Page 24 of Return of the Nutcracker Prince

“Well done, lovely,” He told her.“You impressed Mother Gingerbread.”

Clara was still reeling from her revelation.“Mother who?”

“Take your shield down, young Caster.”The mage, or Mother Gingerbread, was walking across the training facility towards them.

“Um… how?”

“Breathe deep, and relax.The shield will go down once your emotions are calm.”

She did as she was told, and the white light dissipated.Mother Gingerbread then walked up behind Klaus and cuffed him across the head.

“Ow!”

“You know better than to interrupt a test, My Prince.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Clara scowled at him as well.“You scared me!”He could have been seriously injured!It wasn’t a dream!

That’s when it finally hit her.This wasreal.

His jaw shifted, and he couldn’t meet her gaze.“I’m sorry, Clara.I was scared, too.”

“Well, now that’s done.”Mother Gingerbread ended the conversation and put her hands on her hips, then extended one to Clara.“Zelda Gingerbread, head mage.But since I train all the Casters, they started calling me Mother Gingerbread a long time ago.”

“Clara Stahlbaum.”She shook the proffered hand as if she were a marionette on a string.

“Are you alright?”Concern marred her Nutcracker Prince’s face.

“It’s… I’m really not dreaming?”

His brow furrowed.“You didn’t believe me?”

Shivers wracked her frame.“It… it all seemed… so… fantastic!”

Klaus’s shoulders slumped.“You don’t think I’m real?”

“Klaus, no…” Her hands twitched to reach out to him, but now Clara wasn’t sure what the proper etiquette was.“I… wanted, very much, for you to be real.I thought if I played along, then I would remember the dream when I woke up…”

He gave her a tight smile, and she knew she’d disappointed him.That would not do!She rushed to hug him, her eyes damp.“I’m so sorry.You were so wonderful.I thought I was dreaming.I’ve never met anyone like you.”When he wrapped his arms around her, forgiveness clung to her like a cloak.

“No, I should be the one apologizing.Everything happened so quickly, I didn’t realize… Of course you wouldn’t take me seriously.How could you, when you’d been told the last time was all a dream?”His hand rubbed soothing circles on her back.“I grew up knowing about your realm, but you didn’t know about mine.”

Klaus withdrew his arms and gathered her hands into his.“Please don’t cry.It’s alright, Clara.Everything is fine.”

She drew a deep breath and nodded.“Thank you.”She looked around the room, seeing it for the first time all over again.Klaus and his amazing realm were allreal.

Which meant he had truly kissed her last night.

A throat cleared when Galiena joined them then, her expression unreadable.“So.it appears my son actually found a Caster in the Realm of Waking.”

“Impossible.”Mother Gingerbread turned to her queen in shock.“The veil was closed ages ago!”

“And yet…” The Sugar Plum Fairy gestured to Clara.“That’s where she’s from.”

Clara drew Mother Gingerbread’s attention back to her when she responded.“She’s right.I’m not from this realm.”Realm.It would take time to fully wrap her mind around the fact that she actually ended up in another world.But there would be time for that later.

Mother Gingerbread squinted, drawing up close to Clara’s face as if she could see right into her soul.“Who are your parents?”

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