“You’re looking lovely today, miss.” The twins and I were having lunch, and the head housekeeper had popped in to chat.

“Thank you, Gretchen.” In the three weeks since Elyse had chopped off her own hair, Gretchen had spent more time with us. She cared a lot about the children, too. “Why don’t you sit with us and have something?”

“Maybe just tea.” She poked her head into the hallway and called out in rapid German.

“You should have some cookies, too. They made them this morning, and they’re delicious,” Derrick added.

Gretchen raised her eyebrow as she sat down across from the twins. “If they were just made this morning, how do you know they’re delicious, Prince Derrick?”

“Umm… it’s just a guess,” the young prince said, a guilty look on his face. But Elyse giggled, and after a moment, he did too.

“The cookies are always good here,” Elyse said diplomatically. The change in the little girl from a few weeks ago was dramatic. Gretchen had managed to shape her hacked-up hair into a shag cut. Today, the princess was wearing a pink headband and though short, her hair was still thick and glossy. She looked pretty but no longer looked like a miniature adult.

The other physical change was her clothing. Like her brother, she wore jeans and a sweater. She still liked to put on the Merida costume after lunch, but in the mornings, she wore clothes she found to be comfortable.

“Are you excited about your sister’s visit?” Gretchen asked me.

“She’s coming the day after tomorrow,” Derrick responded before I could. “And she’s bringing some books on falconry!”

“And archery,” Elyse added.

“Let’s hope Miss Autumn has big suitcases,” Gretchen said, and I laughed.

I was looking forward to seeing Autumn almost as much as I was dying to show her around. Though she now lived a huge house with my brother-in-law, a castle was another thing entirely. The kids seemed almost as eager for her visit as I was.

“It’s wonderful that she’s able to come,” Gretchen said. “You’ve been so excited since you heard the news. It’s good to see you so happy, miss.”

My face reddened—I could feel the flush. Hastily, I took a bite of my sandwich. The thick, homemade bread was delicious, but it didn’t distract me from my thoughts.

I was excited about Autumn’s visit. Very much so. But the biggest reason for my newfound happiness didn’t have anything to do with her.

It had to do with Nico.

Ever since that awful night when I’d yelled at the queen, things had been different. When he’d taken me in his arms and kissed me long and hard, I knew we were in this together. Neither of us knew where we’d end up, but he wasn’t fighting it anymore. He wasn’t denying what he wanted.

The past few weeks had been the best time of my life.

We were taking it slowly—unlike that first time when we’d rushed things. Now we met every evening and whenever we could during the day. It was fun, sneaking around. I’d always suspected that there was a sense of mischief hidden behind Nico’s straight-laced persona, and now he was proving it. He’d pop out of nowhere and pull me into a little-used room of the castle and kiss me until I could barely stand. One time he treated me to a picnic in a round room at the top of one of the highest towers. Another time he showed me an actual secret passage that not even the children knew about. That turned out to be a good place for sneaking in kisses, too.

We’d talk for hours, and somehow, I didn’t feel a frantic need to push for more like I did before—probably because I knew he was in this with me. It was no longer a case of me trying to experience as much as possible because I worried it would be snatched away at any moment. Nico and I were in this together.

I didn’t know what would happen after August, but I did know I wouldn’t trade this time together for anything in the world.