Page 15 of The Abandoned Princess

“I think it would be fun to be invisible. I could spy on my brothers and take all the best pies before they get to them.”

Charli turned her back on the younger boy, clearly out of patience with his nonsense.

“It’s in a week, right?” she asked, looking up in concern. “Your birthday, I mean.”

I nodded, running my fingers lightly over the vines that curled near the tower window. “But I hear something exciting will be happening in the village before then.”

I had never visited the nearby village, but after five years of observing its inhabitants, I felt like I knew it well.

Charli raised her eyebrows. “I came here on purpose to tell you about the royal tour. But you already know about it?”

“Apparently not everyone was put off by the storm’s mud,” I said with a glance at Jayda. “After the rain died down, the moon came out, and I had quite the stream of visitors.”

I gazed around the lush greenery that surrounded my tower. The clearing was enclosed by dense forest, but the small haven was beautiful, the soft grass dotted with colorful wildflowers, and a burbling stream feeding the small pond. The clearing gave a sense of privacy without being too far from the village, and while it was the haunt of the children during the day time, it had become a favorite with some of the adults at night.

There must once have been paths that led to the tower—back when it was first built, at least. But any such paths had long since become overgrown, and the village had forgotten the tower’s existence until several of the children had stumbled on it shortly after my arrival. I suspected one of them had been following Eulalie, spying on the stranger in the forest, although none of them had admitted to it. Once they discovered both the tower and me, it had become their favorite place to play during the day, and they had long ago worn a new path from the village to the clearing.

They had brought the adults along their path, of course, attempting to convince them of my existence. The adults had found no sign of me but had instead noticed the beauty and peace of the location. During the day they were busy with their own pursuits and left the children to their discovery. But nights were another story.

I had witnessed two marriage proposals and several betrayals, as well as an untold number of sensitive conversations. Trapped in my tower, I couldn’t help overhearing their words, but I was honest enough to admit I didn’t try to avoid it. I observed their interactions as assiduously as I had watched the various negotiations in the palace of my childhood. And I was pathetically grateful for the mental stimulation they provided. I might be trapped on the outside, always in the role of observer, but at least I wasn’t cut off from the world entirely.

Charli grimaced at my mention of visitors. “I suppose they were all plotting and planning how to win favor over their rivals in the eyes of the royals. As if the royals care about the activities of a small village’s worth of their subjects!”

“So it really is true?” I asked. “It seems hard to believe the king and crown prince will be coming here of all places.”

“They’re touring the whole kingdom apparently.” She shrugged. “In preparation for King Richard stepping down and handing the throne to Prince William.”

“Is Princess Celeste coming too?” Eagerness seeped into my voice. “Can you find an excuse to bring her to the tower? I’ve heard she’s the most beautiful princess in all the kingdoms, even the new ones.” I’d heard more interesting things about her, too, but I didn’t mention those.

Barnaby rolled his eyes. “Who cares about that? I’m hoping Prince Raphael comes. He’s won the annual archery competition in the capital every year since he married Princess Marie.”

“If he comes, he’ll bring his wife as well, won’t he?” Jayda asked, joining in on the half of the conversation she could hear. Her face lit up as if she was imparting a scandalous secret. “I heard she’s not even a real princess.”

Charli sighed. “That sort of nonsense is exactly why King Richard and Prince William are touring the kingdom. So everyone can see for themselves that they’re the true rulers.”

Jayda sniffed and turned up her nose. “Let’s go back. It’s boring here now, and it’s kind of creepy to hear you both talking to no one.”

“Daisy isn’t no one!” Charli looked up at me, worry in her eyes.

I smiled back and waved them away. “Head back like she says. Don’t worry about me.”

I knew what she was thinking, though, because it was the same thing I was thinking. Even if I could still see children after my own birthday, Charli would soon be in the same situation as Jayda, and then I would have lost the one child who was an actual friend.

I could see the weight on her shoulders as she walked away, so I rallied enough to call after them.

“Do think of a way to bring at least one of the royal visitors here! I’ll die of curiosity if you can’t!”

Charli looked back and waved, her amused smile providing a reward for my efforts. But as soon as she turned away again, I slid inside the tower and slumped to the floor.

CHAPTER 6

A familiar black cloud settled over me. In a week I would turn eighteen. I was about to become an adult, and I had spent my entire youth locked in a tower. When the villagers turned thirteen, they left behind the childish games of this clearing and exchanged them for real life in the village. But I had done exactly the opposite.

A small, bitter laugh slipped out. How juvenile my old longing for adventure seemed now. I had gotten exactly what I wished for, and it had robbed me of five precious years.

I forced myself to take a deep breath, placing a hand on my stomach to make sure it was expanding as I breathed in. My longest-lasting governess had been the one to teach me the breathing technique—insisting I use it whenever I needed to refocus. Repeating the old exercise always made me think of home, but that didn’t stop it from working. As always, the longer I focused on the movement of my body, the more the cloud lifted.

I had missed many things in the last five years, but I had also learned some—chief among them how to regulate my emotions. Otherwise I would have been completely lost to the black cloud.

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