Page 17 of Crown Me, Baby

“Imagine my surprise when I find out that my new boyfriend is the heir to the throne. But with me, he was still just Francis. We fell deeper in love there in Solvaria, despite his family's objections. And before we knew it, I was expecting a child. Francis was over the moon. He wanted to elope, to start a family away from the pressures of royalty. But his mother, the Queen, she came to us.”

Lily continues, her smile fading again.

"She convinced me that if Francis abandoned the throne, we would endanger the future of Solvaria. Francis wanted to refuse, to fight. But the Queen was relentless. 'This is for the best,' she kept saying. And I believed her. After all, what could a poor girl from the trailer park ever be to the son of a King? One in line for the throne. The crown prince."

Lily pauses. "The very day that Alexis was born, he was taken from my arms and given to his new mother. Janice. Francis couldn't stop the plan from being put in motion. I boarded a plane back to Texas. He snuck out so he could take me. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. He told me that he would always love me until his dying day."

Tears are falling onto her shirt, and I get her a tissue. I try to process the tidal wave of information I've just been hit with.

Alex, the man I've spent the week despising for his lies, is himself a victim of an even bigger lie. His entire life was built on deceit, and he doesn't even know it.

My gaze falls on the photo album on Lily’s lap. The sheer magnitude of her sacrifice hits me like a punch in the stomach. She gave up her chance at happiness to protect a country she had barely stepped foot in. And she raised me instead, giving me the love she could never give her own son.

I start to wonder if pushing Alex away has been a deprivation to her. Perhaps it’s an act of cruelty to keep her son away. But if either of us told him the truth, it could tear him apart. And maybe even have geo-political consequences.

And that’s on top of the other feelings I have brewing for him. It’s probably best to still keep him at a distance for the time being. It’s safer that way.

For all of us.

11

ALEXIS

How does that song go? Something about her face and getting used to it. Musicals were never my thing. I don’t remember how the song goes.

But I know I’ve had it in my head, now that her face is suddenly gone.

For nearly a week, I'd gotten used to seeing Isabella's disapproving glare whenever I approached the ranch. Every time I saw Lily, there Isabella would be, her silent guardian.

But over the past four days, she has all but disappeared.

After the ridiculous barn incident, I've been looking for a chance to apologize. Both for sincere reasons and for tactical reasons. There is simply no way that I can get close to Lily without first building some sort of bridge with Isabella. An apology is the first step toward finally reaching my goal here.

That's proven difficult, however. She avoids me at every turn, ignoring my presence and finding the quickest escape route. It's becoming incredibly disheartening. I'd rather have her hate me than simply pretend I don't exist.

As for Lily, I don't even see her at all. As far as I can tell, she has barricaded herself inside the house. It's making it impossible to proceed with my mission. Every day, I expect to receive the call that the King's health has failed further. All this would have been for naught.

As I'm lamenting this awful turn of luck, I notice Isabella emerging from the house. A car pulls up through the front gate. She's waving, and they look to be about our age, so I can safely presume they are friends of hers. As she climbs into the rear passenger seat, I see an opportunity present itself.

I remember that the fair is in town this weekend. If I could engineer a way to casually bump into her, that could provide a neutral middle ground for us.

I quickly jump into my own car and head in the same direction.

When I reach the fairgrounds, I quickly spot Isabella. She's met up with more friends, and they walk together past the vendor stalls. I try my best to maneuver through the rest of the crowd at a safe distance.

A game barker spots me. "Step right up, big fella!" He tosses a baseball up and down as he shouts. "Knock over the bottles and win a prize!"

His boisterous announcement cuts through the din. Isabella starts to turn her head to see who he's talking to. I quickly wave him off and dart around the corner, remaining unseen.

I follow them for a long while. Embarrassingly long. A few hours. I start wondering if Isabella’s criticisms of me were a self-fulfilling prophecy because now I’m actually starting to feel like a stalker.

Just for a little while. It will all be worth it.

They get tired of the fair, apparently, and the group stops in front of the local diner, across the street from the fairgrounds. They shout words I can’t make out as they walk through the parking lot, excited. Isabella hangs towards the rear of the group and enters hesitantly after the rest. Something about the whole scene seems off.

Looking through the window, I see the group sitting all together in the center of the restaurant. There are five other girls and two tag-along boyfriends in all. A tall plant near the entrance could allow me some coverage to get into a nearby booth without being seen.

I’m glad I wore sunglasses. I slowly open the door to the restaurant and sit in a far corner where I can see them. I hide my face behind a menu.

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