Page 23 of Prince Cheating Charming

Libby and I stared at each other, and I ran to open the door.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Where is Alexander?”

“He’s down in the kitchens,” Cecily wailed, clutching the doorjamb for support. “Cleaning!”

She said the word “cleaning” in the same tone as you would “eating a cockroach.”

“The kitchens do need cleaning,” Libby said acidly, but I thought I knew what Alexander was up to and I gritted my teeth. This is exactly what I had been afraid of. Big dramatic gestures designed to change my mind.

When we got down to the kitchens, we saw Alexander in his suit on his hands and knees on the floor, scrubbing it with a hard brush.

Maurice stood above him, looking disgruntled.

“What is zis?” he complained to me as soon as I entered the room. “Has he lost his senses? When I come to work at the palace, I do not expect to have him underfoot when I am trying to prepare the breads.”

“I’m just helping out,” Alexander said.

I narrowed my eyes.

“Why? Why?” Maurice insisted. “He comes here and says he’s going to help out in the kitchens and asks what he can cook! Then he starts stirring my sauces! My precious sauces! There is a method to my madness, and he was not stirring at ze right time!”

“I’m sorry about that,” Alexander interposed. “I just want to show that I don’t think I’m better than everyone else. I can think about other people.”

“You are better than everyone else!” Cecily shrieked. “And your beautiful suit,” she sobbed, her perfectly made-up face a mask of horror.

“Phones away! Phones away!” she cried, flapping her hands and running around the kitchen, even though everybody was looking too shocked at the sight of the King on the floor and no phones were in sight.

Alexander had stopped his work and was just watching me. “C’mon, baby,” he said. “Look, I’m sorry.”

“Oh, are you only helping out so I will forgive you? Fat chance of that, Alexander!”

Then I turned on my heel and left.

Libby and I were arm-in-arm when my mother-in-law rushed up to us.

“This is your fault,” Cecily said, pointing her finger angrily at me. “I knew it was a mistake for him to marry you.”

“You’re right,” I snapped back at her. “It was a mistake. So don’t worry. I’ll be gone in a month.”

“You better make this right,” Cecily ranted on. “I never saw why Alexander was so dead-set on marrying you anyways.”

“That’s enough—” Libby began, but Cecily whipped her head back at her.

“Did you say something, Housekeeper? I don’t take lip from servants. You’re gone, Libby.”

And then I did feel anger flare through me, and I stepped in between them as Libby’s face whitened.

“You’re not in charge of hiring and firing anymore, Cecily. Libby stays.”

Cecily’s jaw dropped. “I am the Queen!”

“You’re not,” I said. “You’re the Queen Mother. I am the Queen. I outrank you now. Libby stays.”

Cecily looked like she wanted to wring my neck, but she turned on her heel and stalked from the room.

“Need a drink?” Libby asked.

“I need a distraction,” I replied, rubbing my temples as I felt a headache blooming.

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