that media and frequenting stopping to sob as she wondered which parts her sister had wanted her to see the most. She only rmended things she was certain Abby would like.


    Once that list wasplete, Abby felt like she had lost her sister all over again. There was nothing left that Katie was telling her to do.


    That was how she ended up desperately checking her sister''s old Goodreads ount for every book she had ever bothered to post a review for, both good and bad. She found herself frequently agreeing with the reviews Katie had left behind.


    Even though not all of the books were her cup of tea, Abby felt a little closer to her sister again. She was a bit confused when she got to From Pastry Chef to Princess though. For the first time, she didn''t agree with Katie''s review.


    ''If you''re looking for a cute, clich fantasy love story with 2-D characters and minimal world-building this is the book for you. (I literally only read it because someone left it behind at the doctor''s office and I was stuck waiting for three hours)''


    What about these characters was 2-D in her mind? Sure, Prince Alpheus had been pretty boring at first but Catherine du Pont was a riot. Watching him fall for her had actually been pretty fun even though she was frustratingly resistant to him.


    The book was in his point of view, which didn''t make a lot of sense. It seemed more like Catherine, who preferred to be called Katie, was the main character. But the synopsis on the back of the novel had clearly indicated this book was about Marcy.


    Abby''s heart ached as she read because this Katie reminded her so much of her own. Tears ran down her face as sheughed at some of the things this girl said and did. It was a fantasy novel but she didn''t act like she belonged in it at all.


    She was surprised that things like pizza and doughnuts were included in the book, especially since none of the other characters seemed to know anything about them. There were a lot of inconsistencies like that.


    The book''s Katie was a know-it-all bookworm with a weird sense of humor just like her sister. And she seemed oddly like one of those transmigrated characters in theics from the list Katie gave her even though everyone else truly believed she was Catherine du Pont.


    Abby became more and more confused as the story went on. The only reason she hadn''t stopped reading at all was because she felt oddly drawn to this character and what she was dealing with.


    More than halfway through the book, she read something so shocking that she dropped it slipped right through her fingers and onto the ground.


    "My name was Katrina Pullman but I had gone by Katie my entire life. I am not from Annias or any of the surrounding nations. I am from another world in a ce called Arizona. Everything I ever said was from the countrywas actually from my home.


    "All of my knowledge came from things I learned back home. Jellyfishpoliticscard gameshat looms.I want to be a librarian because that was my job before. I died in a carriage ident and somehow woke up in Catherine du Pont''s body."


    All of the odd things about Katie finally fit together in her husband''s mind as she continued to speak but Abby felt like she might pass out after checking the next several pages multiple times to be sure she wasn''t hallucinating.


    Was this some kind of sick joke? How would this author have even known that Katrina Pullman died in a car ident? Let alone that she had lived in Arizona and had a sister named Abby?


    There were too many specific details from Katie''s life in this book. The author had to have known her but that didn''t make sense either. Katie had been such a private person. She spent all of her free time alone or video chatting with her little sister when Abby wasn''t swamped with homework or had other ns.


    She frantically flipped the book over to check who the author was. Janine Everett. Abby had never heard of her. She wanted to angrily demand how her sister had ended up inside this author''s storywas there no respect for the dead anymore?but she waspelled to finish it first to see if there were any more weird facts about Katie in there.


    Abby ended up rereading the entire book twice, skipping over unimportant parts that didn''t specifically mention anything weird or different about Katie. She wrote down every single instance in a notebook, with page and paragraph numbers for reference.


    The next thing she did was track that author down. She had a websiteapparently this wasn''t the only book she had ever publishedand on it was an email address for fans to contact her through.


    She sent a very strongly worded message demanding to know what was going on with this book. To her surprise, the author wanted to meet with her face to face so they set up a time to video chat.

 Chapter 123: The Author

    Chapter 123: The Author


    Abby angrily crossed her arms over her chest when she answered the video call a few dayster. She could not back down. If necessary, she would sue this woman for defamation in her sister''s memory. Appearing weak was not an option.


    "Care to exin this?" she demanded.


    Janine Everett, a pale woman with dark hair and eyes sighed. "I was hoping you could exin it to me, actually. This is not the novel I wrote."


    "Don''t give me that crap," Abby hissed. "Your name is on the cover. Your photo is in the back sleeve with the ''about the author'' blurb. How did you know all of this information about my sister? Why would you do this to her? And to me? I almost felt like I had her back for a moment when reading about Catherine du Pont and then you pulled something like this!"


    "Miss Pullman, I never created a character named Catherine du Pont. If you would listen to me for a moment I would like to tell my side of the story."


    Abby reluctantly decided to let her but did not unknit her brows. The re would remain as long as she felt like it.


    "I asionally reread things I''ve written because I love my characters," Janine confessed. "They are like my friends because I''ve spent so much time with them. A few months ago I reread From Pastry Chef to Princess and discovered something impossible. The story had changed.


    "The novel I wrote was in Alpheus'' perspective but the female lead was Marcy Grandin. He fell for her because of her cheerful nature and charm. She came up with the idea to introducemoner representatives to the court and after Prince Franz became king, she married Alpheus and they lived happily ever after.


    "The entire du Pont family didn''t make the final cut in the novel. Originally I nned on making Percival work with the crown prince but I went with Duke O''s character instead. I hadn''t even finalized any other family members for him because he was such a rough concept."


    Janine''s expression grew frantic and Abby''s re slowly settled back into a neutral expression. This woman was either a fantastic actress or she was actually insane.


    Did she really expect her to believe that? And she hadn''t even gotten to the part about including all of her dead sister''s personal information yet. This woman still had a lot of exining to do.


    The author continued. "And the plotline about the Kanta n? That was an idea I toyed with that didn''t make it into the novel because my editor was pushing for less political intrigue and more romance. She told me to wrap it up with a fairy tale wedding instead of making it longer so I did.


    "But I didn''t write about Mari''s pregnancy or Duke O being obsessed with a woman or anything having to do with Catherine du Pont. Especially all of that transmigration nonsense! I wrote a pure fantasy story with fantasy characters.


    "So you tell me. How did yourte sister end up taking over my novel? Nobody remembers how it used to be except me! I tried talking to my editor about it and she looked at me like I was crazy. No other fans have messaged me about this issue before you so I don''t think any of them have noticed either."


    Abby blinked at her. Janine had be visibly upset. But that agitation was mixed in with genuine bafflement. She truly didn''t know anything about this.


    It seemed impossiblebut had her sister''s consciousness actually survived the crash and been transnted inside a fictional character''s? Her organs had been transnted into other people''s bodies. Who was she to say that her consciousness hadn''t been transnted as well?


    "Do you think" Abby began nervously, hardly daring to hope her sister was still alive somewhere. "Do you think it might really be her in there? That she identally changed your story bynding inside of it?"


    Janine sniffed. "How am I supposed to know? My novel changed without my knowledge. Any exnation could be believable at this point."


    But how had this happened? In the transmigrationics Abby had read at her sister''s request that aspect of things was never fully exined. People sort of just epted what had happened at face value.


    If she didn''t know how it had happened there wouldn''t be a way to bring her back. But she absolutely had to bring her back if she was still alive.


    Her ns came to a screeching halt when she remembered something. Katie had fallen in love with her husband. They went off to resettle the Kanta region at the end of the book. Would she even want toe back?


    More importantlywas it even possible? Her body here had died. There was nothing for her toe back to. If Abby was going to reunite with her sister, it would make more sense for her to go to them.


    She had nothing to stay for here knowing that her favorite person in the world was living her life somewhere else. She had always intended to move back to Arizona to be near Katie anyway. Was this really that different?


    They had always talked about being neighbors once they got married. Raising their kids together and having backyard barbecues and such. Abby would give up anything about her life here to make that happen.


    "Write a story about me going to Annias," Abby said fiercely.


    Janine looked at her with obvious skepticism. "You really think that will work? I had nothing to do with how your sister ended up in my book."


    Maybe so but it was the only scrap of a n that she had. How else was she supposed to end up in a story book? Go die in a car ident on the same freeway that Katie had back in Arizona?


    There were no guarantees. If she tried killing herself and wasn''t transported to the world of the novel then she would never see Katie again for real. Wouldn''t it be better to try a less potentially harmful method first?


    "Please! It''s all I''ve got," Abby pleaded desperately.


    Janine''s expression grew thoughtful. "The text of the book was what changedwhy don''t I write something about you on thest nk page in pen. It probably won''t work but I''m willing to give it a try."


    Tears filled Abby''s eyes "Thank you."


    The author went to fetch a pen and began scribbling quietly on thest page, looking up after less than a minute. "There. I wrote ''Abigail Pullman goes to the Kanta region and is reunited with her sister.'' But I really don''t think anything is going to happe"


    She couldn''t even finish her sentence. Abby had already vanished from the other side of theputer screen without a trace.

 Chapter 124: Shibatsu

    Chapter 124: Shibatsu


    When Abby woke up, she was in a scratchy straw bed wearing strange clothes. They looked like something a serving wench from a period drama might wear.


    Dizzy and disoriented, she looked around the room. It was small and shabby, barely managing to fit the bed and a small dresser with an oilmp sitting on it. This was not her apartment. Had her stupid, desperate idea actually worked?


    She tried to get up and look around some more but did it too quickly. Waves of vertigo crashed over her and she would have hit the floor if not for the strong arms that came out of nowhere to catch her.


    "Easy there, Miss. You''re in no condition to be running about," a kindly voice stated.


    Abby strained to look up at the person holding her and discovered a middle-aged man with silver hair and shockingly purple eyes. The silver hair was one thing but purple eyes?


    She vaguely remembered that Queen Mari, her sister''s friend, had the same coloring and she was from a distantnd called Shibatsu. Was that where she had ended up? How far from her destination was she exactly?


    "Excuse mebut where am I?" she asked.


    "Have you lost your memories?" the man clucked sympathetically. "You''re in a farming vige on the northeastern side of the kingdom of Shibatsu. My son fished you out of the river. The clothes you were wearing are hanging out to dry right now; my wife let you borrow one of her dresses."


    "Only my recent ones," Abby said. She remembered everything except how exactly she had ended up here. "I am not sure how I ended up in the river but be sure to thank your son for me."


    "Why don''t you thank him yourself? He should be home from his training soon. My wife is making dinner right now. You should join us and regain your strength. Where are you from, anyway? I''ve never seen clothes like yours before."


    She flushed. She had been wearing a pair of high-waisted reddish orange capris with a ck and white striped tee shirt tucked into them and no shoes because she had been at home.


    "nowhere around here, I can tell you that much. But I have family in the Kanta region. How would I get there from here?" Abby asked.


    A new male voice scoffed from the doorway. "You don''t look Kanta. What family could you possibly have in that forsaken part of the world?"


    A tall, muscr young man with Shibatsu''s signature eyes and hair leaned against the doorframe. Her breath caught in her throat. He was probably the most handsome man she had ever seen even though his hair and forehead glistened with sweat.


    This must be the man who saved her. His father reprimanded him by swatting his arm. "Don''t be rude to our guest, Hugo! She is still weak from nearly drowning."


    Hugo rolled his eyes but gave Abby some sort of strange salute that looked like it was supposed to be a respectful greeting. "Well you already know my name. Nice to meet you Miss River Rat."


    She huffed. River Rat? That was really the best thing he coulde up with? She took back her earlier appreciation of his looks. This guy was a total jerk.


    "My name is Abby, not River Rat. I''m looking for my older sister; I heard she married a member of the Kanta n."


    Hugo merely shrugged off her words. "Those mountains are not an easy ce to get to. First you would have to sail all the way to Annias, which takes weeks if not months, and then you would have to travel to the mountains on foot.


    "After a certain point the terrain bes too difficult for carriages to travel through. You didn''t have any money on you so I doubt you can afford a horse or donkey to take you up there. I hope you''re up for some mountaineering."


    Abby grimaced. Money. She hadn''t even thought of that! It wasn''t like she could simply send a letter to the Kanta region exining who she was and asking someone toe get her either.


    Katie''s identity was that of Catherine du Pont in this world. Who already had a family that people knew about. Nobody would believe a random stranger lost in Shibatsu was her sister. She couldn''t count on any help from the Kanta n to get there.


    "How did you end up so far away from your sister anyhow?" Hugo asked disinterestedly. "You''re about as far from there as you can get without ending up in the barbarian countries of the far north. Annias is on the far western end of civilization. You should know that, River Rat. You look like you''re from there."


    Did she? The novel mentioned that the people of Annias tended to have lighter hair and eyes. Abby''s hair was only a shade or two darker brown than Katie''s mouse brown had been and she had cornflower blue eyes.


    How could she exin all of the inconsistencies about herself without revealing the truth and sounding absolutely insane? She didn''t know anything about Annias that she hadn''t read in that novel.


    Katie''s soul ended up in the body of a noble so the only part of the country she knew anything about was the capital where she met her husband. Even then the descriptions of where everything was were fairly vague.


    "I''m not," Abby confessed. "You won''t find where I''m from on any map. But I really do need to find my sister. How can I get to a ship? I''ll do anything to pay for my passage; clean or cook or"


    Hugo held up a hand to silence her. "Good luck with that. Merchants and emissaries around here don''t trust strangers. You''ll need a reference to even set foot on a ship headed to Annias."


    She wanted to ask more about what she needed to do but was interrupted by a plump but still pretty middle aged woman who couldn''t be anyone but Hugo''s mother. With a smile on her face, she announced that dinner was ready and told her son to go wash up before he came to the table. He went away grumbling but did as she asked.


    It was a very simple meal, consisting of some sort of rock-hard sourdough bread that was meant to be dunked in a stew filled with carrots and some other vegetables she didn''t recognize to soften it. Abby followed everyone else''s lead on how to eat it after nearly cracking a tooth.


    During the course of the meal she discovered that Hugo''s parents were named Florian and Abe and that they were farmers. Hugo was trying to change their fortunes by training to be a member of the Warrior ss.


    That rang a dim bell. Abby was fairly certain Mari had mentioned that at least once in the novel. The Warrior ss was made up ofmoners but they were an important part of Shibatsu''s political workings.

 Chapter 125: Reference

    Chapter 125: Reference


    Florian reiterated what Hugo had said about getting to the Kanta region, although he did it more kindly than his son had. Abby truly would need a reference to board a ship. But where on earth was she supposed to get one?!


    Hugo couldn''t even help her out because he wasn''t an official Warrior yet. He still had about three months left of his apprenticeship before he took an exam to be the lowest level of Warrior.


    "You could always stick around here and earn your keep for three months," Hugo suggested with an indifferent yawn as he stretched. "I could get you on a ship then. But you would have to pay for passage on your own. Good luck earning nine silver pieces in three months; that''s more than most families make in a year."


    Abby pouted. Couldn''t this guy be a little less harsh with his words?


    She would figure out how to do it. Katie was out there somewhere and she would find her if it was thest thing she did!


    She was a talented modern girl who had gotten a half-tuition schrship to a prestigious university and worked at a solidpany straight out of school. She could totally do this!


    ===


    Abby couldn''t do this. Milking a cow was the most daunting thing she had ever done in her life. Weren''t there recorded cases of people dying by getting kicked in the head by cows?!


    This was too difficult. Working for Florian''s family only paid for her room and board, not for anything else. She would have to find an additional job in town if she wanted any money of her own.


    She decided to give it a go as soon as she finished milking this dratted cow. It was a bit spotty for a while but she eventually got the hang of it, trying to remember everything Abe told her about how to do it right.


    Her chores consisted of milking the cow, watering the vegetables, and feeding the chickens. All of those things together only took about two hours so she should be able to get a part-time job or even two no problem.


    What was that in the face of working part-time and having sixteen credit hours in a single semester? Abby was used to functioning on little to no sleep.


    The town was quaint and much less shabby than she expected but it was pretty far from the farm. Her benefactors clearly lived in the poorer part of this area. No wonder Hugo wanted to be a warrior to gain glory for his family.


    Abby stood out like a sore thumb in this city of silver-haired violet-eyed people. But it ended up working out in her favor. Multiple ces wanted to hire her because they thought she would be a draw for the curious horde.


    Some people in this town had never seen a foreigner in their entire lives since they were so far ind. There were a few more refugees or immigrants closer to the sea.


    Apparently that was how Hugo knew what the Kanta were supposed to look like. His training had taken him to a port town once and he had seen a family of Kanta nsmen heading on a ship back to Annias not long after King Franz made the announcement that theirnds were returned to the n leader.


    She had asked him how long ago that was and he had looked at her like she was stupid and said it happened two and a half years ago. Katie had been here so long!


    The events of the novel took ce over the course of about a year and adding that time on meant she had lived in this other world for three and a half years. She had been apart from Abby much longer than Abby had been apart from her.


    The timelines were all screwy but that didn''t matter much in the grand scheme of things. Though she had to admit it would be weird meeting her older sister in a younger body now.


    What exactly did Catherine du Pont look like? The novel described her as a blonde blue-eyed angel but that was from Al''s very romantic point of view. Even though they didn''t look the sameKatie had to have at least retained some of her original mannerisms.


    She wondered if she would even be able to recognize her sister at first sight. The Kanta all looked roughly the same so Al''s description wouldn''t be a very helpful identifier. The novel mentioned that many Kanta had intermarried with other nations so there would probably be a handful of other blonde people there as well.


    Abby shook those thoughts free. She could worry about thatter. Right now she needed to focus on making money so she could even see her sister again at all.


    In the end she took on three different part-time jobs. She filled in as a cashier in the book shop for a few hours in the morning while the owner tended to her ailing mother, assisted an overworked tailor in the afternoon, and washed dishes at a restaurant after the dinner rush.


    She still had to wake up early to finish her chores so she hardly got any sleep and ate her meals at irregr hours. But she didn''t care.


    The allied countries of this part of the world all used the same currency to make trade easier. There were twenty copper pieces to one silver piece so she would need ny in order to afford passage to Annias.


    Each of her jobs paid three copper pieces per week. In three months, she would have enough for passage with money to spare. That should help her make it to the Kanta region from the port in the capital of Annias.


    Abby was undeniably smug when she ran into Hugo a few days into her jobs. "Looks like I''m not so useless after all. You better pass your exam so I can hitch a ride on your credentials."


    He wasn''t pleased by the insinuation that he would fail. "Have fun working yourself to death River Rat. We''ll see who isughing three months from now."


    She seethed as he walked away,pletely unperturbed by the effect his words had on her. She would certainly show him! She had survived much harder workloads than this and her motivation was unshakeable.


    But really, he better not fail. Her entire n would be ruined if he didn''t manage to pass his exam. She didn''t know how good of a potential Warrior he was either since she had never seen him train.


    ''Don''t let me down, you big jerk,'' Abby prayed fervently.

 Chapter 126: Who Was That?

    Chapter 126: Who Was That?


    Abby didn''t see Hugo often because their schedules didn''t exactly match up. Over the following weeks she ran into him exactly once when his instructor sent him and another Warrior-in-training to pick up some books when she was manning the shop.


    He was as snarky as usual but hispanion didn''t do anything other than stare. Was he one of those people who had never seen a foreigner before?


    "Here are your books," she said coolly as she handed them to her ever-rude housemate.


    Hugo hadn''t even properly introduced his friend. Wasn''t that a fairly standard thing to do when you run into an acquaintance? Why was he so against her, anyway? She wasn''t a financial drain on his family; she earned her keep fair and square.


    ===


    "Who was that?" ise asked his partner breathily once they exited the book shop.


    He had been too stunned by her beauty to do anything but stare, not able to so much as get her name. Hugo hadn''t seemed fazed by her appearance at all and had even gone so far as being borderline rude in his speech and mannerisms.


    During the training period where they had interacted regrly, ise hade to realize that Hugo was simply like that but only around people he was somewhatfortable with. Which meant that he knew the girl with eyes the color of the sky.


    "Oh her? That''s Abby. She''s been leeching off of my family for a while after I found her half-dead in the river," Hugo said casually.


    He found her in the riverthat must be why he addressed her as River Rat. She hadn''t seemed at all pleased by that moniker. ise had three sisters and he couldn''t imagine any of them wanting to be addressed that way either.


    "Where is she from?" he asked.


    Hugo put his hands in his pockets, the picture of casualness as they strolled down the street. He had already handed the bag of books off to hispatriot as soon as they left the store.


    "Don''t know. She says it''s too far away to be on any maps but she looks like she''s from Annias. That''s where she''s headed anyway. ims to have a sister in the Kanta region. Can you believe that? Of all the ces to want to go. Those mountains are as barren as theye."


    ise had heard about what happened in the Kanta region nearly a quarter of a century ago despite how hard the royal family of Annias tried to cover it up. They were a calm, quiet people who had keptrgely to themselves over the years and had no formal military.


    That yed arge part in their downfall. The new leader of the Kanta n, or the Independent Nation of Kanta as they had dered themselves, had supposedly been raised as one of the princes of Annias and only found out his identity a few years ago. He had reimed theirnds and begun a new era of prosperity for his people.


    He had talked to a family of Kanta refugees once in Shibatsu''s major port town. They said that a delegation from Annias had been sent to round up any refugees who wanted to go home.


    Apparently their new leader had a wife from Annias who was a political and innovative genius. Already the Kanta had advanced much farther than they ever had before while still honoring the traditions they had kept for generations.


    ise thought it would be an interesting ce to visit, especially with all that he had heard about the new leadership. Wanting to explore new ces was the primary reason he had joined up with the Warriors.


    His family was one of the better off ones in town since they owned the inn. His sisters had all married respectable men and had families of their own and his parents were thriving. But he didn''t want to be an innkeeper.


    The only part about it that he liked growing up when he had to help around the ce was hearing stories from merchants who traveled all over the ce. His dream was to be a Warrior that protected merchant caravans or ships so he could see the world for himself.


    ise wondered if that beautiful woman in the book shop had any idea what she was getting into trying to travel so far away. He frowned at Hugo. "Does she intend to go alone?"


    "It isn''t like there is anyone else willing to go with her," he replied with a shrug. "I agreed to let her use my Warrior credentials after the exam as her reference as long as she pays her own way. What, did you think I would go with her? I have additional training to do!"


    He had a point. If he truly was not associated with this girl it would not make sense to dy moving up in the ranks. Hugo wasn''t like him; he had joined up solely to give his family a better life. He wouldn''t be distracted by a pretty face.


    But would Abbythat truly was such a strange namebe able to make it all the way to the Kanta Mountains on her own? ise had barely met her but he would worry for anyone in that situation.


    She wasn''t terribly tall and seemed pretty and delicate like a flower. It didn''t seem likely to him that she would be able to handle all of the hardships that journey would require. She must be truly desperate to see her sister.


    ise couldn''t understand that kind of desperation since his own family had always been close by to the point of being smothering. He was the only son and they always expected him to take over the inn.


    Things had be a bit strained after he decided to join the Warriors until one of his brothers-inw said he would learn how to take over management instead. As long as it stayed in the family, his parents were indifferent who ended up in charge so that incident ended smoothly.


    He really owed his brother-inw. Staying cooped up in this tiny town would be the death of him.

 Chapter 127: Hugos Friend

    Chapter 127: Hugo''s Friend


    Abby noticed something funny over the next month. That acquaintance of Hugo''s who hadn''t spoken a single word at the book shop the first time kept popping up everywhere.


    Nearly every day she saw him at or around one of her jobs but he never spoke a word to her. One day she couldn''t take it anymore. He appeared to be taking his lunch break the same time he was and she called him over.


    "Hey! You! Hugo''s friend!"


    The man was startled for a moment and after looking around to be certain she wasn''t addressing anyone else, pointed to himself cautiously. She nodded and waved so he ended up walking over to the stone bench she was sitting on.


    "Yes?" he asked calmly.


    "You''re everywheretely, you know that? We may as well be properly introduced. I''m Abby," she said as she stuck out her hand to shake.


    She hadn''t been using herst name sinceing here since it seemed like people in Shibatsu didn''t have them. At least not in this part of the country. People were referred to by their first names and the name of their vige.


    The man stared at her hand for a moment before cautiously taking it. "I am ise. Is this the standard greeting in your country?"


    "Yeahsorry, do they not do that here? I''m still getting used to the customs in Shibatsu."


    Abby was more than a little embarrassed and was beginning to regret calling him over. This guy was weirdly formal. And she hadn''t seen him smile once. Along with his closely cropped silver hair and extremely tall frame he looked like the overly serious type.


    People like that weren''t fun at all. If you didn''t know how to lighten up, there really wasn''t a point to life! Katie had always gotten through her hardships byughing and Abby admired her deeply for that.


    "I am not offended," ise assured her. "I find other cultures fascinating."


    Abby blinked at him in surprise. That was the most emotion he had shown on his face in the entire time she had seen him around town. He was telling the truth; he must really want to travel.


    "Me too," she admitted.


    Moving to Georgia from Arizona had been a major culture shock but once she got used to it Abby enjoyed the differences. It was nice branching out and trying new things. Althoughing here was putting her desire for newness to the test.


    Shibatsu was nothing like any ce she had ever seen. The food was nd and underseasoned, thendscapes were insanely green, and the buildings were shaped like circles instead of the squares she wasrgely used to.


    Katie would know what this architectural style was. She had always been interested in random things like that. Abby had taken pictures of famous historical buildings around town to send to her sister when she first moved and Katie had been thrilled.


    It was theck of technology that truly affected her here. She had to remind herself frequently that she was the one who had said she would give anything up to get her sister back whenever she missed things like hot showers and the inte.


    Based on her exploits in the kitchen in the novel, Katie had struggled the most adjusting to the food. Pizza might be out of the question but at least there were doughnuts.


    Abby had always been more of a cook than her sister anyway because she actually enjoyed it and didn''t see feeding herself as a chore. She enjoyed meal prepping on the weekends so she could eat healthily and deliciously throughout the week when she was in college before losing Katie.


    At that point she lost the drive for just about everything. Discovering she was here had reawakened the spark within her. She would not be defeated by ack of modern amenities!


    "Forgive me for asking, but Hugo said you intend to go to the Kanta region to find your sister. Is that correct?" ise asked.


    She was a bit surprised Hugo had told him but it wasn''t like she was keeping it a secret from anybody. Even her bosses knew her help was only temporary. "Yes. We were separated a few years agoshe ended up in Annias and I was only recently able to track her down."


    "I noticed you have multiple jobswhy are you putting so much effort into finding her?"


    First he apologized for asking a personal question that wasn''t even that bad and now he was asking a worse one? This man was an odd duck.


    Abby saw no reason not to answer him though so she told him. "Our parents died when I was fifteen. She put her dreams on hold to take care of me and I will always owe her for that. But without factoring that in, she is still my best friend. I''ve missed her very much."


    Thinking about it made her tear up slightly. She dabbed at her eyes quickly, hoping he hadn''t seen her moment of weakness. There was no reason to cry because seeing Katie was within her reach now. It wasn''t when she was dead.


    "I see," ise said thoughtfully. "What kind of person is your sister? I am curious what could spark that level of devotion."


    How to describe Katie "Well, she''s kind of a nerd." Realizing he didn''t understand what that meant, Abby borated. "I mean she knows a lot of things. She dabbles in a little bit of everything and is super smart. She''s kind and brave and has a great sense of humor. We used to have so much fun together!"


    Without prompting, Abby ended upunching into childhood stories about her sister. She had to modify them a bit to fit this world''s standards but that was alright. She hadn''t talked this much sinceing to this novel world because she hadn''t had a willing listener.


    ise soaked up her words and asionally asked thoughtful questions about her stories, proving he was listening. Otherwise she wouldn''t have been sure because he was so stoic.

 Chapter 128: A Warriors Duty

    Chapter 128: A Warrior''s Duty


    The clock tower chimed and Abby jumped, realizing her lunch break was over. She hastily gathered her half-eaten sandwich made from slightly softer bread than the kind that went with the soup and bits of cheese Abe made from the cow''s milk to sell.


    Her face heated as she realized how long she had been rambling. "I''m sorry for taking up so much of your time."


    ise shook his head. "Listening to you has been my honor. I hope we meet again soon."


    He gave her that same weird salute Hugo had on their first meeting, which was apparently a greeting and a goodbye here, and grabbed his own things before walking away. Abby had never met a person quite like him.


    Was his personality normal for this country or what? Hugo didn''t act like that but he was a total brat. Between the two of them, she probably preferred ise''s personality. At least he was polite.


    ===


    After that ise sought her out frequently. Or at least it seemed like that to Abby because he always took his lunch break in the same general area she did and waited for her to wave him over.


    Why did he always wait for her to approach him first? Was it considered rude here for a man to approach a woman? She didn''t get out in society enough to understand all the nuances of this culture.


    Working behind the scenes, as a silent helper, or even running a cash register were different than holding a casual conversation. She had discovered early on that running the cash register required the same general skills in both worlds.


    It was a good thing she had worked in a fast food joint in college. That taught her everything she ever needed to know (and then some) about customer service. At least some things were consistent no matter what.


    ise preferred listening to talking and she didn''t quite understand him but Abby was forced to admit that he was the closest thing she had to a friend here. She might actually miss him a tiny bit when she went off to Annias.


    She would be stuck on a ship for a very long time. With no one to talk to, she might lose her mind a little.


    Three days before the ship was meant to depart, Abby thanked her hosts fervently for letting her stay with them so long. She promised to send a letter once she found her sister so they would know she was alright.


    Hugo had passed his exam with flying colors so he was able to send her off with an officially stamped reference letter. He refused to travel as far as the port with her because it was a day and a half by wagon each way.


    Abby couldn''t truly begrudge him that. They had never managed to be friendly the whole time she was here. He was too acerbic and resented her presence from the start.


    But she did owe him for saving her life when she first arrived here so she was sure to thank him specifically. He brushed it off but turned away so she wouldn''t see how he was blushing.


    She set off in a public mail coach with a few other passengers heading to the sea and waved goodbye to the first people she had met in Shibatsu. She had already said her goodbyes to ise on herst day working in town but she felt a little hollow knowing she wouldn''t see him again.


    So when he happened to appear on the ship she was meant to set sail on she was more than a little surprised. "ise! What on earth are you doing here?!"


    He cleared his throat and wouldn''t meet her eyes. "It is a Warrior''s duty to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Forgive me Miss Abbybut I believe you would benefit from having someone to protect you on your journey. Please allow me to apany you to the mountains."


    Her jaw dropped. He was worried enough about her well-being that he was dropping everything to help her out?! Hugo hadn''t been willing to do that and she had understood perfectly. So why was he?


    "Are you sure? I mean, I don''t want to waste your time. What about furthering your training?" she asked.


    ise shrugged. It was the first time she ever saw him do something so casual. "Warriors can be hired by individuals as well. Consider this a test run of my ability to be a bodyguard. I can report it to my superior as such when I return."


    Abby had no rebuttal for that. It was definitely weird that this silent mountain of a man had decided to travel so far for her sakebut it was possible he was using it as an excuse to travel period. He had expressed interest in the Kanta region before.


    "Okay then. Wee aboard, bodyguard. Nice to have you along," she said with a smile.


    He blinked at her rapidly for a moment before regaining hisposure. What was that about?


    No matter. She couldn''t worry about trivial things right now. The salty sea air, the sound of the seagulls, and the knowledge that she was heading in the right direction had her in an excellent mood.


    She and Katie had always loved the beach. They used to dig giant holes in the sand for one of them to be buried in and switched off whose turn it was to get all sandy and gross each time.


    The captain told them that if the winds were good, they would make it to Annias in six to eight weeks. If they weren''t, it would take more like three or four months. Abby couldn''t imagine being stuck on a boat for that long, especially since there weren''t proper bathrooms here.


    Katie had been lucky enough to have proper plumbing because she had been a noble. Abby on the other hand had been forced to use outhouses most of the time because very few buildings had proper toilets.


    When she saw that the only toilet there was on the ship was a bucket meant to be dumped overboard she nearly threw up. ''The things I do for you, Katie,'' she thought bitterly. ''There better be proper toilets in the mountains or I''ll revolt.''


    A modern girl like her sister should force innovations like that in her new homeright? ise had told her that the young new leader of the Kanta had been changing things quite a bit to make life more convenient for his people without knowing that her sister was his wife.


    Abby was certain it was Katie''s doing. She had been clever since they were very little. And she knew a lot about politics because of her degree.


    If anyone was going to end up in the middle of a politically charged novel plot, it was a good thing it was her. Those sorts of situations were practically made for her. She had truly enjoyed a good chunk of her coursework in college even though she struggled with ss attendance andpleting all of her assignments on time because of her poor health.

 Chapter 129: Overboard

    Chapter 129: Overboard


    Life on the sea didn''t get any easier. If anything, it got rougher. Sleeping at night was difficult because of the rocking of the boat and the fact that Abby was sharing a tiny room with four other women and children.


    They didn''t even have proper beds. All of them slept either on the floor on a primitive futon or in hammocks hanging from the ceiling.


    They maximized on space that way but it made getting out of bed in the morning very difficult. Usually you managed to bump multiple people in the process. There wasn''t really any room for luggage either. That was stored elsewhere on the ship and could only be essed at certain times of day.


    When it got particrly stormy and the boat was tossed to and fro Abby felt a bit seasick too. It was even more difficult to sleep on those nights because she was in a hammock and the stupid thing would swing back and forth like a pendulum due to the force of the waves.


    "I think I may die before we reach Annias," she said with a groan on day after weeks at sea. "How far away are we?"


    ise raised an eyebrow at her. "How would I know? I have never traveled this way before either. If you truly wish to know, I can speak with the captain."


    That wouldn''t help. She would be like the annoying little kid on road trips constantly asking the parents "are we there yet?" until everyone''s ears bled. Provoking the captain would not be a wise move.


    "It''s fine," Abby sighed.


    It wasn''t though. She was sick to death of the rations and the toilet bucket and the constant rocking of the ship. Her roommates'' snores didn''t help matters either.


    "I thought you said you liked to travel," ise said lightly.


    Was he teasing her? How novel. He had never done that before. She wouldn''t have thought he had it in him.


    "Traveling in my country is nothing like this," she said crossly.


    Abby was willing to bet that it would take less than ten hours to travel to Annias by ne if they existed here. In her world even traveling by ship didn''t take this long. And they hadfortable cabins, almost no interference from the water, and real bathrooms. Oh, and buffets. Cruises always had buffets.


    "Tell me more about traveling in your world then," he requested. "I am quite curious what the differences are."


    She couldn''t exin things like technologybut perhaps she could pretend it was magic? Magic did technically exist in this world even though it wasn''tmon. So she told him about trains, nes, cars, and cruise ships as best she could using terms he could understand.


    ise seemed quite intrigued. He asked plenty of questions and listened even more intently than usual to her answers.


    Abby suddenly got the feeling that he would truly enjoy living in her world. He wouldn''t have to sign up to be a Warrior to see new things. All he would have to do is take a vacation. The concept of vacations didn''t seem to exist here.


    Probably because houses, businesses, and farms couldn''t hold up on their own if people left them for more than a day. It wasn''t like there were proper locks on the doors here either. Some of the businesses in town used drop bars to keep their doors locked at night but that was only possible because the owners lived on top of the shops.


    The concept of using a key to open something didn''t seem to have made it as far as Shibatsu yet. She wondered if they had anything like that in Annias or if they used drop bars too.


    Abby was lost in thought about the mechanics of locks and keys when ise suddenly cried out. She didn''t realize what was wrong until she saw a gigantic wave headed their way that was about to crash onto the deck.


    Everyone else had already fled below deck where it was safer but the two of them were still exposed. A wave thatrge could easily sweep them out to sea.


    He frantically gestured for her to hurry as he held the hatch open but she wasn''t fast enough. The wave got her when she was less than three feet away from it and the sheer force of that much water knocked her off of her feet and right over the edge of the ship.


    Abby was a fairly strong swimmer but she was also wearing a dress, stockings, and all of the other frillyyers that women were required to wear here. It wasn''t as simple as underwear and outerwear in this world.


    She briefly wondered how much Katie had hated itshe was a sweatpants and oversized tee shirts kind of person all the waybefore remembering that she hadmissioned giant sweaters to befortable during the winter. Why was she bothered to think about something like this when she was going to die?


    The surface of the ocean wasn''t even visible anymore. She was sinking no matter how desperately she kicked and propelled her arms. This dress was too heavy.


    Is this how she was going to die? In the same world as Katie without her being any the wiser? She would think Abby was still safely at home and would never know what happened. No! She had to live!


    Her will to fight surged despite herck of oxygen. She was going to pass out even faster at this rate


    Abby was vaguely aware of something being ripped off of her by a pair ofrge hands and being pulled toward the surface. When she could finally breathe again, she gasped and sputtered trying to get all the water out of her lungs.


    She was inside the hole of what appeared to be some sort of life preserver and ise was hanging onto the outer edge of it and propelling them forward as someone on the ship helped reel them in.


    Hejumped overboard to save her. What kind of crazy person would dive into the freaking ocean to save a virtual stranger?!


    When they pulled her up a woman wrapped her in a nket and whisked her off to get changed. It was then she realized that ise had ripped the heaviest parts of her clothes and let them sink so she could make it back to the surface.


    Abby wasn''t even embarrassed. If she could wear a swimsuit to the public pool she could wear wet bloomers. But she was very confused why her sort-of-bodyguard had done something so reckless for her sake.


    Was he simply taking his role as a Warrior seriously? That seemed like something he might do. He was a very upright person. She shouldn''t be overthinking this.

 Chapter 130: A Little Bit Crazy

    Chapter 130: A Little Bit Crazy


    Everyone thought ise was crazy for wasting nine silver pieces to travel all the way to Annias. He may have given most of them the impression that he was being paid for his services to avoid embarrassment but Hugo saw through that in an instant.


    "You''re really going to leave right after passing the lowest tier exam for a foreign girl? We don''t know anything about her! She might have terrible intentions," he scoffed.


    They had run into each other right as ise was finishing up obtaining permission to go. The Warrior ss wasn''t exactly like a formal military. Your credentials allowed you to do a variety of jobs, only some of which were directly rted to military procedures.


    Warriors could also be private guards, politicians, and tasked with enforcing public safety. Phrasing this situation like it was his first bodyguard job had allowed him to get away with it.


    Hugo''s concern wasn''t entirely unwarranted. He nned to advance through the ranks so someone like him leaving was stupid. But the lowest tier of Warrior was perfectly capable of guarding merchant caravans or ships so ise had no further ambitions beyond that.


    "After living with her for a few months I believe you would know what her intentions are better than most," he replied coldly.


    His acquaintance sighed. "Look, ise. All that girl cares about is finding a sister I''m not even sure exists. I feel sorry for her but doesn''t shee across as a little bit crazy to you?"


    Abby didn''te across that way at all to him. He found her stories about her homnd and her sister delightful. Her casual way of speaking and linguistics weren''t alwaysprehensible to him but he still enjoyed listening to her talk.


    Originally he had been too dumbstruck by her rare beauty to say anything to her. But she had been so friendly, always calling him over with a smile that it was impossible to feel ufortable around her for long.


    ise had decided to go because he was worried about someone so inexperienced in this part of the world making it on her on. He rationalized that it would give him a chance to be familiar with merchant ships and the customs of Annias so it would be good practice for his future.


    But that justification was weak. He really did it because he didn''t want to be parted from this unusual girl. He hadn''t realized that until he saw her get swept out to sea.


    He would like to say that he would have jumped overboard into rough waters for anyone but all he had been able to think in that moment was "not her!" He hadn''t been able to breathe properly until she was safely back on the ship in dry clothes.


    Abby came toe find him by knocking on the door of the quarters he was sharing with three sailors. He led her out into a storage area so they could talk away from prying eyes. It still wasn''t safe above deck.


    She seemed slightly shaken by her near death experience but the fire in her eyes hadn''t died. Good. ise had been a bit worried that this would weaken her resolve. Traveling by sea could be quite dangerous and she had only just realized that.


    "Thank you for saving me," Abby said quietly. "Jumping overboard like that must have taken a lot of courage. I couldn''t have done it."


    A lump formed in his throat seeing her look at him like that. "It was my honor to save you, Miss Abby. I am your personal guard and it is my duty and obligation to see you safely to the Kanta Mountains."


    "But I can''t even pay you. You could have died! I would understand doing that for a paying client but why me?"


    Her beautiful blue eyes were pleading with him. She didn''t understand his motives and desperately wanted to. But how could he tell her? It would be far too embarrassing to admit he hade all this way because he was worried about her when they were merely acquaintances.


    ise had never met anyone like her. Even the traveling merchants who stayed at the inn weren''t so interesting. All he wanted was to spend a little more time by her side. That would be enough.


    "I could not bear to see you die. Not when I could prevent it," he confessed without further boration.


    Abby pursed her lips but didn''t have anything to say to that other than to thank him again. He made to return to his quarters after a few minutes of silence but she stopped him.


    "WaitI just realized that I don''t know anything about you aside from the fact that your parents run an inn and you want to travel. I would like to know more about the man who saved my life. What are your hopes and dreams? Favorite foods? Hobbies? If we are going to be friends I will need to know these things."


    She wished for them to be friends? ise hadn''t expected their rtionship to deepen on this voyage; he only wanted to be sure she made her way safely and perhaps hear a few more of her fascinating stories on the way.


    Her interest in him was surprising. Abby had never asked him these sorts of questions before in their weeks of eating lunch together.


    To be fair, he was usually the one asking the questions. A single question could spark a series of tangential stories and he enjoyed listening to there was no need to talk about himself in that time. It was better to let her go on.


    But now she was gazing at him so intently, waiting for him to speak. No one had ever expressed such interest in him before. ise had always been a man of few words so his family rarely expected him to express an opinion on anything.


    It wouldn''t hurt to tell her about himself so he did. There really wasn''t all that much to sayhis life hadn''t been terribly exciting thus farbut Abby found the right questions to ask to keep the conversation flowing.

 Chapter 131: A Formal Greeting

    Chapter 131: A Formal Greeting


    After ise saved her from death by drowning, Abby found herself much more curious about what kind of man he was. She figured he must like her as a person at least a little since he had shown no hesitation facing the horrors of Mother Nature for her so she decided they should be friends.


    She had always made friends easily but sinceing to this world no one had been interested in deepening an acquaintanceship with her. She was the pretty little foreigner who was meant to be seen and not talked to.


    He was the only one who had expressed genuine interest in her life so she figured he would make a good friend. At the very least he had proven himself to be rather dependable in a pinch.


    Coaxing information out of ise was not unlike pulling teeth but once he became more used to it the conversation flowed almost naturally. Abby couldn''t deny that hearing about life in a fictional country was intriguing.


    Sure, she had lived through it for the past few months but it was different hearing things from a local''s perspective. They had different thoughts, hobbies, and aspirations than people back home did.


    Though there were certain things that seemed to be universal. ise joined up with the Warriors because he wanted to escape his hometown and his family''s expectations for him.


    She knew a few people back home who had joined the military to get free college because they couldn''t afford it or wanted to leave their dysfunctional families behind. This didn''t seem to be terribly different from that.


    Abby tried to imagine what kind of person ise would be if he were in her world but couldn''t. He was so stiff and humorless! The only people she had met like that back home were professors and they were old men.


    Not everyone here waspletely without a sense of humorKatie had married a funny guy ording to the novel. Maybe ise was weird even by the standards here. Or it was Al who was the weird one.


    She hadn''t spent enough time around the people in Shibatsu on a personal level to realize whether or not humor was standard or if they were a country of stiffs. People hardly ever seemed tough but that might be a situational thing. Whoughed in a book store or while getting clothes tailored?


    Even though her new friend was on the odd side she couldn''t deny that he made the trip much more tolerable. They found time to talk to each other every day and usually ate their rations side by side, the same way they used to eat lunch out in town square.


    When the storms finally let up enough to allow people back on deck, they spent their time staring out at the ocean. Her experience hadn''t made her too afraid of it to appreciate its majesty. The ocean was beautiful and the fresh air was too much of a temptation to ignore.


    Though the first few times she went back up there she couldn''t help but tremble a little at the reminder of how she had nearly died. Her parents always warned her about riptides and currents when they went to the beach but she didn''t pay it any mind at the time.


    She wasn''t going any deeper than her waist! What danger was there in that?


    But they had been right. In a fight of man vs nature, nature usually won. The ocean had been there long before any people had and would be there long after.


    The ships here were so dangerous. Katie had told her a bit about the history of sailing when she went on a reading binge about it but she hadrgely ignored it because she hadn''t been interested. The only ship she cared about was a cruise ship headed to a tropical destination.


    Perhaps if Abby had listened more closely she could have been more careful and avoided being swept away. But then she wouldn''t have gotten any closer to ise either. That incident had solidified their friendship.


    One day as they neared the end of their journey Abby saw the first sign ofnd she had seen in months. She was so excited that she scrambled over to the very tip of the bow and clung to it for dear life as she strained to get a closer look.


    "ise! Do you see that? I think we''re almost there! There''s a big dark shape in the distance!"


    His hands shot out to hold onto her shoulders, steadying her. It was the first casual contact they had shared since he dragged her out of the ocean and it made a shock run right through her.


    Until she realized it was probably only because he didn''t want her to fall overboard a second time. Why was that somehow disappointing?


    Abby was a hugger. She missed the casual touches that friendship back home allowed but things were different here. ise was a perfect gentlementhe knight in shining armor typebut he wasn''t exactly warm. But right now he was the only friend she had so she would have to deal with it.


    "Yes, I see it," he replied as tly as ever. "We should be arriving within the next day or two. This is a simple trade ship but the captain is quite familiar with the queen of Annias, as she was originally a princess of Shibatsu. I believe we shall all have to formally greet her before we can proceed further with our journey."


    The queen?! It was hard to think of her as a monarch instead of simply Katie''s friend Mari. Abby would have to mind her manners if she didn''t want to lose her head. Would she even get the chance to ask about her sister?


    She hadn''t ever met so much as a mayor of a small town before. How on earth was she supposed to act in front of a queen?


    ise noticed the distress on her face and the corner of his lip twitched. Was that his version of a smile?


    "Miss Abby, the captain will instruct us all on how to properly greet the queen using the customs of Annias beforehand. There is nothing to worry about. I have heard she is as generous as she is beautiful so even if you do make a mistake it will be forgiven."

 Chapter 132: An Audience With The Queen

    Chapter 132: An Audience With The Queen


    Beautiful, huh? The book did describe Mari as the jewel of Shibatsu even though Al only had eyes for Katie.


    After spending time in the countryside, Abby hade to the conclusion that Shibatsu was simply a country full of gorgeous people. Perhaps it was their coloring. Even ise was attractive if you ignored the fact that he didn''t seem to know how to smile.


    The queen must be a true sight to see if she was considered the most beautiful among that nation of Adonises. No wonder Franz had fallen in love with her at first sight.


    ===


    Queen Mari was even more stunning than Abby had expected. She surpassed the most adored actress in the country and Miss Americabined. Her calm, tranquil demeanor may have contributed to her ethereal nature but her smile must be glorious as well.


    "Wee to Annias, dear countrymen," she greeted. "I hope your journey has been swift and uneventful."


    The captain bowed deeply and everyone else followed suit. "It has, Your Majesty. Many thanks for showing such concern for my humble vessel."


    Abby wouldn''t categorize someone being swept out to sea as uneventful but she supposed she was still alive. And it didn''t seem likely the captain would want to contradict a single word that came out of the queen''s mouth.


    Mari smiled serenely. "The minister of trade is waiting to speak with you, Captain. The rest of yourpanions may take their leave."


    Their group was ushered out the door and Abby wanted to scream. Wait! She needed to talk with the queen! But it was toote unless she wanted to burst back in there uninvited and risk arrest.


    Franz wasn''t a dictator like Sigmund but he was notoriously overprotective of his wife. Still, Abby had to try. She slipped out from behind the group being led away and snuck back into the hall where the king and queen were sitting.


    A little boy with silver hair and hazel eyes ran to the queen on his tiny legs and her face broke into an expression of delight. "Hello, my love! How is mama''s big boy doing today?"


    He pouted. "I miss Mama. Why do you always hafta meet people?"


    Mari''sugh tinkled like the sound of bells. She truly was enchanting. Her husband watched his wife and child interact with a soft expression. He had it bad.


    "That is our job, I am afraid. But we have a little time to y with you now. Shall we go visit the horses?" she suggested.


    The little boy''s eyes lit up and he nodded eagerly. "Yay! Horsies!"


    Abby was about to make her presence known before they left but an arm mped down on her wrist, holding her back.


    "Are you out of your mind?" ise hissed. "Do you want to get yourself killed? If they find out you are here spying on them they might think you are an assassin!"


    An assassin, her?! She couldn''t even lift weights at the gym!


    She didn''t want to believe her presence was at all threatening but ise''s might be. He was the tallest man she had encountered in this world. The only person taller than him that she ever met was a basketball yer on her school''s team back in college.


    "I only want to ask the queen about my sister! They''re supposedly friends," Abby hissed back.


    ise tried tugging on her arm to get her to go with him, which resulted in a pitiful attempt at tug-of-war on her part. She pitched forward into a pir and knocked over a vase that crashed to the ground very loudly.


    She and her captor both froze as the royal guards surrounded them. They were totally dead.


    Mari held her child protectively to her chest as her husband stepped in front of them with a furious look on his face. "How dare you sneak back in here after being dismissed? What is your purpose?" Franz demanded.


    ise looked between me and the king, torn, before giving the most respectful salute from Shibatsu. "Please forgive mypanion''s impertinence; she only wished to speak to the queen regarding her sister. I failed to stop her."


    Abby gave him an incredulous look. Had he seriously thrown her under the bus?!


    She got down on her hands and knees and pleaded for forgiveness since she didn''t know the salute. "Forgive me, Your Majesties. What he says is the truth. I did not think things through properly."


    "Rise," Franz said wearily.


    Hastily getting to her feet, she dared to look up at them. Mari was eyeing her curiously. That seemed encouraging. Would she be able to pull this off after all?


    "Your Majesty the queenI am here in search of my sister and I have been told you are her friend. I only wished to know a little about her life in Annias since our separation." Speaking so formally wasn''t Abby''s forte but she did her best. She didn''t want to lose her head.


    Mari spoke for the first time since they had been caught. "What is your name?"


    "Abby, Your Majesty."


    A thoughtful expression crossed her face before she asked her next question. "Your full name?"


    Last names were a thing in Annias; she had forgotten that. After being in Shibatsu so long she had gotten used to only telling people her first name. "Abby Pullman."


    Shock flitted across Mari''s face before sheposed herself. "are you here looking for Katie?"


    Abby froze. Had her sister actually told someone the truth about where she was from other than her husband?! The book was in Al''s perspective so there were probably a lot of scenes that didn''t make it in there from Katie''s point of view.


    "Yes!" she blurted. "Please forgive my incredible rudeness, Your Majesty. I have been searching for her for a very long time and you are the only one who may be able to tell me about her."


    Franz looked at his wife in confusion. "What does this woman have to do with Katie? We have met her sister."


    Mari rested her hand on his arm to cate him. "Katie told me about her. She is not a threat. I do believe we should have a private conversation. Would you be so kind as to take Rnd to the stables without me? I will meet you there in a while."


    He obviously didn''t like this but did as his wife requested. "Sir Marino, have your men release them," he reluctantly ordered the captain of the royal guard.


    With swords no longer pointed at them, Abby felt ise rx beside her. He had very obvious questions in his eyes and she mouthed "I''ll tell youter!" before allowing herself to be led into a side room with the queen.

 Chapter 133: Very Generous

    Chapter 133: Very Generous


    Mari called for some tea and waited until it was served with a te of what appeared to be a variety of doughnuts before speaking. "I do believe these are from your world, correct?"


    "Yes," Abby said cautiously. "I can''t believe Katie told you about that."


    The queenughed lightly. "And I cannot believe you are actually here. Katie told me that thend of Arizona was too far away to visit. Is this your real body or did you end up inside someone else too? You look like you could be from Annias. How did you end up in my homnd?"


    "this is my real body. The author sent me here."


    Mari tilted her head in confusion. "Author? What author? Come to think of it, how did you know to find me? She said contacting you was impossible."


    Oh great. So Katie told her she was from another world but didn''t bother to tell her they were inside a novel?! This would be difficult to exin but she did her best, starting from finding the book with details of her dead sister''s life and ending with her desperate plea for the author to write her into the story.


    The queen pursed her lips. "Your story is even more fantastical than hers wasyet I find myself wanting to believe you because I cannot think of another way you would have been able to know the things that you do. You say mar knows this as well?"


    Abby nodded. "Yes, Katie told him shortly before the court passed thew to allowmoner representatives."


    "That exinsa lot, actually. That girl! No wonder she wanted to run away. She did not wish to ruin the plot of that novel. I do believe she will find it amusing that it waspletely changed after all."


    Mari snapped herself out of her silent reminiscing following that statement a few momentster and smiled at Abby. "Tell me. What do you wish to know about your sister? I shall endeavor to do my best; we were quite close while she lived here."


    This woman was way too amodating! But she wasn''t about to turn down free information. "Everything," she said firmly. "Please tell me everything you can."


    An hourter, Abby left the side room full of new information that left her an emotional wreck. Katie had such a hard time adjusting here! It must have been terrible shouldering all of that alone. At least she had let Mari and Al know at least parts of the truth eventually.


    The queen had given her a letter she had been nning to send with the next batch of merchants headed to the mountains to deliver to Katie. And a warning. The road to the main Kanta settlement, known as Ilmir, was treacherous and difficult to travel.


    She even gave Abby a document stamped with the royal seal that would allow her to purchase a horse to get up the mountain once she got closer. When she asked why Mari was so willing to help her, she said something that broke Abby''s heart.


    "She has missed you more than you could possibly know. As her friend, it is my duty and honor to help the two of you reunite."


    Abby couldn''t even imagine. Thinking someone was dead and missing them waspletely different than being thrust into a new ce where you have to hide your identity and know you have no chance of returning home.


    She returned to ise''s side brushing away tears. He jumped to his feet immediately. "What happened? What is wrong?"


    With a shake of her head she pasted on a brave attempt at a smile. "Nothing. The queen was very generous with her time and told me everything I wanted to know. She even offered me a horse and gave me a letter to give to my sister."


    A brief look of confusion crossed his face. "Then why are you crying?"


    "Because she had such a hard time here all alone!" Abby sobbed, finally losing it at the slightest show of sympathy.


    ===


    ise was taken aback at the sight of her tears. His sisters were all much older than him so he didn''t have much experienceforting weepy women. He hesitantly reached out to pat her shoulder, at a loss.


    This entire incident in the pce didn''t make sense. How did her sister, who had married a member of the Kanta n, know both the king and queen of Annias? They had both called her by the diminutive form of her name.


    It hit him like a bolt of lightning. The young leader of the Kanta n had been raised as the third prince of Annias. So the woman supposedly behind all of the innovation in the Kanta region was Abby''s beloved sister?!


    Well, she had said her sister was smart. Smart indeed. She had revolutionized a people known for being backward and stuck in their own history without causing any riots.


    But wasn''t the wife of the Kanta leader supposed to be a noblewoman from Annias? How could she possibly be rted to this foreigner from a faraway kingdom?


    ise didn''t know what to think, especially when Abby''s sobs became more forceful. He didn''t want to overstep his bounds but the only thing he could think of that mightfort her was a hug. That was how his sisters calmed down their crying children.


    He gathered her up in his arms and her sobs quieted into hups after a while. It seemed to be working.


    "Please do not cry," he said softly. "You will see your sister soon."


    Abby frantically swiped at her cheeks and gave him a watery smile. "About three or four more weeks on the road from what I heard. The mountains are on the other side of the country."


    A knot formed in the pit of his stomach when ise was reminded of how little time they had left together. She would stay with the Kanta and he would go back to Shibatsu. Then what? Traveling would not be nearly as interesting without her around.

 Chapter 134: Nothing But Trouble

    Chapter 134: Nothing But Trouble


    Abby was embarrassed about how she had cried in ise''s arms. They didn''t have the kind of rtionship where they were close enough to do that but he had diligently attempted tofort her.


    His attempts were clumsy and it was obvious he had little to do experience dealing with crying people but it still warmed her heart a little. He was trying so hard it was cute.


    Cute? Did she really just use that word to describe her self-appointed bodyguard? ise wasn''t cute at all. He was handsome, a bit threatening, like a living statue at times but definitely not cute.


    Except he kind of was when he was flustered. It proved he was human.


    At the queen''s request, they joined the royal family for dinner and stayed the night in two of the many, many guest rooms in the pce. The king was still very confused and eyed Abby with mistrust during dinner.


    Eventually he broke his silence. "You im to be Katie''s sister but I have met all of her family. You are not a du Pont."


    "Franz," Mari said warningly. "I already told you I would exin everythingter."


    "It''s fine," Abby reassured her. "He''s right; I''m not a du Pont. You might say that Katie and I grew up as sisters even though we aren''t rted by blood."


    What a joke. She was the real sister here! All of those du Pont siblings weren''t Katie''s actual family. They only cared about her because she inhabited the body of their true sister. Ah, this was such a tangled web!


    Now ise was confused because what Abby had told him didn''t match up with what she was telling the king. She shot him a look that said she would have to exin everythingter too but she wasn''t sure he caught on.


    "She will be thrilled to see you," Mari said with a smile as she helped her son cut his vegetables. "mar too. And you will be able to meet their son. I have not seen him since he was an infant but Katie tells me he is adorable."


    A son?! She definitely hadn''t mentioned that during their conversation earlier! Abby''s heart sunk. She had missed her sister''s first pregnancy. She hadn''t been able to hold a baby shower for her or coach her through giving birth because their mother couldn''t.


    She tried reassuring herself that she would be there for the next one but it wouldn''t be the same. She had already missed so much of her sister''s life because of the timeline difference.


    "What''s his name?" she asked thickly.


    "Adam. I had never heard of that name before. It was quite unique but Katie chose it. Apparently the n leader''s name has started with A for the past six generations and they kept the tradition going," Mari said meaningfully.


    Abby caught on. Katie had kept with tradition but chosen a name from their home. She had met multiple people named Adam over the course of her life. It was a perfectly normal name in the United States so of course no one would have heard of it here.


    So her nephew''s name was Adam. She couldn''t wait to meet him and spoil him to death. She had always wanted to be the fun aunt.


    "That''s a beautiful name. I look forward to meeting Katie''s family. What''s her husband like?"


    Franz rolled his eyes. "Nothing but trouble, I tell you! But I cannot deny he is doing an excellent job as the n leader. I think that isrgely due to Katie''s influence. He never really did much around here but read and y cards."


    Abby frowned. She knew how Al''s "brothers" had treated him because the novel had been in his point of view. What Franz was saying wasn''t fair but it wasn''t her ce to speak. He was the king and she was merely a guest.


    "Be nice," Mari chided. "I always found him amusing. At least once Katie came around and brightened him up a bit."


    The novel went over Al''s personality shift before and after meeting her sister. She was like a ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds of his life. And she had alwaysined about being single and how no one would ever want her.


    All it had taken was falling into another world to have multiple men interested in her. In the novel Al absolutely doted on her but was Katie truly happy with that? How could someone as cynical as her have fallen in love with a man here in fantasnd for real?


    But she must have or she wouldn''t have bothered to stick around long enough to bear a child for him. They would have an awful lot of talking to do when they met up again.


    When dinner ended ise and Abby profusely thanked their hosts and excused themselves for the night. She could tell he was bursting with questions but had the good sense not to ask.


    She didn''t know how she would exin it anyway. Would he really believe that he was inside the world of a novel where he wasn''t even a character?


    Mari had taken it pretty well but that was likely because she already knew about the existence of another world and transmigration. So had Al but that was because he trusted Katie implicitly and would believe anything she told him.


    ise didn''t seem like the type who would believe anything he couldn''t see for himself. She would trust him with her life since he had already saved it once but she was sure the feeling wasn''t mutual. There was no way he would trust her crazy story so she didn''t tell him.

 Chapter 135: Caravan

    Chapter 135: Caravan


    The following morning they set out with a group of traveling merchants headed to the mountains. Apparently since Al revitalized the Kanta civilization they had been in charge of all mineral sales and cut out the middlemen.


    Aw was put in ce that fixed the prices so the merchants couldn''t buy things cheap and turn around and sell them for exorbitant amountster. That way the Kanta were paid fairly for what they worked so hard to mine.


    They had to work with the traders though because none of the Kanta desired to be traveling merchants. Now that they had theirnds back they preferred to stay at home. Plus there were certain items that could not be made in the mountains that had to be bought from elsewhere.


    Abby was willing to bet that was Katie''s doing. She was trying to modernize the ce instead of keeping things primitive and closed off like before.


    Thinking politically, being on good terms with the merchants from Annias meant they had allies. It would make them a stronger nation and prevent the tragedy from a quarter century ago from repeating itself.


    Although she couldn''t help but wonder if they had managed to establish a formal military yet. That would be crucial to the survival of their people but she was sure Katie already knew that.


    Everything she knew about the Kanta hade from either Mari or the traders they were traveling with. Some of them were pretty talkative as they moved from the capital to the countryside.


    ise remained silent as Abby soaked up all the information she could. She wanted to know as much as possible about her sister''s new civilization.


    When they stopped to make camp on the first night she asked him why he had been so quiet. It had been a bit weird sitting next to someone who didn''t make a sound for more than eight hours.


    "I was thinking," he replied simply.


    "About what?"


    "Your sister. And the Kanta''sck of military power."


    That wasn''t very descriptive. Why was it so impossible to get solid answers out of him?! Was she talking to a teenage boy? Actuallyshe might be. She had never learned his age but assumed he was in his twenties because he was so big.


    "What about them?"


    ise shrugged. "I have been wondering why you lied to the king. All of the stories you told me clearly indicated your sister grew up with you in anothernd yet he seems to believe she is from Annias. As for the military, I am a Warrior. It is natural to wonder about such things."


    Abby flushed. She had promised him an exnation she wasn''t prepared to give. Had it really been bothering him all day long?


    "I''m sorry," she saidmely. "I wanted to exin but I didn''t think you would believe me."


    He crossed his arms over his chest and looked out over the fire that zed in the middle of the camp. "You will not know until you try."


    Taking a deep breath, she wracked her brains for the best way to say this.


    "I told you I thought my sister diedwell, that isn''t exactly true. She did die. Her body anyway. But her soul somehow ended up inside the body of a noble here in Annias. That is why the king thinks she is Catherine du Pont instead of Katrina Pullman.


    "But she told the truth about herself to the queen and that''s why she was so nice to me and ended up helping us out. She had heard stories about me from Katie. I know it sounds crazy but when I said we were from somewhere too far to be on any map it isn''t just that. We are from another world entirely."


    She braced herself for the usations that she waspletely insane but they didn''te. ise had an unfathomable expression on his face as he mulled her words over.


    "I can understand why you would not think I would believe you," he said eventually. "It is quite a tale. I do not believe you are a liar but I also do not believe in the existence of such things so I am at an impasse. I am sorry if this is not the reaction you were hoping for."


    She wasn''t hoping for anything in particr. An impasse was better than t out calling her crazy.


    "Don''t worry about it. I already know it sounds crazy. I don''t care if you don''t believe me as long as you don''t treat me any differently for it."


    ise did another sort of saluteshe was pretty sure this kind meant he was swearing fealty or something like thatand got down on one knee. "I swear I will not treat you any differently, Miss Abby. We shall remain friends as before."


    Abby couldn''t help but smile at his earnestness. "So that means you''ll talk to me tomorrow?"


    He coughed in embarrassment. "Yes, it means I will talk to you tomorrow."


    The chef of the caravan called them over to get their stew and bread so they line up behind everyone else. They ate off to the side because the traders were talking about some pretty lewd things and ise stiffly said that ady did not need to hear that before leading her away.


    They ate in silence for a while. The stew was different in Annias than it was in Shibatsu. Abby wasn''t sure if it was because of different vegetables or different spices. Possibly even different types of milk. It seemed like goats were moremon here than cows.


    Those doughnuts yesterday seemed a lifetime ago now. It was the only food she had that tasted like home sinceing to this strange world.


    Mari''s doughnut tray had an impressive variety: jelly-filled, zed, cinnamon-sugar, and even maple bars. Abby recalled the scene in the novel where Al brought Katie doughnuts to cheer her up without even knowing what they were and she got emotional over them.


    Food from home would make anybody homesick emotional. Abby wasn''t even homesick right now. She didn''t miss a ce as much as she missed a person. A person she was getting closer to every single day.

 Chapter 136: Ask Me Anything

    Chapter 136: Ask Me Anything


    Sleeping in a makeshift tent without a sleeping bag wasn''t terribly fun. Abby was the only woman in the caravan so she slept alone but ise didn''t entirely trust the traders so he set up his bedroll right in front of tent opening.


    He said it would prevent any of the traders from getting any ideas. She couldn''t argue with him and decided to let it go.


    Riding in the bumpy wagon for another day was murder on her poor tailbone but she dealt with it. At least ise was talking to her again. She finally remembered to ask him how old he was after they had been on the road for a couple hours.


    He blinked at her in surprise. "I am twenty years old. Why do you ask?"


    Only twenty?! He seemed so much older! Not because of his face but because of the way he spoke and carried himself. Abby was twenty-three but she felt way less mature than this younger guy.


    "Curiosity," she said faintly. "I''m twenty-three and I thought you were way older than me for some reason."


    "You do not seem twenty-three. My sisters were all married with children long before then. Ahforgive me, it is rude to inquire about ady''s marital status," ise apologized, seeming truly penitent.


    Not that she cared. Herst boyfriend had been dumped a few months before Katie ''died.'' Dating hadn''t interested her since then but she supposed she would probably want to settle down eventually and live out the dreams she and Katie had about being neighbors and raising their kids together.


    But would it even be possible to fall in love with a man from here? Katie admitted in the novel that she liked Al because he seemed the most like someone from her world. Would there be another person like that for her?


    "I don''t mind," Abby said casually. "Ask me anything; I don''t offend easily. And just so you know, I''m not married because where I''m from people typically don''t do that until they''re much older."


    ise frowned. "How old?"


    "I don''t knowtwenty-six to thirty-two? Hardly anybody gets married before twenty-five anymore. People are more focused on their careers than families in my world."


    He thought this over for a moment before surprising her by asking, "What was yours? Your career, I mean."


    He said he didn''t believe she was from another world and yet seriously asked a question about her life there as if he did. He was giving off very mixed signals. Even so, she told him despite it being tricky to exin graphic designer without using technological terms.


    "I was an artist. People paid me to create designs for them."


    Most of her work consisted of making business logos andyouts for websites, advertisements, and brochures. She had always had a good eye for making things pretty, ever since she and Katie used to scrapbook with their mom.


    Katie used to get jealous of how much nicer her spreads looked. After a few more tries sheughed it off and requested Abby''s input instead of fussing over it. She wasn''t the type to let things bother her for long.


    "An artist?" ise asked curiously.


    Did they seriously not have artists here?! There had to be some sort of equivalent "A craftsman. I was a craftsman but I only used a very specific medium that they don''t have here."


    There. That was really all she could say about her job using this world''s terms. Thankfully he epted it at face value and went quiet.


    A few minutester he spoke up again. "Then there was nobody courting you?"


    Abby nearly choked. What kind of question was that?! Well, she had said he could ask her anything. She brought this entirely on herself. Once again, she had to try and find the right words.


    "I uh...had some suitors before. But none of them worked out. I didn''t leave anybody important behind when I came here."


    ise wasn''t about to let the matter drop. "Why did you not ept them? What did theyck?"


    Her first boyfriend back in high school hadn''t known how to deal with her when she was grieving her parents'' deaths so that didn''t work out. The next guy her freshman year of college had cheated on her. Thest one was a misogynist who didn''t support her dreams so he was a no go too.


    Technically speaking, the running thread here was that none of them cared enough. She could use that. "None of them really loved me. I could never be with someone who didn''t ept me as I am."


    It was time to change the subject. See how he liked being embarrassed. "What about you?" Abby asked. "Have you ever courted anyone?"


    ise''s face turned slightly pink. "No. I have never been interested. Many Warriors do have wives but they usually choose to take on jobs that don''t involve a lot of travel. I had never really thought about staying in one ce."


    That was fair. He was way too young to be settling down anyway. Let him be like one of those people who spend their entire twenties finding themselves before looking for a life partner. There was nothing wrong with that.


    She patted his shoulder. "Nothing wrong with that, my friend. Go and see the world. Love can alwayseter."


    He mumbled something under his breath that she couldn''t quite catch but when she asked him about it he said it was nothing. By the time they stopped for lunch, she had already forgotten about it. There was something about riding in a wagon that made her ravenous.

 Chapter 137: A Steel Vault

    Chapter 137: A Steel Vault


    Abby was weary of the road. Sleeping at night became more difficult as summer drew close. The heat was unbearable even in the dark. She would give anything for an electric fan or some air conditioning!


    One day she was so tired from warding off the bugs that kept creeping into her tentsummer was a time of mosquitoes toothat she fell asleep in the wagon despite all of the bumps in the road.


    She wasn''t sure how long she slept but she was woken up when they hit a particrly big rock and smacked the top of her head on the underside of ise''s chin. Had she fallen asleep on him?!


    "I''m so sorry," Abby apologizedmely. "I didn''t mean to fall asleep on you."


    He rubbed his chin and quite seriously said. "It was an honor to be used as your pillow Miss Abby. No need to apologize. Is your head alright?"


    She gave him a sheepish smile. "It''s no worse off than your chin."


    She sighed and settled back against the side of the wagon before ncing around to see where they were. A magnificent estate shimmered in the distance under the sunlight. She asked one of the traders where they were, figuring they would know better than ise since he had never been here before.


    A trader named Wilem responded with a nod in the direction of the estate. "That over there''s the earldom of du Pont. The Kanta leader''s wife is a daughter of that house."


    Abby''s interest grew. So that was where Katie ended up? Putting the timeline together, she had probably stayed there for months before heading to the capital. Her fake family might be there right now.


    Her curiosity burned within her but unlike with the queen, who had been ridiculously understanding, she wouldn''t be able to get away with barging into an earldom and demanding answers.


    They all believed that Katie was actually Catherine. It wouldn''t go well for her.


    She couldn''t help but wonder what Katie''s rtionships with those people were like. Mari mentioned that she didn''t care for the earl and countess at all but that she had enjoyed spending time with their children.


    They were briefly mentioned in the novel. A few times after Katie moved into the castle they came by to visit and had tea or yed cards. The little girl who was Catherine''s sister seemed particrly fond of snuggling with Katie.


    Abby was slightly jealous. Had she been reced? No, not based on everything Mari said. Katie still missed her fiercely right up until she moved out of the pce and their contact became more sporadic.


    Still, she wondered what Katie had been thinking when she got close to the du Pont siblings. She must have been terribly lonely.


    About two weeks into their journey they had to stop to repair a broken wagon wheel and Abby had the chance to walk around the town. There were a few major differences between towns in Shibatsu and ones in Annias, like the architectural style, but overall they gave off the same vibe.


    ise had grown more wary of the traders as time went on because they tended to get rowdy whenever they stopped in town and had the chance to ess alcohol. One of them had tried to get Abby to dance with him unwillingly and ise nearly drew his sword.


    It had taken a fair amount of coaxing to calm him down. He stuck to her side like glue after that.


    "I do not like this," he confessed when they had to stop. "We may want to part ways with them early."


    Mari told them that it usually took three weeks by wagon and another by foot once they made it to the base of the mountain. There was still another week to go before they should set off on their own.


    "We have no other way to get there," Abby reminded him. "They haven''t done anything truly inappropriate yet."


    ise scowled. "Yes but I do not want to give them the chance."


    He had warned her multiple times that it wasn''t safe for a woman to be traveling alone with a bunch of men but didn''t seem to include himself in that number. Probably because he considered himself a Warrior before he did a man. Warriors were bound by codes of honor to protect their charges.


    Sometimes she wished he wasn''t so uptight. The only times he even touched her were when he thought she was in danger. Abby was reaching a point where she was touch starved fromck of human affection.


    It had beening on for a while. She hadn''t exactly been drowning in hugs after Katie died either because she isted herself from all of her friends. But it had gotten worse sinceing here since she had no one to ask for them anymore at all.


    It wasn''t like she wanted him to touch her in a romantic way but a friendly hug or even a high five would go a long way to lift her spirits. She didn''t think of ise that way.


    He was as solid and dependable as a rock and about as friendly. But he was all she had. She had grownfortable talking to him even though he was often blunt and never stopped with the formal speech.


    ise was tight-lipped too so she often wondered what he truly thought of her. His true thoughts and feelings were locked up in a steel vault and she didn''t know how to open it.


    Did he think she was crazy or was heing to ept her story as the truth? She honestly couldn''t tell based on their interactions. As promised, he hadn''t changed the way he acted around her.


    It was actually a bit disappointing. Abby wanted to peek inside his head more and more as the journey progressed because he was like a brick wall.


    What sorts of things did he think about when he went quiet? Why had hee all this way with her if he thought she was crazy? She wished she knew. She wanted to ask him but wasn''t quite sure how or if he would answer honestly if she did.

 Chapter 138: Did I Kill Him?!

    Chapter 138: Did I Kill Him?!


    ise didn''t like this town. He wished they could have pressed forward without stopping. There were unsavory-looking characters everywhere he looked and Abby was too beautiful for her own good.


    He had already seen multiple people eyeing her over the past few hours. Each time he drew a little closer to her to give them the message to back off.


    Unfortunately he couldn''t be with her every second. She made him wait around the corner when she excused herself to use the outhouse. There was nothing he could do about it because that was something a person had to do alone.


    ise waited anxiously for her toe back for over ten minutes. Finally losing his cool, he went to go knock on the door and make sure nothing bad had happened but she was already gone.


    How? How had she vanished when he was within earshot?


    Instinctively, he kept his hand on the hilt of his sword as he went looking for her. Why hadn''t he listened to his instincts and let her convince him to walk so far away? He had known something bad was going to happen!


    The traders said they were going to set out before sunset to find a ce to camp. ise didn''t have much time to find Abby or they would be left behind.


    But that hardly seemed to matter at the moment. She was missing. Anything could be happening to her right now and he wouldn''t be able to stop it unless he found her quickly. That stubborn woman! She had no sense of caution whatsoever.


    Thankfully he was able to pick up the sound of something breaking in a nearby alleyway. Upon further investigation, ise discovered she had managed to get out of her captor''s grip and smash a nearby flowerpot on his head.


    Abby stood there with wild eyes, her chest heaving, still frozen in ce with her arms above her head. She seemed to be on the verge of hyperventting. "Did I kill him?!"


    To relieved to care even if she did, he checked the prone man''s pulse. "No. There is no blood either. I believe you simply knocked him out."


    She crumpled to her knees and ise rushed over to help her up. "Good. Thest thing I needed today was tomit manughter. But my legs won''t stop shaking so I don''t think I''ll be moving for a while."


    He wasn''t about to leave her here in this filthy alley where she''d had a traumatic experience. Plus they truly did need to get back to camp if they were to continue their journey in the caravan.


    "With your permission, Miss Abby, I could carry you. Our group intends to depart soon."


    She sighed. "I suppose it can''t be helped. Thanks."


    ise lifted her with ease. She wasn''t at all heavy but for some reason his knees began to feel weak as well. Was her shock somehow passing to him? He had been quite anxious when she went missing.


    His heart was racing too. Thest time he had carried her like this was when he pulled her out of the ocean. That seemed so long ago now.


    So many things had happened since then. Nearly getting arrested in the royal pce, hearing her wild story about her sister and where they were from, and now this. There were countless little moments in between as well.


    The way her hair stuck up and her eyes were unfocused when she first poked her head out of the tent in the morning. Her bright smile when she found something amusing. The eager look on her face when she asked a question, whether it be about his life or the Kanta region.


    ise wasn''tpletely out of touch with his feelings. He knew this woman had managed to imprint herself on his heart. There simply wasn''t a point dwelling on it because they weren''t meant to be.


    Abby said so herself, she wanted a husband who could ept her as she was. He wasn''t sure he could make himself believe that she was from another world and her sister''s soul had moved to another body here after dying in an ident.


    It was stupid to even think of marriage because she didn''t n on it until yearster ording to the customs of her country. And because he had never so much as considered settling down.


    He had been trapped in that town in the middle of Shibatsu his entire life until the chance came to be a Warrior. Since then he had seen but a small taste of what the world had to offer and he wanted more.


    Childhood friends and neighbors had dropped like flies into matrimony over thest few years. They were set to work on their parents'' farms or inherit their shops or be apprentices to tradesmen in town.


    ise wanted more than that. He didn''t want to spend the rest of his life stuck inside the inn. This trip with Abby had already shown him more of the world than he had seen during his training.


    He couldn''t help but wonder if maybe, just maybesomeday if he had seen enough of the world if he coulde back to the Kanta Mountains and find her again. But someone as beautiful and interesting as her would likely be married with two or three children by then.


    Besides, he was absolutely positive she didn''t see him as a man since she trusted him to sleep outside her tent every night. The thought was more disappointing than it should have been since he didn''t have the right to her heart and he knew it.


    The only person in Abby''s eyes was her sister. Once she found her there would be no reason for further traveling. She had mentioned before that she had originally pursued her career with the hope that she would be able to return home and take care of her sister for a change.


    ise knew there was no ce in her heart for him. He wasn''t particrly engaging or witty and sheughed more at things that the merchants said than things he did.


    With how much she seemed to enjoyughing, Abby needed someone who could make herugh every day. Not a restless wandering soul like him who was more serious than she could ever be.


    Yet he still found himself pointlessly wishing that their time together would never end as he held her in his arms on the way back to camp.

 Chapter 139: A Fairly Common Problem

    Chapter 139: A Fairly Common Problem


    It took Abby ages to be able to stop freaking out about being kidnapped and nearly killing someone. This world was terrifying!


    Of course she knew things like this were just as likely to happen back home but they had never happened to her there. If ise hadn''t shown up when he did, who knows how long she would have ended up crouching on the ground in a stupor.


    The trembling didn''t entirely stop until she was inside her tent after they set up camp a few miles from the town. Even then she was far too keyed up to sleep.


    Abby had already embarrassed herself more than enough for one day by having ise carry her princess-style back to the wagon. Then protectively keeping an arm around her shoulder so she wouldn''t fall over from shaking too hard as they rode to the clearing where they made camp.


    But she still was terrified of being alone right now. She was reminded of the way she used to crawl into bed with her parents after a nightmare because she was too scared to be in her own room by herself.


    Steeling herself to look like even more of an idiot, she hesitantly called out to her guard. "ise?"


    He popped his head in, his brow creased with concern. "What is it Miss Abby?"


    His hair had grown out quite a bit since they originally left Shibatsu. With how much the ship rocked he hadn''t wanted to cut it then and simply hadn''t bothered since they arrived onnd.


    It was now a silvery mop that curled slightly over his ears. Somehow it made him look both more rugged and more whimsical.


    Abby wondered if men in Shibatsu weren''t able to grow beards because she hadn''t seen a single one during her time there and ise''s face was still smooth after all this time. Now that his hair had grown out he was a lot more handsome that she had originally given him credit for. Very few people looked good with a buzz cut after all.


    "Umcould youe in here for a while? Just until I fall asleep. I don''t mean anything weird by it, I''m still a little panicked about earlier and Iyou know what, never mind It''s stupid. Forget I said anything."


    She lost confidence with every word she spoke but ise''s eyes remained kind. He didn''t think badly of her for being scared right now despite his strong sense of decorum.


    "If it will make you feel better," he said casually.


    Abby was relieved. She scooted her bedroll over to make room for him to sit. This tent really wasn''t all that big; there was barely room for her to sleepfortably since she had the tendency to roll around as she slept.


    ise sat there silently, following her instructions exactly with no room for deviation. He was there but didn''t feel the need to say anything.


    She sighed. Be careful what you wish for. But this was better than being alone even if it was awkwardly quiet.


    "Are you asleep yet?" he asked after a solid twenty minutes.


    "No."


    Immediately went back to silence. Abby couldn''t stand it anymore. She couldn''t bear to meet his eyes so she kept them closed and rolled on her side turning away from him but had to say something.


    "Your current hair length suits you," she blurted.


    Stupid! She really couldn''t think of anything better to say?! But it was the truth. He looked like a general from this anime she liked in an fictional ancient Asian country, albeit with different coloring and clothes.


    "Does it?" ise asked disinterestedly. "I normally keep it shorter because it annoys me when it gets in my eyes."


    Abby couldn''t help butugh. That was such a normal thing to say. About half of the people she knew back home hadn''t liked having long hair for the same reason. Personally she had always gone back and forth about it.


    She hated her hair was when it was long because it was always in the waycaught in purse straps, car doors, zippers and so on. But whenever she cut it she immediately missed being able to do pretty updos. It was a vicious cycle.


    Katie never had that problem. She had consistently kept her hair around shoulder length by chopping it every six months. She must have hated having such ridiculously long hair as Catherine du Pont.


    Abby was willing to bet every copper piece she had left that her sister had gone right back to having shorter hair once she wasn''t a princess anymore. Katie was a fairly predictable person.


    At leastshe had been. How much had she changed since they were apart? What if she wasn''t the same sister she remembered and she came all this way for a stranger?


    "That''s a fairlymon problem," she said lightly in response to ise''s confession.


    "You do not seem to be bothered by it," he noted.


    Abby''s hair had been halfway down her back after spending two years to grow it out when she came here. There must have been something different in the water because it started growing like crazy after arriving in Shibatsu. Now it was nearly down to her waist.


    "would you believe me if I told you my hair normally doesn''t grow this fast?"


    He made a nomittal noise. "I seem to remember it being much shorter when I first met you. Is that the length you normally keep it?"


    "I change it up every now and then," she admitted. "I had a pixie cut once when I was in high school and I loved it for about two months before regretting all of my life choices."


    "What is a pixie cut? And high school?" ise asked in confusion.


    She kept doing this. He was such a good listener that she naturally spoke to him she way she would anyone back home sometimes. It was hard keeping track of what a person here would and wouldn''t know!


    ording to the novel, Katie ran into the same problem frequently. Keeping up a charade long-term was more difficult than one might think.


    "Ah, it''s a type of short haircut for women. It''s moremon for men to wear their hair short where I''m from. And high school is like an academy for people aged fourteen to eighteen," Abby saidmely. "Sorry. I keep forgetting you don''t know these things."


    ise shrugged it off. "I am not offended. It means you arefortable speaking to me, does it not?"


    Huh. She supposed it did.

 Chapter 140: Humorless

    Chapter 140: Humorless


    Abby hadn''t realized she had grownfortable with this humorless stone statue. It must be because ise was her only friend in this world. Out of everyone here, she had spent the most time with him.


    She did feel safe around him and trusted him implicitlyshe had let him into her tent at night simply to keep herpany and he was holding up his end of the bargain. There was no reason not to trust him after everything she had seen of his character.


    He was a man of honor, which made him a good person in her book. Even if he didn''t know how tough.


    When Abby had asked him about his hobbies a while back he had been confused. Were hobbies not a thing in this world? She had reworded it to ask him what he liked to do in his free time and he said when he wasn''t getting in extra training he was reading.


    This guy would get along with Katie just fine. There had been entire years of her life where she had done nothing but read random Wikipedia articles and nonfiction books when she wasn''t at school.


    But even bookworms still usually had a sense of humor. Goodness knows Katie did; her sense of humor was a bit more over the top than most people Abby knew.


    She had the idea that she was going to get ise tough even if it took the rest of the trip to the mountains. No matter what, she would figure out what made this stoic man tick. With that thought and theforting presence of another person nearby in case she got scared again, she drifted off to sleep.


    ===


    Day 1 of her little experiment was an utter failure. Abby tried telling every joke she knew after editing them for content that would make sense in this world. ise didn''t so much as crack a smile.


    Day 2 was no better. She tried being a bit goofy and clumsy but he only looked concerned for her well-being every time she tripped.


    By the end of Day 3 she was about ready to give up. This man didn''t have a single funny bone in his entire body. She didn''t think he even knew how tough. All those hrious stories she used to tell him about her life back home and he had simply nodded.


    Abby wandered off a ways into the woods to do her business when they stopped briefly on the side of the road. On the way back she ran into the most adorable little brown kitten with extra pointy ears.


    Thest time she had seen a cat was back on Florian''s farm so like any animal lover, she cooed at it and beckoned for it toe. "Psst psst! Here kitty kitty kitty!"


    It was unsure at first but eventually she got it toe over by offering a bit of jerky she had been saving from dinner. It warmed right up to her after that, licking her fingers and sniffing around hoping for more.


    Abby wanted to show it to ise so she scooped it up and walked it back to the wagon. It made no protest and kept sniffing her trying to find more jerky.


    The kitten was sitting on her shoulder batting at her braid by the time she made it back. Nobody noticed anything was amiss until they had already been on the road for a few minutes because they were too preupied with making sure nothing got left behind.


    "What is that on your shoulder?" Wilem asked, aghast.


    Abby didn''t see what the big deal was. "A friendly kitten I found in the forest. Isn''t it cute? I only wanted to show it to you guys but it refused to let me put it down."


    "Miss! You have to toss it out of the wagon right now! That''s a baby lynx!"


    She tilted her head in confusion. Was a lynx like a manx? Those were regr old house cats with a little stub of a tail, just like this one had. Her friend had one when she was younger.


    The traders all began whispering to each other and Wilem spoke again with genuine fear in his voice. "Lynxes are the terror of these woods! They grow to be the size of goats and have wickedly sharp ws. They kill livestock and are generally considered dangerous!"


    Abby nced over at the tiny ball of fluff on her shoulder that was still interested in her braid. There was no way. This little thing was going to be the size of a goat?


    Wild cat or not, there was no way she was going to throw something so cute overboard. It would get hurt! She nonchntly continued to let it chew on her hair as the wagon moved onward.


    "Huh," she deadpanned. "What do you know."


    A snort sounded from next to her and Abby swiveled her head in rm. Sure enough, ise wasughing. Actuallyughing! He doubled over unable to control himself and didn''t stop for a solid five minutes.


    She was baffled. What exactly was so funny about this?


    He grinned up at her when he finally got a hold of himself. "Forgive me, your reaction was" And he was gone again.


    What about her reaction? Why was he cackling like he had witnessed the most hrious thing on earth? She hadn''t done anything worthughing at this hard! All she did was befriend a wild cat.


    Videos about people adopting exotic animals showed up on social media all the time in her world. This wasn''t that weird. It totally looked like a normal cat. She wasn''t as stupid as thedy she read about in an article on Facebook who put up "Found Cat" posters for an opossum.


    Abby pouted. Of course ise would be the kind of person who would onlyugh at her when she wasn''t trying to be funny at all.

 Chapter 141: Lost In The Woods

    Chapter 141: Lost In The Woods


    Abby hadn''t expected the lynx kitten to stick around once it realized there wasn''t any jerky left. But it refused to leave even when she went to sleep that night. It curled up next to her on her bedroll like any house cat would.


    It was gone when she woke up as expected but it returned to her side with some sort of rodent in its mouth before they packed up the wagons and left for the day. It slept in herp as they traveled and repeated this pattern for three days.


    At that point she realized the lynx was here to stay so she gave it a name. Not knowing whether it was male or female, Abby decided to simply call it Simba. No one here would know it was named after a male cartoon lion if it ended up being a girl except Katie.


    ise had already apologized forughing at her when he finally calmed himself down for real but she was still a bit put out with him. What kind of whacked out sense of humor did he have?


    She should have known. It was her fault for trying to get him tough in the first ce; her expectations had been too high.


    By the time they reached the base of the mountains and parted ways with the merchants, Abby was so over traveling. Camping out like that with a bunch of strangers had been the most memorable road trip she''d had since Spring Break her freshman year of college.


    She, her roommates, and one of their boyfriends had packed themselves into a tiny four-door sedan and driven all the way from Anta to Las Vegas. It took three days to get there and another three days to get back so they only had one day to do anything.


    What they ended up doing was going on one of those buffet tours and hitting up all of the major buffets on the Strip for $69.99 each at the boyfriend''s suggestion. That had been a day Abby would never forget. She had never felt so sick in her entire life.


    The day after when they started their drive back to Anta everyone spent most of the drive taking turns puking into stic bags. That was a day she would never forget either.


    Abby cheerfully waved everyone off and thanked them for everything before she and ise headed to a nearby stable to purchase a horse. She didn''t know how to ride and they had already been warned that the winding mountain paths were too treacherous for a beginner.


    ise would have to walk in front and lead the horse so Abby and the bedrolls could fit on its back. After strapping everything on and getting a leg up from herpanion, she sat in the saddle with her long skirt spread out as best as she could manage.


    What else was she supposed to do? She didn''t know how to ride sidesaddle like in a period drama so she had asked for a regr one figuring it would be easier. All she had to do was sit and let ise take the lead.


    His face pinked even though he tried to keep his eyes averted when helping her up. She was fairly certain part of her calf had been visible while trying to rearrange the skirt.


    It wasn''t any worse than wearing shorts back home but she supposed he had never seen anything so scandalous in his life. People here truly did live differently. Abby wasn''t sure how Katie was able to stand it.


    Simbazily opened one eye at themotion before resuming his nap on top of her bedroll.


    ===


    "I think we''re lost," Abby informed herpanion after they had been walking in what appeared to be circles for the past forty-five minutes.


    ise shook his head, frustration tinting his tone. "That is not possible. I have been following the map perfectly."


    "Then why have we passed this same weird-looking tree stump four times?"


    It was the oldest road trip argument in the book, long before the days of GPS. Her parents had told their kids horror stories about how ineffective maps could be if they were read wrong pretty much any time they went on a road trip growing up.


    He sighed. "You read it then if you are so clever."


    Abby didn''t know anything about maps! All she knew was that they had definitely passed the same stump four times so they had to be going in the wrong direction.


    "I don''t know how. But we need to go a different way."


    It was unfortunate that there wasn''t even anyone to ask for directions. They were in the literal middle of nowhere right now. The only things nearby were trees, various shrubs, and birds flying overhead.


    "What way could we possibly go that we have not tried yet?" ise growled, running a hand through his hair in agitation.


    "One of the ways we went before but turn the opposite direction at the fork? Don''t ask me! I''m not a GPS!"


    "What is ayou know what, I don''t care."


    Abby did a double take. Did he use a contraction for the first time? He had been spending a lot of time with her and she used them constantly out of habit. It was said that people began talking like the ones they hung out with the most.


    She was so surprised by this that she kept her mouth shut as he consulted the map again and tried to go a different way. He actually took herpletely random suggestion seriously and they found themselves away from the stump atst.


    Were they going in the right direction? Who knew. But at least they weren''t going in circles anymore.

 Chapter 142: Awkward

    Chapter 142: Awkward


    ise didn''t know what he was supposed to do about Abby. She was by far the most interesting person he had evere across. Who else would decide to take home a wild animal with her even after being warned without so much as batting an eyelid?


    She wasn''t even aware of the effect she had on him. She was sleeping peacefully less than a foot away as he kept watch. Since there were only two of them now, they had to take turns making sure nothing attacked in the night or tried to steal their rations.


    He had always found her amusing but hadn''t wanted to offend her byughing. Used to hiding his emotions from others because it was easier not to express his opinion, he managed to hold back every time right up until the lynx incident.


    All of theughter he had been suppressing since they were back in Shibatsu finally exploded out of him. He could tell she was put out by it, which had been exactly why he didn''t ever let it out before.


    Things became a bit awkward between them after that. It was bing impossible to bear, especially now that they were alone.


    ise wanted to properly exin himself but wasn''t sure how to. Part of him thought it wouldn''t even matter since they only had a few days left together. The other part thought he had to fix things before he left because he did want to see her again.


    He had been doing a lot of thinking while on the road about the state of the Kanta military. They didn''t have one. Right now there were a few small outposts of knights from Annias surrounding their borders in order to enforce the peace treaty between King Franz and n Leader mar.


    Who knew how long that would be in effect? They were an independent nation and couldn''t depend on others forever. Especially further down the line when other people were in charge of both countries.


    All that time when Abby had been asking questions about the Kanta to the merchants who had been to their settlements ise had been listening intently. They had made a lot of advancements in the past few years but protecting their way of life wouldn''t be possible forever without a formal military.


    The Kanta weren''t warriors. Until the purge, they were a small self-sufficient society of miners, bakers, cobblers, and so on made up of a few scattered viges that they would trade between.


    Even now when they had expanded their influence by working with outsiders they still didn''t have any guards or scouts. All they had were hunters unused to realbat.


    ise had wondered how to fix this problem. Almost everyone who lived in the Kanta region at this point was a second, third, or even fourth generation refugee. There had to be some of the younger generations who would be willing to be trained as protectors after living in less restrictive societies most of their lives.


    The real trick was finding someone able to teach and lead these youngsters so the military could keep growing over time and eventually take over from the borrowed Annias knights. He had wondered if it would be possible to create a system simr to the one in Shibatsu.


    Of course, that would require more knowledgeable Warriors than him. And far greater numbers to help them get started.


    Hismanding officer back home had a sibling in the king''s elite cab. It was possible that this idea could be presented to them as a way to strengthen the alliance with Annias and create one with the Kanta.


    ise didn''t know much about the jewels and minerals their mountains produced but he had heard they were quite valuable. It was why the purge had begun in the first ce. If they coulde to some sort of trade agreement the king might be willing to lend some Warriors to help set up a formal military.


    It wasn''t like the Kanta had enough people to ever be a risk for waging war against a nation like Shibatsu, which was at least five timesrger. There wouldn''t be a downside to this as far as he could tell; it would mutually benefit both parties.


    He needed to speak to Abby''s sister. Supposedly she was a political genius who had been heavily involved innding the current king of Annias on the throne and deposing its previous tyrannical crown prince.


    It was a long shot but he wanted to do something to help them. Those people had been through a lot and deserved to be able to move forward into the future without worry.


    ise tried to convince himself that Abby didn''t y a factor in his desire to help at all and failed miserably. He had felt sorry for the Kanta long before meeting her but wouldn''t have ever considered doing anything about it if she didn''t have such prominent ties to them.


    Since he was already here he may as well share his idea. Katie de Kanta was a reasonable person from what he had heard, both from Abby and the merchants. She would most likely be willing to work with him.


    He sighed as he looked at the peacefully sleeping woman beside him. Her sleeping posture was terrible, with her arms and legs syed in every direction under the nket. But it was endearing somehow.


    She would be reunited with her family soon. If his n didn''t work, he likely would never see her again. ise didn''t want that at all.


    Originally he had been struck by her beauty but as time went on her ce in his heart became unshakable because of who she was as a person. Losing her forever was unimaginable even though they had never been anything other than friends.


    Finding a way to properly exin himself after his slip up was crucial. He couldn''t leave this country without parting on good terms. Then maybe she would be willing to spend time with him again when he got back.


    Three years. That was the minimum deadline he had for getting his n started anding back to the Kanta region. She had said that people in her country usually considered getting married starting around that age.


    ise wanted toe back before she married someone else, even if he hadn''t seen enough of the world yet. But he would have to give her time to enjoy with her sister before he could even dream of asking her toe travel with him again as his wife.

 Chapter 143: Who Are You?

    Chapter 143: Who Are You?


    After two days of sleeping in shifts to keep watch Abby could barely keep herself awake while on the horse. At one point she dozed off and slipped sideways off the saddle, forcing ise to catch her.


    His violet eyes were full of concern and she felt her heart skip a beat. It might have been because she was dangling off the side of the horse with only his arm and chest supporting her.


    "Sorry. I''m so sleepy I can''t stop dozing off," she said sheepishly once she was back upright.


    "No need to worry. We should reach the border of their territory soon. We''ll be able to ask for better directions from there," ise assured her.


    And they did, about two hours of fighting yawns and heavy eyelidster. ck haired people wereing and going from the entrance of a cave within their line of sight. Abby was so excited that she hopped off of the horse to approach them herself.


    A boy who couldn''t have been older than fifteen approached her a bit warily. "Who are you and what brings you here? I''ve never seen someone from Shibatsu that isn''t married to a nsman in the mountains before."


    "This is ise; he''s my personal guard since I''ve been traveling here from Shibatsu. I''m Abby Pullman. I''m here looking for a rtive of mine. She was a citizen of Annias but married a Kanta nsman," she said in as unthreatening a way as she could muster.


    The boy put his hands on his hips, not quite believing her yet. "Your rtive? What is her name?"


    This is where things might get tricky. She wasn''t sure how much the people here knew about Katie''s dual identity as Catherine du Pont. It was a good thing she said ''rtive'' instead of ''sister.'' She highly doubted they would know all of the du Pont cousins by name.


    "Katie de Kanta. She''s married to your n leader," Abby said with a wince.


    Now the boy eyed her with interest. "A rtive of Katie''s? Really?" His guard was suddenly up again. "Tell me something only a rtive of Katie''s would know."


    Abby knew a whole bunch of things only a rtive of Katie''s would know! But what could she use that this kid would believe?


    "Umshe calls her husband Al? She has a son named Adam and hates big dresses but likes doughnuts and books. I really don''t know what else to tell you."


    The boy''s face broke into a satisfied smile. "That''s Katie alright. I believe you. Let me go find my father. We''ll be heading back to the vige soon anyway."


    Twenty minutester, a handful of other raven-haired gray-eyed people exited the mouth of the cave covered in dust and sweat. They wore what appeared to be primitive hard hats and leather work gloves with thick coats, pants, and boots.


    The summer heat wasn''t nearly as oppressive up in the mountains as it had been in the valley. Abby had noticed that the higher up they got over the past several days.


    The boy pulled a man in histe thirties or early forties forward. "This is my father, Toa. He is the head miner here."


    The man made an ''x'' with his arms over his chest and nodded, which she assumed was a respectful greeting. "Lian tells me you are a rtive of mar''s wife. Wee to our mountain. I would be happy to take you to them. We live in the same vige."


    So the boy''s name was Lian. He had never properly introduced himself. Now that he realized that, he appeared a bit sheepish. Funny kid. Demanding who they were without giving anything away himself.


    As they walked, Abby''s nerves reached an all-time high. Was the sister she loved so deeply truly still alive here in this fantasy world? Was she about to be reunited after thinking they would be apart forever?


    Toa chatted pleasantly with ise about his family, most of whom helped him run that particr mine. There were mines scattered throughout the mountain range but this one was fairly close to their vige, only an hour or so by foot.


    His wife stayed at home with their younger children but his brother, two nephews, and his oldest son and daughter worked here with him. The part of Abby that wasn''t panicking about seeing Katie again and was half-listening had been amazed that a mine could be operated with so few people.


    "There aren''t many of us here," Toa continued. "Ilmir only consists of about one hundred and fifty people. There is another vige called Raisha deeper in the mountains with another hundred or so that run different mines. We see most of them fairly frequently though. mar travels there at least once a month to check up on them and make sure they are doing alright too."


    Less than three hundred Kanta total had returned to their homnd. Most of their people had died in the raids and the few survivors that escaped to neighboring countries had intermarried and produced many children.


    Abby had heard that nearly every single Kanta nsman who heard about the innovations Al and Katie had made decided to return even if they originally hadn''t nned on it. And there were rumors that the few that remained were only held back by saving up for passage to Annias.


    Everyone wanted toe home and see their people led into a new age of prosperity, even the second and third generation refugees who had put down roots in their adopted nations. That was pretty impressive.


    Once the vige was visible in the distance Abby''s heart began pounding. Out of sheer instinct, she reached for ise''s hand to keep her grounded. She felt like she might fly away at any moment.


    He was only surprised for a moment before tightening his grip on her hand, seeming to understand what she was feeling. She needed something tangible to hold onto as she was about to find out whether or not she had wasted the past six months of her life.

 Chapter 144: Tell Me Im Not Dreaming

    Chapter 144: Tell Me I''m Not Dreaming


    The vige was much more advanced than Abby would have expected. There were gas-lit streemps everywhere and the shops and houses looked like ones she had seen in some of the nicer towns they passed on the trip.


    There was a public library too. That had to be Katie''s influence. This world had bookshops, not libraries. The concept of letting someone rent a book for free merely for the sake of spreading knowledge was foreign here.


    Her entire being tingled with anticipation. But how was Abby supposed to find her?


    The majority of the people in the streets had the signature Kanta look but there were several blondes and brtes mixed in that looked to be in their twenties or thirties. They must be the spouses of the second generation survivors.


    In such a tiny, close-knit vige like this outsiders stood out. People began whispering about the man with the silver hair and his femalepanion.


    Only one person was brave enough to ask Toa who they were. He shrugged in response. "Rtives of Katie''s. Have you seen her around?"


    The woman pursed her lips as she thought about it. "I think I saw her go into the bakery a while ago but I''m not sure if she''s still there. If she isn''t, I would check the library. She''s almost always there this time of day."


    Abby''s heart pounded. So close. She was so close! They had passed the bakery on their way in. She thanked the woman before dashing off to the bakery, ignoring ise''s protests to wait for him.


    She saw Katie before Katie saw her. She was a beautiful but tiny woman with shoulder-length blonde curls and sapphire blue eyes and was wearing what looked like a short sleeved white peasant blouse with a navy blue skirt.


    The novel had not exaggerated her looks one bit. She looked exactly like the angel Al had described her to be that day he saw her dancing at the beach.


    Katie held a pastry bag in one hand and smiled happily at the little boy who held the other. A tall Kanta man who had to be Al held the boy''s other hand and they swung him as they walked, making him giggle madly.


    She looked up a momentter and froze, mouthing her sister''s name in utter disbelief. Abby nodded, unable to speak around the lump in her throat.


    The pastry bag slipped out of Katie''s fingers and hit the ground. Right as her husband turned to ask her what was wrong she began sprinting across the street. Sheunched herself into her now much taller younger sister''s arms with so much force that both of them fell to the ground.


    "Please tell me I''m not dreaming," she sobbed with a hand over her mouth.


    Abby tightened the hug. "You aren''t. I found you. I actually found you! I can''t believe you''re really alive."


    ise had finally caught up to her and was eyeing the two of them with a half-smile on his face. "I take it she recognized you?"


    She nodded happily as tears continued to run down her face. "Mmhmm."


    Al approached them cautiously with the little boy in his arms, looking down at the heap of limbs his wife was tangled in on the ground with a confused expression. "Care to exin why you threw yourself at a person I''ve never seen before?"


    Katie grinned up at him through her tears, her arms still around her sister''s neck. "Al, this is Abby. My Abby! The one I told you about. I don''t know how she did it but she''s here!"


    Al''s eyes widened in shock. "Your sister. The one from your home that you said was impossible to return to." He turned his attention to Abby with a slightly using look in his eye. "How did you even find us?"


    She nearlyughed. It was obvious he was worried she was here to steal his wife away.


    "The novel," she whispered. "Is there a ce where we can talk?"


    "Of course!" Katie replied. "We were about to head home to put Adam down for his nap anyway." She finally realized that there was a person she didn''t know standing around their heap on the ground and blinked up at him. "Are you a friend of Abby''s?"


    "Yes. My name is ise and I am tasked with protecting Miss Abby until she is reunited with her sister. My job isplete but I would like to speak with you regarding your future military arrangements, if I may," ise said formally.


    Katie''s eyes narrowed. "You''re from Shibatsu. Alright, I''ll bite. You cane too."


    Al helped her to her feet with his free hand and she brushed herself off. ise did the same for Abby. Once they were both up, they linked arms as if they never wanted to be parted again.


    "Our house is on higher ground than everything else so we can see the whole vige from there. It''s a n leader thing," Katie exined as they walked. "Oh, I''m such an idiot! I didn''t introduce you to my family. The handsome man over there is my husband mar but I call him Al so you can too. He''s holding our son Adam."


    Al waved slightly awkwardly, tempting Abby tough. "I already know. I did read the novel after all. And I met Mari too! She told me about my nephewhe''s absolutely adorable by the wayand asked me to give you a letter."


    Katie seemed surprised by what she was hearing but didn''t say anything else about the rather delicate matter of their impossible transmigrations into this world until they made it to the de Kanta house. Instead she spent that time telling her sister more about her family and the life they had here.

 Chapter 145: How Did You Find Me?

    Chapter 145: How Did You Find Me?


    Abby was amazed how normal a family life Katie seemed to have considering where they were. All this time she had been worried for nothing.


    When they made it to their house, she found that it was a simple dwelling with a kitchen, living room, four bedrooms, and a bathroom. A real bathroom! She thanked her lucky stars for indoor plumbing atst.


    "You have a real bathroom!" she practically eximed.


    Katieughed and wrapped an arm around her waist because she was too short to reach her shoulders easily. "I got pretty lucky. Nobles have bathrooms and I insisted on having one when we built our house. I take it you haven''t seen a real toilet since leaving home?"


    "Not one," Abby said ruefully.


    "You poor thing! How did you adjust? And how did you find me? Start from the beginning; I want to hear everything."


    Al had already left to put the toddler down for his nap but everyone else was seated in the cozy living room as Abby began her story, starting all the way back with how she hadn''t been able to handle her sister''s death so she went through all of her old stuff.


    Al came in and sat down around the time she got to ending up in Shibatsu. He didn''t have a clue what was going on and looked to his wife for boration.


    As Mari predicted, Katie was amused by how she had literally changed the story. "apparently I changed the entire novel back home. The words themselves changed because of the things I did. Abby tracked down the author, who was apparently the only other person who had noticed the switch, and got her to write a line in the end of her copy of the book that transported her to Shibatsu."


    Al snorted. "Well that''s one mystery solved. You did wonder what happened with the author."


    Katie shrugged. "Now I know. I''m more interested to know how Abby managed to get all the way here."


    "I couldn''t have done it without ise," Abby admitted. He jolted slightly when his name was mentioned and she continued. "I was found by one of his colleagues, another Warrior-in-training. We got friendly during the time I spent there saving up to sail to Annias.


    "After passing his exam he decided toe with me as a practice run for being a bodyguard and here we are. I wouldn''t have made it all this way without him; he jumped overboard to save me when I got swept off the deck by a huge wave."


    Katie gasped andid a hand on her sister''s arm. "That must have been so scary! I''m so d that you''re okayand that you''re here. I still can''t believe it. You found the novel I got stuck in and came after me. What about your life back home? Do you have a way to get back there?"


    Abby was offended her sister even thought she would want to go back now that she found her. Especially after all the effort she had put into getting here. She didn''t care about the life she left behind! It had been empty and meaningless without knowing Katie was only a text or phone call away.


    "I graduated from school and worked as a graphic designer for a year before this all happened. Nothing I left behind was worth missing out on the chance to see you again. We still have that promise to keep about backyard barbecues, don''t we? I''m here to stay," she said firmly.


    It was strange seeing her sister make the crying face she always used to make with someone else''s facial features. The Katie she knew had a round face, e scars, sses that were way too big, and straight mouse brown hair.


    This human porcin doll was both familiar and unfamiliar. These were Katie''s wordsing out with someone else''s voice. It would take some getting used to.


    "You reallyI" Katie broke downpletely, weeping into her hands.


    Abby understood how she must feel. All this time she thought they would never see each other again. Ever since talking to the author anding here she''d had hope but Katie hadn''t. Once she realized she was stuck here she believed there was no going back to the way things were.


    It wouldn''t be exactly the same; this was no Arizona. But they were together again and that was what mattered.


    Al gently rubbed his wife''s shoulders in an attempt tofort her. He wasn''t sure what to make of her overwhelmed happy tears since he was used toforting her when she was sad.


    Now that he knew Abby didn''t intend to steal his wife away, the hostility on his face hadpletely vanished. He smiled at her warmly. "Ever since Katie told me about her home I''ve been rather curious about you. It''s nice to finally put a face to the name; I didn''t think I would get that chance."


    And Abby didn''t think she would be meeting the man her sister married so many years after the fact. She always thought she would be heavily involved in getting to know him and making sure they were a good match before it happened.


    As the only remaining family, she had figured she would be the person her sister''s boyfriend would have to ask for permission since their father was gone. But Al had never been her boyfriend. They jumped straight to being engaged.


    She didn''t know what to think of this man who had obviously tricked her sister into marrying him. It was done with somewhat good intentions, to save her from that duke, but ultimately it was still selfish.


    Katie was clearly happy and in love now so she would forgive him for her sake. It would be interesting to get to know her brother-inw.


    "And I always wondered what kind of person my sister would marry since she never dated while living at home. A fantasnd prince wasn''t what I imagined at all," Abby said with a raised eyebrow.


    Al flushed. "Ah, technically I was never a prince. My people don''t have royalty."


    To-may-to, to-mah-to. He was the son of the person in charge and inherited the position; it was basically the same thing. She shrugged.

 Chapter 146: Pretty Crazy, Huh?

    Chapter 146: Pretty Crazy, Huh?


    Katie finally stopped crying and grinned up at her sister. "So. What do you think of my life here? Pretty crazy, huh?"


    Crazy was an understatement. The vige she lived in looked like something out of a period drama from the early 1900s, she inhabited the body of apletely different person, and she was married with a child.


    Abby couldn''t believe it. Katie was really thriving here. Based on how she had reacted when she thought Katie was dead, it was highly likely she wouldn''t have been able to do the same.


    Had her sister even tried to look for a way home or epted her life here from the get-go? Well, her situation was a little different. Her body was dead back home so there was nothing for her soul to go back to.


    And even if it wasn''tKatie was healthy here. All of the chronic pain, constant illnesses, and general restrictions to her life were gone. Catherine du Pont appeared to be in the peak of physical health. She was practically glowing!


    Mari had told her how Katie originally nned to leave Al with Marcy and run away somewhere to have a normal life but she had thought about doing that here as Catherine du Pont, likely feeling like she had no other option.


    Abby couldn''t me her for it. They thought differently. And whatever strange power had brought her here probably wasn''t essible from the inside of the novel world since the author had been the one to send Abby to the other side.


    A lump rose in her throat. Katie was truly happy here. That was all she had ever wanted for the sister who worked so hard to keep their family together after their parents died. In a roundabout way she had found true love, fulfillment, and gotten healthy.


    "In case you were wondering, I am happy here," she said as if reading Abby''s mind. "I wasn''t at firstI was homesick and missed you and hated all of the restrictions of the nobility. And missed the food. They don''t even have mozzare cheese here!"


    Abbyughed remembering the pizza incident in the novel. The poor thing had a really hard time adjusting.


    Katie continued. "But Al made it bearable and eventually made me look forward to building a real life here. We''ve done a lot of good and had fun in the process since rebuilding this region. I still missed you, and asionally the technology and the food, but this is my home. Now that you''re here everything is practically perfect!"


    Al was holding his wife''s hand and nodding along to what she was saying. Of course he would know better than anyone else how much his wife had missed her home. They had a lot of long conversations about it in the novel after she finally fessed up about who she was.


    It was actually pretty cute how much he loved her. Once he found out the truth about her home he immediately began proposing ns to try and make things as simr as possible when everything with Sigmund ended and they could leave the pce.


    Did men like that even exist in their old world? Abby had certainly never met one who would do anything in their power to make the woman they loved happy.


    Katie suddenly sprang out of her chair and addressed ise, doing a salute from Shibatsu she had seen him do a few times. It was one meant to express gratitude. "I apologize for speaking so freely about something you must not understand. Thank you for safely bringing Abby to us."


    ise, who had beenpletely forgotten in chaos of the conversation, gave an aloof nod.


    "Your thanks are unnecessary, Madam n Leader. It was my honor to see her here. As for the restI believe I understand more now than I did before. Miss Abby mentioned how the two of you came to this part of the world previously.


    "As I said before, I would like to have the chance to speak with you about an idea I had for the future of your country''s military. You are free to dismiss my suggestions but I swear I have no ill intent making them."


    Al and Katie exchanged a nce and it seemed to consist of an entire silent conversation. These two were more in sync than any couple Abby had ever seen.


    As the n leader and the one technically in charge, Al replied to his request. "We are open to suggestions. No long-term ns have been set as of now."


    ise seemed relieved that he hadn''t been shut down, or worse, kicked out for being too flippant. These two were much more willing to listen to others than King Franz had been.


    The next forty-five minutes were spent discussing his n. Abby was dumbstruck as she sat listening. Was this what he had meant when he said he had been wondering about the Kanta military? He had beening up with a proposal of his own?!


    A small, sleepy sounding call of "mama?" came from the hallway and Katie excused herself to go scoop her son into her arms with a gentle smile. "Hey baby, are you all done with your nap?"


    Adam nodded. "Mmhmm."


    He was still half-asleep and uninterested in the unfamiliar people sitting in the living room. Katie carried him back over and he snuggled against her shoulder.


    Abby''s heart nearly burst at the cuteness. She had always known Katie would make a great mom. She had been too caught up in the reunion earlier to pay much attention to her nephew but he was a cherubic little thing who looked like a softer version of his father.


    "Can I hold him?" she whispered.


    Katie smiled and shook her head. "He''s a mama''s boy; only wants me when he first wakes up. You can once he''s a little more awake."


    The discussion between Al and ise seemed to be going well and the women sat back and listened, watching the adorable Adam fully wake up. Once he was up and ready to go he was finally curious about the other people in the room.


    Looking to his mother for permission, he wandered over to Abby and tugged on her skirt. "Who dat?"


    "That''s your Aunt Abby," Katie said thickly. "She''s going to stay with us now."


    Adam tilted his little head. "Like Aunt Ayana?"


    Abby remembered from the book that Ayana was actually Al''s aunt but it was probably easier to exin her presence in their life that way to such a young child. They had a couple of great aunts back home that they had always called ''aunt'' too.


    Katie nodded. "Uh huh. She''s my family so she''s yours too."


    That was enough exnation for him. He ran off to fetch something and came back to show her a little wooden car that was obviously his prized possession. Abby wondered who Katie had gotten to craft it since she it was an expert level of craftsmanship that would take more than a few years to learn.

 Chapter 147: Toy and Books

    Chapter 147: Toy and Books


    Adam proudly showed off his car and Abby felt her heart burst. Too cute! How was she supposed to handle a cuteness attack of this level?


    Katie mock whispered, "He shows it to everyone he likes."


    It was official. She melted into a puddle of sentimental goo. Her nephew liked her right off the bat! He was very trusting considering his mother barely told him they were family, which proved he was a happy and well-adjusted kid.


    What kind of childhood did he have living out here in the middle of nowhere? Katie had obviouslymissioned that toy for him but what about his other toys? Were there any picture books? What sorts of things did little kids even do in this world in the absence of a yground?


    "Who made it for you?" Abby asked, gesturing to the car.


    Katie was a bit embarrassed. "Ah, I got one of the carpenters who moved here from Rowenhilde to do it. He made a few others toys like this for him and other kids started wanting them too so now there are wooden cars all over town. We even started selling them in bulk to the merchants who pass through here after one of them bought one on a whim for his grandson."


    Wow. Such a small thing ended up widespread because she wanted something familiar for her son to y with. Abby couldn''t help but wonder exactly how much influence her sister had managed to have on this world by ident.


    She was very curious about Katie''s life here and wanted to know more. Seeming to sense this, Katie excused them (Al and ise were still deep in discussion) and showed her around the house.


    In addition to a modern bathroom, there was also a fairly modern kitchen. There wasn''t a microwave or a proper fridge but Katie exined that there was an ice box of sorts in the cer outside for keeping things cold.


    Adam had a few more familiar toys as well. His wooden car wasn''t the only vehicle he had. There was also a wagon pulled by a wooden horse and a rudimentary truck. He had a teddy bear too; stuffed animals did exist here though bears weren''t the most popr. Most children had stuffed rabbits for some reason.


    There were also wooden blocks to build towers and bridges with. Everything else appeared to be carvings of various animals found in the mountains, such as deer.


    "You guys use a lot of wood, don''t you?" Abby asked dryly.


    Katie shrugged. "We''re surrounded by trees; lumber is one of our best resources. Wait until you see the wooden yground I convinced someone to build! All the kids in town love it."


    She was fairly certain she knew what kind of yground her sister was talking about. When they were younger, they visited a historical park where the yground was almost entirely made of wood and shaped a bit like a castle. They used rubber and stic a little bit for slides and rope courses but that was it.


    Her sister wasn''t the most creative person in the world by any means but she was full of a lot of random knowledge. Getting other more talented people to act on that knowledge had yielded quite the results and she had hardly seen anything yet.


    "What other things have you convinced people to make for you?" Abby asked in awe.


    It was a lot more than expected. Katie told her how this started when she was still back in the pce because she wanted sweaters and fuzzy pajama pants to get through the winter. While she was still there, she alsomissioned a hat loom to be made so she could crochet.


    Abby already knew that because of the novel, as well as the attempts at pizza and hamburgers. What she didn''t know was everything that happened aftering to the Kanta region.


    Sinceing here Katie had worked together with a variety of people to create streetmps, light bulbs, a hydroelectric generator, children''s toys, swing sets, different types of handy kitchen utensils such as oven mitts, and more. She even managed to improve on the makeshift snow clothes she had made back in the pce.


    She also created the concept of a public library and recruited a few talented minds to help her create fun little picture books for children. The children''s books that existed here were almost entirely of the educational variety, aside from a few traditional stories that were meant for older children to read on their own.


    When she realized she was pregnant not long after moving here, Katie refused to let her child live in a world without age-appropriate fiction. She found a few people who were good at drawing to turn traditional oral children''s stories into book form.


    Under her guidanceapparently she had read a ton of Wikipedia articles about the history of crayons, colored pencils, and markers out of boredom whileid up in bed several years agoa few innovators had managed to recreate those as well.


    The first books made solely for the Kanta were painted or colored in with markers or crayons. but once they began mass producing them and had to use a printing press they were all too bulky. Once the traders found out about these books and wanted some for their own children, the business grew.


    There was now a full printing press/publishing office set up in town. They used engraving tes to mass produce illustrations and had to use colored pencils to color everything in by hand because they were the thinnest tool avable.


    Katie confided that the Kanta became much more involved with the outside worldrgely because they needed to trade for materials to help recreate things from home but that it had ended up benefiting everyone involved. Unbelievable. An entire economy set up because of the desire for some kids'' books.


    Abby was astounded by how much she had aplished in such a short time. A mind like hers had been wasted back in their world.


    She majored in political science because it was one of the shorter programs and her health made taking on more than twelve credits per semester difficult. She had no idea what she wanted to actually do with her life and ended up taking the first part-time job she could find post-graduation.


    A benefit of working in a school is that you have a lot of time off. Three day weekends, spring break, Christmas break, summers Katie admitted that she went with that job in no small part because of all the time off for doctors'' appointments, physical therapy, and in old recovering from exhaustion.


    Her time was entirely consumed by going to work, going to the doctor, and consuming as much media as possible. Because she was a curious soul, instead of wasting all of her time on Netflix like some people she primarily focused on nonfiction.


    Her memory for details was incredible. There was no way Abby would have been able to remember enough about random things like crayons and markers enough to actually make er.

 Chapter 148: Is This A Bad Time?

    Chapter 148: Is This A Bad Time?


    Abby noticed that everything Katie talked about seemed to be nonedible. She was a die-hard foodie and always had been. She knew that doughnuts and a few other familiar pastries existedat least in the more well-off townsbut hadn''t seen much else that went beyond basic vegetables.


    "What about foods?" she asked curiously.


    Katie sighed. "That''s a little trickier. They don''t have all of the same ingredients here and you know I was never much of a cook anyway. It was much easier buying things premade. Let me tell you; I craved pasta almost my entire pregnancy with Adam and I thought I would die because it doesn''t exist here."


    Pasta? Abby''s memory wasn''t nearly as good as her sister''s but she had made homemade pasta before as part of a Girl Scouts activity ages ago. It had been fairly memorable because everyoneined about how it was easier to buy it dried at the store.


    The ingredients were simple: flour, eggs, and salt. The dough needed to rest for a while before rolling it out and cutting it into strips but it didn''t need to be boiled for more than five minutes.


    A lightbulb appeared over her head. If she had the time and ingredients to experiment, Abby might be able to recreate a lot of dishes from home. This could be her contribution to her sister''s world.


    And hey, she was sort of an artist too. She could get involved in the illustration business Katie had running no problem.


    "I think I could make some! I would need a bit of leeway with ingredients to get the consistency right though," Abby said as she pped her hands together.


    Now that she was in this world and had aplished her only goal ining here, she needed to find a new one. She had always been a goal-driven person and only felt fulfilled when she was working toward something.


    Katie''s eyes widened. "If you can make me a te of spaghetti I will literally sell my left arm to pay for it."


    Abbyughed at the exaggeration. "No need to go that far. Trust me! I can totally do this."


    Katie didn''t have the chance to respond because her son was calling for her. He wanted to go to the yground. She bit her lip, torn because she didn''t want to leave Al to negotiate alone. She imed it wasn''t his strong suit.


    They had already left the men alone for quite a while. It was obvious she was itching to get back in there. Abby offered to take him herself if she would point her in the right direction.


    "You''re a lifesaver," Katie said fervently. "It''s a bit tricky to get there on your owngo to the third house on the right side of the road a bit down the hill. Al''s cousin N has young children and can show you the way. Tell her I sent you."


    Abby picked up the little boy and let him ride on her shoulders, much to his delight. "Don''t worry about a thing," she promised. "We''ll be back in a couple of hours. Hopefully your business with ise will be finished by then."


    For the first time today she was hit with guilt for leaving her friend out to dry. First he was stuck sitting in on a long conversation he had no interest in. Now he was discussing politics with someone he barely met.


    She would make it up to himter. There had to be something she could do to try and repay him in some small way for helping her get here.


    Adam was both curious and bright for his age and pointed out every interesting thing he saw, like birds and rocks and shrubs. "Kitty!" he shrieked when he spotted Simba, who had finally woken up from his long nap on the bedroll and gone exploring.


    It urred to her that she hadn''t even paid attention to where the horse ended up. Had somebody taken it to a stable? They must have or ise would have said something about it. He needed to use that horse to get back down the mountainter.


    "Yeah, that''s auntie''s kitty," Abby said, beckoning for the lynx toe forward.


    It briefly rubbed up against her ankles before trotting off in search of food. She hoped it was smart enough to figure out where she was staying now if the stable was far away.


    A heavily pregnant woman who had to be N answered the door looking a bit haggard. Her house had been noisy before the door opened but afterward it was apparent how loud the chaos actually was. Five children were running everywhere, screaming and knocking things over.


    "May I help you?"


    "Hisorry to intrude. My name is Abby and Katie sent me to get directions to the yground from you," Abby said a bit sheepishly. "Is this a bad time?"


    She sighed and shook her head. "No. These rascals would be better off running around there than here. Give me a moment to round them up." She called back into the house sharply. "Jasper! Kari! Brisa! Hagan! Iida! If you want to go to the yground get your shoes on RIGHT NOW."


    All of the children, whose ages seemed to range from ten down to two, immediately stopped throwing things to get their shoes. "Yes, Mama!"


    Abby had to hold back herughter. This may be another world but some things were consistent no matter where you went. Her mother used to get exasperated the same way when she and Katie were little because they were so close in age and neither of them liked to listen.


    N strictly informed her children that they were not to run ahead once all of their shoes were on and made them form a line linking hands. She held the hands of the two smallest and made everyone walk slowly to ount for her protruding stomach.


    The yground was a little over a mile away on the outskirts of town. Once it was in sight, all of the children rushed off despite their mother''s protests. Even Adam, who had behaved very well up to this point, got caught up in the energy and squirmed until Abby put him down.

 Chapter 149: Kanta Children

    Chapter 149: Kanta Children


    N sighed heavily. "I''m not sure how I''ll survive having another one around. My sisters-inw have been a lot of help but they have their own children to contend with. One of them has been vomiting all day so the children were stuck with me."


    She realized she hadined to someone she didn''t even properly know and hastily apologized. "Forgive me, I don''t quite feel myself these days. How do you know Katie? I have never seen you around before and I know everyone in this town."


    Abby had already decided that she would have to call herself a cousin instead of a sister because they couldn''t exin the truth to everybody. Catherine du Pont was fairly well-known.


    "We''re cousins and grew up like sisters. My parents moved to Shibatsu for a while as diplomats but after they died I decided toe here. Annias is much more restrictive to women so I came to Katie instead of going to the du Ponts," she improvised.


    The du Ponts were nobility. There was no other reason a rtive of theirs would be in Shibatsu than politics. People didn''t typically move freely between nations in this world based on how shocked everyone in that country town had been by her hair and eyes.


    A thoughtful expression crossed N''s face. "I see. I''m afraid I don''t know much about Katie''s family. She mentioned her siblings asionally but doesn''t really visit them. For the most part they exchange letters. From what I understand, the earl and countess were horrified when she decided to move here with Al."


    They finally reached the park and made their way to a park bench to sit down. The yground was a truly impressive structure and looked very simr to the one Abby remembered. Except instead of rubber there was rope and instead of stic slides there was a single metal one.


    There was even a swing set consisting of three swings made from rope and a single t of wood as the seat. There was a sandbox too with little shovels and pails lying around in it. She was impressed by how well they had maintained the integrity of a yground while working with limited materials.


    N''s older children raced around the wooden structure and swung from hanging ropes while whooping with glee. The younger ones yed in the sandbox with Adam.


    How on earth had they even managed to get enough beach sand up here to make this? Unless there was some other sort of simr looking sand found in the mountains. Because it definitely looked more like sand than regr old dirt.


    Their group wasn''t the only one at the yground. There were other dark-haired children running around as well. Abby was starting to wonder how these people were even able to tell each other apart.


    She had heard how the Kanta all had ck hair and gray eyes because of the blessing of a mountain spirit. Hearing it was one thing; seeing it was another. Having attended university on the east coast, Abby was used to a whole lot more diversity.


    Everyone she met so far had been pale skinned but she supposed they must have been in the northern or southern part of the world. Katie told her once that skin tones had originally started the way they were because of the people''s distance to the equator.


    The closer to the equator, the darker they were. The farther away, the lighter they were. It was an evolutionary thing.


    These people didn''t seem to travel very far, which made sense given the restrictions of boats and wagons. The only countries Abby had even heard of sinceing here were Annias, the Kanta region, Shibatsu, Rowenhilde, and Idaris.


    The captain of the ship that brought her here said Idaris was normally too far away to be considered worth trading with but he had been there once. The people there had darker skin and eyes in shades of yellow, orange, and green.


    What Katie told her must have been right because Idaris was about as far south as most maps would show. They didn''t seem to have the concept of a world map here; showing only the countries that were close enough to interact with.


    "What are all of these kids doing out here?" Abby asked. "Where are their parents?"


    N looked at her a bit funny. "They have work to do. These children are old enough toe by themselves. I make mine walk with me because if the older ones rush off the younger ones want to as well."


    None of the children here could be more than eleven years old. The youngest aside from Adam and N''s two little ones were maybe five. Did their parents really let theme here alone?!


    It sure was a different world. She supposed there weren''t cars to worry about and when you lived in such a tight-knitmunity there wasn''t a sense of ''stranger danger'' either.


    "The younger ones are here with their older siblings," N said with a shrug. "It is better for their parents to send them out here when they are too young to be very helpful with the chores. Most of our children spend at least a little time every day either here or at the library. Katie enjoys reading children''s stories aloud."


    Abby couldn''t help but smile at that despite her shock at the way this world worked. That sounded like something Katie would do. She had always liked kids and her time as a school librarian had served her well.


    She supposed they didn''t have a concept of school here. Like Europe in the 18th century, children only went to academies if they were nobles. If they weremoners, they stayed with their parents helping around their farms or businesses until they were old enough to learn a trade if they were boys and get married if they were girls.


    Childborws weren''t a thing back then. Very young children could be apprentices.


    The boy she and ise ran into outside the mine looked like he was supposed to be in high school. She wondered how many of these children even knew how to read. Had Katie really not even considered opening a school here? She would have to ask herter.


    Her mind wandered back to ise and the discussion happening back at the house as she watched the kids y. Abby hoped it was going alright.

 Chapter 150: The Face Of The Kanta

    Chapter 150: The Face Of The Kanta


    ise had been experiencing a lot of conflicted thoughts and emotions ever since he saw the tiny woman now sitting in front of himunch herself at Abby in the street. He was happy that she was able to find her sister againof course he was, with how much she talked about itbut felt a heavy sense of loss.


    If he wasn''t able to convince all of the necessary parties to go along with his n for the military, he would likely never see her again after this. He had expected to be ignored after the reunion she dreamed about for so long but hadn''t expected that it would actually sting.


    He sat through over an hour of the most unbelievable story he had ever heard without her looking at him once. It seemed like everyone had forgotten he was there until Katie thanked him for bringing her here safely.


    That was a somber reminder that their time together was done. ise wouldn''t have more than a few minutes with her alone now that she seemed to be glued to her sister''s side. Even the other woman''s husband had been an afterthought in the conversation.


    Those two had a bond that no one and nothing could ever break. He had no intention of interfering with her happiness.


    What was the most amazing about their insane story was that so many people believed it. Rich, powerful, influential people. The queen of Annias. The leader of the Kanta n. They all talked about living inside of a novel and the existence of another world as matter-of-factly as they would the weather.


    After being a witness to that conversation, ise couldn''t be quite as dismissive as he had been before. Maybe, just maybe, Abby had been telling the truth all along.


    He wasn''t sure what sort of person he had believed Katie de Kanta would be. He had heard so many different things about her from Abby, the king and queen of Annias, and various merchants both here and home in Shibatsu.


    To Abby she was selfless, protective, and a lot of fun. To King Franz she was a troublemaker. To the Kanta n she was a revolutionary. And from what ise had seen personally she was a loving wife and mother with the tendency to get overemotional.


    When Katie took her sister away on a tour of the house and to entertain the toddler, he was able to make a more solid impression of her husband. mar de Kanta hadn''t said much the whole time the siblings were talking.


    He did give off the impression about being worried Abby would steal his wife away and take her back to their homnd at first. But once that worry passed his aura was distinctly carefree.


    mar contributed here and there to the conversation about his n while his wife was there but let her take the lead. It was almost as if he knew that she was better at this sort of thing than he was and deferred to her superior experience.


    ise had heard about the genius political mind of the n leader''s wifewho in their world hadn''t?but he hadn''t realized the full extent of the rumors. He was talking to a woman who couldn''t be more than twenty years old and she was more knowledgeable than any politician he had ever met.


    Where had she learned all of this? A nobleman''s daughter wouldn''t have had the opportunity to study politics to this extent. Had she been taught in the other world he was starting to believe existed?


    Abby said she had studied art at a university. If he decided to believe everything else, it was highly likely this sharp-minded woman had studied politics at one.


    The conversation slowed down quite a bit after Katie left and that was when ise realized something about mar. He did not enjoy having the attention on him. Without his wife there to run interference, his confidence had discreetly crumbled.


    He frowned. This man was the universally beloved leader of the reborn Kanta n?


    As the two sisters whispered to each other while walking back to the house, ise had stood back and walked with mar. He greeted each person they passed and briefly asked them about their work, livestock, or children. Each one was delighted at the attention.


    Ilmir, despite the limited number of residences, boasted as many businesses as a muchrger town. His people were prospering so it would make sense that they adored him. But he had absolutely no sense of vision so how had that happened?


    Only now was ise putting the pieces together. mar was the face of the Kanta; he represented and upheld their traditions but knew nothing about moving them into the future. That was where his wife came in.


    They were a formidable team. The two of them had aplished more here in the time frame than anyone else would have been able to.


    mar was more humble than ise would have believed a ruler was capable of being. A while after his wife left, he cleared his throat and apologized.


    "I''m sorry; this is really Katie''s forte. She knows more about diplomatic rtions than I could ever dream to. I''m afraid we will have to wait until she returns to continue brainstorming."


    He noticed the hint of astonishment on ise''s face and chuckled. "I bet you''re wondering how I ended up in charge. Myte father was the n leader so this was the role I was born to y. My aunt taught me everything she knew about upholding the traditions and I followed her teachings to the letter.


    "However, anything that isn''t explicitly against the traditions is fair game. Katie likes to tweak things. My people are very deeply entrenched in their traditions. My role is to keep the older generation happy and hers is to move the newer ones into the future. It is a delicate bnce and it hasn''t always been easy but we make it work.


    "The n is happy and our influence is expanding. It wouldn''t surprise me at all if more rtives of the foreign spouses of former refugees we have living here decide to move here in the next few years. We already have a few in our sister settlement."


    mar was more astute than ise originally thought. He had a feeling that his wife wasn''t the only intellectual powerhouse in this rtionship. It was simply that he preferred contributing to her ideas toing up with his own.

 Chapter 151: The Friend Card

    Chapter 151: The Friend Card


    It seemed like Katie was gone for ages. ise sat there unsure what to say until mar asked him a rather pointed question.


    "Do tell mewhy did youe all the way across the ocean for a woman you hardly knew?"


    His heart raced. Had he been so transparent? He had hardly spoken two words to Abby directly since meeting the man. Since the woman herself and none of the merchants in the caravan had caught on, mar must be unusually perceptive.


    ise swallowed hard. "Why do you wish to know?"


    mar casually tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair. "I''m a bit confused by your intentions. Youe all this way without payment and offer up a n that would benefit us slightly more than it would benefit your homnd. More specifically, it would benefit her.


    "I''m not as selfless as my people think I am. I know better than most how love can drive a man to do desperate, uncharacteristic things. You want to help us because doing so will keep Abby, who has decided to stay here, safe in the long run."


    He scowled. So what if that was his primary motivation? He had still been an objectively concerned bystander regarding the Kanta n''s military arrangements before his feelings for Abby were past the point of no return.


    Did his motivations truly matter? He was here, he had an idea, and it was possible to implement. Results were more important than the intentions behind them.


    "I do not know what you are implying," ise said stiffly.


    mar shrugged. "I''m merely doing my duty as a brother-inw to discover the intentions of any potential suitors. I may have barely met her but I know how much Abby means to my wife and I will not stand to see her hurt. You are nning to return to Shibatsu and leave her behind, aren''t you?"


    He froze at the mention of being a potential suitor because he had thought about it. More than once.


    There were two main reasons he hadn''t acted on those thoughts. First, they were frompletely different worlds and wanted different things. And perhaps more importantly, Abby didn''t think of him that way.


    "I see no reason not to," ise argued, unable to meet this discerning man''s eyes. "We have made no promises to each other. She does not see me as a man."


    A half-smile appeared on mar''s face. "Ah, the friend card. I am quite familiar with it. My wife only saw me as a friend and tried to push me onto another woman to keep the plot of the novel consistent. Eventually she changed her mind because of that very friendship. She cared too much about me to let me get hurt. The rest is history."


    He was shocked by how much personal information this virtual stranger had tossed at him in the form of trying to give advice. Were all people in Annias this unguarded? No, Abby was like this too.


    This must be somethingmon in her country. Katie had clearly influenced her husband.


    ise had a hard time believing the ultimate power couple who seemed not only perfectly in sync but perfectly in love had such a history. Yet he couldn''t prevent a small bubble of hope from filling his chest.


    If they had started as friendswas it possible that Abby might change her mind about him by the time he came back? No. He shouldn''t be thinking this way. He didn''t want to be tied down to one ce, even if it was one as intriguing as this.


    He would like to spend more time here learning about all of the advancements Katie had implemented but if this military n was going to work he would have to leave right away. Ships only came and went from Annias a handful of times a year because of the dangers associated with a wintry ocean.


    "The situation is not the same," ise said dully. "I do not have the time you speak of to change friendship into something more. Even if I didI could not bear to separate Abby from her sister since that was her primary purpose ining to this world.


    "I became a Warrior to see the world and never had any intention of getting married. She crept into my heart unexpectedly. I doubt she will ever leave it but I am unfit to be her husband. She deserves someone who can give her the lifestyle she wants. She would be better off marrying a nsman."


    mar snorted. "She won''t have much luck with that considering the only unmarried men around here are either much younger than her or widowers old enough to be her father."


    His traitorous heart leaped in his chest. Did that mean she truly would remain unattached by the time he came back? It wouldn''t be toote to try and convince her toe see the world with him for a few years?


    ise didn''t manage toe up with a response to that before Katie came back.


    "Alright! I''m ready to rejoin the discussion. Abby took Adam to the yground for me," she announced as she pped her hands together and sat back down at her husband''s side.


    mar gave no indication that they had been talking about her sister or anything other than the proposed agreement. For that ise was eternally grateful. Thest person he wanted to know about his conflicted feelings other than the woman herself was her historically overprotective sister.

 Chapter 152: Imprinted Like A Duckling

    Chapter 152: Imprinted Like A Duckling


    Katie had several excellent ideas about how to handle the diplomatic side of things, including sending a small delegation back with him. Her second brotheror at least, Catherine du Pont''s brotherdidn''t have much to do at the family estate because he was the younger son and their father was still alive.


    He had studied politics at a prestigious academy for noblemen and would know how to behave. He was also unofficially seeing a woman his parents didn''t approve of who was quite well-versed in politics and functioned as one of King Franz''s aides.


    Marcy Grandin was a friend of theirs as well and would likely be willing to go. All that left was an actual member of the Kanta n to be sure their interests were properly represented.


    ise was impressed by the ingenuity of the n. Shibatsu was already in an alliance with Annias so sending two of their citizens along who had ties to both the royal family and the Kanta should make this easier.


    The problem would be finding a nsman willing to make the journey. Most of them had traveled very far to get here and even the first to arrive had only been in their homnd for two and a half years.


    "The ideal candidate would be unmarried so they wouldn''t leave behind a family to support," Katie mused. "And would have at least basic knowledge of the customs of Shibatsu. How many families fled there after the raids?"


    "If I remember correctly, three. Two of which are in Raisha. Most of them ended up in Annias or Rowenhilde," mar said with a frown. "Out of those families I am fairly certain there are only four or five people who aren''t married."


    His wife nodded as she thought about it. "Rightwe''ll have to track them down. I''m sure we could find a volunteer unfamiliar with Shibatsu somewhere but let''s try them first."


    He sighed. "I was nning to go to Raisha next week anyway. I can move it up to tomorrow."


    It took nearly three hours to get there on a horse, hence the infrequency of his visits. They were a formality to make sure everything was going alright and helping implement some of the programs and technologies that Katie hade up with.


    mar had mentioned it earlier while they were waiting for Katie toe back, before he starting trying to probe into ise''s feelings. They wanted all of their people to experience the same opportunities equally.


    Originally there weren''t enough people to warrant a second settlement. But as the returning refugees came in droves many of them decided to rebuild another old town closer to mines that held different materials.


    The Kanta were a very holistic,munity-oriented culture. They all believed in contributing to the greater good instead of focusing on their own interests. There had to be someone willing to travel far from the home they barely reimed in order to protect its future.


    With the n as put together as it could be without formal eptance from the potential delegates, Katie began asking questions about the journey from Shibatsu. ise was distinctly ufortable because he had a feeling that her thoughts were scarily in line with her husband''s.


    Did these two share a brain or what? How had they both managed to see through him when no one else had?


    Once again, he was spared from further questioning by someone returning. Abby and Adam chattered happily as they blew in the door. They were holding hands and her eyes sparkled with genuine enjoyment. Apparently she had fun with her only nephew.


    ise''s heart constricted. He had never seen her look so beautiful. This was the difference that being around her family made. It would be too selfish to ask her to leave it behind even if it was in the distant, far-off future.


    She was never meant to be his. He would rify theughing at her issue to clear the air and end things cleanly with no guilt.


    "Mama! I yed wif Hagan n'' Iida in da sandbox and Aunt Abby showed me Simba!" Adam eximed as he rushed at his mother''s legs. "I wanna kitty too. Hagan n'' Iida have kitties."


    Katie tickled her son under the chin to make himugh with a bright smile on her face. "Hagan and Iida have a barn; we don''t. But it sounds like you had a lot of fun." She turned to her sister. "You seriously have a cat named Simba?"


    Abby blushed. "I identally adopted a lynx kitten and couldn''t think of any other names. I don''t even know if it''s a boy or a girl."


    mar snorted so forcefully that he leaned forward. "How do you identally adopt a wild animal?"


    "By feeding it a piece of jerky. It imprinted on me like a duckling."


    They howled withughter as she offered a sheepish grin and ise watched the scene in confusion. Why was it okay when theyughed but not when he did it? That wasn''t fair at all! He wanted to be able tough at her antics freely too.


    It might be because they were familyor she simply hated him and all gestures of friendship on her part had been imagined. No. That wasn''t possible. They were definitely friends. All of those precious moments on their journey had to be sincere.


    ise could understand it being okay when Katie did it to an extent. They were closer than any siblings he had heard of. But why was it okay for her husband, who Abby met only a few hours ago, to do it but not him who had known her for months?

 Chapter 153: Jae

    Chapter 153: Jae


    Dinner was a simple affair and Adam was put to bed not long afterward. Everyone sat around talking until Al said he needed to sleep now because he needed an early start tomorrow. Katie gave him a quick but affectionate kiss as she sent him off.


    ise excused himself at the same time because he intended to join Al and meet the potential Kanta delegate. So Abby and Katie were left talking, joking, and reminiscingte into the night.


    There weren''t any clocks here aside from the big clock tower in town so she wasn''t sure what time they finally went to bed. Only that it was sometime after 3 AM because the three bongs indicating the time had gone off a while ago.


    Abby fell asleep both exhausted and more fulfilled than she had been since she thought Katie died. The next day she found out what her sister''s schedule was normally like.


    She made Adam breakfast before taking him into town. He yed with toys or read picture books or colored with crayons while she ran the library. He took his morning nap tucked away on a cot in a side room that functioned as an office.


    When he woke up they briefly closed up shop and got cheese buns from the bakery for lunch. An hourter the other librarian, a young woman who couldn''t be more than seventeen named Ilya, took over for Katie.


    Now she was free to visit various businesses and make sure everything was going okay. They stopped to chat with each person they came across, which Abby found surprising. Her sister had never been the social type.


    They made their way through the post office, printing office, smithy, jewelry store, and then some. Abby hadn''t realized how many shops there were in this tiny vige. It didn''t make sense until you considered how often they traded things with merchants further down the mountain.


    Trader caravans couldn''t make it up this far unless they left the wagons behind and came by horse or on foot. Most of the time the two groups met at a halfway point with wares they could carry in saddle bags.


    There was a wide road leading between the two Kanta viges but not one leading down the mountain. It would be a huge undertaking and require time and manpower that these people did not have.


    The Kanta primarily exported children''s books, art supplies, toys, and jewelry. The raw materials that came from the mines were moved straight from there down the mountain using a system of carts and pulleys. But those were too far from town to bother with for the significantly smaller finished products they sold.


    The economy was booming and Abby felt a strange sense of pride even though she hadn''t been involved. That was her sister at work!


    When they finished with all of those visits it was time to head back home for Adam''s afternoon nap. That was pretty much the only free time Katie had all day because once the little boy woke up he always wanted to go to the park or y with his friends and they tended to do that until dinner time.


    "Your life is much more hectic than I imagined," Abby informed her once they were finally able to sit down.


    Katie shrugged. "It''s a lot better than when I was stuck in the pce with nothing to do. Let me tell you; I have refused to y a single game of cards since leaving there. I don''t know if I will ever want to y again."


    She couldn''t help butugh. "Was it really that bad?"


    "Worse. It was worse. At least now we''re too busy most of the time for Al to even think of asking me to y. Since I got one of my cousins-inw to help me invent markers I''ve been able to make a few rudimentary board games to rece them. I drew it on paper that was then glued to a literal wood board because they don''t have cardboard here."


    She opened a wicker chest that housed a meager collection of homemade versions of games such as Sorry, checkers, and Monopoly. There were also sets of wooden dice meant to be used to y games like Yahtzee.


    They even had Scrabble though the proportions of how many of each letter there was supposed to be and the point values were slightly off from the original. It must have been difficult trying to remember exactly how all of these things looked.


    "You never cease to amaze me," Abby said in awe. "I could never pull this off."


    Katie sighed dramatically. "You''d be surprised what boredom can bring a person to do. I spent months doing nothing but y cards, Abby. MONTHS. I had a lot of time to think these sorts of things up even if I couldn''t implement them untilter."


    They were in the middle of a game of Sorry when Al and ise got back. Both of them looked tired from the long ride but pleased. Abby didn''t want to get her hopes up but it seemed like they had found who they were looking for.


    She was about to ask when a third person came into the room with them. He was a young, sturdily-built Kanta man with a short ponytail who was probably in histe teens and introduced himself as Jae.


    "Is that Sorry?" he asked eagerly as he approached. "Can I y in the next game?"


    Abby blinked at him in surprise. She had been under the impression Katie was the only one with copies of these games. She mouthed "I made extras and gave them away as gifts" before smiling at the young man and telling him he could.


    As they yed, they found out that Jae hade here with his family from Shibatsu nearly two years ago and had been rather put out to leave the girl he wanted to marry behind. Her parents hadn''t wanted to send her off to what they considered a barren region.


    However, he had gotten a letter from her that barely came in despite being sent months ago that said they had changed their minds after hearing how prosperous the Kanta had be. He had wanted to go back for her immediately but hadn''t known how he would make it until Al and ise approached him.


    "I''m happy to serve my country but I can''t deny that I mostly consider this a free ride to bring Kirienne back," Jae confessed in a low whisper so Al wouldn''t overhear. "I know nothing about politics but I won''t let them cheat us!"


    His earnestness was kind of cute. Abby smiled at the thought of young love working out. This solution would kill two birds with one stone.

 Chapter 154: Dedication

    Chapter 154: Dedication


    Katie had already sent off letters to Edmund du Pont and Marcy Grandin, the other proposed members of the delegation, and expected to hear back within the next few days. Using carrier pigeons to get messages to the post office at the base of the mountain sped upmunication.


    One of the refugees who fled to Rowenhilde had learned how to train them before moving back here. His skill had been indispensable.


    In the meantime, Jae would be staying at the de Kanta home so Al could inform him fully about the mission and what he would be expected to do. Abby hardly saw ise at all because he preferred tagging along with the men than with Katie.


    She missed him already when he hadn''t even left yet. Once her head had cleared from the euphoria of being reunited with her sister she found herself realizing that not talking to him had made a noticeable difference in her day.


    How strange.


    Her eyes sought him out at the dinner table or in the evenings after Adam had gone to bed and they all sat around chatting and ying board games. He hadn''t been much of a talker to begin with but now he was practically silent.


    It would have been funny watching him try to y Sorry without actually speaking if it wasn''t so sad. Abby was actually starting to worry about him.


    She finally confronted the taciturn Warrior a dayter. "What''s up with you? Are you okay or are you homesick or something? Can you say something to me?"


    A brief flicker of surprise crossed his face. "I thought you wanted to spend time with your sister without interference. Forgive me. What would you like me to say?"


    How about something honest? Abby didn''t have a clue what ise had been thinking the entire time they had been here. But she couldn''t deny that she hadn''t expected such consideration from him, which was stupid because it was exactly the sort of thing he would do.


    In her distraction she had been a bad friend. He would be leaving as soon as they got a positive response from Edmund and Marcy and then who knew when she would see him again. She needed to try and mend their fractured rtionship before he was gone.


    "I''m sorry for being so distracted," Abby blurted. "I should have been more considerate of you. Please tell me what you''ve been thinking about the past few days."


    ise smiled at her and it softened the harsh lines of his face considerably. Her stomach flip-flopped at the sight. Had he ever smiled at her like this before? "I understand. I have been fairly distracted as well working with mar on the military n."


    He didn''t respond to the second half of her statement for over a minute and she was going crazy as she waited. What was it? What was he going to say that he had been bottling up for days now?


    "I think I believe your story," he said finally. "You and your sister are very lucky to have each other again. I am also quite impressed with how much development she and her husband have inspired in this region. The old Kanta n was known for being backward and set in their ways."


    That was it? Typical ise. He could think deeply about the tiniest thing and thenter refuse to borate on it until it was least expected.


    Abby was willing to bet there was a lot more to what he had been mulling over than that but wasn''t likely to get it out of him without asking specific questions. Oh well. She would take what she could get.


    "I think that''s mostly Katie''s doing. Al wanted her to be able to recreate as much from our home as possible and lets her do her thing using his influence," she said lightly. "He really loves her."


    To her great surprise, ise muffled augh. "Yes, he gave off that impression. Tell medid he truly trick your sister into marrying him?"


    This was only the second time she had ever heard himugh. He found the strangest things funny, honestly. Adopting a wildcat and manipting someone into marriage weren''t all that amusing.


    "Yes. Katie didn''t want to get married at all but he waited until she was backed into a corner with an even worse candidate to publicly announce that they were already engaged. She couldn''t exactly refute without causing a riot because he was a prince. How did you know?"


    "It was more implied than anything. And after hearing him grumble the entire ride to and from the other Kanta settlement about how it was cutting in on his time with her it became clear that he was rather dependent on his wife," ise said nonchntly.


    Rather dependent was a mild way of putting it. Based on the novel, Katie was the very air Al breathed.


    It was weird that Abby had spent so much time inside his head when she had only known him for a few days. She still wasn''t entirely sure what to think of her brother-inw. He could be funny and he obviously doted on his family so those were points in his favor.


    But it was difficult thinking of him as a real person rather than a book character since she knew so much about his inner thoughts and backstory. She hoped she would get used to it and form a more solid opinion as time went by.


    "He had a very lonely childhood," Abby said quietly. "Katie was the first friend he ever had."


    That, and the fact that Katie was now very happily married, prevented her from being angry with him for causing her sister so much trouble. She didn''t dislike him but she didn''t like him yet either.


    ise nodded thoughtfully. "That would exin it. Firsts tend to stick with people."


    She nearly snorted. The first person she saw in this world was a middle-aged man who was married with a child not much younger than she was. Florian and his family had been very kind (with the exception of Hugo and his brattymentary) but Abby didn''t exactly miss them.


    Even the name of the boy who had stolen her first kiss was long forgotten since it had happened in middle school. Firsts weren''t that big of a deal to her.


    "I don''t care about things like that."


    The ghost of a smile appeared on his face. "Of course not. You are too focused on the future to be stuck in the past."


    That wasn''t entirely true. She had been stuck in the past horribly each time someone she loved died. Moving on had been difficult after her parents passed but impossible after Katie did. She moved through life meaninglessly and absolutely drowned in the past, trying to cling to the tiny pieces of proof that her sister had existed so she would feel less alone.


    ise should know this since he was present for that part of the conversation of how she got here. But she supposed ever since they had been acquainted she had been her usual slightly obsessive goal-oriented self.


    "Is that a bad thing?" Abby dared to ask.


    "No. It is one of the things I admire about you. Not many people have such dedication," he said seriously.

 Chapter 155: Youre Going To Miss Him, Arent You?

    Chapter 155: You''re Going To Miss Him, Aren''t You?


    Was that an actualpliment from her usually silent friend? ise never said anything he didn''t mean and also wasn''t the kind to mince his words. Abby was confused. He had neverplimented her before.


    "Really?" she asked skeptically.


    He nodded. "Yes. I believe that with you here to aid your sister, the Kanta will continue to reach new heights."


    That was one of the nicest things he could have said to her. He believed in her capabilities even though he had never seen her do anything of note. Their conversations primarily consisted of silly childhood stories from home andmentary on the journey.


    ise didn''t know that she had gotten an academic schrship into a prestigious university or gotten into a fairlyrge graphic design firm straight out of school. There was nothing in this world that would indicate her intelligence.


    Yet he still thought she would be of help to Katie, who was arguably one of the most innovative people in this world. That meant a lot to her.


    Her heart warmed and she smiled genuinely at him. "Thank you. That''s a really nice thing to say."


    "I meant it," ise said firmly. He shifted slightly, seeming almost nervous, before speaking again. Abby had never seen him get nervous before. "There is a misunderstanding I would like to clear up before I gothe only reason Iughed so hard when you took in that lynx was because I had been holding backughing at other things you did."


    She gaped at him but he continued.


    "I have always thought you were amusing but did not want to offend you byughing. I believed my point was proven when you were so upset by myughter at that time but then you did not seem to mind when Katie and marughed at the same thingter.


    "I admit that I do not understand why that is the case. Nevertheless, I wanted you to know the truth before I left and sincerely hope that your anger with me will cease. I do not wish for us to part on bad terms."


    Abby waspletely thunderstruck by what he was saying. Then all this timehe wasn''tpletely stiff and humorless? He thought she was funny?


    More importantlywhy did he seem almost sad at the thought that she was angry with him? She had never seen him disy such a basic human emotion before. She had seen concern but that was about it.


    "I was only mad because I wasn''t trying to be funny that time and you didn''tugh when I was trying to make you!" Abby blurted before instantly regretting it.


    He hadn''t been aware of her attempts to see if he had a sense of humor. Would he be offended by them? She immediately tried to backtrack and apologize. "I''m sorry; I had never seen youugh before so a few days before I found Simba I had been trying to be funny but I was a little upset that it didn''t work."


    ise squinted at her in confusion. "Why would you do that?"


    "I was curious what made you tick. I figured everybody had to have a sense of humor but I hadn''t seen yours yet. I''m sorry," she apologized again, feeling like a terrible person.


    He shook his head. "There is no need to apologize for that. TruthfullyI am ttered that you were curious about me."


    Wait, what? Was that really something worth being ttered over? Most people would find that weird. Abby hadn''t thought their rtionship had much substance; that they were simply two people who talked to keep each other entertained on a long and boring trip.


    A small part of her was quite pleased that his feelings for her seemed to run deeper than she thought. Another small part told it to shut up because this would never go anywhere. He was leaving as soon as they got word back from Edmund and Marcy.


    Even if ise did have a secret sense of humor they were still too different. He was a proud member of the Warrior ss and wouldn''t leave his post for someone as insignificant as her. He had never given her any indication to believe he didn''t see her as a job until now.


    Abby was still trying to think of something to say in response when Katie burst in waving a letter in her hand. "You guys! I heard back and they said yes! ise, to catch the next ship to Shibatsu you''ll need to meet up with Edmund tomorrow and head to the capital to pick up Marcy."


    Her heart sunk. It was time for him to leave already? She had known this wasing; she shouldn''t be feeling disappointed.


    Their friendship had always been a temporary diversion for the road destined to go nowhere. Abby would be able to make more permanent friends here without having to worry about them getting killed in a different country on some dangerous mission.


    "Excuse me, Miss Abby. Madam n Leader. I have preparations to make for the journey," ise said seriously before giving them both a salute and heading off to the stables.


    Abby sat down at the kitchen table, at a loss. Katie smiled knowingly and sat down across from her. "You''re going to miss him, aren''t you?"


    "No! What makes you think that?" she replied defensively.


    In her heart of hearts, she knew she was lying. She would miss him terribly even though it wasn''t allowed. He was never hers to miss. He was merely a Warrior fulfilling his duty to see a person in need safely to a foreignnd.


    Katie set the letter down on the table and raised an eyebrow at her. "Because you''re acting the same way around him as you did around that boy you had a major crush on in seventh grade whose family moved to Minnesota. You moped for days."


    Abby inwardly cursed. There was no hiding anything from the one who knew her best. It had always been impossible keeping secrets from her sister as they were growing up. Not only did Katie know her too well, she had a special knack for getting her to spill her secrets.


    First she said Abby would miss him then she jumped straight to having a crush? Did she really though? She couldn''t possibly be interested in someone so stoic all the time even if he was handsome and kind and dependable.


    "Don''t give me that look," she snapped. "I would never be interested in a boring guy like that!"


    Katie simply shrugged. "I didn''t think I''d be interested in an overgrown man-child but here we are nearly two childrenter."


    "Two childryou''re pregnant?!"


    She nodded. "I''m only three months along so we haven''t told anyone else yet but I figured you should know. But that''s beside the point. I''m trying to tell you that you have no control over who you like. Sometimes it just happens. My feelings for him crept up on me and didn''t happen until we had been married for a while.


    "I thought I couldn''t like him because he was too much of a goofball and never took anything seriously. He showed his serious side more over time but before that point I was already in too deep. He was the best friend I ever had, apart from you. Caring about him as a person led to caring about him as a man. It was natural since we spent so much time together. How long have you been traveling with ise now, six months?"


    "Something like that. But we were sort of lunch buddies before then," Abby admitted.


    Katie raised an eyebrow. "Lunch buddies?"

 Chapter 156: Ribbon

    Chapter 156: Ribbon


    Abby had to exin how she and ise had be acquainted in more detail. Originally she had only mentioned that she met him through Hugo, the person who saved her when she came into this world and that they ''got friendly.''


    Now that she thought about it, it was odd that he suddenly started showing up where she ate lunch every day since she had never seen him there before. As if he had done it on purpose to be able to see her.


    But that wouldn''t make sense because he never bothered to talk to her. She was the one who had to initiate contact every time. If he truly wanted to talk to her wouldn''t it make more sense to do that rather than waiting for her every time?


    Katie reached out to touch her shoulder. "Abby, a guy wouldn''t do that if he didn''t like you. Or cross an entire ocean to make sure you were safe without payment. But that isn''t the real question, is it? Do you like him back?"


    She couldn''t imagine someone like ise having tender feelings for anyone, let alone being in a rtionship with him. Even if he wasn''t leaving tomorrow.


    "What does it matter?" she cried. "Isn''t it better to nip things in the bud before anybody gets hurt? Even if we do like each other there isn''t time to explore those feelings. I can''t spend my whole life waiting around for somebody toe back."


    Abby had already lost too many people important to her. She couldn''t bear to wait and wonder forever. She had always wondered how military wives were able to survive their husbands'' deployments. That sort of lifestyle seemed awful to her.


    As a freshman in college, before she met her second boyfriend, she met a cute guy who wanted to be a policeman. She had liked him but refused to date him because she didn''t want to spend every day wondering if it would be the one he wouldn''te home. She couldn''t do that after losing her parents.


    Katie''s expression grew sympathetic. "I''m sorry, I shouldn''t have said anything. Of course you wouldn''t want that after everything with Mom and Dadand me. Goodness knows I craved normalcy and predictability aftering here too."


    And just like that, the matter was dropped. Abby''s heart was heavy but she knew that like all of her other crushes this one would pass. Maybe someday she could find someone who would be willing to stay here and have a normal, safe job.


    Not that she really cared about that right now. She had barely found Katie again and needed to focus on building a life for herself here before she thought about any degree of permanency. She needed to get more used to this world and the Kanta way of life. Even entertaining thoughts of a rtionship right now was stupid.


    ===


    Dinner was a lighthearted affair with conversation flowing freely between Jae, Al, and Katie but Abby''s heart felt like lead. She barely picked at her food knowing what wasing tomorrow.


    The goodbye. With no guarantee of there ever being another hello.


    Everyone went to bed early that night because of how early Jae and ise were heading out in the morning since they wanted to see them off. But Abby had a hard time falling asleep. She tried convincing herself that it didn''t matter that he was leaving but wasn''t terribly sessful.


    She had long been prone to overthinking things. Tonight was no exception. Uncertainty brought out this bad habit and there was so much surrounding her friend''s departure that she didn''t even know where to begin.


    They set out to go at the crack of dawn. Simba popped out of the p ise''s knapsack and scurried away, presumably to hunt. He had been staying in the stable for the most part sinceing here because he seemed to really like the horses.


    A pang went through her when she realized that Simba would never be able to hide in his bag again. Even if he dide back it would be when the lynx was far too big.


    Though she knew it would likely be fruitless, Abby wanted to do something to convince him toe back and see her again. She felt like one of those overdramatic girls in a period drama but couldn''t stop herself as ise turned to leave. She internally kicked herself for being so cheesy but the words tumbled out of her mouth without her permission.


    "Wait!" she hastily untied the pale blue ribbon holding up her ponytail and set her bedhead free. "Take this with you. Bring it back to me the next time youe."


    He paused for a moment before gracing her with the most dazzling smile she had seen from him yet. "It would be my honor to see this safely returned to you, Miss Abby."


    ise epted the ribbon gingerly, as if it were a priceless treasure and held it in his fist as he gave her one final salute. As she watched him walk away she didn''t know if she would ever see him or the ribbon again.


    Katie gave her another one of those annoying knowing smiles as they headed back inside but wisely chose not to say anything other than "you can use one of my ribbons for now." She probably knew that picking a fight with her sister right now would not end well for her.


    Abby epted a white ribbon from her sister and retied her ponytail without another word on the matter. The one she gave ise had been a gift from Abe and the only way she had to tie up her hair aftering to this world since they didn''t have stic hair ties here.


    Resolutely, she tried to put both him and the ribbon out of mind and focus on helping Katie and Al with their duties for the day. She had made her choice and she had to stick with it.

 Chapter 157: School

    Chapter 157: School


    Abby did her best to push ise out of her mind over the next couple of months and often failed miserably. But she did be more ustomed to life here.


    By apanying Katie on all of her visits to people around town she got to know the locals fairly well. Once N''s son Fai was born she spent a lot of time at her house helping with the other children and keeping them out of her way.


    She was reminded of her earlier idea to help implement a school and talked to Katie about it. Apparently she had tried once while teaching some of the vige children to read in the library but hadcked sufficient resources to set something up permanently.


    That was where Abby came in. She had been a tutor in both high school and college to earn a little extra money and had a better idea of where to start.


    The first thing she had to do wase up with a curriculum by finding as many rudimentary books about math, history, literature, and geography as she could in the library. Since children typically went off to be apprentices at the age of twelve around here, she decided the school should teach children aged six to eleven.


    Breaking up the curriculum into things each age could understand would be a bit more difficult but she supposed there were Montessori schools and public schools in tiny towns without enough children to break up sses back home that did the exact same thing. If they could do it, so could she.


    Unfortunately, there wasn''t anything like workbooks to go off of so Abby had toe up with everything on her own. After recruiting a few of the older Kanta who had been a part of the original society before the raids to help with the history and geography aspects, she decided that school couldn''t possibly be more than three hours long or she would run out of material.


    This world was simpler than hers. They had to take a practical approach to learning things that would be useful to their own society instead of her modern standards.


    She managed to convince some of the craftsmen in town to do short demonstrations of their respective trades and teach useful skills such as how to sew on a button. Though Abby ended up in charge of the sses that were held in the library until they had their own little schoolhouse built, there were a variety of guest teachers involved.


    A few women whose children were either grown or who had no children volunteered to help her teach as well. They were supportive of enhancing the minds of the younger generation.


    The school helped keep her upied so over time thoughts of ise became much less frequent. She was too busy functioning as the headmistress of the tiny school she had established with everyone''s help.


    The construction of the schoolhouse waspleted before winter hit. It was a singlerge room filled with desks and bookshelves. A chalkboard hung on one wall and maps of Annias, the Kanta region, and all of the known nations in this world were on the others.


    It wasn''t terribly far from the yground so they were even able to institute the concept of recess so the kids could take a break halfway through the day. If she really thought about it, the program they set up wasn''t terribly unlike half-day kindergarten.


    The kids learned something, the parents didn''t have to worry about them for a while, and everything was hunky-dory. Abby hadn''t ever envisioned herself as a teacher but here she was, in another world and in charge of nearly thirty children.


    The sess of the school in Ilmir led to implementing one in Raisha as well. She spent over a week helping people set things up and teaching them how she did things.


    "I''m impressed," Katie told her one day as they met up at the bakery for lunch. "I never could have pulled that off. I wanted to set up a school but had no idea where to start. Now because of you there are two schools and approximately fifty students total. Way to go."


    Abby grinned at her sister. "High praise,ing from you. It wasn''t that big of a deal. I mostly did it to help people like N who have way too many kids at home. How many do you n on having, anyway?"


    She snorted. "You still have a lot to learn about this world, sister dear. You can''t n for things like that here. If pregnancies happen, they happen. If they don''t, they don''t. I know some people with one child and some with seven.


    "But most people get pregnant so often that they have frequent miscarriages, stillbirths, and so on. And a lot of children die from illnesses because the medicine isn''t so advanced here. I''ve done by best to instill proper hygiene habits and that has helped quite a bit. Since we came here, only one child has died and that was from a bear attack, not illness."


    Wow. Abby had never thought about anything like that being a problem. Katie was right; there was still a lot she didn''t know about this world.


    Hygiene was a huge deal but she sincerely hoped that somebody invented antibiotics soon. She didn''t want to see anything bad happening to these people she had grown fond of. Especially her adorable nephew and whoever was currently inside her sister''s very swollen belly.


    "Are baby showers a thing here?" she asked out of the blue.


    Abby had sessfully recreated pasta in this world to help her pregnant sister and Katie had been so thrilled that she actually wept over her bowl. Al had pulled her asideter and thanked her fervently because he had wanted to help her with her craving when she was pregnant with Adam and hadn''t been able to do a thing.


    That was what officially won her over. She had enjoyed ying board games with her brother-inw and watching the two of them interact because they were pretty darn cute together but that clinched it.


    He cared deeply about her sister so she decided to forgive him for all the trickery and danger that happened in the novel and that she liked him after all. Al was a pretty decent guy overall and he was a doting husband and father.


    Watching him y with Adam was a lot of fun. The little boy clearly looked up to his father and loved the attention. She wondered if the way he yed with a daughter would be different if Katie happened to have a girl this time.


    "Not in the same way they are back home," Katie said with a shrug. "Normally people each contribute an item they have lying around from their previous infants and that''s the extent of it. New gifts are much more of amodity here. Granted, Adam got a lot of new stuff people made for him specifically because everyone was thrilled at the birth of a future n leader."

 Chapter 158: Surprisingly Popular

    Chapter 158: Surprisingly Popr


    That made sense. The people here took their traditions seriously and everyone adored Al and Katie.


    Abby, as Katie''s rtive, had be surprisingly popr as well. Especially since she had be headmistress. Mothers everywhere were grateful for her taking their children off their hands for a while so they could get more chores done.


    But she wasn''t only popr with the mothers. Many of the young apprentices in town seemed to have a small crush on her because of her unique appearance. There were a few unmarried foreigners in Raisha but none here aside from her.


    She simply smiled and inwardly rolled her eyes because none of them were over eighteen. They were babies in her eyes.


    One of them, a seventeen-year-old son of the cksmith, had even proposed. Abby was forced to let him down gently. After that anyone else was too afraid to do anything but admire her from afar.


    There truly was a shortage of avable men here. Sometimes she wondered if she would have to convince a traveling merchant to stay here and marry her if she ever wanted a family of her own. But that was a long way off. Right now she was enjoying being the favorite aunt she always dreamed of.


    "Am I allowed to throw you a baby shower or not?" Abby asked before taking another bite of her sandwich.


    Sandwiches here were much simpler than the ones back home because theycked condiments. Right now hers was some goat cheese and a leafy green vegetable simr to lettuce stuffed inside a roll.


    Katie shrugged. "Your call. But if you do intend to buy a cake for it, get me avender one with ckberry filling. It''s Marcy''s recipe and absolutely delicious."


    "Deal," Abby said with a smile.


    Marcy had generously sent along an entire cookbook of her recipes when Katie and Al left the pce. Sia, a woman in her thirties who had been a small child when the raids urred, was a skilled baker who could replicate her recipes perfectly.


    Her mother had died in childbirth and her father escaped with her and her younger brother, eventually settling in Rowenhilde and marrying the daughter of a baker. She had practically grown up inside a kitchen. It was natural for her family to set up shop here after moving back.


    A lot of the refugees had reestablished their trades here. However, there were some people who all practiced the same trade and either had to set up shop together or decide who would take up something new.


    Many people ended up bing miners who had never held a pick before in their lives because there were mines scattered all over these mountains. When they first moved here, those minerals were the only export they had going for them.


    Katie said it had been a mess getting everyone reestablished at first but it all settled down into a system after about a year. Despite their small numbers, everything was going great now.


    Abby thought that the Kanta could benefit from having more people to help the innovations along but they were generally wary of outsiders. It was a bit ironic since nearly all of them had intermarried with people from all of the surrounding nations.


    But she couldn''t really me them. Outsiders were the reason their family and friends had been killed and they were forced to flee for their lives.


    The foreign husbands and wives were epted because the Kanta were very family oriented but they were wary of anyone else until they got to know them. Even the merchants they traded with regrly weren''t entirely considered trustworthy.


    Abby''s reputation here would have been a lot different if she wasn''t rted to one of the most beloved people in the vige. Rtives of nsmen were readily weed but there wasn''t a single non-Kanta in either settlement that wasn''t directly rted somehow. Blood was their bond.


    There was an overwhelming sea of ck hair anywhere you went. Only a handful of people had blonde or brown or silver tresses. And not a single child in this vige didn''t have the Kanta look.


    In Raisha, there were two families from Rowenhilde who were inws with a Kanta woman. They had a couple of teenagers and a handful of younger children between them with blonde or brown hair. That was it.


    Those children would likely grow up to marry Kanta in their age group and their children would have ck hair and gray eyes as well. Within a few generations, all signs of intermarrying with other nations would be gone.


    "Does it ever bother you that your kids will never look like you?" Abby asked curiously.


    Katieughed with her mouth full of raspberry tart. "Abby, I don''t even look like me."


    She had a point. Even if she had been in her original body and married Al, her children still wouldn''t look like her unless they happened to have simr noses or something.


    "Besides, I happened to marry a very handsome man. They''re better off looking like him than the old me," she said casually.


    Abby''s heart lurched. She knew her sister had always been very self-conscious about her looks. Growing up people had constantly and cruellypared the two of them saying things such as "how could they possibly be sisters? Abby is so pretty while Katie is so in."


    She never thought her sister was in. Her personality had been so bright that it made her seem like the most beautiful person in the world.


    "That''s not true," she said fiercely. "Adam would have been just as cute if he looked like you."


    Katie smiled contentedly at her sister and reached out to mock punch her shoulder. "Don''t make me all sentimental when I''m already drowning in hormones."


    Al plopped down beside his wife without warning, sighing heavily. "If you love me, give me a bite of that raspberry tart. I just had to help Ido''s cow give birth and it was the most disgusting thing I''ve ever done."


    She sniffed his shoulder and made a face. "Not until you take a bath. You smell like a barn."


    They continued bickering even after Abby had to get back to the schoolhouse. They really were too cute. Sometimes staying with them made her wish she had someone to joke around with like that.


    Thoughts of ise would kick in and she would always quickly dismiss them. He would never be able to pull that off.

 Chapter 159: Love In The Air

    Chapter 159: Love In The Air


    ise hadn''t realized how much he hated traveling by sea. The first time he had done it was with Abby and it didn''t seem all that bad aside from having to jump overboard to save her once.


    But traveling with not one but two of his threepanions who got horribly seasick made life difficult. Add that to the fact that Edmund and Marcy were flirting whenever they weren''t vomiting and that Jae chattered on constantly about the girl he was going to marry and he spent the better part of two months in a foul mood.


    Traveling was not fun unless you had the rightpanions. ise was beginning to wonder if he would ever enjoy traveling with anyone but Abby or if he had simply gotten unlucky this time.


    He spent most of the journey thinking about her as he stared out at the sea. The ribbon she gave him had taken up permanent residence on his wrist.


    At first he worried that it would get too dirty to return but Marcy had informed him that it was possible to wash ribbons; it simply took a little delicacy. But he watched carefully for any signs of fraying. He wanted to return it to Abby in the same condition she gave it to him.


    The first sight of his homnd filled him with mingling relief and mncholy. He was really back. He would have to report in to hismanding officer and do a whole lot of smooth talking, which wasn''t his strong suit.


    Everyone he knew would in for quite a shock since he was returning with three foreign dignitaries. Well, makeshift dignitaries anyway. The Independent Nation of Kanta was still a young country. He was sure they would have proper ambassadors and such in time.


    Right now all they had was the second son of an earl, a baker turned political aide, and a jeweler''s apprentice who had little idea what he was doing. ise sighed. It would be a miracle if this actually worked.


    He had been so confident in his n before but now that he was actually here


    When they finally weighed anchor in the port, a teenage girl with her silvery hair tied back in a braid was pleading desperately with the second mate. "Please, can you check again? There has to be a letter for me. Maybe it is addressed to my father Daran instead?"


    He shook his head. "Sorry miss. The only letters I have are from the queen of Annias for other members of the royal family."


    The girl looked crestfallen until she spotted someone on the deck of the ship. For a moment ise thought she was looking at him and was confused until he realized Jae was directly behind him.


    She scrambled up the gangnk and threw herself into Jae''s arms. He spun her around before holding her tightly against his chest.


    "You came! I thought you would send for me with a letter, not that you woulde personally!" Kirienne giggled in delight. "Oh, it is so wonderful to see you!"


    Jae gently stroked her cheek with his thumb and sighed in contentment. "You too. How is your family?"


    "The same as always. Papa will be pleased that you came here yourself; he hadn''t wanted to miss the wedding. Can we get married here? The next ship doesn''t leave until spring" she continued as they walked off the ship and out of earshot.


    ise''s heart twisted ufortably watching them. How nice it must be to have the affection of the one you love. All of the love in the air was starting to get to him. Edmund, who was the slightly more seasick of the two, was being held up by Marcy as they walked toward the gangnk. She was whispering reassurances to him that they had arrived and he wouldn''t have to step foot on another boat for half a year.


    It was such a long time to be parted from someone and yet might not be enough time to implement his n. He sincerely hoped hismanding officer and the king''s cab were willing to cooperate.


    Marcy was the one with the silver tongue; this would bergely her victory if they seeded at all. He was only needed to forge the connections and open the door.


    Edmund was primarily here as moral support and another diplomatic connection between Annias and the Kanta. As for Jaeise was worried about his role the most. He had spent a lot of time with mar before they left and had asked Marcy countless questions on the road before her seasickness rendered her useless but was he truly prepared?


    He was the simple son of refugees with no real political training. If he identally offended someone important they were doomed.


    The rest of the group caught up with Jae and Kirienne because he needed to know where the inn they would be staying at was located. She seemed surprised he wouldn''t be staying with her family until he exined he was here on a diplomatic mission and needed to be in contact with hispanions.


    The girl was slightly put out by that and insisted at the very least that they all join her family for dinner. So they did.

 Chapter 160: It Will Work

    Chapter 160: It Will Work


    Kirienne''s parents had eight children, most of which lived in the same port town they did, and that was the only reason they were willing to let their daughter go off to live in a foreignnd. They were so surrounded by family that they would hardly notice she was gone.


    They had liked Jae well enough before he left because he was respectful and hardworking even if he was a foreigner. But they refused his suit due to the unpredictability of what life would have in store for their daughter.


    Those reservations faded as time went on and word got around about how advanced the Kanta had be for such a tiny nation. Plus Kirienne had been sulking ever since Jae left, iming she would never forgive her parents for keeping them apart.


    ise got the impression that she had been driving them so crazy that at this point they would be happy to be rid of her to have some peace and quiet again. He had only known her for a few hours but she had been talking the entire time.


    It immediately reminded him of Abby. Unlike Kirienne, she knew how and when to keep her mouth shut but the general energy they put out as they talked was simr.


    This made him miss her more than he already had. He rubbed the ribbon tied around his wrist subconsciously as the meal progressed.


    "So you folks are friends of the n leader?" Daran asked casually.


    Marcy nodded. "Yes. Edmund here is his brother-inw and I was quite friendly with him and his wife when they lived in the pce. We''ve stayed in touch. It is an honor to be a part of the first diplomatic delegation for the Kanta."


    He mulled this over before addressing ise. "Then how did you get mixed up in all of this?"


    His question was a valid one. He wondered that himself all the time. He had never intended to get involved in foreign affairs when he first became a Warrior. Traveling as part of his job was one thing; helping people he didn''t know because of a woman was another.


    "I am a Warrior; I escorted a rtive of the n leader''s wife from here to the Kanta Mountains."


    ise left out not getting paid for it so Daran would think it had been a legitimate job. He didn''t want to exin his conflicted feelings to someone he barely met.


    Daran frowned. "What was a woman from Annias doing in Shibatsu?"


    "it is a long story. But I fulfilled my duty and now and I am assisting these people to meet with members of the king''s cab."


    He let it go after that because it seemed like ise was doing another job he had been hired for and would remain home after that. That wasn''t his n. If they seeded in convincing the cab he was going right back to the mountains to help start a training camp.


    After that was the problem. He was afraid he would be tempted to stay forever because of a certain amusing young woman with beautiful blue eyes.


    He hadn''t seen nearly enough of the world to settle down, even if she did like him. He had been thoroughly convinced she didn''t right up until she handed him the ribbon. That had undeniable romantic connotations.


    ===


    The following morning ise made the journey back to the Warrior camp where hismanding officer, Emil, stayed alone. He figured this would go over better if he didn''t have foreigners trying to butt in right away.


    He was pleased to see him at first. "ise! You made it back; excellent. You wanted merchant protection jobs, did you not? There is a caravan setting out to the other side of the country in less than a week looking for a small band of Warriors."


    "I am not here to take on another job," ise informed him regretfully. "Forgive my impertinence but I am here to ask for your assistance."


    The higher ranked Warrior frowned but indicated for him to proceed. He detailed his entire n and ended with mentioning that the delegation was already staying in the port city less than a day''s ride from the capital.


    "I do not know if the cab will be interested in what the Kanta have to offer them in return," Emil said skeptically once ise finished.


    "They will," he replied with confidence. "I am very impressed with what they have managed to create. It is far greater than the rumors would suggest."


    A thoughtful expression crossed Emil''s face. "You are not one who is impressed easily. Alright. I will speak to my brother but there is no guarantee this matter will reach the king. Your party may have wasted their timeing here."


    Even if their n faileding here couldn''t be considered aplete waste. At the very least a young couple in love had been reunited. ise wasn''t sour about that at all. Or so he tried to convince himself.


    "It will work," he said firmly.


    It had to. If it didn''t he would have no reason to go back and return Abby her ribbon. He had already endured two months of difort for this; he could endure more to see that smile again.


    Emilughed and pped him on the shoulder. "I always envied your confidence. Stay here at the camp with us until I receive word from my brother. It might take a few days because he works in the capital."


    "Thank you, sir."


    They exchanged salutes before parting ways. Right outside of Emil''s tent he ran into Hugo, who was preparing for the next tier''s exam. He gave ise a hard time about Abby and refused to let him leave or stop teasing, pulling him toward the tent functioning as the mess hall to show everyone else he came back.


    It was going to be a very long few days.

 Chapter 161: An Excellent Distraction

    Chapter 161: An Excellent Distraction


    ise was on the verge of losing his mind because of Hugo''s and the other Warriors'' antics. He had forgotten how immature some of them could be during their time apart.


    When the message came back granting the Kanta delegation an audience with the king''s cab, he made his way back to the port immediately. Everyone was excited aboutpleting the first step of their n but especially Marcy, who seemed to thrive on politics far more than Katie or mar did.


    It was a pity she hadn''t been born a noble. Commoners had only recently started gaining any political traction in Annias and from what he heard; it wasrgely due to Katie. While living as the third princess she had the current king''s ear.


    Marcy and Edmund would already be married if she was a noble. As it was, his parents weren''t aware of their rtionship because they would have disowned him and he would have no way to support himself.


    They only saw each other in the spring and fall when court was in session and sent letters the rest of the year. It was a pitiable fate. Anyone with eyes could see how infatuated they were with each other.


    Everyone may have gone a bit overboard with the wine while celebrating their first victory. Marcy went to sleep it off, Jae and Kirienne were singing in the corner, and Edmund was baring his heart and soul to anyone who would listen. Which unfortunately ended up being ise.


    "It''s so hard, y''know?" he huped. "We''ve been together for nearly two years and I can''t give her a ring yet. We have to wait until my brother inherits the title because he''s slightly more reasonable than our parents and won''t disown me.


    "Who knows when that will happen? He''s not that great of a father but d''you really think I wanna wait around for him to die to marry the woman I love? I know she''s disappointed in me for not eloping but what can I do? I don''t wanna lose my family forever."


    Edmund''s slurring grew worse until he waspletely incoherent. ise sighed. He felt for the man, he really did, but did he have to hang all over him when he was drunk?


    The ss divisions weren''t quite as bad here as they were in Annias. Anymoner could be a Warrior and gain instant status necessary to go anywhere or do anything. Including marry whoever they wished.


    No matter what ise did it was impossible to avoid thoughts of love and marriage with this crowd. Jae and Kirienne were already deep in their wedding ns for next month.


    He had already promised to attend though he was going to take on that merchant caravan job first. There should be enough time to make it back. Now that his role in this n was done for the time being, he was able to do his duty as a Warrior properly.


    Since no ships would leave from the harbor until spring there wouldn''t be the chance to visit anywhere overseas but Shibatsu was not the only country on this continent. He might have time to visit a few of the other kingdoms in the area before heading back to Annias.


    ===


    The following morning a very groggy group made their way to the capital for their audience with the king. They would have a day and a half to sober up and prepare their speech.


    "Thank you for everything you have done until now," Jae thanked ise fervently before he left. "We wouldn''t have made it this far without you."


    "It was nothing," he said seriously. "I am honored to help the Kanta n in any way I can. If you need to get a hold of me before spring, please send a message to Emil at the Warrior camp near Tilda."


    Marcy eyed him curiously. "You''re going back to work so soon?"


    "What else would I do?"


    She didn''t have an answer for that so she let it go, adding her thanks to Jae''s. "You opened the door for us. I won''t let you down."


    He saluted all of his travelpanions before heading back to the stables to fetch his horse. It was time to get back to the life he was meant to lead. There were so many things to see and he didn''t want to miss a single one before it was time to head back to the mountains.


    Work was an excellent distraction. He enjoyed his first trip as a proper Warrior protecting a merchant caravan. There was so much of the countryside he had never seen during his training.


    But he couldn''t stop himself from thinking "Abby would like this" or "I should show Abby that" as he went. Maybe it wasn''t as great of a distraction as he had hoped after all.

 Chapter 162: The Straw That Broke The Camels Back

    Chapter 162: The Straw That Broke The Camel''s Back


    Had Abby reallymented the fact that she hadn''t been here for Katie''s first pregnancy? Because she was about to go crazy from all of the mood swings.


    As the Madam n Leader, she spent most of the day socializing with people. That made her very grumpy. Sheined about all of theirints constantly.


    "A sick chicken? How am I supposed to know what to do about that; do I look like a vet?! Why do they always expect me to fix things I don''t know how to fix?" Katie whined. "Nobles don''t have to deal with this when they''re pregnant. No, they get to lie in bed THE ENTIRE TIME."


    "Wouldn''t you hate that though?" Abby pointed out. "Since there''s no TV and novels here areme."


    Katie startled her by bursting into tears. "You''re right. I should be lying on the couch with a bunch of pillows and my Lord of the Rings extended edition DVDs and a big bag of potato chips but I can''t."


    She immediately panicked. Backtrack, backtrack! Bringing up home was definitely the wrong move here. She wracked her brain trying to think of a solution sinceforting her using the traditional methods wasn''t working.


    This conversation was the straw that broke the camel''s back but it had beening on for a while. How on earth had Al managed to handle her alone when she was pregnant with Adam?


    Katie fell asleep crying and Abby quietly let her nap, taking Adam outside to y in the snow with Hagan and Iida. Al ran into them on his way back from checking on some of the vigers'' livestock.


    A worried expression crossed his face when he approached. "Is Katie asleep again?"


    "Yesafter crying herself out. She''s homesick. Did this happen when she was pregnant with Adam too?" Abby asked curiously.


    He let out a weary sigh and ran a hand down his face. "Don''t get me started. She wanted books, movies, and foods that I couldn''t get for her and then bawled her eyes out or got angry every time. Pregnancy makes her temperamental."


    "That''s an understatement. I do have an idea that might help herbut it will take a little work."


    "Anything," Al said desperately. "I just want her to stop crying."


    Ah, he really was a good guy. Katie may have had toe to a fictional world to find the perfect man for her but she had truly lucked out.


    Abby told him her n and everything they would need to do to make it happen. Al listened intently, nodding along when she told him his role in all of this. He was in charge of recruitment and she would handle the rest.


    She left him to supervise the little ones while she went to the bakery. After exchanging pleasantries with Sia, she told her the rather odd request she had.


    It waspletely random, but there was a movie about leprechauns that she and Katie had watched as children. A group of leprechauns disguised as humans ran a potato chip empire. While touring the factory, a tour guide talked about the origin of the potato chip and how there was an urban legend about it being discovered when someone in Irnd identally cut their potato slices too thin while cooking them.


    Abby had never made homemade potato chips but if she described them to a more proficient cook she hoped they would be able to pull it off. Sia was intrigued by the challenge.


    "So they are supposed to be crispy and practically full of air? HmmI have an idea that might work. If we cut the potatoes incredibly thin and then soak them in cold water for a while it might help them crisp up the way you want. The seasoning you described would have to be added after to get the full effect."


    She nodded along. "Please try. I can test them for you and see if they are like what I am describing."


    It turned out that Sia was a culinary genius because she made a passable potato chip on the first try even though this world''s potatoes were slightly different than the ones she was used to. Abby was beyond impressed.


    "You just saved my life, thank you," she gushed. "These are going to make Katie so happy."


    Sia smiled in response as she continued cutting potatoes. "Good. That girl works so hard for everyone around here; she deserves something nice."


    By the time she came out, nearly every child eight to fourteen had been gathered in the schoolhouse. More people showed up than expected; Al really came through. Or like with Sia, everyone loved Katie and wanted to help cheer her up.


    Abby instructed everyone on how to make the very rudimentary costumes they would need. Some used bits and pieces of existing outfits while other things had to be made of paper. While they worked on that, Abby mentally assigned roles and wrote the not-so-urate scripts using her limited experience from being involved in drama as a teenager.


    It wouldn''t be the extended editions but she could do her best to give her sister a little bit of Lord of the Rings. They had loved those movies and had a marathon of all of them in a single day about once a year. She knew the story well enough to try and replicate it in a dumbed down version.


    The props were extremely limited and more likely than not this would look even worse than the majority of elementary school ys back home. But it was the thought that counts, right?


    The kids all seemed excited at the prospect of putting on a y even though most of them had never seen one because they were a rich man''s diversion. N''s older children had at least heard of them because there was a theater in the capital they had lived on the outskirts of.


    A few days into rehearsals, some of the older teenagers who were more heavily involved in their apprenticeships showed up on the doorstep of the schoolhouse looking a bit sheepish. "We heard what you''re doing for Katie and we''d like to be a part of itif we could."


    More bodies wouldn''t hurt. There was always a need for additional actors in scenes with crowds or armies. Abby weed them in.


    Katie wasn''t any the wiser because after the first day Abby did all of this during school hours. She left the house and came home the same time as always so it wasn''t the least bit suspicious.

 Chapter 163: Drama Program

    Chapter 163: Drama Program


    Abby''s actors were horribly unskilled and it took about a week for them to memorize what few lines they had. For the most part she was narrating as much of the story as she could. She finally deemed it fit for public consumption when the kids were able to make it through two run-throughs in a row without forgetting their lines.


    They decided to surprise Katie at the library after secretly setting the sign out front from "open" to "closed." While she was putting some returned books back where they belonged, they snuck in and moved some of the furniture around to clear a space for a stage.


    Then they set up one particr couch with as many pillows as they could find and a soft wool nket. A big bowl of the potato chips Sia made was set next to it.


    Jasper, N''s oldest child who was ying the role of Frodo Baggins, went over to fetch Katie under the pretense of asking for help so the show could begin. Al even left his duties for a while so he could y the role of Gandalf.


    Katie was led to the couch and was thoroughly confused when she saw all of the children in costumes peeking out from between the bookshelves but tears appeared in the corner of her eyes when she caught sight of the potato chips. That was when she started to catch on.


    The tears were flowing freely as she grinned up at her sister once the narration began. Abby dramatically recited, "Long ago in thend of Middle Earth there were twenty rings of power divided between the different races. Three to the elves, seven to the dwarves, nine to the world of men, and one to the Dark Lord Sauron"


    She tried using as many direct quotes and scenes from the movies as she could remember. All things considered, she did a fairly good job. She hadn''t watched them all the way through six or seven times for nothing.


    There was a lot of condensing but she made sure to include important thematic music by singing it with "da da das," "doo doo doos," and "dun dun duns." Singing instrumental music was hard and she felt ridiculous but the look on Katie''s face was totally worth it.


    Each of the three movies was condensed into approximately twenty minutes of acting and narration, trying to keep the most important parts in, so the whole y was only an hour long. But Katie looked every bit as enthralled as she would have watching the real thing.


    Sheughed at some of the kids'' over-the-top acting and Al''s ridiculous paper wizard hat. And when the Balrog, a seven-year-old girl named Sidi who was only recognizable by the sign around her neck with thebel "Balrog" on it, pulled Al off of a table to mimic being pulled down the cliff as he said the iconic line "fly, you fools."


    That part really got to her. She howled with glee and pped extra hard as the scene changed and they dragged the table away.


    Katie loved the kids'' valiant attempts at recreating Helm''s Deep out of tables and using tiny wood bows with pointless arrows to attack each other during the battle too. She watched them go as Abby sang the dramatic battle music as best she could.


    Most of the kids yed multiple characters because there weren''t enough of them involved. Only the Hobbits, Aragorn, Gandalf, Legs, and Gimli didn''t y multiple people because they were in so many scenes.


    Sidi wasn''t the only one who wore a sign around her neck as a costume. The rotating cast of non-main characters frequently did that to avoid confusion.


    The y was silly, had cost less than five copper pieces to put together, and moved Katie to tears. Abby considered that a major win. At the end she gave everyone a standing ovation as she continued tough and cry at the same time. Her bowl of potato chips waspletely empty and she couldn''t keep the grin off of her face.


    "Oh, I love you guys! Come here," she beckoned with her arms out.


    All of the younger children ran at her though most of the older ones were too embarrassed to do so. Katie gave each of them a tight hug and told them how wonderful they were, thanking them fervently for the surprise.


    "Katiecould we put the y on again once the snow has melted? Outside, so everyone can see it," one of the older teenage boys suggested nervously.


    She agreed vehemently. "That sounds like a great idea! I shouldn''t be the only one to enjoy this masterpiece."


    The older kids were relieved and whispered excitedly among themselves. Originally Abby had been surprised that they even wanted to be involved since it was so childish and they were technically considered adults in this world.


    But high schools had drama programs for a reason. Some teenagers really loved this sort of thing.


    Would it be possible to do this sort of thing again with other popr movies from their world for entertainment? The kids all had so much fun doing it. It would be worth a try. Maybe they could do Harry Potter once it got warmer since there was more space outside.


    Abby didn''t realize it then but she had started a phenomenon that wouldter result in building an amphitheater with a proper stage and more borate props. For generations toe the Kanta would put on ys based on strange stories passed down from a former n leader''s family.


    Looking back, she wouldugh at how much of an impact she had made on the Kanta''s cultural affairs. All she had wanted to do was make her sister happy for a little while but she had identally done so much more than that.

 Chapter 164: Outsider

    Chapter 164: Outsider


    The remainder of Katie''s pregnancy passed without much incident. The high from a bowl of potato chips and a badly done rendition of Lord of the Ringssted for weeks.


    The vigergely shut down when it snowed but as soon as the storm stopped everyone would be outside with their shovels to clear paths to their homes and businesses. Abby couldn''t believe how many people it took to do the work of a single snowplow.


    Georgia had been colder than Arizona but it had nothing on these mountains, which were piled high with snow for months. Katie was unfortunate enough to go intobor during the middle of a storm.


    Al had to brave the weather by himself to fetch the midwife who lived over a dozen houses down the road from theirs. Thankfully he knew this town like the back of his hand despite being temporarily blinded by the snow and was able to bring her back before anything major happened.


    Abby waited with her sister and held her hand when the contractions hurt too much. She was simultaneously tasked with keeping Adam out of the way, which was difficult because he was concerned about his mother.


    "The baby''sing out?" he kept asking.


    Every time she told him "yes" he would ask even more questions she didn''t always have the answers to, such as "when will Papa be back?"


    She spent the roughly forty-five minutes Al was gone praying he woulde back right that second. When he and the midwife blew through the door she was finally able to breathe. Originally she had wanted to be with Katie when she gave birth but it was obvious that she needed her husband right now and somebody had to take care of the toddler.


    Abby ended up quietly ying with Adam in his bedroom even though her ears strained to figure out what was going on in Katie''s room. Eventually the little boy fell asleep and she was able to go into the delivery room to hold her sister''s other hand.


    In the middle of the night a screaming dark-haired baby girl made her way into the world. Katie looked absolutely exhausted but had a glow about her all the same as she held her daughter once the midwife cleaned her up.


    Al thanked her for her services and let her stay in one of their spare bedrooms until the storm died down a bit. She smiled and said "may the mountain spirits always bless your child" before leaving them alone.


    Having been present for all of the baby name discussions, Abby knew they were down to two potential girls'' names. Katie wanted to name a daughter Lily. Al preferred Aza, wanting to match the name with Adam''s.


    His logic was that she named thest one so it should be his turn. Hers what that she was the one giving birth so she should be in charge. Abby had to agree with her sister as a matter of principle but she thought both names were pretty.


    "She does look more like an Aza than a Lily," Katie agreed begrudgingly. "But I''m picking the next one."


    Al had no problems with this and said they could keep taking turns for as long as they were blessed with children. "But I hope we have an even number so you don''t get to name more than I do," he joked. "For the sake of fairness."


    She rolled her eyes at him and told him to get over there and hold their daughter. He gingerly sat down next to his wife and took the infant from her arms, cooing over how beautiful she was.


    Katie leaned on his shoulder and they were the perfect picture of love and family. Abby wished she had a camera to capture the moment. At the very least she could sketch it to rememberter. There was a pad of paper and a pencil in Adam''s room she could use.


    Slipping out very quickly and quietly, they didn''t even seem to notice she had left and remained in position. Perfect.


    Caught up in their new baby and each other, neither of them noticed what she was doing until she was done. Katie offered for her toe hold her niece and Abby couldn''t refuse. Aza''s tiny pink face was so beautiful.


    "I''ve said it before and I''ll say it againyou two make beautiful babies. Congrattions."


    Abby''s heart was full as she gazed down at her newborn niece. She had seen this tiny girl be born and would never forget it. Her birth helped serve as proof that Abby belonged in this world now because she was caught up in the events. Time went on and she was a part of it.


    "Thank you," Al said proudly. "She is beautiful, isn''t she? You did a great job Katie. I love you."


    He tenderly kissed her sweaty cheek and she sighed. "I love you too. But I feel gross. Can somebody go run me a bath?"


    Ah, the miracle of rudimentary indoor plumbing. The de Kanta home had a wfoot tub with a spigot that only ran cold water. To have a warm bath they had to boil additional water to add to it.


    Abby offered to do it so the lovebirds could have some privacy with their baby. Not for the first time she was hit with a sense of loss. For the longest time she and Katie only had each other to depend on but now she had a growing family of her own.


    Al and Katie could be obnoxiously affectionate with each other, disregarding any embarrassment they may have felt about someone else witnessing the mush fest. But Abby supposed that was what she got for living with a married couple that was deeply in love.


    They were very inclusive and sometimes when she and Katie went into inside-joke mode Al was the third wheel instead of her. She knew she was a part of their family but still felt like an outsider at times like this.

 Chapter 165: Cold

    Chapter 165: Cold


    The snowy months were awful. Abby wasn''t sure how a desert dweller like Katie had ever adjusted.


    When she asked, her sister wryly replied, "I didn''t. Look at me. I''m wearing a sweater, a bathrobe, fuzzy pajama pants, threeyers of socks, and am drinking hot chocte but I''m still cold. I spend most of the day thawing in front of the fire when I have to go outside."


    Katie was very well bundled up. Now that she had an infant to care for who couldn''t go outside, someone else was filling in her shift at the library. Sometimes Abby joined Al on his rounds checking up on people to pick up the new mother''s ck but for the most part she avoided going outside too.


    Cold in the mountains sunk into your very bones. Abby was grateful that her sister had found a way to invent fuzzy pajamas because they were a lifesaver. She was nearly as bundled up as Katie was and the cold still got to her too.


    Sitting in front of the fire wasn''t the problem. It was whenever the front door opened and brought the wind with it. These doors were more insted that Abby would have imagined them to belikely Katie''s doing with all of her random knowledge from back homeso they did a fairly good job of keeping the cold out.


    The problem was keeping the heat in. Fires required a lot of firewood and the only one was in the living room. For safety purposes, it had to be put out at night. The beds were equipped with many thick nkets and they woreyers.


    Abby envied her sister a little. She had a human heater to keep her warm as she slept in winter.


    She had walked in on them one morning to keep Adam, who woke up early, away because they had a particrly rough night with Aza. The covers were pulled up to their chins so she couldn''t see anything but Katie''s face nuzzled up against the hollow of Al''s neck.


    Based on all of the lumps in the nket, their arms were around each other too. It looked awfully cozy. What she wouldn''t give for someone to keep her warm at night. ise briefly shed through her mind before she dismissed the thought. No. Thinking about him wouldn''t help.


    Eventually she found apromise. She trained Simba, who had already tripled in size, to sleep with her at night and roam outside the rest of the day.


    As the lynx grew it became obvious it was a male; his name had fit him after all. He was now the size of a typical house cat and still growing. His furry heat helped her get over her jealousy a little.


    Abby was a bit of a night owl so she let him in around 11 PM and let him out again around 7 AM when Adam tended to wake up. If she overslept, he would yowl loudly to be let out to do his business and hunt.


    At this point in the Simba''s life she usually only saw him at night. asionally she would spot him slinking in or out of the woods near the house during the daytime.


    How does one train a lynx to sleep most of the night? With treats. Lots of them. Abby made sure to always have his favorite jerky on hand during the training process. It only took him two weeks to fully limate and be waiting for her at the front door at their appointed time.


    Adam always wanted to y with the kitty when he saw Abby carry Simba out the door each morning but that was a bad idea for a variety of reasons. He was always antsy by morning and wanted to be free so he might identally hurt Adam in his haste to escape.


    Al and Katie had been skeptical about letting the lynx into the house even for a few hours at first. Abby convinced them by showing how docile he was with her and by reminding them that he hadn''t attacked any of the vigers'' livestock even once because he preferred hunting deep in the forest.


    Simba was pawing at her shoulder and beginning to meow. It was time to let him out.


    With a heavy sigh, Abby left the warmth of her covers and let him out as quickly as she could, running back to her room to snuggle back down before all of the heat was lost. No one else was awake yet, which wasmon since Aza was born. The whole household could hear her cries in the night. They slept when she did.


    Adam came crawling into bed with her about fifteen minutester. "Aunt Abby, I''m cold. Can you make me some hot chocte?"


    "In a little bit, baby," she mumbled sleepily. "Aunt Abby is tired."


    The little boy pouted. "Everybody''s always tired cuz of the baby. S''not fair."


    Abby ruffled his mop of ck hair before kissing his cheeks. "That''s just how babies are. You were the same way. If you let me hug you for a little bit I''ll even add marshmallows. Don''t tell your mom, okay?"


    Marshmallows were a special treat because of how long a process it was to extract gtin from animal bones. Katie had some stashed away and allowed herself a single marshmallow per cup of hot chocte.


    They were much bigger here than the mini versions they usually bought for hot chocte back home. She had shown Abby the stash in utmost confidence because she would appreciate the beauty of a familiar treat but didn''t like Adam to have them because he could eat all of them in less than five minutes.


    As long as she didn''t let him see where they were hidden and only took out one it should be fine. At least chocte wasn''t a rarity so they could make hot chocte nearly every day. If they weren''t drinking that, they resorted to tea or hot spiced milk to keep warm.


    Katie hated tea with a passion but Mari had sent her some exotic ones from other kingdoms that she thought were alright. But she reserved them for special asions so she couldn''t get sick of them either.


    Abby found it funny that she had gotten so sick of tea but was able to drink hot chocte all the time with no problem.


    She had shrugged it off. "You would be too if you had to endure countless tea parties with people who secretly hate you and are talking about you to your face in a ''respectable'' way. Since living here I''ve drunk enough tea to fill multiple bathtubs and none of the memories are pleasant."


    The thought of enough tea to fill multiple bathtubs made Abby feel slightly ill. No wonder she was sick of it. Her sister should have been a writer; she had a way with words. However, shecked the creativity and preferred to read what others had written.

 Chapter 166: Plagiarism

    Chapter 166: giarism


    Once the snow was no longer piled high enough for Abby to end up waist-deep if she took a wrong step, she braved the outdoors more frequently. She had taken a leave of absence from the school with the excuse that Katie needed her.


    While this was true, it was also true that she didn''t want to go outside. But Maeva, one of the teachers, came over for a standard congrattory visit about a month after Aza was born and told Abby that the children missed her terribly.


    She had been getting bored at home anyway so she agreed toe back. The students all tackled her when she walked through the door, letting her know how true Maeva''s words were.


    Abby was less involved in the curriculum now because Maeva and her assistants Carlene and Vashti had gotten things down to a system at this point. She let them do their thing, helping as needed, and when school was over she headed to the printing office and decided to work on illustrating some children''s books.


    Because this was now one of Kanta''s most prevalent exports, older children were learning how to draw under the tutge of the few people here with that skill. It was an apprenticeship of sorts since they would be able to work here once they had the hang of things.


    The printing office had less than twenty people on staff including those interns of sorts. A few of the interns were actually from Raisha and were staying with friends or rtives throughout the winter so they could learn.


    Come spring, they would be knowledgeable enough to take their work home with them. Al could bring thepleted products back here when he made his usual visits.


    "I wanted to make a picture book version of the y we did," Sidi''s older sister Janna confided. "But I didn''t know how to draw the Balrog and other things like that. You know the story bettercould you make one? I think it would be really popr. All the kids here loved it."


    Abby sent a silent apology to J.R.R. Tolkien for ripping him off out into the void before replying. "Sure. I''ll do my best."


    All of the apprentices crowded around her excitedly as she worked. It was difficult getting anything done with so many people hovering over her! Abby blew out a frustrated breath and kept working.


    Drawing the line art took about a week but it took even longer to color all of the tiny details with colored pencil. After she finished it, she wondered how many other books from home she could rip off with no one being any the wiser (except Katie, who wouldn''t rat her out).


    Apprentices and older artists alike crowded around it to see how it turned out.


    "Ooh, it''s beautiful Abby!"


    "We need to make engraving tes and start copying it right away; I can tell this will be a bestseller."


    "You have the most amazing imagination. Where did youe up with this?"


    Abby coughed awkwardly to cover her lie. "I have very vivid dreams."


    Tahvo, the man who ran the printing office, was so impressed that he decided to put her in charge of future story ideas for other artists to draw. Just like that, she had gone from headmistress to children''s book author.


    So she stole a lot of ssic children''s book stories and tried to describe them to the best of her ability to the other artists. The traders didn''te here nearly as often during the winter due to the snow so during the worst of the stormy season the books in the printing office really stacked up.


    Tahvo and Maeva, who turned out to be siblings, fought over who got to keep Abby. He won but had to promise that she woulde y with the children during recess if nothing else.


    The rest of the winter was spent holed up in the printing office spitballing ideas and drawing or building borate snow forts for snowball battles with the schoolchildren. She didn''t stop being cold but couldn''t deny it was satisfying feeling like a part of themunity again.


    "I don''t think I''ll ever be able to breathe again," Abby announced dramatically as she arrived home and shook the snow off her coat.


    Her nose had been running constantly since she started venturing outside again. No matter what she did, nothing could stem it. She knew it was a side effect of the cold rather than being sick but that didn''t make it any less miserable.


    Katieughed from the chair where she nursed Aza. "Your time wille. Just wait until you experience spring around here; seeing the mountain in full bloom is indescribable."


    With a sigh, she plopped down in a chair next to her sister and waited for Adam to crawl into herp and beg her to read a story. It had be their tradition as soon as she got home for the day.


    They had a variety of books to choose from. As the person who started the printing office, Katie owned the most children''s books out of everyone in the vige. Though there were arge number in the library that were free to check out as well.


    This time he wanted a story about a friendly old truck and the adventures he went on with his pals. Abby recognized it as something straight out of a Pixar movie. She was not the only one stealing ideas.


    "So you''re a giarizer too," she said after she finished and Adam ran off to y with his toys.


    Katie shrugged. "Is it really giarism if no one else knows it''s giarism?"


    That had been the same argument she used, more or less. Great minds think alike. The two of them stood out in this backward world because of where they came from even though back home they weren''t considered very simr at all.


    Their personalities were quite different. The only things they really had inmon was a love of certain books and movies and the fact that they shared a lot of memories.

 Chapter 167: Travels

    Chapter 167: Travels


    Attending Jae and Kirienne''s wedding was nothing short of painful for ise. It was a traditional ceremony in Shibatsu but the groom didn''t seem to mind being underrepresented one bit. He only had eyes for his bride.


    Admittedly, she was lovely. Her violet eyes sparkled as much as the borrowed tiara did. Wearing diamonds on your brow was a bridal tradition in their country to symbolize prosperity in their lives together.


    There was a mutual understanding between jewelers and the less wealthy citizens to offer affordable rentals for weddings. The tradition was that important.


    ise couldn''t help but wonder what Abby would look like in a bridal tiara before instantly shutting that thought down. No. He had work to do. There were so many ces on this continent to see before returning to Annias in the spring.


    Marcy''s proposal had been sessfulthank goodnessand now she, Edmund, and Jae split their time between the capital to continue discussing future diplomatic rtions and various Warrior camps to find people willing to be a part of the exchange program.


    He had no doubt they would find plenty of willing candidates. He wasn''t the only one who dreamed of adventure. There were also those who had no family left and joined the Warriors as a chance to be a part of something.


    If he had to guess, those would be the men who would want to settle down in the Kanta region permanently. Everyone else would likely want to return home once the assignment was over.


    Annias shared a continent with Rowenhilde and the Independent Nation of Kanta. The first two wererge, powerful countries while the third consisted of two simple settlements and a people with a shared ideology in a mountain rangergely considered uninhabitable.


    Shibatsu had its share of neighbors as well. It upied the southeastern side of the continent with Stanarussi to north, Nyria in the middle, and the nations of Ga and Lancri on the western coast.


    The Ruby Inds weren''t technically affiliated but they were closer to Shibatsu than they were any other nation so they traded regrly and were included in maps of the continent. ise had heard they were beautiful but wouldn''t get the chance to visit them because of the dangerous winter storms on the ocean.


    He could always visit themter. For now he was sent on a variety of protection missions for merchants and casual travelers both within Shibatsu''s borders and to neighboring countries.


    Stanarussi was a nation of intellectuals, producing more historians and scientists than any other in the known world. Their people were small and thin but they were not to be underestimated. Their weapons were so terrifying that no one had dared attack them in the past two hundred years.


    Preferring to be left alone, they didn''t involve themselves much in international affairs. Even so, their current queen had been a princess of Annias. That political marriage had likely been put into effect in the hopes that Stanarussi wouldn''t turn their weapons on them.


    They only allowed trade with Shibatsu and Nyria because they needed materials found more easily in their territories to continue their experiments. ise found them fascinating. Their technology was beyond hisprehension but he was certain Abby would find it primitive.


    The things she had talked about with her sister such as traveling through the sky and being able to call people from thousands of miles away were impossible even by Stanarussi''s standards. Still, he was impressed.


    "You look like a seasoned traveler," one of the Stanarussi merchants his party was trading with addressed him.


    "I suppose," ise said guardedly.


    This man was definitely trying to sell him something. He wouldn''t fall for it. After working with merchants for so many months he realized that this was a standard trick; tter the customer first so you can distract them and make them pay more than the item is worth.


    "Do you have a woman waiting for your return?" he asked, gesturing to the ribbon that was still wrapped around ise''s wrist.


    He said yes, forck of a better exnation, and the merchant''s eyes lit up. "I have the perfect thing. Are you aware that music can be captured in a box?"


    Despite himself, ise was curious. How could music be captured in a box? The merchant pulled out a beautifully carved mahogany box with a hinged lid that had an oval mirrorid into it. When the lid was opened music began to y. When it closed, the music stopped.


    He tried the lid multiple times to see how this seemingly magical device worked and couldn''t figure it out. "How does this work?" he demanded.


    The merchant smiled. "Simple mechanics. So. Do you think she will like it?"


    Abby did like musicise had heard her humming melodies he didn''t recognize to herself frequently on their journey to Annias. She would probably enjoy this strange box.


    "How much is it?" he asked reluctantly.


    "A bargain at merely fifteen silver pieces."


    Fifteen silver pieces?! He could nearly pay for two people to travel to Annias with that much money! He knew this was a swindle but couldn''t stop himself from buying it as he imagined the look on Abby''s face at receiving a present on top of her safely returned ribbon.


    "You have yourself a deal."


    ise took the music box and exchanged the money; taking extra care to be sure it wasn''t jostled too much in his knapsack. These people were smart and they knew how to get money out of people. He supposed scientific advancement couldn''t be cheap.


    Nyria was much less interesting since their customs were fairly simr to Shibatsu''s. The primary difference was that their society was matriarchal. Their ruler was a queen instead of a king and she had many male consorts and concubines.


    Their warriors were all female as well and the men were left to farm, hunt, create, and raise the children. But they shared simr clothing, music, and food with their neighbors for the most part.


    Ga and Lancri were sister nations who had been one before a civil war split them apart roughly fifty years ago. As such, their customs were nearly identical to each other''s. The split urred because two political factions disagreed about how to use resources along the coastline.


    Out of everywhere he had been, he found their food the most unique. They ate a lot of seafood and the way they spiced it was like nothing he had ever tasted.


    ise found his travels fascinating but they didn''t fulfill him the way he had hoped they would. He had been all over the continent and back and still had an Abby-shaped hole in his heart that no amount of seeing the world could fill.

 Chapter 168: A Lot Could Happen In Three Years

    Chapter 168: A Lot Could Happen In Three Years


    ise was in Nyria when he received word that he needed toe back immediately to make it onto the next ship to Annias. He had been traveling for months, only stopping back in Shibatsu to get another assignment before leaving again.


    This time he stopped back at home to deliver presents he bought in other countries to his parents and sisters. He had a feeling he wouldn''t be seeing them again for a very long time and felt it necessary to visit them.


    His mother fussed too much, as expected from her only soning back for the first time in about a year, and he brushed off her smothering. His brother-inw was doing a great job helping run the inn and for that he would always be grateful.


    "You helped me out," he confessed when no one else was listening. "I did not want to be a carpenter like my father. Too much manualbor."


    ise smiled. Things had worked out for both of them better than he had hoped.


    "You are going to be a part of the group of Warriors helping train Kanta soldiers?" his father asked in concern. "Those mountains are supposed to be barren."


    He shook his head. "No, I have been there before and seen for myself that they are a thriving fledgling society. Training their own military will help them continue to progress as a nation."


    His father took his words at face value because ise had always been the type to objectively tell the truth. "It is a Warrior''s duty to go where theirmander tells them, no matter how far away that may be. I am proud of you, son."


    He said all of that with apletely straight face. That was about as emotional as he got. ise had definitely gotten his personality from his father.


    The visit ended quickly because he had to make it to the port to meet up with hispanions and the thirty-one Warriors they had managed to recruit. All of them would stay with the Kanta for the next three years to help kickstart their military.


    He became progressively more nervous as he approached the ship. A lot could happen in three years. He wasn''t sure what to expect but it left a pit in his stomach.


    His foreignpanions all waved to him from on deck as he grabbed his things and lugged them up the gangnk. Edmund slung an arm over his shoulders in a very casual greeting once he made it aboard.


    "ise! Good to see you. I almost thought you weren''t going to make it back and we would have to leave you behind."


    Marcy rolled her eyes. "Don''t mind him; he''s overdramatic. We knew you would make it in time because we sent word so early. Besidesyou have a verypelling reason to want to return."


    He flushed. She was the only one aside from Jae who knew the origin of the ribbon. When she gave him tips about how to wash it she asked why it mattered so much and he felt obligated to answer because she was helping him out.


    As they moved into open waters, ise thought about what was waiting for him on the other side of this ocean. He hoped nothing about her had changed while he was gone.


    He had changed quite a bit. Unlike when he met that music box peddler, he truly was a seasoned traveler now. And during all of his travels he had missed Abby desperately. At this point he might be willing to change his standpoint on settling down in one ce. Maybe.


    If they were able to spend more time together during the training program and she asked him to staythere was a very strong chance he wouldn''t be able to say no. That was the main reason he had left his family with presents. He might be back in three years or not at all.


    What had she been up to all this time? ise was willing to bet she was making waves among the Kanta just like her sister had. She wasn''t the type to sit back and let other people do things for her.


    He could still remember the first conversation they had about her n to leave Shibatsu. He had been astounded that she was working three jobs and helping with the chores at Hugo''s ce to pay for her room and board.


    Anyone else with that kind of load would have worked themselves to death but Abby remained cheerful and full of energy. She told him that she appreciated the room and board she had been offered but that she couldn''t expect anything more from her benefactors so she had to pay her way to Annias by herself.


    She neverined or lost sight of her goal once. ise wondered what kind of goals she had now that she was back by her beloved Katie''s side.


    He was fairly certain he wouldn''t return to find her betrothed, or worse, married. Abby had essentially sent him off with a lover''s farewell even though they had never been anything other than casually friendly with each other. She wouldn''t have forgotten about him in less than a year, would she?


    It would be nice if he could forget about this and focus on something else but he had the sinking feeling that thoughts of her would haunt him this entire trip until he was able to see her again. She had that kind of effect.

 Chapter 169: The Power Of Love

    Chapter 169: The Power Of Love


    "How much farther until we reach your home, Jae?" Kirienne asked for the millionth time.


    She had grown weary of travel quickly and wanted to get settled into her new home as soon as possible, especially since discovering she was pregnant when they had only been at sea for a week. She had asked this question every other day the entire time they had been onnd.


    When they were at sea, she pestered the captain because her husband was unfamiliar with nautical matters. No one had been happier to see them reachnd than the poor captain.


    "We''re nearly at the base of the mountains. We should be there within the next three days," Jae said patiently, giving his wife''s hand a loving squeeze.


    She sighed and nestled against him in the wagon. "Tell me about our house again to give me something to look forward to."


    "Well, I convinced my brothers and brothers-inw to build it for us while we were gone so everything would be ready when we arrived. They said it would have three bedrooms and won''t be far from the yground for children"


    ise drowned the rest of the conversation out. He was likely as tired of hearing it as Jae was of repeating himself. But the other man neverined about his wife''s pestering. That was the power of love.


    Marcy stayed in the capital because that was her home and there was no further reason for her to apany them now that her job was done. She gave Jae a few letters for Katie and that was the end of her role in this matter. With her gone, Kirienne was the only woman left in the party.


    Edmund was sulky about leaving her behind but he had to return to the earldom. While he was gone, the earl had passed away after an ident falling off his horse. His brother Percival had taken over the title and had an awful lot of work to do.


    He wasn''t terribly upset at the news of his father''s passing since he had never shown any affection for his children. He had mixed feelings about it. He should be sad that his family member had died but this also allowed him to marry Marcy once the required year of mourning was up. Guilt and excitement warred within him.


    There was still the obstacle of his mother but the dowager countess no longer lived at the du Pont estate. Percival was married and she felt that her purpose of staying at the estate had been stripped away from her now that there was a newdy of the house.


    She would have a ce in the dower house on the estate as long as Percival was the earl but preferred to spend her time visiting friends rather than stay there. Edmund sighed as he told ise all of this, iming she had always been difficult.


    At the very least, with her gone from the estate so often she wouldn''t be able to give Marcy a hard time. That was the one positive to her temper tantrum.


    They had passed the du Pont estate a few days ago so Edmund had left the caravan too. All that was left were a few dozen Warriors who were every bit as weary of the road as Kirienne even though they were too well-trained to show it in front of ady.


    Their group must have looked very strange to the locals they passed. After Edmund left, every single person in it was from Shibatsu except Jae. These people had likely never seen so much silver hair in their lives.


    ise was starting to feel like some sort of exotic bird in the royal menagerie of Nyria from all the staring. He wanted this journey to be over too but he was equally nervous about the prospect of seeing Abby again.


    When they finally arrived in the main settlement, he was amazed by how much construction had happened in the time he was gone. There were new buildings everywhere and some were still in the process of being built.


    As much as Kirienne wanted to settle down, Jae had to stop and properly introduce the Warriors to mar and make his report before they headed to Raisha. She was quite put out about it until she realized there was a bakery here.


    Sick to death of roadside rations, she begged her husband for a few coins to get herself something sweet. He handed them over without a singleint to get her out of his hair while he talked with the n leader.


    "I''ll bring you back something nice!" Kirienne promised as she made her way inside.


    The Warriors all looked around Ilmir curiously. They had heard mixed rumors about the Kanta region but hadn''t expected such an advanced ce with so few people.


    ise had noticed during his brief time with them before that theirck of numbers was made up for by determination and teamwork. People here helped each other out more than they did back in Shibatsu.


    Originally they started out by receiving quite a bit of help from the kingdom of Annias as restitution for the previous king''s crimes against the n. Workers were sent in from all over the country to help them build the original structures in Ilmir.


    But the Kanta weren''t content to stop there. They continued building on their own or used money from their mineral exports to hire additional hands from the base of the mountain. All of Raisha and any additional buildings in Ilmir were constructed without royal assistance.


    "This ce is nothing like what I heard," one Warrior whispered to another.


    His friend nodded. "I know. Staying here for the next three years might not be so bad."


    ise felt a small bit of pride well up inside him for these plucky, determined people that had been homeless a few short years ago. They loved their home and that had led to a desire to make it better than ever.

 Chapter 170: Like A Fairy

    Chapter 170: Like A Fairy


    The streets were surprisingly empty for the middle of the day but the few people who did see them couldn''t help but whisper among themselves. ise wasn''t sure how many people had been informed of his n before arge number of foreigners showed up. He would be wary too without prior notice.


    "Jae, what''re you doing with all of these people?" one young man dared to call out. "Where have you been all this time? I delivered some things to your motherst month and she said you were off getting married!"


    Jae puffed up his chest proudly. "I did get married but mar also put me in charge of a very important diplomatic mission. These people are here to help us. Where is he?"


    "Last I saw he was helping Lirael with her children because she''s been sick. They''re about Adam''s age so they''re probably all at the yground."


    "Thanks! I''ll check there now."


    Jae waited a few minutes before Kirienne came out of the bakery and she followed them withoutint now that she had sugar in her system. He led everyone to the edge of town where there were less buildings.


    ise hadn''t seen the yground up close but he had heard about it from Katie. He had been intrigued by the concept of there being an area specifically for children to y. Everywhere he had ever heard of left children to entertain themselves.


    They heard the children before they saw them. Happy yells and shrieks filled the air as they approached. Many of the Warriors seemed baffled by what they were seeing and ise was tempted tough.


    It was early summer so the weather was excellent. Every inch of the yground was covered in children and mar seemed to be the only adult supervising them.


    "mar!" Jae called out.


    He turned at the sound of his name and a wide smile crossed his face. "Nice to see you made it back in one piece." He did a double take when he saw how many people they had managed to recruit. "And brought back so many Warriors. Well done."


    "Ah, that was mostly Marcy''s doing," Jae admitted. "But they''re here and ready to work with you."


    mar gave a respectful salute exactly as ise had taught him to before he left. "Greetings, proud Warriors. I am n Leader mar de Kanta. We wee you to our humble vige and thank you for your time. If you will give me a moment to find someone else to watch the children for me, I will show you where you can set up camp."


    The Warriors seemed impressed that he knew that salute and the most senior one, Carrick, stepped forward to reply. "It is our honor to be here, n Leader. We shall await further instruction."


    ise muffled augh as he watched mar walk a little further than the yground to approach what appeared to be some sort of stage crowded with older children and adolescents. Having seen how casual he was around his family, that show was quite impressive.


    Well, he was a n leader. He had to have some sense of decorum when dealing with foreign dignitaries.


    His heart nearly stopped when he noticed who mar stopped to talk to. Abby had been in the middle of delivering what appeared to be some sort of instructions to two of the older boys on the stage and they were nodding along seriously when he approached.


    The boys did not seem happy about being interrupted but they all stared at the band of Warriors as soon as they realized why mar was dragging Abby away. As they made their way toward the yground, all of the children on the stage dissipated.


    Some decided to join in on the fun happening at the yground. Others sat on the benches facing the stage and talked. And a small crowd of them huddled protectively around the woman who had haunted ise''s thoughts consistently ever since they parted.


    She was still conversing with the boys from the stage when their eyes met. His heart nearly stopped beating. It didn''t seem possible but she was even more beautiful than he remembered.


    Her light brown hair was braided into a crown on top of her head and someonepresumably a childhad stuck wildflowers haphazardly in it. Those sparkling blue eyes widened at the sight of him and she froze in ce as her cheeks tinged with pink.


    "Abby?" one of the boys urged for the third time. "What do you think I need to do better next time?"


    The spell of the moment finally broke and she turned to respond to the question. "Sorry, Lian. I got distracted. Like I was saying before, I think you need to convey more frustration in your bodynguage as you read your lines. The character you''re ying is angry at being treated like a child despite being thrown into countless dangerous situations. You need to convey that you are fed up and ready to act on your own"


    ise wanted to go over there and interrupt their conversation but he hadn''t figured out what to say yet before mar began leading the Warriors away. Reluctantly, he had to follow.


    His mind raced as mar, Jae, and Carrick were deep in discussion about what had transpired in Shibatsu. Onest nce over his shoulder at Abby showed her continuing her conversation with Lian and his friend while pushing two smaller children on a set of swings simultaneously.


    Yet another child ran up to her and presented her with a shiny rock she found. It was obvious that Abby was universally loved by these people.


    ise couldn''t help but smile. He had known she would fit right in here even if he hadn''t guessed at the scope of her poprity beforehand. It should have been obvious; Abby was a very likeable person.


    His smile faded when he thought about the way those boys looked at her. There were hints of infatuation in their faces. None of them could be older than eighteen but stillwhat if one of them had won her over in his absence?


    "Who was that woman?" a Warrior in front of him asked no one in particr. "She was like a fairy that controls children. I have never seen anything like that before."


    "Neither have I. She was quite pretty but appears to be from Annias so she is most likely already married. I heard they do not often let outsiders into this ce," someone else replied.


    ise scowled at the very thought. Abby was here because of her rtion to the n leader''s wife but no one else here knew that. He saw no reason to enlighten them. If she was still unattached he didn''t want any of them getting any ideas.


    Why? His possessiveness was pointless. She wasn''t his. He didn''t know for sure whether or not she was married either. Even if she wasn''t, there were no real promises between them. Simply a ribbon he still needed to return.

 Chapter 171: So Much To Tell Him

    Chapter 171: So Much To Tell Him


    Springtime had done Abby a lot of good after suffering all winter. It felt like she hade alive again so she spent as much time as humanly possible outside.


    A lot of that time was spent directing ys. Their dumb little recreation of Lord of the Rings that had been put on for a second time during the festival celebrating the mountain spirits'' breathing life back into nature at the beginning of spring had been universally popr.


    Even people from Raisha had been present because the festival was celebrated throughout the entire n. Several children from the other vige wanted to be a part of it too and put up quite a fuss.


    It was decided that a different y would be put on that they could participate in. All they had to do was find a ce to stay in Ilmir for about a week for rehearsals before the performance.


    Abby settled on recreating Alice in Wondend for that y and everyone loved it so much that people began demanding that ys continue running as long as the weather permitted. The children loved being a part of it and the adults enjoyed watching it so ys became the most popr form of entertainment, surpassing even Katie''s homemade board games.


    With people going back and forth so often between Ilmir and Raisha it became difficult to find enough ces for everyone to stay. An inn was currently under construction to fix this problem. Because visitors to Ilmir were so infrequent, it hadn''t been a problem before.


    A woman from Raisha who was interested in the concept of performing arts decided that she would get a stage built in her vige and managed to convince Abby to make copies of scripts for each of the ys she put on to bring back with her. She hoped to be able to have their own theater program running by next summer.


    Right now they were in the middle of practicing a y based on the Harry Potter series. Lian, the boy she and ise met whose father led them to Ilmir in the first ce, was ying Harry and was having a hard time getting the emotion right.


    "No, no, you need to be angry! What makes you mad?" Abby prompted.


    Lian scowled. "When Nadiri eats all of the cheese buns before I get a chance to even have one."


    Nadiri, his younger sister who was ying the role of Hermione, was nearby and stuck her tongue out at him before returning to rehearsing her own lines with the boy ying Ron.


    Well, it was unconventional but Abby could work with that. "Okay then. When you say your lines, think about Nadiri stealing the cheese buns and how that makes you feel. Channel it into your acting."


    He nodded very seriously and turned to his friend, who was ying Dumbledore and had been listening in on the conversation. The two of them had been going over a rather emotional scene together but Lian had been reading his lines so tly that Abby had to intervene.


    This was only Lian''s second time being in a y. In the first he had been a variety of background characters and had done a good job so she thought he was ready for this. It wasn''t like anybody else was doing all that much better; these kids weren''t used to theater.


    "Hear that, Razo? I need to pretend you stole my cheese buns," Lian said seriously.


    Razo raised an eyebrow. "I could always take the jerky you have hidden in your pocket if that would help."


    They began arguing more seriously now and Abby was in the middle of trying to break it up with Al walked over. "Hey Abby. Sorry to interrupt y practice but could you take over watching the little ones for me on the yground? The Shibatsu Warriors are here and I have to take care of them."


    Her heart skipped a beat. Shibatsu Warriors? Was ise among them?


    She had done her best to forget about him while he was gone and sometimes even managed to be sessful with how busy she was. She desperately tried to keep her cool and continue listening to Lian and Razo talk about their scene (they stopped fighting the second Al showed up) but her traitorous eyes couldn''t stop seeking him out in the crowd.


    Over time she had gotten more used to telling the Kanta apart. While she was in Shibatsu all of that silver hair and those purple eyes blended together but now she could spot ise in an instant.


    Their eyes met and Abby froze when she realized he had already been looking at her. What was she supposed to say?


    In the end she couldn''t say anything because Lian was repeating a question to her and by the time she answered it and looked back, ise was walking away with the rest of the Warriors.


    Her heart continued to beat erratically even as she continued talking to them and interacting with other children on the yground who wanted a bit of her attention. He actually came back. She hadn''t been positive he would be able to make it.


    Abby knew she would be able to see him again sometime soon but right now they each had their own responsibilities to attend to. Yes. She would see him soon.


    She desperately wanted to tell him all about what had happened since he was gone. Aza''s birth, what it was like living in the snow, starting up the school, and how she had unintentionally gotten involved in nearly every aspect of life in this vige.


    In addition to bing headmistress, chief storyboarder in the printing office, and the head of the newly former theater she had also worked a lot with Sia to adapt recipes from home. On top of the potato chips they had sessfully recreated several condiments and a bunch of other junk food type snacks and simple dishes such as pasta.


    The merchants found these new foods so enjoyable that they pressed for a cookbook to be made. So the printing office got its first request for a non-picture book and it sold out within months. They had to do a second printing.


    Abby wanted to tell him all of this and moreand hear about what he had been up to since thest time they talked. She couldn''t wait.

 Chapter 172: Its Hard Being This Popular

    Chapter 172: It''s Hard Being This Popr


    Abby ended up stuck at the yground for another few hours but children slowly trickled away as time went by. The older ones who had managed to get away from their jobs long enough to participate in y practice had to go back to work eventually.


    Some of the younger ones got tired or needed to do chores at home. By dinnertime the only ones left were Adam, Hagan, Iida, and Lirael''s four children under the age of six.


    Keeping an eye on that many children by herself had been exhausting, though for a while some of the older kids watched out for their younger siblings and that helped. Mountain heat had nothing on Arizona but she had been outside for hours and would kill for an ice cream cone.


    Sinceing here she had tasted ice cream exactly once when Sia''s family busted out some precious ice to make it for everyone at the festival. It was no Baskin Robbins but she still nearly cried. Katie gave her a knowing look, understanding her pain in a way no one else could.


    "It''s time for us to go," Abby called.


    Since they had been here nearly all day, the children came obediently. They were tired and hungry and some of them had missed their afternoon naps.


    She had them form a chain of linked hands and walked Lirael''s children back to her house since it was closest to the yground. A chorus of small "thank yous" warmed her heart as they went inside. Lirael had taught her children well.


    Hagan and Iida were both cranky and didn''t want to walk so Abby was forced to carry them, which of course, didn''t make Adam happy. He wanted to be carried too but it was physically impossible for her to carry three toddlers on her own.


    Katie, who was chatting with a woman outside of the carpenter shop, spotted her distress and excused herself to help. Aza was strapped to her chest in a makeshift baby sling but despite her tiny frame she was able to give Adam a piggyback ride at the same time.


    He was quite pleased with the arrangement since he hadn''t seen his mother most of the day. He ended up falling asleep on her back before they even made it home.


    "Rough day?" Katie asked with a raised eyebrow when she saw the state of Abby''s hair.


    She grimaced. There were so many wildflowers in there now that her hair had to be full of dirt. She needed a bath ASAP.


    "It''s hard being this popr," she replied flippantly.


    Her sister rolled her eyes. She understood that problempletely but it was usually adults who wanted her attention rather than children. That was what happened when you became heavily involved in a small vige like this.


    Katie''s expression grew more serious once she had put Adam down on his bed and settled on the couch to feed Aza. "So. I heard the Warriors made it to town. Was ise with them?"


    Abby sighed. She should have known this interrogation wasing. "Yes but we didn''t have the chance to talk. Our eyes met for about two seconds and Ipletely froze. Lian distracted me and the next thing I knew, he was gone."


    "I''m sure you''ll see him soon. The area Al gave the Warriors to set up camp is only a mile or so from the edge of town. They''ll being and going all the time to get food and whatnot."


    She supposed so but how was she supposed to talk to him when he was surrounded by other people? At least when they first had their reunion for real. That split second of eye contact earlier didn''t count.


    They were friends and she didn''t expect anything too exciting when they first talked but if he intended to return her ribbon she didn''t want other people to see. It would start rumors because she had done something very forward in this world without thinking.


    Ignoring the romantic connotations, Abby only wanted to have an excuse to see ise again. She panicked and did it on impulse, okay?


    What had he thought of the gesture anyway? Did he think she liked him? Not that was entirely untrueshe had thought about him often but she didn''t know him well enough for it to be more than a simple crush.


    Abby got so antsy while she waited for Al toe back for dinner, hoping that ise would be with him, but was ultimately disappointed. Themander wanted everyone to stay out of the vigers'' ways as much as possible while they got used to the idea of foreign warriors. No one was allowed to leave the camp.


    Ah, curse these people and their fear of others! It wasn''t like they had never seen anybody from Shibatsu before. A carpenter''s wife and a miner''s wife with that stand-out silver hair lived in Ilmir. There were a handful more in Raisha.


    She would never understand politics. Al and Katie were wee to it; she preferred working behind the scenes.


    "Any male who is physically able to withstand the training is required to take part because there are so few of us," Al told his wife between bites of dinner. "We have to rotate who goes when so everything else continues to run smoothly. I was thinking something like three hour long shifts for each group."


    Katie nodded thoughtfully. "That could work. You might have a rebellion on your hands if this cuts into y practice though so tread lightly with those boys'' schedules. If we need to have more women involved in their family''s businesses than usual we will."


    There were female Warriors in Shibatsu though none of them had volunteered for this particr mission. But none of the women here would want go through Warrior training.


    It was only recently that they began allowing girls to learn trades like their brothers instead of simply helping with chores at home. Too much change too fast wouldn''t settle well with such a traditional people. They had already bent a lot to Katie''s modern vision.


    She was certain they would get there eventually but for now decided to defer to Al''s wisdom on the way his people thought. Getting girls more involved in traditional men''s trades since they would be a bit understaffed while the Warriors were here could work in their favor.

 Chapter 173: Training

    Chapter 173: Training


    Abby ignored all of the political talk and focused on making sure Adam was eating his carrots. He really didn''t like them.


    "If you finish all of them I''ll give you some fruit snacks after," she whispered conspiratorially. Adam ate his carrots with gusto after that.


    Fruit snacks were one of the things she and Sia had worked on creating together. They weren''t as sugary as the ones back home since they were made with real pureed fruits and vegetables but they were a novelty here, kind of like marshmallows because of the gtin.


    One day Abby had desperately wanted a fruit-by-the-foot but they didn''t exist here. They created a type of fruit leather that wasn''t terribly simr to the highly processed taste she loved but it got her wondering what else they could make. Thus fruit snacks shaped like tiny circles were born.


    An entire project spanning the better part of two months began after that. Sia''s family handled the bakery while she and Abby were holed up in the kitchen at her house trying to recreate things from memory and limited knowledge.


    She did this because she missed foods from home, not expecting anything else toe of it. The cookbook had been a surprise but it also brought a lot more money into the vige that allowed them to build the inn faster than they would have otherwise. The props and costumes at the theater became slightly better too.


    The Kanta were doing very well for themselves considering there were only about two hundred adults and teenagers between the two viges. Everyone else was too young to contribute much to the economy or infrastructure.


    But that was why Abby had founded the school; she wanted those kids to have more tools to help them help their homnd when they got a bit older. The first of those children had already "graduated" and moved to the workforce when sses ended for the summer.


    There were about four of them and they had already proved to be fairly innovative at their apprenticeships.


    One worked at the printing office and wanted to write a novel for older children in addition to making picture books. Another worked under a stonemason and had already worked together with his mentor to discover a more efficient way to use this world''s version of cement.


    All in all, she considered the limited education she was able to offer the Kanta children a sess. She wanted to tell ise about it but wasn''t sure how long he would be stuck in his camp. With any luck it would only be a few days.


    ===


    ise and the other Warriors hadn''t been allowed to leave the camp for two weeks and he was seriously considering sneaking out to meet Abby and simply epting the punishment at this point. She was so close yet felt even further away than she had when he was in Shibatsu.


    Training began a few days after they arrived once there was time to set up a schedule.


    This year they would go through basic training for the men of Ilmir and next summer they would move their camp close to Raisha to do the same thing. Thest year of their mission would involve more specialized training, splitting the time between each vige.


    mar and Carrick hoped that by the time they finished up here there would be enough young mening of age to begin specific military apprenticeships. Those who had already been through the program could mentor them and the Kanta military would slowly be able to build up from there.


    By the time King Franz no longer sat on the throne (he was still young and healthy, barring any unforeseen idents), the Kanta would no longer need the promise of his troops protecting their borders from invaders. That was the n anyway.


    Every day, thirty to forty males from ages twelve to forty-five came in one of three rotating shifts so they could still get their other jobs done. All of the adolescents came in the first group of the day and ise wondered why that was.


    When he asked, the boy who had been talking to Abby the day they arrived looked at him like he was stupid. "Because we don''t want to miss y practice. Almost all of us have rehearsals right after lunch and still have work to do before and after it."


    y practice? Was that what she had been doing on that stage with all of those children?


    It appeared that she had been quite busy while he was gone. She had gone from a stranger to someone highly respected in the n. Lian wasn''t the only one who thought the world of Abby. He frequently heard other boys whispering about her when the thought themander couldn''t hear them.


    "I wish Abby could see this; she would be so proud of us."


    "Maybe we could use what we learn here in one of our ys! Do you think she would like that?"


    "I wish I had known how to use a sword for real while doing Lord of the Rings. I was Aragorn and I had no idea what I was doing waving that stick around."


    "When we get out of here let''s stop by the bakery. We can bring Abby those doughnuts she likes so much and tell her all about it."


    These boys obviously spent a lot of time with her and thought the world of her for it. ise really shouldn''t have been jealous because some of them were ten years younger than she was but not all of them. There were at least a handful of sixteen to eighteen year olds who could feasibly be considered suitors even though she was now twenty-four.


    Men married women that many years younger than them all the time. It wasn''tpletely unheard of for the reverse to happen as well though it was much lessmon.

 Chapter 174: The One Who Escorted Abby

    Chapter 174: The One Who Escorted Abby


    ise longed to ask them more about her since he couldn''t see her for himself but was afraid they would see him as a threat. The one time he tried asking Lian it hadn''t ended well.


    "Do you remember me?" he asked a few days into training as he sparred with the boy.


    Lian squinted at him a moment before remembering. "Oh. You were the one who escorted Abby herest year. This was your n, wasn''t it? I wondered why we were getting help from Shibatsu all of a sudden since we didn''t have an alliance with them or anything."


    It wasn''t apletely negative response. Encouraged, ise continued. "Yes. Could you tell me how she has adjusted here?"


    Admiration filled his eyes as he answered. "Adjusted? She practically runs the ce. I can''t tell you how many things she''s in charge of now. Everybody fights over who gets to use her because of how talented she is. She''s so smart and beautiful and she really believes in you even when you think you can''t do something. She already turned down a few proposals so no one has been brave enough to try in monthssay, why are you asking about her?"


    "No reason in particr," ise lied.


    Lian''s eyes narrowed as they zeroed in on the ribbon still tied to his wrist. "I don''t believe you. That''s her ribbon, isn''t it? She was wearing one just like it when we first met. Are you the reason she won''t ept anybody around here?"


    He didn''t answer and took advantage of the boy''s distraction to flip his sword out of his hand. That made him even more insistent on getting an answer but ise wouldn''t tell him. He stomped off in a huff and hadn''t spoken more than two words at a time in front of the Warrior since.


    That was when he had been forced to eavesdrop on those Kanta boys to get any further information. While they were the most useful way to hear about Abby, they weren''t the only ones who talked about her.


    Tahvo, the man who ran the printing office, was in the same training shift as a few of his employeester in the day and sometimes they would talk about work on their water breaks. Abby''s name came up a few times in rtion to picture books they were developing.


    The baker''s husband brought her up too after trying a new creation she and Sia whipped up together earlier in the day. The woman who upied such arge part of his thoughts seemed to be involved in almost every aspect of her vige''s culture in some way or another.


    Not only had Abby adjusted, she seemed to care about improving and advancing her new home the same way her sister had. ise was more proud of her than he had the right to be considering the casual nature of their rtionship.


    After hearing so many tiny things about her life hear he wanted to hear it from her own lips desperately. The two of them had so many things to tell each other. But he was still stuck here.


    mar came to check up on everyone''s progress every few days and he finally managed to catch him before starting another set of core exercises for the trainees. He couldn''t quite keep his voice casual when he asked, "When will we be able to leave the camp?"


    He grinned mischievously, reading ise''s desperation with ease. "I take it you have something very particr you''d like to do that has you so anxious?"


    He scowled in response. This man was far toofortable teasing people for someone who was supposed to be in charge of a nation, even one as small at this. "If you already know what I want to do there is no need to ask."


    mar shrugged. "I suppose that''s fair. Just so you know, a certain someone has been asking me the same question every other day since the restriction started. I''m wondering if I should send some of the women over with lunch instead of letting the men bring it themselves tomorrow."


    ise''s heart skipped a beat. Had she really? Did Abby want to see him half as much as he wanted to see her?


    "If you could," he said, trying to keep his cool. "I am sure the men here would appreciate the show of support."


    mar pped a hand on his shoulder. "I''m sure I can make it happen. A fair number of the vige girls are curious about the neers after all and keep talking about wanting to meet them. The younger generation who was raised elsewhere isn''t as cautious toward strangers. Go ahead and tell everyone as an incentive to train harder."


    He walked away to go find Carrick and get a progress report on how his men were doing leaving ise with far too much hope. Tomorrow. He would get to see her tomorrow. He would need to wash that ribbon.


    Training for the rest of the day went by in a blur, even though some of the exercises were grueling. He had been through it all before but it had been a while so he was out of practice for some of the more difficult ones.


    "What on earth are you so happy about?" a Warrior named Kel who shared his rank asked in confusion as they sat next to each other for dinner.


    He was clearly exhausted and rolled his shoulder with a wince. He was out of practice for these sorts of training drills as well. The Warriors, as instructors, didn''t have to do as many as the poor Kanta nsmen did but still had to demonstrate how they were done.


    ise coughed to cover his embarrassment. "The n leader mentioned that women from the vige will be bringing us lunch tomorrow."


    That perked Kel right up. "Really? I wonder how theypare to the women back home. I have only seen some of the older ones when we were on our way through town. I would not mind finding a nice Kanta girl and staying here. Their vige is far nicer than the one I left behind."


    He had expected there would be Warriors like Kel on this mission. The ones who had no real home to return to. It would be mutually beneficial for both parties if a handful of Warriors decided to stay. They could help hold the military together after the main forces left.

 Chapter 175: Two Gifts

    Chapter 175: Two Gifts


    Abby was in the middle of creating a new engraving temte for some Star Wars based picture books when Al dropped by the printing office. He casually mentioned that they were looking for volunteers to go bring today''s rations to the Warrior camp.


    Aside from Tahvo and one other male apprentice, everyone else present was female. The boy rolled his eyes. "I spend more than enough time there already, thanks."


    Tahvo agreed. "Sorry mar, I feel the same. Why don''t you take Abby, Janna, and Mitzi? I''m afraid we still need everyone else to keep working."


    Abby was taken aback. Why her? She was in the middle of something! It was true that she had been waiting for an opportunity to see ise again but she hadn''t wanted to do it where other people could see. She didn''t want to let slip how much she had actually missed him in front of any witnesses.


    Janna and Mitzi were more enthusiastic about the prospect than she was; particrly Mitzi, who was at the very romantic age of sixteen. Her heart thudded at the thought that she would see him so unexpectedly.


    With any luck, everyone else would be so distracted by the food and new people that she would be able to talk to ise in peace for a few minutes. Though everything she wanted to say to him definitely couldn''t be fit into that short amount of time.


    Since a third of the men were currently in training, the women of Ilmir were busier than usual. Each business could only send one or two.


    Some were married women who wanted to see how their husbands were doing but most were single girls who were curious about the neers. The Pullman sisters were likely the only ones who didn''t fall into either category. Katie went because she was the n leader''s wife and Abby did because she didn''t know how to say no.


    The women chatted happily among themselves as they carried the provisions to the camp but she didn''t join in. Her stomach had twisted into knots.


    They hadn''t spoken a word to each other in nearly a year. How would she even start a conversation with him? Considering how much she had to say, Abby was at a loss for words. It didn''t make sense.


    She really shouldn''t be this nervous. ise wasn''t the type to tease or make things awkward. Aside from that one misunderstanding when she tried to figure out his sense of humor, they had always beenfortable with each other.


    Abby set down her basket of food, consisting of sandwiches from the bakery, and scanned the crowd. About half of the people here were her friends and neighbors while the other half were Warriors.


    She thanked her lucky stars that they hadn''te over during the first shift when all the younger boys were there because they would monopolize her the entire time and she wouldn''t get the chance to seek ise out at all.


    Her heart stopped when she spotted him because he smiled widely at her and gestured a greeting from across the mess hall. Abby made her way to him as quickly as she could without looking desperate with a dazzling return smile.


    "Hi."


    Inwardly she cringed. That was really the best thing she could say after so many months with no contact?


    But ise didn''t seem to mind. "Hello. I have two gifts for you."


    Abby blinked at him in surprise. That was very direct of him. She had expected he would bring up the ribbon but what was the other one? "Two?"


    He nodded seriously and held out the coiled up blue ribbon she had lent him in his hand. It looked exactly the same as it had when she gave it to him and her heart sunk slightly. He had probably shoved it into a corner of his knapsack and forgotten all about it until now.


    Thinking he would do something as romantic as tie it somewhere of importance had been stupid anyway. She had barely entertained the thought a handful of times while he was gone.


    "You''re a man of your word," she said around the lump in her throat. "Thanks for bringing this back."


    "I have something else," ise said a bit nervously. She had never seen him like this before. He went through life with utmost confidence. "I picked it up in Shibatsu''s northern neighbor, Stanarussi. I hope you will like it."


    He pulled a small wooden box out of his bag and Abby was startled. Had he been carrying this with him all along? Or had he known she would being today and brought it on purpose?


    Meeting her brother-inw''s smug gray eyes from across the mess hall made her suspect thetter. Al set her up! She would make him pay for thister.


    Abby took the box from him curiously. The workmanship was beautiful; the lid and sides were covered in intricate carvings of flowers and other gently swirling patterns. Did he get her a box because he thought she would find it pretty?


    She opened it and was rewarded by tinkling music ying. She had taken a music history ss in college and thought the tune sounded a lot like something Mozart would haveposed even though the tune wasn''t one she recognized. The musicians had a simr style.


    She couldn''t help butugh in delight. It had been so long since she had heard any kind of recorded music. The Kanta weren''t particrly musical people. They had a few traditional lubies and folk songs that were meant to be yed on something simr to a fiddle with tambourines but all of their instruments were destroyed in the raids.


    No one had been prosperous enough to buy new ones in their temporarily adopted countries and the craftsmen who knew how to make them the Kanta way had all died. Music was a lost art here.


    "A music box! I had one of these as a kid with Aurora and Philip from Sleeping Beauty dancing in it that popped up when you opened the lidnot that you would know what that is. But thank you. I love it," Abby said with a genuine smile.


    ise seemed pleased that she enjoyed it but tilted his head in confusion. "What is that?"


    "Ahit was a movie I liked when I was little. Movies are like ys that you can watch on a sort of magic box. It''s hard to exin using this world''s terminology," she said apologetically.


    He nodded thoughtfully. "I did wonder if you had seen something like this beforeStanarussi is a nation of scientists and brilliant craftsmen. I was amazed by the things I saw there. This music box is but a small part of what they are capable of."

 Chapter 176: More Sentimental Than He Let On

    Chapter 176: More Sentimental Than He Let On


    Abby was intrigued by a country of people who were capable of creating things from her home without needing explicit instructions on how to do so. She wanted to hear more.


    "I would love to hear about them. And everything you''ve been up to the past year," she confessed.


    ise seemed pleasantly surprised. "Really? I thought the same thing about you. I have heard a little about your exploits here and was curious to know more. You have limated here very well. I''m d."


    Her traitorous heart flip-flopped in her chest. Did that mean he had worried about her? She wanted to ask but had yet to work up the nerve when another Warrior plopped down at their table unceremoniously with Mitzi in tow.


    "These sandwiches are so much better than the rations we normally get," he sighed in contentment. "I wish we could have them every day. Especially if such pretty girls bring them to us."


    Mitzi giggled and blushed at hisment. Ah, teenage infatuation. It could be fun to watch. Abby''s only hope was that the girl wouldn''t get her heart broken by someone who nned to go back home at the end of the mission.


    The Warrior raised an eyebrow after seeing ise lift his arms to take a bite of his sandwich. "What happened to your ribbon? I have never seen you without it on your wrist. Did the girl dump you or something?"


    His face turnedpletely red and he refused to say anything by shoveling the remainder of his sandwich into his mouth at once. Abby tried to meet his eyes but he wouldn''t so much as look her way.


    He had worn it all the way back in Shibatsu? Had he been wearing it the entire time? Then why did it look so nice? He must have washed it. Washing ribbons wasn''t the easiest thing to do either; you had to be very particr about it.


    Now it was her turn to have a red face. That was far more sentimental an act than she would have given him credit for. A man wouldn''t wear something so girly unless he truly cared about the woman who gave it to him; she had seen other young men in the vige do the same thing when their betrothed gave them a trinket of hers.


    "Kel, I think that was her ribbon," Mitzi whispered to the man next to her.


    rm filled his violet eyes and he was immediately penitent. "I did not mean to offend either of you! I was only teasing."


    Abby hadn''t wanted a hole to appear in the ground and swallow her up this badly since the day she identally said "love you, bye" signing off a phone call with her boss when she was in college out of habit.


    When shemented her fate to Katie, her unsupportive sister had howled withughter over video chat. Sheughed so hard that she fell over and off screen but Abby had still been able to hear her crack up from her ce on the floor.


    ise recovered his wits first to defend her and she nearly teared up at the gesture. "Miss Abby entrusted me with her ribbon while I was in Shibatsu as a token of luck for the diplomatic mission. There was no better way to protect it than if it was in my sight at all times. Now that I am back I have returned it to her. Simple as that."


    He made her seem like less of an idiot by making it a matter of his own honor rather than her ill-thought-out sentimental gesture. She could have hugged him for the save if she didn''t think that would make things worse.


    Kel cleared his throat. "And your mission seeded so the ribbon did its job. I take it this is the woman you escorted here on a protection missionst year?"


    "Yes."


    "I''m Abby. The n leader''s wife is my cousin," she introduced awkwardly.


    "We work together in the printing office," Mitzi contributed helpfully and Abby shot her a grateful look for changing the subject. "One of our primary exports is children''s literature and Abby is the best one ating up with new ideas. We all tend to follow her lead. My boss, Tahvo, absolutely raves over her work."


    "Ah yes, I know Tahvo. I do believe I have heard him mention her name before. It is a pity he did not mention yours as well," Kel said with a charming smile that disarmed the poor girl instantly.


    Those two continued flirting as he asked her more questions about her work and Abby was free to stew in her thoughts. ise had surprised her in more ways than one today. She hadn''t expected him to be so attached to the ribbon or bring her another present from his travels.


    If he brought her back a souvenir, that meant he had been thinking about her on the road. How often? To what extent?


    Friends in this world didn''t seem to be as close as ones back home. It was perfectly normal there to bring a friend back a keychain or a t-shirt but people took objects'' value more seriously here. They didn''t do cheap, meaningless things like that.


    ise said it got it because he thought she would enjoy it. And that he had figured she would be interested by the people who had sold it to him. Maybe, just maybe, he had thought of her as much as she had thought of him while they were apart.


    He was much more sentimental than he let on, which came as a shock. He had seemed so unppable before and unconcerned for anything beyond doing his duty and traveling. But this showed he cared about her to some extent.


    The real questions were how much did he care and what was she going to do about it, if anything?

 Chapter 177: Missing Music

    Chapter 177: Missing Music


    ise wanted to throttle that idiot Kel for embarrassing him and Abby but she had seemed so grateful when he jumped in with an exnation on her behalf that he couldn''t regret his own mortificationpletely.


    And she did genuinely enjoy the music box. She showed it to all of the women who came with her as they walked away at the end of lunch with bright eyes and a happy smile.


    mar shot him a wink and mouthed "you''re wee" over his shoulder as he left with his arm linked through his wife''s. ise''s face burned once again, especially once Kel gave him a knowing grin.


    "I saw that. You like her and somehow convinced the n leader to bring her here. How did you manage to pull that off?" he asked with augh. "Not that I amining. Mitzi was lovelypany and I owe meeting her to you."


    "If you breathe a word of this to anyone else" ise trailed off threateningly.


    Kel held his hands up in surrender. "I have no intention of getting my backside handed to me, thank you very much. I have seen you thrash Warriors two ranks above you during sparring practice and do not wish to be a practice dummy.


    "But if it means anything, I think she likes you back. My intuition about these things is never wrong. If you decide to marry her you could always stay here and be amander. That sounds like a great life to me."


    One simple interaction with Abby and it sounded more and more appealing. Did she really like him though? ise took his words with a grain of salt since he was prone to exaggeration and teasing.


    He had missed her so much during his travels that it honestly might be better to stay in one ce if it meant having her by his side. He had already gotten a taste of the world around him since meeting her and that had been what he used to dream of when he was younger.


    If he put aside his desire to avoid settling down, that still wasn''t the only potential issue. Abby was from another world and far brighter than even he, who respected her deeply, had given her credit for based on what she had aplished here already.


    Would he be able to keep a woman who shone as brightly as her satisfied? Somehow mar de Kanta, that overly casual joker, had managed to satisfy his wife who came from the same ce and was equally innovative.


    It was obvious to anyone how much she loved him. They had been married for about four years and had two children yet they acted like newlyweds at times.


    ise might benefit from asking him how he had done it if he thought the man would give him a serious answer. As it was, he was more likely to be teased terribly for it.


    He didn''t know what he could possibly offer Abby other than his heart but now that he was here he realized he had to try. It had been stupid to ever believe he could walk away from her forever.


    She had been the most interesting person of his acquaintance ever since they met. Not being able to talk to her while they were apart had been the hardest part because he wanted her input on everything new he was seeing.


    Even if it meant tying himself to a single ce for the rest of his life, he would exchange the freedom to go anywhere in order to talk with her every day.


    ise wanted to know everything he could about her and her world. Maybe he could help here up with additional ways to make the Kanta Mountains seem more like home since that seemed to be what she was attempting to do.


    He hoped the restriction on going into town would be lifted soon. If he was going to try and court Abby for real, he would need more opportunities to see her.


    ===


    Abby spent the next week listening to her music box every night as she got ready for bed. It helped rx her. She had always enjoyed having background music on as she did things back at home. The rtive silence here had been difficult to get used to.


    Sure, she and Katie could sing songs they knew from home but it wasn''t the same as being able to listen to them. Sometimes songs she half-knew from the radio got stuck in her head too and she couldn''t even look up the lyrics to try and fix the problem.


    "What''s that song called that goes something like ''who''s gonna walk you through the dark side of the morning, who''s gonna rock you when the sun won''t let you sleep?''" she asked desperately over breakfast one morning.


    Katie frowned and tapped her spoon against her bowl of porridge as she thought about it. "Not a clue but I think it''s by Selena Gomez. I don''t know any more of the words than you do. But thanks for getting the tune stuck in my head!"


    Abby shot her sister a sheepish expression and she simply huffed in response. This was how their rtionship had always been. She knew Katie was only pretending to be annoyed with her.


    "I miss music. Isn''t there anything we can do about trying to recreate songs we know?"


    She shrugged. "You''re the one who took piano lessons for eight years, not me. I quit after two because I sucked at it too much. If anyone can do it, you can. But you would need an instrument and I doubt we can get an entire piano up this mountain."


    That was a fair point. Pianos did exist in this world but they were massivepared to the smaller electric based ones that existed for casual piano yers to buy back home. These ones were more like the kind you found in concert halls.

 Chapter 178: Morale Booster

    Chapter 178: Morale Booster


    Al raised an eyebrow at them. "I think you''re forgetting something very important, Miss Librarian. There is a book on the history of instruments in your library and it mentions how to build a piano. All we would have to do is buy the individualponents and get someone to manually put them together here."


    They both blinked at him in awe. The answer was too simple. Why hadn''t either of them thought of that?


    "Of course, it will be expensive so one of you is going to have toe up with our next great export idea first so we could afford it. If you think quickly we might be able to get a piano up here before we celebrate the end of the harvest so we can have music at the event," he said casually.


    "I could get a few traditional Kanta instruments as well and we could get Ayana and some of the other original refugees who remember how to y to help you. It would be a great morale booster at the end of the harvest season since everyone is already pretty overworked because of the training regimen."


    Another good point. It had only been a few weeks but everyone was twice as exhausted as usual if not more so because of all the extra work.


    The harvest was one of the most crucial tasks of the entire year because it determined whether or not the Kanta would survive another winter without outside assistance. If morale was low, it would take longer than usual for people toplete and that could cause a variety of problems with the crops.


    The sisters exchanged a look before Katie sighed. "I guess we better get on that then. What haven''t we hit yet that people in Annias would actually like and is possible to pull off with limited tech?"


    Abby didn''t have a clue. She would have to think about it.


    She was listening absentmindedly to her music box after a long and grueling day in the printing office and at y practice when it hit her. The music box.


    Katie said they didn''t have anything like that in Annias and that Stanarussi only traded with its closest neighbors because they hated dealing with diplomats. They had no ties to Annias and though they were on the ocean they didn''t ever venture beyond their own shores.


    If they got someone good with mechanics to look at the individualponents and replicate itthey could make the revolving cylinders have music popr in Annias and market them to nobles by encrusting the boxes with jewels from the mines.


    But that would take far too long. They needed something quick and easy that could be aplished within the next few months.


    Katie wasn''t having any luck either. Her only idea was trying to make and sell maple syrup formon people in the country to put on their bread. She had read about sap collection before and they did have maple trees here but the ideal season to tap the trees for sap had already passed.


    After Adam and Aza had been put to bed, the two of themy on the floorpletely defeated. They couldn''t even muster the willpower to get off the ground, let alone keep brainstorming.


    "what are you doing down there?" Al asked with a snicker.


    "Giving up," Katie moaned. "We can''t think of anything that would work right now! All of our ideas would take too long or it''s the wrong time of year to make them work. Most of what we''ve aplished has been by ident, you know."


    That much was true. Their advancements to society had been a sort of byproduct of trying to make the ce like home.


    Al sat down cross-legged on the floor next to his wife and fiddled with her hair in a silent show of support for about five minutes until he got bored. "Since the two of you have given up, would either of you like to y Monopoly with me? It will help pass the time at least."


    Abby sat up immediately. "Monopoly! Katie, your board games! I know you made them by hand but we can use the engraving tes at the printing office! Then all we would have to do is color them and glue them onto the wooden boards. The game pieces are easy to whittle, aren''t they?"


    She pped her hands together once, remaining on the ground, before pointing to her husband. "Al made them for me even though he had almost no whittling experience whatsoever so I''d say it''s pretty easy."


    "Hey!" he protested. "I worked hard on those!"


    Katie patted his leg to appease him. "Yeah, yeah I know you did. I only meant that anyone with basic whittling skills would be able to replicate them. Everyone I''ve given a board game too has loved it so there''s a decent chance they would sell.


    "Let''s try a test run first. I can make a few by hand before we bother making engraving tes for them. The merchants will tell us how well they sell when theye see us again; they always do to request more orders or not."


    ===


    Abby was in the middle of helping her sister put together checkerboards during her shift in the library when a familiar face stopped by.


    "ise!" she cried. "When did they let you leave the camp?"


    "This morning. I looked for you in the printing office and they said you were here. What are you two doing?" he asked curiously.


    "Trying to get a piano," Katie said wryly. "Which involves an awful lot of chance. We''re going to try and sell these. As an objective outsider, tell me, would you buy something like this to entertain yourself with?"


    ise looked at the checkerboard more closely. "I have seen this before. You have one in your home. mar made me y a few rounds against him because the game involves strategy and he wanted to see how a Warrior thinks."


    "And?"


    "It was unexpectedly diverting. I would buy one if it was set at a reasonable price."


    Katie seemed relieved. "Oh good. These really don''t cost much to make; they''re just time consuming. But that wouldn''t be a problem if we were able to use the printing press."


    "I do believe mymander and several of the Warriors would enjoy this as well. I shall rmend it to them if you wish," he continued.


    "That''s very kind of you. Thanks, ise."


    "You are wee, Madam n Leader."


    "you really don''t have to call me that. Everyone calls me Katie except my annoying brother Percy. He insists on calling me Catherine even though that isn''t actually my name."


    "I could never do you the dishonor," ise insisted. "Your title must be treated with respect."


    Katie smiled at him. "ise, my own people don''t call me by my title. I''m a pretty casual person. It would be my honor if you would call me by my name. Al feels the same way; he''s cool with whatever though most people here call him mar. His cousins call him Al like I do."


    ise nodded seriously in response. "I see. I will take your words under considerationMadam Katie."


    She sighed. "It''s a start. Do you want to help us with this? We could use an extra hand if you have the time."


    "It would be my honor."

 Chapter 179: Something Good or Something Bad?

    Chapter 179: Something Good or Something Bad?


    Abby had so many things she wanted to ask ise now that they were together but she wasn''t sure what would or would not be eptable in front of her sister. He didn''t seem like the type who enjoyed talking in front of most and he didn''t know Katie very well.


    "So," she said awkwardly. "You mentioned going to Stanarussi where you were gone. Did you go anywhere else?"


    "Yes, I visited each country on the continent at least once," he said as he diligently worked on coloring in red squares with a marker.


    Abby was tempted tough at how seriously ise was taking his task. It was actually kind of cute. His hair had changed yet again; it was shorter than before but longer than when she met him. Out of all of the haircuts she had seen this one probably suited him best.


    He looked less like a member of a boyband and more like a Warrior but it wasn''t as severe as a buzzcut. He had gotten a tan while he was away too and it looked good on him. Very good.


    Katie butted in, unable to resist her curiosity. "Ooh, I don''t know much about the geography there since Annias'' is only really allies with Shibatsu and Stanarussi doesn''t want any diplomatic rtions at all. Tell us about them."


    iseplied with her request, giving more detail than he usually did when he spoke. He talked about various cultural differences, the types of goods bought and sold, and thendscapes he had seen.


    Maybe having Katie here wasn''t so bad after all. Instead of making things awkward, she helped the conversation keep flowing so Abby was able to get the information she had wanted ever since his return. The library wasn''t utilized as much now that people were so busy so there was plenty of time to talk uninterrupted.


    After more than forty minutes of ise doing most of the talking in response to the women''s questions, he finally turned the subject back to her. "Those are my adventures in a nutshell. I want to know what you have been doing here. I heard something about a school, a printing office, and a theater but I want to know everything."


    Abby flushed. The way he said it was matter-of-fact but it set her insides on fire. He seemed genuinely interested rather than asking it out of obligation like when people asked you how you were as a greeting and you had to return the question whether you cared about the answer or not.


    "The school was intentional but Abby identally caused quite the phenomenon around here because I was missing some movies and snacks from back home while pregnant with my daughter," Katie said with a fond smile.


    A small cry sounded from a quiet corner of the library and she said "speak of the devil" before excusing herself to go take care of Aza, who had woken up from her nap. ise raised an eyebrow as he turned to Abby with questions in his eyes.


    She shrugged a bit sheepishly. "it''s true. That''s how the theater program started. Katie was a bit overwhelmed by all the work she had to do and homesick. She said she wanted a bag of potato chips and some of our favorite movies from growing up.


    "It took a bit of nning but I got the baker to help me with the chips and some of the children in town to help me put on a superme reenactment of the movies while I narrated and sang some of the theme music. Even Al got involved.


    "All I wanted was to cheer Katie upwhich I totally did; she was grinning for weeksbut the kids had a lot more fun doing it than I expected and wanted to put the y on again for everyone once the weather was nicer and we had outdoor space. That kickstarted the theater program and the potato chips led to further experimenting and a cookbook"


    Abby went on for a while and ise listened intently, stopping every so often to ask thoughtful questions so she knew he was soaking up every word she said. After a while he shook his head in wonder.


    "All of this because of catering to an emotional pregnant women. On the journey back I had to deal with Jae''s new wife Kirienne and her mood swings but was never able to say a word. He was the one charged with calming her down. You really are quite something, Miss Abby."


    "Something good or something bad?" she dared to ask.


    ise looked up from his work to smile softly at her. "Definitely something good."


    That smile warmed her down to her toes and she had to hastily look away before she did something stupid like giggle uncontrobly. Hisment shouldn''t have been sweet but it was.


    Eventually Katie came back and asked if they would keep the library open and keep working because she had to take Adam to the park before he lost his mind. He had been pestering her the entire time she had tried to nurse his sister.


    Abby wondered if she was making excuses trying to be a wingwoman or if her son genuinely wanted to go to the park. She could see it going either way.


    Regardless, she was grateful for the opportunity to keep talking. This long overdue conversation had gone much better than she could have hoped.

 Chapter 180: Honor Is His Middle Name

    Chapter 180: Honor Is His Middle Name


    Ilya, the girl who normally took the afternoon shift at the library, apologized foring by a bitte. She had been filling in for someone at the mine who sprained their ankle during Warrior training the day before.


    She stopped mid-word when she saw what they were doing and confusion lit her face. "What are you making checkerboards for?"


    "We''re going to see if they sell," Abby said with a shrug. "Katie and I have a n to make the post-harvest celebration extra special but we need extra money for that."


    The girl''s eyes sparkled with anticipation. Katie and Abby''s ns always meant something fun for the vigers. "Excellent! I look forward to it. As soon as you finish this up you can go on and head out. Isn''t y practice supposed to start soon?"


    She hadpletely forgotten. She hadn''t even eaten lunch yet and had been ignoring the quiet demands of her stomach because she was so absorbed in her conversation with ise.


    The clock tower let off one loud bong and Abby jumped to her feet. "It''s supposed to start in ten minutes and I still need to eat something!"


    Hastily stowing away the checkerboard materials under the cirction desk, she apologized to ise and hurried out the door. She didn''t expect him to follow her to the bakery to buy a cheese bun she could stuff in her mouth as she walked to the amphitheater.


    "You should not overexert yourself," he said. "They will forgive you if you are a few minuteste. You can me it on the other librarian."


    Abby shook her head. "No, this one was on me. I lost track of time because we were having too much fun."


    ise stopped in his tracks so she had to turn around to hear him properly. He mumbled something she couldn''t catch and flushed when asked to repeat it. "I asked if you truly had fun with me."


    She hadn''t realized what she had said would affect him so much. They were friends. Having fun with friends was apletely normal thing to do in her world. Was it not here?


    "Yes. I always enjoy our conversations. And you did a really good job coloring the checkerboards too," Abby admitted. "There''s a saying in my world ''time flies when you''re having fun.'' That''s what happened today."


    A pleased smile crossed his face. "I am honored, Miss Abby. That is high praise indeed from a woman like you."


    She quickly consumed the rest of her cheese bun to hide her embarrassment. Once sheposed herself, she asked, "how did you manage to get so much time off anyway? Are you going to get in trouble for this?"


    ise shook his head. "No. Technically speaking, I am on an errand for your brother-inw right now. Mymanding officer asked for volunteers and I was the first to raise my hand."


    Abby couldn''t help but roll her eyes. Al probably set this up on purpose like before. She wasn''t sure whether to thank him or punch his shoulderter. Probably thank him. Those few hours with ise had been the most pleasant she had in a while.


    "You wanted to see me that badly?" she blurted, unable to help herself.


    Her face reddened and she couldn''t look at him but heard his answer clearly and confidently. "Yes."


    Oh. That further confirmed her suspicions that he had genuinely missed her while he was gone. In the beginning he had been so cold about leaving that she figured he would forget her entirely while he was living his dream.


    Not only had he not forgotten her, he had been extra attentive sinceing back even though they had only been able to meet twice due to differing schedules.


    "Carrick, mymanding officer, says we should be able to move about the vige freely in the evenings soon," ise continued as if he hadn''t said something earth-shattering. "If I may impose, I would like to call upon your family for dinner. I enjoyed eating with you all before. You and Katie have the most diverting stories about your home."


    Had he? He never gave off that impression. Exactly how much did this stone statue keep to himself anyway? He continued to surprise her.


    "I''m sure Katie won''t mind," Abby said. "I''ll ask her for you."


    Her family seemed determined to y matchmaker for them so she was positive neither of them would have a problem with it. It wouldn''t surprise her at all if Al managed to extend the invitation himself the next time he was in the camp without even consulting her.


    ise escorted her all the way to the amphitheater where all of her actors were already waiting. She apologized profusely and ended up using the librarian as an excuse like he suggested after all.


    "What''s he doing with you?" Lian asked usingly.


    "Al sent him on an errand and he ended up helping me make checkerboards," she said half-truthfully.


    It wouldn''t go over so well that he had sought her out specifically based on how protective the boy was being. Had they had some sort of encounter during training that would make him hold a grudge?


    Her actors who were forced to participate in the training hadined about how strict the instructors were more than once. A few even went so far as to im that the only way they were able to get through it was thinking about going to y practiceter.


    Abby had known it would be a good idea to put them in the first group. Al owed her one for preventing a riot.


    She turned to ise and indicated with her eyes that he should go so she could put out the fire here. A slight smirk crossed his face when he caught her meaning and he gave her a respectful salute before heading back to camp.


    "I don''t like that guy," Lian muttered. "He doesn''t have good intentions."


    Abby had to muffle herughter. It seemed more like he was jealous than holding a grudge over training. That was kind of cute, like when her little cousin dered he would marry her when they were younger because he didn''t know you couldn''t marry family yet.


    That was how she viewed all of these children who flocked to her like moths to a me. Even though some of them were considered adults in this world kids were kids no matter what to her.


    "You should be nice to ise. I wouldn''t even be here without him," Abby said casually. "He saved my life on our way to Annias."


    Not all of these children knew how she had made it to Ilmir. Some were young enough that they likely assumed she had simply materialized one day. A few others knew she had been escorted by a Shibatsu Warrior but didn''t know any of the details.


    Lian bit his lip, torn. "I didn''t know that. What happened?"


    "A giant wave swept me right off the deck and he jumped into the choppy sea to save me. I never would have survived if he hadn''t done that and I wouldn''t have met any of you."


    A few of the children gasped. "He''s a hero!"


    "He saved Abby!"


    "Wow, that''s so cool!"


    After being around her so often, a lot of the kids had picked up a few of her ng words. ''Cool'' and ''awesome'' were verymonly used around here now.


    The boy sighed reluctantly. "I suppose that was an honorable thing to do."


    "Honor is his middle name," Abby assured him. "Don''t you worry about me. I trust ise with my life."


    With that, y practice resumed as if nothing had happened. But the next time ise walked through town he was baffled to find himself swarmed by an awestruck horde of children who wanted to hear more of his miraculous rescue.

 Chapter 181: Shut Up, Katie

    Chapter 181: Shut Up, Katie


    By the time ise was able to make it to the de Kanta home for dinner, the board games had already begun to sell. Now all they had to do was wait to hear back on how high the demand was from the merchants when they came back in a few weeks to decide whether or not to make more.


    Abby had been petting Simba and feeding him treats in the side yard and singing to herself when he arrived. "Is that song from your home?" he asked, making her nearly jump out of her skin.


    "You scared me! Don''t sneak up like that," she said breathlessly with a hand clutched over her heart.


    "My apologies."


    "And yes, it is. It was really popr on the radio when I was in high school. Aha radio is this thing that broadcasts music."


    ise sat down next to her in the dirt and looked at her with interest. "Is music very important where youe from?"


    Was music important?! It was a part of everyday life! People listened to music in the car, while they worked, in the grocery store. They forked over hundreds of dors to see their favorite musicians live and then screamed themselves hoarse.


    Abby sighed. She would give anything to have her phone with her and be able to listen to her iTunes library. But it hadn''t been in her pocket when she was transported to this world and even if it had been, there wouldn''t have been a way to charge it.


    "Yes. I miss it a lot, which is why Katie and I are trying to get a piano up here. We want to try and recreate some of our favorite songs. I took piano lessons for a long time so I know how to read music. It should be doable."


    Once they had a piano, she wanted to use it for the performances they put on. They would have to build a roof over the amphitheater to turn it into a concert hall but that wouldn''t be so difficult to do.


    It might even be possible to recreate musicals if they had a piano. Her mother had loved musicals and had passed that love onto both of her daughters though Abby was more into them than Katie was.


    They shared a few nostalgic favorites but she was the one who sought out new musicals on her own. Unfortunately, she had never gotten to see a Broadway show live beforeing here.


    If she could recreate even one she would be happy. The standard wouldn''t be at all the same but anything was better than nothing, right?


    Simba began sniffing ise curiously and Abby sincerely hoped the lynx wouldn''t do anything to hurt him. He was a big teddy bear but only around her. Everyone else he was at least slightly wary of.


    He nearly gave her a heart attack when he plopped himself in ise''sp and closed his eyes in contentment. "I think he remembers you," she said in disbelief.


    Giving the lynx a head scratch, he didn''t seem fazed at all. "Well he did sleep in my knapsack often enough on the road. Can you tell me more about your world''s music?"


    He changed the subject back so quickly! Was he really that curious? She supposed she would be too in his shoes so she told him as much as she could. She was in the middle of exining the concept of concerts when Katie found them and called them in for dinner.


    She muttered about how she couldn''t believe how big ''that thing'' had gotten as Simba bounded away and Abby couldn''t help butugh. Not everyone could be a wild animal tamer. She had gotten lucky with the beef jerky.


    Unlike thest time he ate dinner here, ise was far more engaged in the conversation. He didn''t simply sit back and observe everyone else. He even made sure to talk to Adam, who was sitting between him and Abby.


    Had he been shy before and felt morefortable now? Or was he making an extra effort to get to know her family for her?


    It was a heady thought but she couldn''t help but wonder. If he was, it might mean that he was trying to court her. She wanted to dismiss the thought because he wasn''t like that but he had already proven to be more sentimental than she originally gave him credit for. It was possible.


    ise stayed a couple hours after dinner to y Monopoly with them once the kids were asleep and actually managed to win even though this was his first time ying. He had an acute business sense. Or maybe it was simply his Warrior strategy training shining through.


    Katie, who was normally the reigning champion around here, had been impressed to say the least. "When was thest time someone beat me?"


    "Abby did nearly seven months ago," Al sighed dramatically. "I''ll never win at this rate. I''m terrible at this game but it''s still so fun."


    "I could give you a few pointers," ise offered. "It really is quite simple."


    He epted the offer eagerly and the two of them ended up discussing what to do and not to do to hold onto your money. Al was usually the first one to go bankrupt every time they yed, which was ironic considering he was primarily in charge of the n''s finances and doing a good job there.


    Katie leaned over to whisper in her sister''s ear when the men weren''t paying attention. "Would a boring guy really y Monopoly with you and talk with you about how music back home worked?"


    Abby flushed. She had called him boring before, hadn''t she? Back when she denied liking him for the first time. Since returning to the Kanta n, ise was anything but boring. He was actually quite fun to be around.


    "Shut up, Katie."


    "Shutting up."

 Chapter 182: She Thinks Differently

    Chapter 182: She Thinks Differently


    mar had been the one to clue ise in on the fact that he needed to get closer to her family if he wanted Abby to see him in a more positive light. They had ended up chatting when he visited the camp to get an update from Carrick a few days before the restriction on visiting the vige was lifted.


    "I know how she ticks after having her live with us so long," he confided. "She would never be with someone who didn''t get along with us because Katie is her best friend. You are trying to woo her, aren''t you?"


    Yes, but ise hadn''t thought he was being that obvious. "Is there anything else I need to do?" he asked somewhat desperately.


    Their rtionship had settled back into itsfortable pattern of conversation like before but there were some definite changes because of the ribbon incident. There had been a subtle undercurrent of something running through their interactions ever since.


    mar shrugged. "Show interest in her world. She and Katie talk about it a lot."


    The advice was simple, straightforward, and something he had been nning to do anyway. He could make that work.


    Every day once the training sessions were wrapped up, ise went to eat dinner with Abby and her family. His desire to know more about her only intensified the more she told him. She had led such a fascinating life beforeing here and even now continued to try and recreate as much as possible.


    He wanted to help her with that, he really did. He had already decided to stay here and take on amander position to see her beautiful face every day and listen to her tell stories. Her world was more fascinating than anything he could see traveling.


    A few of the other Warriors teased him about where he went every day after training was over. Many of them didn''t venture into town often because they had no interest in setting down roots here.


    Kel and a few others visited the bakery frequently because the food there was better than the rations they normally got at camp. Sometimes they would hang out with some of the Kanta men they got friendly with during training. Other times they would try to get invited to dinner at pretty girls'' houses.


    There was a lot of flirting going on but only Kel and Mitzi seemed to be making any real progress. He had already been to her house about six times.


    Barracks were divided up by rank so he and ise were in the same tent. One night after everyone else was asleep, Kel sighed dreamily. Presumably his dinner date had gone well.


    "Mitzi''s uncle likes me, I can tell. He and his sons run one of the mines around here and we spent a while talking about that before ying a strange game called Sorry with Mitzi and her aunt. Have you heard of it?"


    "I''ve yed it before," ise replied tiredly.


    "Right, I forgot who I was talking to. You spend all of your time with the sister of the woman who invented it. Those two really are quite amazing. You cannot go anywhere in town without hearing their names linked with praise.


    "The n leader knew what he was doing when he chose his wife. She is the perfect power behind the throne to lead the Kanta into the next generation. I only met her once but she left quite an impression."


    Kel yawned before continuing. "I am thinking of proposing to Mitzi at the end of harvest celebration. I want to get married before we go to Raisha so I can bring her with me."


    ise was startled. So soon? They had only been spending time with each other for about a month. He couldn''t help butpare that timeframe to the one Abby had once described. Mitzi was barely of a marriageable age here but would still be considered a child in Abby''s homnd.


    His logic made sense though. If he didn''t marry her before going to Raisha they would be separated for a year and a half.


    With a frown, ise realized the same would apply to him but there was no way he would be able to convince Abby to marry him so quickly. They may have been spending a lot of time together but he had yet to say anything about his feelings.


    Sometimes he got the feeling that he might be special to her in some way by the way she smiled at him. But the moment would pass and he would remember that she smiled that brightly at her family too.


    "What about you?" Kel asked sleepily. "Has Abby realized you are trying to court her yet?"


    ise sighed. "No. She has not."


    "You would think going to her house every day would clue her in."


    Perhaps, but she thought differently because of where she was from. She might see this as regr friend behavior. He needed to ''step up his game'' as mar would say. He had gotten that phrase from his wife.


    "I cannot afford to rush things with her. She thinks differently," he replied somewhat defensively. "I have to work at her pace."


    "If you say so. But be sure you have made your feelings clear before the mission is over. That way she will not have to worry that you may be going back to Shibatsu without her," Kel advised. "I am going to sleep now. Goodnight."


    "Good night."


    Kel had an excellent point. If she did truly care for him, Abby could very well worry about him leaving again when the time came for the rest of the band of Warriors to go home.


    ise had already made his choicehe would spend the remainder of his life here with her if she would have himbut she didn''t know that. He would have to convince her of his feelings somehow before that time came, which could be difficult considering all the time he would have to spend in Raisha.


    She was too firmly entrenched in life here to be convinced to follow him. He would be lucky if she asionally visited with mar when he came to check up on things.

 Chapter 183: My Hands Are Tied

    Chapter 183: My Hands Are Tied


    Abby and Katie both screamed and punched the air in excitement as soon as the merchants left. The demand for board games was high after selling out in the first city they hit on their way out of the mountains.


    Al, who was in the middle of feeding Aza some pureed carrots, found it amusing. "I guess you''re getting your piano after all. You better get to work on those engraving tes. They''ll be back in three weeks."


    That sobered them instantly. Abby hastily bid everyone goodbye as she rushed out to the printing office.


    Tahvo was at his training session with two other office workers so she had to start making the tes with Janna''s help. It was a bit more difficult with less people, especially since most of the remaining workers were in the middle of coloring illustrations.


    "We need more people," she muttered under her breath, fervently wishing that this vige wasrger or that some of the younger children could grow up faster and join the workforce.


    "This won''tst forever," Janna reassured her. "It is only until the Warriors go to Raisha. Then everything will resume as normal."


    Oh. She had nearly forgotten they would be leaving at the beginning of the summer. They had already been here a few months and the remaining time was ticking away.


    Raisha wasn''t nearly as far as Shibatsu had beenit was still possible to visitbut it would be much more difficult during the winter months. Even Al made it out there much less often when the snow was high.


    At the very least Abby and ise would be able to exchange letters when Al did his usual visits. That was better than nothing but the prospect still made her heart sink. Seeing him had be an integral part of her day.


    ===


    It was a hectic scramble to meet the deadline but the printing office managed to produce over a hundred copies total of Monopoly, Yahtzee, Sorry, and checkers. Instruction sheets on how to y were included with each one.


    Each one sold for seven to ten copper pieces. All of them together would be enough to buy a piano and a few violins and tambourines.


    Abby was ready to drop dead afterward because they had to continue production of children''s books at the same time despite their terrible understaffing problem. As soon as they were finished she headed to the bakery to buy herself a treat.


    Eyeing the wares in the disy case, she debated between a chocte cupcake and a powdered doughnut. In the end Siaughed and told her to take both for the price of one. She was in an excellent mood because her oldest daughter had just been proposed to by the cksmith''s son.


    "Congrattions! Canaria will make a beautiful bride," Abby said with a wide smile.


    Sia hummed contentedly. "She will, won''t she? Yuno is a good looking boy as well so I''ll have the most adorable grandchildren."


    Weddings weren''t a terriblymon urrence here due to the poption being so small so they were worth getting excited about. Thest one had happened before Abby moved here over in Raisha.


    Only a select few vigers from Ilmir had been able to attend, including Al and Katie because the n leader had to officiate any marriages for them to be considered valid here. The thought of her goofy brother-inw presiding over any serious ceremony like that made her want tough.


    They nned to hold the wedding before the first snow hit. Abby was excited at the thought of being able to include music in the celebration. Kanta weddings used to include a traditional song yed on the fiddle and a dance with tambourines but the custom had been lost along with the instruments.


    Canaria''s wedding would be the first to have that again in more than twenty years. Abby couldn''t spoil the surprise yet though. They needed to acquire the instruments first, then get someone who knew how to y and remembered the old songs and dances to help teach people.


    She was excited at the prospect but none of that would be able to happen until after the harvest was over. Her kind of music would have to be yed first at the end-of-harvest party.


    The piano parts should arrive right before the harvest began so she would be able to put her n into action. She already had the perfect person in mind to build it. Arno, one of the best craftsmen in the vige. He would be able to follow the instructions in that book without difficulty.


    Hopefully he could build it quickly because every avable hand was needed for the harvest. During that time of year everyone abandoned their other jobs to get it all done.


    Grains were harvested in the spring (which seemed backward to Abby but apparently they liked the cold) but vegetables had to be harvested in the fall to be divided up and saved in everyone''s cers tost the winter.


    Katie had a greenhouse built that yielded crops that didn''t grow so well in the cooler mountain climate such as tomatoes and squash but it wasn''t big enough to fit all of the other crops necessary to keep a vige this size alive. Hence the need for everyone getting involved in the harvest.


    Since this was a holistic,munal society Al was in charge of dividing up the crops ording to family size and need so everyone got their fair share. She had been skeptical of the system but had seen how well it workedst harvest.


    It showed how important Al''s role was. Everyone here trusted him and counted on him because he was the one with the most blessings from the mountain spirits due to his bloodline.


    Most kingdoms yielded at least a few tyrants because of bloodlines inheriting the throne but that had never been a problem in all of Kanta''s history. The n leaders took their roles seriously and spent their entire lives devoted to helping their people.


    Adam was still too young but in a few years he would begin apanying his father to learn how things worked for when he took over the n someday. It was kind of concerning to think about her little nephew having a destiny he couldn''t escape instead of being able to choose his career.


    When she expressed that to Katie, her sister sighed. "That isn''t how the people think here. Most of them inherit their family''s businesses instead of choosing things for themselves. Of course I want my son to have the kind of life he wants but my hands are tied.


    "At the very least whatever he is interested in doing will probably be part of his job description. The n leader does a little bit of everything around here. At least he''s the only one who will have to deal with this. The rest of my kids will be able to choose."


    It was a sad way of looking at things but Abby decided not to press the issue further. She could tell it bothered Katie more than she let on.


    She loved the life she had built here with her husband but she had a little more choice in the matter than her son did. She chose to stay and help rather than run away and avoid responsibility and had done an excellent job.

 Chapter 184: A Piggyback Ride

    Chapter 184: A Piggyback Ride


    Arno finished constructing the piano on the stage a couple of weeks before the harvest began because the parts arrived earlier than expected. The roof for the amphitheater was still under constructionthe Warriors decided to use building that as part of the training regimenso for now it was covered with a canvas tarp to protect it from the elements when not in use.


    Katie didn''t remember anything from her piano lessons but where the notes were and three basic songs: Chopsticks, From a Wigwam, and the top half of Heart and Soul. She tested the first two and had to get Abby to do the chords for the third.


    y practice had been suspended while the area was under construction so the only people who heard any of the piano music were the Warriors and whatever Kanta men were on shift. Everyone was curious but Carrick ordered them to get back to work and apologized to Katie.


    "It''s fine," she reassured him. "We were only testing it out. We have ns to use this in the post-harvest celebration. Since you have already volunteered your men to help us with it you are all wee to join us."


    "Thank you for your generosity, Madam n Leader," Carrick said respectfully before returning to work.


    Abby remembered about a dozen songs she could y without sheet music even though she was a little rusty on the chords. Half were fairly upbeat covers of pop songs and the other half were more ssical in nature.


    Katie was satisfied by what she remembered. "We can definitely get a decent dance party started out of this. But what about you? You won''t be able to dance if you''re stuck at the piano all night."


    She shrugged. There was only one person she cared about dancing with and was fairly certain he had never danced in his life. ise already told her that music was something primarily reserved for the royal family in Shibatsu because instruments were expensive.


    "I''ll be fine. It''s not like you can take over for me."


    Unbeknownst to her, Katie went off in search of Ayana to ask her to y a traditional song or two on the fiddle at the celebration so Abby could have the opportunity to dance. She had the feeling ise would want to finally make a move that night and had to leave it open for him.


    ===


    The harveststed for roughly two weeks and everyone was exhausted by the time it was over. They rotated in shifts so at least a little work for their export business could be done. The merchants liked doing one or two big trips before the snow hit and they needed to have everything done in time.


    Most people spent half the day in the fields and the other half making things in their various businesses to be sold. Abby was doubly tired because she had to carve out time each day to practice the piano so she wouldn''t embarrass herself in front of everyone.


    ise found her passed out on the piano bench one day with her face squished against the keys. "Miss Abby, I would rmend finding a softer ce to nap."


    She rubbed at her face tiredly. "Thanks. I would have had a horrible crick in my neck if I stayed there much longer. What time is it?"


    "About half past six. Katie sent me to fetch you when you did note home for dinner."


    Abby groaned. How embarrassing. At least she wasn''t the only one falling asleep in weird ces. Al was found taking a power nap under a bush the other day in the middle of harvesting after staying up toote helping someone''s goat give birth.


    Not only did they have to pick all the vegetables they grew specifically, they had to pick all the fruit from the trees and bushes that grew around the mountains so it wouldn''t go to waste. Berries and plums typically needed to be picked in spring or summer but couldst through October and apples couldn''t be harvested until the fall anyway.


    Drying out fruits or turning them into jams was a big deal out here since they had such a long shelf life. Once the harvest was over, the Kanta women would spend the next several weeks making jam tost them to through the uing year.


    "Are you getting adequate rest, Miss Abby?" ise asked in concern.


    She realized she had been spacing out and smiled apologetically. "Not really. I just need to wait until the first big snowstorm; then I''ll be able to get away with sleeping for days as long as my niece and nephew aren''t too loud."


    "Isn''t that still about a month away?"


    "yes."


    It was entirely possible she would work herself to death before then but that was how life worked here. She had gotten used to it.


    "I see. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to ease your burden," ise said seriously.


    It had taken spending more time with him for Abby to realize that he actually cared a lot more than he let on. You simply had to know what signs to look for. He was a very considerate person even if he didn''t show it in the ways she had been used to back home.


    "If you really want to help me out you could always give me a piggyback ride back to the house," she joked.


    ise had seen Adam receive enough piggyback rides to know what they were. He took her words seriously and crouched down, indicating for her to get on his back. She hastily backtracked. "I wasn''t serious! You really don''t have to do that."


    He shook his head. "No, you are tired. It is my honor to assist you. Get on."


    Abby couldn''t argue with him so she meekly got onto his back, feeling like an overgrown six-year-old. When was thest time someone had carried her like this anyway? When her dad was alive?


    "Thank you," she saidmely, doing her best to hide her face and avoid the stares of everyone they passed.


    ise didn''t seem to think there was anything weird about this at all. He continued chatting with her about the harvest and how training was going as if she wasn''t currently riding on his back all the way back to the house.

 Chapter 185: May I Have This Dance?

    Chapter 185: May I Have This Dance?


    Abby''s back was killing her by the time the harvest ended but she was excited about the celebration. Sia and her family had gone all out with the baked goods and managed to make ice cream again, though it was strawberry vored this time.


    All of the Raisha vigers had traveled to join them because they finished their harvest too. The inn and every single house were filled to capacity with guests.


    The streets were packed, simr to the festival in the spring, but this time there wouldn''t be a y performed. There would be a dance party.


    The amphitheater was still under construction but since the walls weren''t all the way up it would be easy to hear in the clearing over by the yground. People could dance over there instead of on the stage.


    Once all of the food was consumed, Al made a speech thanking everyone for their hard work and saying there was a special surprise if everyone would follow him. It was show time.


    The first song Abby yed was "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus since it was the most upbeat thing she knew. It wasn''t like she would be singing the lyrics no one would understand so she figured it would be a good song to get people dancing.


    Everyone was baffled at first because most of them had never heard the sound of a piano. But Adam, who had sat in on a few of her practice sessions, started dancing around in the way only very young children could and several of his friends joined him.


    That prompted those other children''s older siblings to join in and soon nearly everyone was at least tapping their foot to the beat.


    Katie, with their daughter strapped to her back, was dancing around her husband and showing him what to do since his dance training in the pce had been ssical-based. Al got the hang of it pretty fast and soon they were the people to follow.


    Everyone pped loudly when the first song was over and Abby had to think quickly what to y next. She settled on "Smooth Criminal" by Michael Jackson.


    More people got into the groove this time and by the time she yed the third song pretty much everyone was dancing. To keep from running out of all of the faster paced songs she knew in one go, she yed a slower one.


    Once again, Al and Katie took the lead because they knew how to waltz. Other couples tried following their leads but ended up moving in somewhat awkward circles, which was how every school dance she had ever attended seemed to go.


    Even a few of the Warriors had managed to procure partners even though they had been the least involved in the more upbeat songs. Themander stood to the side and watched with arms crossed over his chest and a slight smile on his face.


    Everyone was having a great time right until she ran out of music. People turned to look at her expectantly and she shrugged. "Sorry everyone. That''s all I have for now. I haven''t had much time to practice."


    "But I have," Ayana called out. "It''s your turn to dance."


    Cheers rose up in the crowd as she pulled out a violin and an older man brought out a tambourine. They yed traditional Kanta songs, which sounded a bit like something out of that old musical Fiddler on the Roof.


    All of the older generation who weren''t ying began performing the dances they had learned to go with these songs when they were young. Their children and grandchildren jumped in as soon as they feltfortable enough to attempt the intricate footwork.


    The group didn''t move as seamlessly as it had when only the people who knew what they were doing were involved but that didn''t matter. Everyone was having fun.


    As such a small civilization, the Kanta didn''t have many songs. Ayana ran out of material after about thirty minutes but to Abby''s surprise, yed one more song she recognized. It was a sweet and simple slow song, perfect for dancing to with a partner.


    She had already danced a bunch of the group dances holding hands with various people she knew but she didn''t think ise would want to dance even though she had seen him lurking about in the corners earlier. He hadn''t danced to a single song so far.


    There wasn''t really a point trying to find a partner if she couldn''t have the one she wanted. When she felt a tap on her shoulder she was ready to turn whoever it was down because her mood had suddenly plummeted.


    "May I have this dance?" ise asked, holding out his hand quite formally.


    Unable to stop herself, her smile grew until it was too big for her face and decided to quote him. "It would be my honor."


    One of his big hands ended up on her waist while the other held her hand. They did the awkward moving-in-a-circle dance but it had never felt so nice.


    "I didn''t think you danced," Abby said stupidly.


    "I admit Ick experiencebut I wanted to dance with you. Is that alright?"


    "It''s more than alright."


    He had put himself out of hisfort zone for her; how could she not be happy about that? Her heart felt like it might burst. If he had done thishe might actually like her after all. She was dying to know but it wasn''t socially appropriate to ask.


    All the signs had been pointing to it for a while but she hadn''t wanted to get her hopes up in case he nned to leave again. If that was going to happen, wouldn''t it be better to simply stay friends?


    It would hurt but not as much as it would if they grew even closer and she fell in love with himpletely only to be partedter. They had barely started bing close the first time he left and it had still bothered her on and off the entire time he was gone.

 Chapter 186: Its More Of A Want Than A Need

    Chapter 186: It''s More Of A Want Than A Need


    When the party began wrapping up atst ise took advantage of the chaos to ask if Abby woulde with him for a moment. She followed him away from the yground and they made their way back to the abandoned main street in town.


    "Did you need something?" she asked as her heart beat so fast it threatened to ascend into the astral ne.


    They hadn''t been alone together in a while. Abby couldn''t help but think that whatever he wanted to say must be significant to make sure no one else was around to overhear.


    "Yes and no. I suppose it''s more of a want than a need," ise hedged, looking nervous. "But first I would like to know what you want. Out of life, I mean. Now that you are stuck here with no way to return home."


    What a strange question. Abby had known since the moment shended in Shibatsu that there was no going back. Her goals hadn''t changed much since then. She wanted to continue living out her life in this vige with her family and the people she hade to love.


    She wanted to keep trying to find ways to make this ce more like home and help enrich the lives of the Kanta. And she supposedshe also wanted to have a family of her own at some point but she hadn''t thought about it much.


    Most of the time she was fulfilled simply by being involved in her niece''s and nephew''s lives, seeing her sister so happy, and being so busy she could hardly think. But every once in a while she felt down, wondering if another man like Al who could ept a transmigrator the way she was even existed in this world.


    The only man she had even considered giving her heart to aftering here was standing in front of her now. She wasn''t sure what to tell him but sensed that her answer would be important.


    "Umnow that I''ve put down roots here I want to keep trying to improve the lives of the people and make things more like my home if I can," Abby said slowly.


    She hesitated before speaking again but figured she may as well be honest. "I''d like to have my own family at some point. I can''t mooch off of Katie and Al forever. But I don''t know if that''s even possible because I''m so different from everyone here. Katie got really lucky she found someone who loves her because she''s a little weird."


    ise nodded his understanding. "I suspected that might be the case."


    He didn''t say anything for a few minutes and Abby was screaming on the inside. What was that supposed to mean?! How could he ask something like that and give such a vague response when she answered him?


    Eventually he sighed and met her eyes again, looking even more nervous than he had before. She kept forgetting to breathe from the stress of anticipation.


    "I came with you to Annias because I was worried about what would happen if you were alone but also because I wanted to spend more time with you," ise said in a rush. "I tried telling myself over and over that allowing myself to be tied down would be a mistake but the entire time I was off traveling I thought about you.


    "''Would she like this? What would she think of that?'' I only bought the music box but I thought of you whenever I saw something pretty or entertaining. As Kel said, the ribbon never left my wrist from the moment you gave it to me except for asional washings.


    "The moment I saw you again I wanted to rush to your side but had to follow mymanding officer. All of that waiting to speak to you again was torturous. Then you came to visit the camp and we talkedall of my feelings intensified.


    "It became apparent rather quickly that I would not be able to make myself leave your side again. My dreams have changed. I have seen many new ces but none of thempare to spending time with you. I would be honored to spend the rest of my life fulfilling your dreams by your side. Please tell me if I have any chance at all regarding your affection."


    It was the most Abby had ever heard him say at once.


    She was still reeling from the shock as she tried to process what he was saying. He had liked her ever since they were in Shibatsu? He wanted to stay here with her?


    All of his words hit her like bricks but nothing was more impactful than hearing his dreams had changed. He had wanted to live as a nomad ever since he was young but he would be willing to put down roots for her.


    "Really?" she squeaked, unable to get anything else out. She gathered her wits about her, unwilling to be swept away with the moment. "What is it you like about me exactly?"


    ise fiddled with the part of his belt that normally held his sword as he answered, still nervous. She had never seen him this flustered but it was honestly pretty cute.


    "The funny way you tell stories and the insights you have about everything around you. Your kind heart and sharp mind. The way you seem to inspire everyone around you. And the way your eyes light up when you smile. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever known but that is secondary to the strength of your character."


    Abby.exec had stopped working. Men had confessed to her beforeshe was no novice at datingbut none had ever been this heartfelt or sincere. The things he said were some of the nicest she had ever heard about herself.


    If he thought so highly of her all this time how had he always managed to act like a total block of wood in front of her?! Although he had been much better about showing emotions sinceing back from Shibatsu.


    He must have realized that he would need to show her he liked her if he wanted things to get anywhere. Or someone (possibly Al) had goaded him on.

 Chapter 187: I Shall Follow Your Arrangements

    Chapter 187: I Shall Follow Your Arrangements


    Abby was so startled that she ended up rambling. "Iwow. Give me a second for my brain to start working again. I mean, I like you too but you did just drop a bomb on me so"


    "You do?" ise asked, uncharacteristically cutting her off out of eagerness.


    "Uh, yeah. That''s why I gave you my ribbon. I wanted you to have a reason toe back and panicked at thest second."


    His smile grew so big that her heart stopped. It was a critical attack. He was too handsome when he smiled like that! Give her poor heart a chance to recover first. Abby was still trying to process that this was actually happening.


    Dating here was a lot different than back home. On earth people dated because they liked each other and wanted to test if they werepatible. In this world courtship was a precursor to marriage, simply allowing time for setting up a wedding and building a house for the new couple to live.


    Would Abby really be able to make that kind of amitment to someone she wasn''t sure she could love forever? He knew her life back home was different from here. If she told him she wanted to date first without any promises of a future would he be upset?


    "Breathe, Miss Abby," ise reminded her with a slightugh.


    He had noticed she was freaking out, which was just like him. He was always concerned about her well-being. But if this was going to work she would have to exin how dating worked in her world and that he needed to stop being so formal with her.


    "Please, please drop the ''Miss''," Abby begged. "I''m a casual person from a casual culture and I can''t date somebody who addresses me like that. Dating is what I''m used to and it''s different from the courtship you would think ofall I''m saying is please don''t be so formal and be willing to take it slow with me. I can''t marry anybody without being sure things will work outter on."


    "I already figured as much. I have no intention to rush youAbby," ise said a bit awkwardly. This would probably take some time for him to get used to. "But can you tell me a bit more what your ''dating'' is like? For reference."


    He was taking this a lot better than she had thought he would. Well, he was as cool as a cucumber. People like him did not rattle easily. But hearing about what constituted dating might because of how formal and chivalrous he was.


    "You might not befortable with it," Abby hedged. "But dating involves things like hanging out together and holding hands, hugging, and kissing. We already hang out so you don''t need to worry about that but as for the other things"


    "I understand. Like your sister and her husband, correct?"


    "Yes! Exactly like them." Abby was surprised that he didn''t seem to be bothered by this at all. Maybe because he had already seen the sort of thing she hade to expect out of a rtionship.


    ise said "I will be fine" in a confident tone and held his hand out to her. "But if I am not your betrothed, what am I?"


    This was a discussion she never would have imagined herself having because everyone back home knew what dating was supposed to entail. She never thought she would have to tell her boyfriend that he was her boyfriend.


    "My boyfriend. And I''m your girlfriend," she said awkwardly. "Is that okay?"


    He nodded. "I shall follow your arrangements."


    It sounded like he was conducting a business transaction! They had been dating for less than five minutes and Abby was already wondering if this was really going to work.


    ===


    Katie found the whole exchange amusing when Abby told her about it over breakfast the following morning. She apologized with tears of mirth in her eyes when Abby got put out about it.


    "I''m sorry, it really isn''t that funny; I''m mostlyparing your experience to mine because it was pretty different."


    Her anger fizzled hearing the exnation. It was true, their stories were vastly different. Katie had been proposed to, didn''t hear from the guy for two weeks, then suddenly found herself engaged and living in the castle the next day.


    They didn''t live as husband and wife at first, acting more like friends than anything. Later, when Katie decided she liked him enough to stay, they acted like they were dating but didn''t be a true married couple until after they left the pce.


    And Abby had been a puddle of human awkwardness trying to exin things to a rather unemotional statue who acted like they were making some sort of deal.


    She knew ise was capable of showing his emotionshe had earlier on in the conversationbut after that he seemed like a programmable boyfriend-bot. He did what she said without a single word of protest.


    "We''re quite a pair, aren''t we?" Katie mused as she fed Aza spoonfuls of porridge, making a terrible mess on the baby''s face. "Dating in this world is hard. I hope things work out for you as well as they have for me."


    Normally Al would insert some sort of cheekyment or kiss his wife here but he had headed out early with all of the visitors from Raisha. He still needed to help them divide their vegetables fairly.


    "I hope so too," Abby replied quietly.


    After breakfast she spent the rest of the morning helping Katie and a bunch of other women make huge pots full of jam on fire pits set up near the yground. It was easier to get it all done in bulk than do it alone.


    Plus there was the added bonus of being able to keep an eye on their young children as they yed safely out of the way. If everyone did their own jam at home they wouldn''t be able to keep them entertained so easily.


    As they worked, the construction for the amphitheater-turned-auditorium was easily visible nearby. Abby spotted ise a few times and felt her cheeks heat remembering the conversation from the night before.


    And the way he had kissed the back of her hand goodnight like something straight out of a Jane Austen novel. Somehow, that had been more simultaneously embarrassing and enthralling than any kiss on the lips she had ever experienced.

 Chapter 188: Was This What Girlfriends Did?

    Chapter 188: Was This What Girlfriends Did?


    ise had already surpassed the first hurdle. He was Abby''s boyfriend, whatever that meant, and couldn''t afford to mess that up. No matter what, he had to convince her that he cared enough to marry her.


    A long time ago she told him that her previous courtships (he realized now that they were boyfriends) didn''t work out because they hadn''t cared about her enough. He had to prove that he cared more than them so she wouldn''t call things off with him too.


    He had to think about what he knew she liked. Musicsweets from the bakery in townchildren. Come to think of it, there had been flowers in her hair likely put there by children nearly every time he had seen her during the summer.


    The mountain had cooled down significantlythere were spections of the first snowstorm being soonbut there were still a few scattered patches of wildflowers here and there. He could pick her a bouquet to ce on her nightstand.


    ise had been very young when his sisters were being courted but he remembered there always being wildflowers around the inn from their suitors. That could be a thing boyfriends did, right?


    Abby was nearby making jam with arge group of women and he wanted to say hello to her but Carrick had eyes like a hawk. He would get in trouble for cking off.


    When lunch finally rolled around he had every intention of going to spend his break with her but she beat him to it. She proudly presented him with a thick slice of bakery bread covered in raspberry jam.


    "This came from the first batch of the day so it''s not fully set yet but it''s in better condition than the others. It should still be delicious, if a bit runny. I figured it would help the rations go down a little easier."


    Was this what girlfriends did? Many of the wives or fiances of Kanta men currently working construction were doing the same thing.


    Thebel was still a bit confusing to him. If he understood her intentions correctly, it was meant to be more casual than being betrothed or married to see if they would suit each other. But right now he very happily epted the feeling of having a sweetheart regardless ofbels.


    "Thank you," ise said fervently after a few bites. "You were right; it is delicious."


    Abby smiled in satisfaction before sitting down next to him with her own slice. "The construction seems to being along pretty well. When do you think it will be done?"


    "Hopefully before the first snow. We are about halfway done and it has taken a few weeks with everyone working together. I would not want to have to dig all of the snow out or risk damaging the piano."


    It was only the beginning of October. With any luck, they would finish in time. Now that the harvest was over, mar had called for everyone to put in extra hours because it was thest construction project they would be able to do until spring.


    They continued chatting until his lunch break was over and ise had to get back to work until dark. He was sustained through the work by the impromptu hug Abby gave him before she headed back to the jam makers.


    ===


    The two of them got into a pattern as winter approached. Abby would bring him lunch every day, even after the theater was finished and ise returned to camp for further training. Then he would eat dinner at her family''s house before heading back.


    This pattern was disrupted slightly after the first storm hit. No one could leave their homes or tents. The Warriors, used to much less snow in Shibatsu, barely managed to make it through.


    Once it passed and mar saw the sorry state they were in, he told everyone to go sleep at the inn for the duration of the snowy months. They could leave their supplies in the tents and continue running drills as necessary but would be able to sleep with more protection from the cold.


    Carrick was touched by this gesture and his respect for the man grew. ise was willing to bet that he would have nothing but good things to pass onto the king about the n leader when he returned home.


    The snow made it more difficult to do anything but the Kanta were a hardy people. They wore thickyers and braved the cold to do their jobs anyway.


    They had far more energy for drills than their instructors did and snickered to themselves about how the tables had turned. The Warriors took their ribbing in stride since they had given the men a hard time about being weak and out of shape in the beginning.


    ise saw Abby much less frequently once the snow hit. She was too busy working on things indoors or watching over her niece and nephew so Katie could assist her husband to bring him lunch most days.


    And when it stormed he wasn''t able to see her at all because the entire vige was at a standstill until it passed. It snowed so much that shoveling had to rece drills on the day after a storm.


    He wasn''t used to this kind of weather at all but he couldn''t hate itpletely. Once or twice he had been at the de Kanta home when a blizzard hit and got stuck in there for a few days straight.


    Watching Abby y with the children, drinking hot chocte and huddling up with her by the fire, and having extra time to talk had been almost like a vacation. If this was what he had to look forward to during future winters, ise could ept the snow.

 Chapter 189: The Best Boyfriend

    Chapter 189: The Best Boyfriend


    ise was probably the best boyfriend Abby ever had. He listened intently to everything she said, thought she was funny, and frequently surprised her with small gifts.


    He still refused to kiss her as a matter of principle but he held her hand often and hugged her asionally. It left her wanting more but she realized pushing him on the matter wouldn''t do any good. He was a traditional man.


    That being said, ise had adjusted his ways to her lifestyle quite a bit. He had even stopped using formal titles for Katie and Al. Since they started dating he had smiled andughed a lot more too.


    She could tell he was genuinely happy to be with her even if she wasn''t the most loquacious person in the world. Even so, heplimented her regrly and that was nice.


    Once you got past his threeyers of formality, ise was a fun person to be around. He had interesting things to say when he did decide to speak and he fit in with her family well. Adam liked him a lot because he showed the little boy how to use a wooden sword.


    Abby didn''t like the fact that time was ticking away from them. Winter turned to spring and she realized there were only a couple of months left before he would be leaving for Raisha and be gone a year and a half.


    They spent as much time together as they could possibly manage but it never seemed to be enough. Once the weather got nicer, they spent a lot of time walking around outside holding hands and exploring the mountain scenery when she was free.


    Which wasn''t often. Abby remained in high demand, especially since ys could now be practiced and performed during the winter due to the new auditorium.


    Her actors had not been thrilled that thest one had been put off due to construction but quickly realized that the auditorium had been worth it. Now they could put on ys all year long without heeding the weather.


    Since she couldn''t get away often, ise frequently joined her at the printing office to help color in illustrations once the training was done for the day. Now that board games had been added to the mix, they really did need more hands.


    Mitzi''s new husband Kel joined them frequently too since his wife was so busy with her job. They had gotten married as soon as the snow began to melt in a grand party consisting of thatvender ckberry cake Katie liked so much and the traditional wedding songs and dances Ayana and a few of her friends had taught the younger Kanta.


    Her family and friends from back home hade out for the asion. She was from Raisha and had onlye here to intern at the printing office and bring back the skills and information needed to help start up a second one. Now she and the other interns had been deemed fit to run things; all they needed was the equipment.


    Mitzi and Kel would be staying in her brother''s spare room until they were able to build their own house. He had already gotten permission from Commander Carrick.


    He wasn''t the only Warrior who had a Kanta sweetheart but he was the first to get married. None of the others had gotten betrothed yet and Carrick was relieved. It was less hassle for him if they waited until the mission was over so he could fill out all of the discharge paperwork at once.


    "Can you pass me the pink marker?" ise asked.


    He was working on a Monopoly board right now and needed to color in the pink properties. Katie hadn''t been able to remember all of the names because she didn''t y the game often enough so some of them had been reced by ones she made up.


    Of the pink properties, she only remembered St. Charles ce. The others got renamed afterpletely random things from back home such as Toyota Street and Microwave Avenue. Katie really wasn''t all that creative sometimes.


    "Here you go," Abby said cheerfully as she handed it to him.


    Their hands brushed as she did and butterflies let loose in her stomach. After so many months of dating, simple things like this still affected her.


    ise was very handsome. Originally she found him attractive but not overly so. The more time she spent with him and was able to study his face she chastised herself for being blind before.


    He was a beautiful man with a heart-stopping smile that he seemed to reserve solely for her. Somehow that made it even better. Abby counted her lucky stars all the time and tried to avoid thinking of how they would be apart soon. Again.


    Simple moments like this where they talked and joked with her friends in the printing office and passed each other markers and colored pencils were lovely. She would miss them a lot when he was gone.


    ise had be one of the most consistent people in her life and certainly the one she cared about the most aside from her family. What was she supposed to do without him for a year and a half?


    Al had already promised she coulde with him on his monthly visits to Raisha but it wouldn''t be the same at all. Most of the time those were only day trips. She would only be able to see ise for a few hours at most because he would be busy with training the new recruits.


    If she got truly desperate there was always the possibility of staying in Raisha with some kindhearted person willing to loan her a spare room for a month between Al''s visits. But there was a good chance everyone back home would go crazy without her since she was so heavily involved in everything.


    Sometimes Abby regretted throwing herself so deeply into the affairs here. However, she did love her new friends and the work she was doing and reminded herself of that fact when she got tired.


    She had been the type who got restless if she didn''t have enough to do growing up. It was why she had been involved in so many extracurricrs such as piano lessons and her school''s drama program up until her parents died and everything changed.


    If she simplyzed around the vige doing nothing after arriving here she would have lost her mind. Keeping busy had helped her keep from moping too much when ise left.


    Now that she knew how wonderful life with him by her side could be, it would likely be fifty times worse. She could work herself to death and still not be sufficiently distracted while he was gone.

 Chapter 190: Take Care Of Yourself, Abby

    Chapter 190: Take Care Of Yourself, Abby


    The middle of summer came too soon. All of the men in Ilmir had passed the adjusted version of the lowest tier Warrior exam so the time hade for the camp to move on, leaving behind a few broken hearts.


    Several teen girls had fallen for the charms of some Warrior or other who would be leaving. A few seemed like they nned oning back to stay but others were unwilling tomit after braving a winter here.


    They wanted to go home and Abby couldn''t really me them. Teenage girls got over crushes quickly for the most part; they should bounce back within a few months.


    Besides, now that she was almost universally dered off-the-market (despite insisting that she and ise weren''t engaged) the boys who had been crushing on her were officially over it and starting to look more seriously at other girls closer to their ages.


    Hopefully some of those bruised hearts would find sce in each other. Lian had already started spending a lot of time with Janna since they were both heavily involved in the drama program.


    Abby didn''t want to say goodbye but she knew she had to. Nearby, Katie was giving her husband a tight hug and whispering things she was d to be too far away to overhear into his ear. Al would be leading the Warriors to their new camp and helping set up the second printing office over the next few days.


    She shuffled her way over to ise and pasted on a brave attempt at a smile. "Promise to write me?"


    "If you promise to visit."


    This was really it. What Abby had been dreading for months was finally happening and she didn''t know how to deal with it. She threw herself into ise''s arms as if it could somehow make it so he didn''t have to leave.


    He was usually hesitant while hugging her but this time he crushed her to his chest with one hand stroking her hair. When they finally broke apart, she handed him the same blue ribbon as she had before. It had worked the first time and she hoped it would see him safely back again.


    She tied the ribbon around his wrist herself and had to hold back tears. The mountains were safe enough but it was such a long time to be apart.


    ise turned to leave but stopped and resolutely turned around and marched back toward her before leaning down to press a quick kiss on her lips. "Take care of yourself, Abby."


    Her fingers were still touching her trembling mouth as he walked out of sight. Their first kiss had been a kiss goodbye. It was both incredibly romantic and incredibly depressing. It was going to be a very long year and a half.


    ===


    Things settled back into the same general pattern as before the Warriors came to town. Most of the Kanta were relieved since they could get back to work without having to worry about training but Abby hated it.


    It was almost as if the past year had been a dream. So much had changed but there was very little physical evidence of it. A few new projects to work on. A few new buildings. The music box that still sat on her nightstand.


    She listened to it a lot when she needed a reminder than ise was out there and he cared about her. When the first letter came back with Al she pounced on it with a desperation that made her brother-inwugh. Curse him.


    ise wrote about how Raisha was smaller than Ilmir but had a simr feel to it. They were currently constructing an inn so the Warriors wouldn''t freeze to death after their experiencest winter and he was grateful for it.


    He said the bakery there was slightly lower quality than Sia''s but it was still way better than the rations. Since the citizens of Raisha had all seen the Warriors at least once before, there were no restrictions about leaving the camp likest time.


    One of the warriors, a man named Garrit, discovered that a cousin he hadn''t seen since he was a child had married a nsman and moved here two years ago. She hadn''t been able to attend the end-of-harvest celebration because she was heavily pregnant at the time.


    He ended the letter by assuring her that the ribbon was well taken care of and that he wished he could see her soon. The way he wrote letters was so simr to the way he spoke that Abby could practically hear his voice.


    She wasn''t able to visit with Al for the next two months because of various othermitments but wrote ise letters each time. When she finally was able to visit, the harvest had already ended.


    The Warriors were terribly busy that day but Carrick allowed him two hours of reprieve to spend time with her. They were absolutely wonderful but not nearly enough.


    "Do you really have to go back already?" Abby asked sadly.


    "Yes," ise said regretfully. "Themander will have my head if I am not back on time. He barely allowed me to get away as is. You will still be here tomorrow, won''t you?"


    She nodded. Al had a lot of business to take care of so they were staying an extra day. "Yeah but I''ll only get to see you at lunch this time."


    He hugged her tightly and pressed a gentle kiss against her forehead. "I will take what I can get. Any time with you is far superior to none at all."


    Abby wished him luck with the rest of the day''s training and headed back to Mitzi''s house where she was staying for the night. It was still light out but it was getting fairlyte. Carrick only allowed ise two hours around dinner because they had a very early start running a training course on a steeper part of the mountain the next day.


    Kel was already asleep because of how early he would have to wake up the next day so she ended up chatting with her friend about how the new printing office was faring.


    "Oh, it''s going great! We don''t have as many people as we would like but now we''re capable of training our own apprentices. We have four of them already," Mitzi said enthusiastically. "We have a fair amount of books and board games to send back with you already."


    Well, it was nice to hear that things were going well for someone. Abby was still a bit depressed that she hade all this way to see so little of her boyfriend.

 Chapter 191: Sorry, Is This A Bad Time?

    Chapter 191: Sorry, Is This A Bad Time?


    Time passed so slowly it hurt.


    Visiting became nearly impossible during the winter since even Al struggled to make it to Raisha on his horse through the snow. Abby and ise exchanged stacks of letters instead of individual ones so there would be more to read during the time between deliveries.


    When spring finally came and Raisha ended up having a more bountiful grain harvest than expected, she volunteered to go help them out and spent a wonderful month seeing ise every day. Then she saw him again at the spring festival back in Ilmir that everyone was invited to.


    She spent a lot of time working with Ayana and a few others who knew how to read music transcribing as many songs as they possibly could from her memories back home. It was a long process since she only had her singing voice to go off of but it served as an excellent distraction.


    They were able to put on a musical, The Little Mermaid, at the festival because of their collective efforts. Abby was the director but also yed the piano off stage. Ayana apanied her on the violin and N yed the tambourine during the more upbeat songs like "Under the Sea."


    ise had been quite impressed by her efforts and that sparked a long discussion about her days in high school drama. She had once been in the very same musical ying one of the eels and had worn Heelys to imitate swimming across the stage.


    They didn''t have anything like that here but she figured it would be within the realm of possibility to create rollerskates, which were simr. Bikes too. The problem was that the cobblestone roads here would be far too bumpy for such things.


    She ended up telling stories about bike rides she and her family used to go on, including the one where Katie had barely gotten a new bike that was too big for her. She lost control and the overge front tire bounced right off a brick wall so she flew on top of it and ending up stuck in a bush.


    ise cracked up, saying that he could imagine the look on her face. He couldn''t really since he didn''t know what Katie originally looked like but he did know her well enough to know her facial expressions at this point.


    His visit ended far too soon. Abby immersed herself in work yet again, trying to help Katiee up with a way to get wagons up the mountain more easily. What they would really need was to clear enough trees to make a wide, winding road so the gradient wouldn''t be too steep.


    They got a few builders involved in the brainstorming process and eventually figured it out. The trees they cleared ended up being used for building things and firewood instead of cutting down lumber in the regr area.


    The project took over a month and most of the men in the vige got involved since removing trees was suchborious work. But eventually they had a real road leading from the bottom of the mountain to Ilmir.


    They would be able to export their goods in muchrger quantities at a time now since things wouldn''t have to be sent in saddlebags. Honestly, they should have done this much sooner.


    Abby managed to visit ise twice more before the harvest made things so busy she hardly had time to breathe. She was counting down the days until he coulde home.


    The specialty training that took ce directly after the exams were passed would wrap up in December and then they would be back to do the same thing in Ilmir. She only had to get through two more months before he would be here to stay.


    ===


    It was a particrly cold day when the Warriors finally made it back to town. There hadn''t been a storm in weeks so they had been able to cut a path through the snow back to Ilmir without too much difficulty.


    Abby was filling in as a teacher for the day because Vashti had caught a cold. She was in the middle of conducting a geography lesson when the door opened and a st of cold air made everyone shiver.


    She was about to scold whoever it was for interrupting when she saw silver hair sticking out from underneath the beanie as he turned around to shut the door. ise took it off to shake the snow from it and grinned at her.


    "Sorry, is this a bad time?"


    Sheunched herself into his arms and dangled from his neck as the children allughed and pointed. She didn''t care about the teasing she would have to endureter.


    "You''re back! When did you"


    "I came here straight from the inn. We barely arrived."


    Abby shot Maeva and Carlene desperate looks and they both rolled their eyes. "Go. You won''t be able to finish the lesson with your head in the clouds anyway. I suppose preparing the next one can wait. I''ll take over."


    She mouthed "thank you" at them before grabbing her own hat, coat, and gloves to head outside for a bit of privacy. There was so much she wanted to say to him now that he was here to stay. The most important thing being that she knew now that she didn''t ever want to live without him again.


    His sense of pride would be shattered if she proposed (he was very traditional, after all) so she couldn''t do that no matter how tempting it was. She would have to drop as many hints as possible that she wanted to be proposed to.

 Chapter 192: Its Nice To Be Home

    Chapter 192: It''s Nice To Be Home


    They held hands as they walked and Abby was so happy to be next to him again that she wrapped her other arm around his bicep and leaned her head against his shoulder. "I missed you so much!"


    "I missed you too. It''s nice to be home," ise said with a content sigh.


    Home? He thought of Ilmar as home now instead of Shibatsu? Ormaybe it was her who was home to him. A song lyric shed through her head; she couldn''t remember any other part of the song but the line "you put your arms around me and I''m home."


    That was how she felt with him. Though Ilmir had be her home while he was off in Shibatsu, once he came back and inserted himself into the life she had built here it didn''t feel the same having him gone.


    She hadn''t gone anywhere but home hadn''t felt as much like home without him. He was her home too.


    "Hey, ise?"


    "Yes?"


    "I love you. Just thought you should know that," Abby said quietly.


    It had been true for a while now but she had never mustered up the courage to say it because their time together in Raisha was always so brief. But it had been building up inside of her since the day shest saw him and it had toe out.


    ise stopped dead in his tracks and turned to hug her tightly. "I love you too Abby. I do not ever wish to be parted from you again."


    He let go of her and got down on one knee in the snow, holding a beautiful ring obviously made with jewels from Kanta mines. She recognized the craftsmanship as belonging to the jeweler in Raisha.


    Kneeling to propose wasn''t a tradition in this world. He must have talked to Katie before this and asked her for permission. But when? They hadn''t been in the same ce for months. That didn''t matter. He was proposing to her!


    "Abigail Pullman, I cannot imagine living another day without you by my side. Will you marry me?" ise asked simply.


    She nodded with a crazy grin on her face and took her glove off so he could slide the ring onto her finger. She admired it for 0.2 seconds before tackling him to the ground and peppering his face with kisses.


    Heughed in delight and sat up to hug her properly. Abby was so happy that she didn''t feel cold at all. That is, until she made it back to Katie''s house and realized she had icicles hanging from her nose.


    Oops. Love could make you a little crazy.


    ===


    Abby and ise waited until the specialty training was done to hold their wedding ceremony. They wanted to have time to build their own house once the weather was nicer and to not have to worry about anything else.


    They arranged for it to be right after the training ended so all of his fellow Warriors could be present. Well, former fellow Warriors. He had already submitted his resignation.


    Six others had done the same because they either liked it here better than their viges in Shibatsu or had fallen in love. In total, thirty-three Warriors hade here and only twenty-five would be leaving. Poor Carrick had a lot of paperwork to do after all.


    The wedding was nothing like Abby would have imagined her wedding would be when she was a little girl. Her parents weren''t there. There was no fancy dress and no bridesmaids. Her bouquet consisted of wildflowers Sidi had picked.


    Yet it was the single most beautiful day of her life. Al read the traditional Kanta wedding vows and dered them husband and wife. They kissed in front of a huge crowd of cheering friends and neighbors.


    Afterward, everyone got to eat strawberry shortcake Sia made and danced to Kanta wedding songs. But Katie, that sly fox, had managed to work with Ayana so she could y the song Abby said she always wanted to have her first dance to before that.


    Abby danced in a slow circle with her new husband, her head resting on his chest in pure bliss. No, it hadn''t been the wedding she had expected but it was perfect all the same.


    The Warriors heading back to Shibatsu left the day after. ise saluted Carrick and thanked him for everything he had done for the Kanta. He brushed it off with a shake of his head.


    "If anyone should be thanked here, it should be you. This was entirely your idea even if you needed a bit of help to implement it. I am proud to have had a man like you serve under me. I wish you prosperity and happiness in your new life."


    ise nodded with a lump in his throat, unable to say anymore but Carrick''s smile indicated he understood. He gave a special farewell salute before beginning the trek down the mountain. They needed to get going right away to make it to the next ship home.


    Abby frowned as she watched her husband watch them go. "are you going to miss being a Warrior?"


    He smiled at her. "I am still a Warrior. Just not a Warrior of Shibatsu. Now I am a Warrior of the Independent Nation of Kanta. I am going to help train the next batch of apprentices here, remember? Kel will take care of it in Raisha. I am confident that we will have a fully functioning army here within the next twenty to thirty years."


    ise wrapped his arm around her waist and led her back toward the printing office. "Come on. We still have things to do today."

 Chapter 193: The Best Possible Way

    Chapter 193: The Best Possible Way


    Of the Warriors who stayed, it was decided that an equal number would go to each vige. Three joined Kel in Raisha and the other three stayed in Ilmir. Their official job titles remained but they ended up doing a variety of odd jobs around the vige before taking up a secondary trade.


    Most of them became miners but Kel and ise ended up working primarily in the printing offices because of their wives. But whenever a boy came of age to be an apprentice, he went through the same training regimen everyone else already had and the Warriors dropped their other jobs to see it done.


    Abby continued working closely with her sister on improvement projects and expanding the arts programs over the next few years. She had be a de facto piano teacher as well since she was the only person in the vige who could y.


    Children and even a few adults lined up outside of the auditorium in the hopes of getting lessons. She made each one twenty minutes long and her dozen or so pupils only had one lesson per week but it still took up a lot of her time.


    She had to slow down a bit when she got pregnant with her first child. She was two months behind Katie, who was pregnant with her third. Their dream of being able to raise their children together would be happening after all.


    Life with ise was more wonderful than she could have imagined. He was so thoughtful and considerate, doting on her every bit as much as Al doted on Katie even though his way of showing love was a bit different.


    They worked well together, helping Tahvo bring the printing office to new heights. With all of the novels for older children and young adults that had begun to sell, the Kanta became one of the top purveyors of literature on the continent. That kept them very busy.


    Abby kept working right up until the day she went intobor. Katie''s new son Austin had kept with the A name tradition. She also wanted to use a name from their home but hadn''t decided on the right one yet.


    It wasn''t until she looked at her tiny daughter''s silver hair and blue eyes that it came to her. Olivia.


    Doing as much as she did before having a baby was impossible but Abby did her best to work around needing to feed and care for Olivia. If Katie could do it, she could too.


    Having ise working in the same ce as her helped a lot. Sometimes she wondered if her sister was Wonder Woman for managing so many kidsrgely on her own because Al was always off doing something for somebody else.


    Simba ended up liking Oliviano surprise since she was the daughter of the only other people he likedand was very patient with her when she became a rather grabby toddler. They remained good friends until the lynx died at the ripe old age of seven.


    Life went on. Over the course of the next ten years Abby and ise had another three children while Katie and Al had another two.


    Dozens of the Kanta children who had been born in foreign nations came of age and started families of their own. Both Ilmir and Raisha ran out of space so they had to set up a third vige called Vanagar twenty miles to the west of Ilmir.


    It was closer to some other mines that hadn''t been used since reiming theirnds because there hadn''t been enough people. Using those mines helped their export business a lot and Vanagar went from a tiny collection of houses to a real vige in only a few years.


    Abby''s worries about Adam had been unfounded. He was a bright, yful young man like his father but took his role as future n leader very seriously. Most of the time he was found glued to Al''s side soaking up all the information he could.


    "Can you imagine what Mom and Dad would think if they could see us now?" Abby asked as she watched their children y a game of charades in front of Katie''s house.


    The two families had already eaten dinner together and now they were enjoying the nice summer weather as the sun slowly began to sink behind the mountains. Katie sighed contentedly as she leaned her head against her husband''s shoulder.


    "They would think I got a lot of work done," she joked.


    "I was being serious, Katie!"


    Her sister sobered immediately. "I know. I think they would be proud of us. We''ve both done a lot of good here and have a collective total of nine beautiful children. I only wish they could have met our families. I know they would have loved everyone."


    Al''s arm tightened around her waist supportively and he kissed her cheek. Out of the blue, iseughed and they all looked where his eyes were to see what was so funny.


    Vikarr, he and Abby''s six-year-old son, was dramatically miming something that made him look constipated. Nobody could guess what it was supposed to be.


    "You''re a pufferfish!"


    "No, he''s a chipmunk with food in its cheeks."


    "I think he needs to go to the bathroom."


    Vikarr''s frustration grew until his threw his hands up in the air and shouted, "I was being Aunt Marge from Harry Potter. You know, the one who blew up!"


    "Ohhhhhhhhh," a collective chorus from his siblings and cousins rang out. "Yeah, we never would have guessed that. Sorry, Vik."


    He scowled. "I hate this stupid game. It''s somebody else''s turn."


    Adam jumped up to volunteer and began cheerfully miming what looked like either rain or snow. His sister Alice guessed it immediately and the game continued. Even Vikarr''s mood recovered once he managed to guess one right.


    Abby''s heart was full watching them go. Katie seemed to read her mind when sheughed and said, "Just like we always dreamed of, right?"


    And it was. They may not have barbecues here but the love of a family was universal. Love itself was universal, as proven by the men who had fallen for them so deeply despite how different they were.


    Janine Everett may have created this world but she and Katie had helped shape this small corner of it in a way she never could have anticipated. Abby hoped Janine knew that she had ended up here safely and happily.


    They still had no idea why any of this had happened but Abby believed that it was meant to be. Al and ise had been in this world waiting for them.


    Her role in this world may have resulted from nothing more than a single scrawled sentence in the back of a paperback novel but she was here and was living happily ever after with the people she loved.


    Katie, whose travel to this world after her original body died was even more mysterious, would agree. Her impact was far greater. She may have messed up the story but she did it in the best possible way.


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