Page 119 of The Stolen Princess
Drake raised an eyebrow. “You read my letter?”
“What did you expect me to do? I’m the king!” Trev scoffed.
“And you were in a coma,” Renna added.
Trev pointed to his wife. “Yes, there was that.”
Drake reached his arm up, grabbing the envelope from Trev’s hand. His eyes looked over the top of it as his fingers traced the curves of Myka’s handwriting.Commander Drake Vestry.
“We’ll fill you in on all the details of the mission later.” Trev grabbed Renna’s hand. “Right now, you have to figure out more important things.” His eyes dropped to the envelope. He pulled Renna to the door, waiting as the doctor and the nurse filed out first. “Glad you’re okay. We were really worried.” Trev smiled, then closed the door, leaving Drake alone.
Myka wasn’t the enemy. She had somehow become the hero. She had gotten to the weapons and saved the day. The last time they had spoken, Drake had treated her so badly that he doubted there was any way she could forgive him. He had muddied the lines of trust between them and abandoned her when she probably needed him most. Knowing Myka, this wasn’t going to be a love letter. This was going to be hate mail. He pushed the envelope open and unfolded the paper inside, taking a deep breath before he began reading.
To the commander of the Albion army, whom I hate,
Yep.
Hate mail.
Now that the weapons have been safely taken care of (by me), I was wondering if you could kindly return my pink hair scarf. It is mine, after all. Are you well enough to return it to me? I trust that you are, considering the excellent medical care you received in Tolsten during your stay after your accident. You’re welcome, for that. I hope you are still recovering. I’m sure it is hard without Caressing Cora by your side to tend to your wounds. I will be waiting eagerly for your reply so that I can know how my scarf is doing and when I might be able to receive it.
Sincerely,
Princess Myka
A flutter stirred inside of Drake, and a slow smile spread across his lips. He read her letter again, dissecting the hidden message behind each sentence. Myka would never pass up a chance to tell Drake that she had done something better than him, hence the first sentence in her note. And, of course, she wanted that stupid hair tie back. Drake didn’t even know if he still had it anymore. He’d have to ask Trev where his bag from Tolsten was. He laughed at the part where she mentionedCaressing Cora.Drake thought Myka had been watching them from the bathroom the day Cora had cleaned his wound. The next part of the letter was his favorite, the part where she said she was anxiously waiting for his reply. Myka was worried about him and wanted to know how he was doing but was too prideful to say that. Instead, she had to put her question in code, like she was really worried about her scarf.
Maybe Drake was reading between the lines too much. Maybe Myka really did want her hair tie back. Just in case, his return letter would be written in code as well. He grunted as he leaned over to his nightstand and pulled the drawer open, looking fora piece of paper and a pencil. Drake laughed. Folded neatly inside of his drawer was Myka’s pink scarf and on top of that, the blue ‘Boardwalk’ Monopoly property card that he’d had in his pocket since the day they had played.He smiled. Trev and Renna must have put it there knowing that it was probably the scarf Myka had referred to in the letter. Drake picked up the scarf and the Monopoly card. He had the perfect response.
To the Princess of Tolsten who says ‘you’re welcome’ even when I didn’t thank her,
Your concern over the scarf is valid. It made its way back to Albion and is doing well. Unfortunately, the scarf means too much to me to part with it. I can, however, send you Boardwalk instead, as I know how distraught you were not to have it. I wish that I could hand this valuable asset to you in person, but I am afraid my recovery will take a few more weeks.
Sincerely,
Commander Drake Vestry
Drake folded the Monopoly card inside of his letter and smiled.
36
Myka and Drake
To the commander of the Albion army who won’t give back my scarf,
I appreciate you surrendering Boardwalk to me. I knew I would eventually attain that asset from you. Your timing is impeccable, as I am currently planning on entering the Tolsten election. As you pointed out, there hasn’t been a woman elected queen in over a hundred years. I’m sure my acquisition of Boardwalk will be impressive to Monopoly fanatics throughout my kingdom...all two of them. And just in case you were wondering, I’m not nervous about the election. You are.
Sincerely,
Princess Myka
To the princess of Tolsten—soon to be the queen of Tolsten—and current owner of Boardwalk,
I am happy to hear that you have entered the Tolsten election. It seems convenient since you already know your way around Tolsten House and are currently living there. And because you seem to exhibit qualities and behaviors that would make you an excellent leader. I heard a rumor that the old commander of the Tolsten army has escaped and that you are looking to replace him. I took the liberty of attaching my resume to this letter.
Sincerely,
Commander Drake Vestry
