Page 55 of The Prince and the Puck
There it was. The real truth of my relationship with Declan.
He would always be above me, and there was nothing I could do to change my place in the world. No matter how many commendations I received, I would still be part of the serving class.
I moped the rest of the evening, eventually going to bed in my childhood bedroom and dreaming of a prince who would never be mine.
At breakfast the next morning, my mother asked if I had enjoyed myself in the United States.
“I was just happy I could be there to protect him,” I told her.
Mom leaned forward. “Protect him? Were there dangers to the prince? In the US?”
“Yes. There were men after him, and his truck blew up.” I thought everyone here must have known that by now.
My mother shook her head. “How did these people even find the prince?”
“I have no idea. I thought you might know.”
“Nothing has changed. The prince’s identity was secret. No one spoke of him. It was as if he never existed. And no one knew the king was ill. That was a very tightly kept secret. It still is.”
I doubted very much that a tiny island country would completely forget that a second prince had been born to their rulers. Especially since Declan had been home to visit since moving to the US, his identity was closely guarded and protected. And only someone very close to the palace would have been able to find him. But it certainly wouldn’t be impossible.
“There were definitely attempts on the prince’s life when I was in Virginia,” I told my mother.
“If that is true, then there is a leak somewhere in the palace.” She said it serenely, but my feelings at learning this were far from serene.
“You think there’s an informant inside the palace? Someone with antimonarchist loyalties?” I stood.
“I didn’t say that, Eliza. But it’s possible. We should take this to your supervisor and to the king.”
She was right. I needed to figure out who Declan and his family could trust—and who they could not. Just because Declan and I did not have a future together did not mean I didn’t care for him, for his safety. “Mom, I have to go. I’ll see you later.”
I headed for the office of the King’s Guard, which was situated at the back of the palace. I badged myself in, wearing my standard uniform—black pants, a button-down shirt, and low,functional heels. It was the outfit I had worn every day since being indoctrinated into the King’s Guard. Except, of course, when I was on a mission.
I got nods and handshakes welcoming me home. By now, everyone inside the palace compound knew that the prince was back and that I had accomplished my mission.
“I think Neel wants to see you,” said Abby Dooley, one of the other female guards.
“I was just heading in that direction,” I told her. I straightened my ponytail and knocked on Neel’s door.
“Come in,” he called. I stepped inside.
“Lizzy, it’s so good to see you. Well done,” he said, waving me to a chair across from his desk.
I sat. “Thank you, sir. I did want to ask you, though?—”
“It can wait.” He interrupted me, shuffling papers on his desk and immediately moving on. “I have a new mission for you. You can take a couple of days to settle in and get your bearings, but I need you as soon as you’re ready for another undercover mission. In Luxembourg.”
“So soon?” My stomach twisted at the thought of leaving again. My appetite for undercover missions had soured. I wanted time at home, to be with my mother. To be with Declan, even if only because I couldn’t imagine being far away from him yet.
“You’re the best. As soon as you’re ready.”
“I had a couple of questions about this last mission first.” I said.
“Yes, your debrief is scheduled for later this morning. We can talk then.”
“But, sir—as you know, there were several attempts on the prince’s life and I’m concerned that there might be some kind of leak.”
Neel’s eyes widened and he dropped the papers he was shuffling. “If there were attempts on the prince’s life, why wasn’t that information shared with us?” He frowned at me. I felt as if an enormous spotlight had been pointed directly at me. Was I in some kind of trouble? It had been shared.
