Page 48 of Royal Academy

CHAPTER 21

Luke spent the next two days effectively cutting Nick off every time he tried to get close to Lia. The queen sensing that something was off between the two asked her husband if all was well.

“My son is finding that not everything in life is handed to him.”

Stephanie blinked, “That wasn’t very nice.”

Her husband laughed, “I don’t mean to be cruel. It is only that Nick has always come up smelling like roses no matter what happens to him. I think Princess Amelia is good for him. He is less assured than I have ever seen him. It’s good for Nick to work for something. He obviously loves the girl.”

Stephanie took a sip of her tea, “And I suppose we are to continue ignoring his black eye?”

King Ryan’s eyes lit with mirth, “Of course! He wants us to ask about it, therefore you must not.”

“Is this a man thing?” Stephanie’s lips twitched.

“It’s about becoming a man,” he leaned over and kissed his wife. “Nick will thank us for it one day.”

She kissed him back, loving the way that he still made her feel like they did when they first met.

“I don’t get it, but I won’t say anything. However, Ryan, that poor girl is walking around with a pasted on a smile and looking like at any moment she will break into tears. If Nick hasn’t figured himself out by the ball, I will be stepping in.”

Ryan smiled. “Agreed.”

**

“Alright step monsters, this is the plan.”

Katie and Kylie peered at the map Nick had drawn.

“Where is the ballroom?”

Nick rolled his eyes, “Katie, it’s right there, the big circle.”

“But the ballroom is square?” Kylie responded.

“Girls forget about the shape of the room. I need you to get Luke away from Lia. Tell him you have to show him something in the ballroom.”

“What do we need to show him?” Katie chewed on the ends of her hair.

“It doesn’t matter, do a magic trick or a cartwheel.” Nick pleaded with them.

“I don’t know how to do a cartwheel, but I can do a backward rollover.” Kylie grinned at her big brother.

“Perfect!” Nick high-fived Kylie. “I saw them near the gallery, I think they are still there. Go, go, go!”

The girls giggled as they ran toward the long hallway with paintings of past kings and queens of Meron. It was there they came across Lia and Luke. She was looking at a picture of Nick when he was younger, a sad expression on her face.

“Luke!” the girls squealed his name and raced into his arms.

Luke was barely able to stay on his feet with the twins jumping and hanging on him.

“You have to come see this, Luke!”

Kylie tugged on his arm and Katie grabbed his other hand, “It’s amazing you have to come see.”

Luke turned to Lia who smiled down at the girls. “Go on, I will be there in a moment.”

The girls dragged Luke down the hallway and into the ballroom. The moment the door was closed Nick made his move. Lia turned to view the next painting and didn’t hear him coming.

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