Three days after the charity gala and Alix’s mysterious disappearance, Duncan found himself in his sister’s high-rise apartment overlooking the city. Duncan loved it here. He realized that it was like Alix’s room, clean and organized, but the colors were totally different. His sister preferred darker, more muted, tones, and the overall feel in her apartment was the opposite of the bright, airy feel of Alix’s rooms.

“So, what’s the problem, little brother?” Helena asked with a smile, handing him a crystal glass with his favorite whiskey.

He rolled his eyes. She stood a good six inches shorter than him, but loved to hold this detail over his head.

“Like fifteen minutes really makes that big of a difference,” he gave her his usual reply to this kind of teasing. “Especially since you’re a girl, anyway.”

“Do you really think that Leo will change the legislation?” she asked him, not for the first time. Her tone was serious, her eyes hopeful.

As if Duncan knew what went on in his brother’s perfect head. With their father preparing to step down in the next year or so, Leo had little time for his siblings as he prepared for his new role as king.

He sighed.

“I have no idea,” he said honestly. “But I know that he’ll change the one about you being able to marry who you want. Who is she, by the way?”

Helena smiled slyly.

“You’ll meet her when the time is right,” she said. “But that’s not what you came to talk about. What happened with Alix the other night?”

Duncan sighed again. He lay down on his sister’s couch, the squeak of the leather making his skin crawl.

“Why do you always choose the most uncomfortable furniture?” he wondered, avoiding the subject of Alix.

Now it was her turn to roll her eyes. She sat across from her brother in a large, wingback chair.

“Tell me.”

“There’s nothing to tell. She was all ready to go – I could tell – then I turned around and she disappeared.”

“You were talking to Christiana when she left.”

“So what? Christiana and I go way back. She’s always around. I can’t help it.”

“You honestly have no idea why Alix wouldn’t like to see you talking to Christiana? To any girl, really?”

He stared at her, confused.

“Duncan, you have to grow up!” Helena had said this many times before, but never with quite such frustration. “How long do you think Mom and Dad will put up with his? No serious girlfriend, no charity, no job... You need to get your act together. Soon.”

“My life is great the way it is – why should I change it?” he protested, crossing his arms. “Everything is already planned out. Mom and Dad will just decide for me if I can’t make up my mind.”

“About the charity? Or about everything?”

He shrugged. The leather squeaked underneath him and he frowned.

“So you don’t care what you do, who you’ll marry?”

“They’re all the same. It doesn’t matter what I pick, life will be fine,” he assured her.

“You think Alix is like the other nobles? Her or Christiana, life would be the same with either?”

He hesitated. Alix was definitely different than the others. He’d never tried so hard to get someone to such little effect. She was so driven and smart, it almost made him want to be the same. Almost.

“Well, she doesn’t seem to like me as much as the others do, seeing how she left the other night,” he grumbled. He hadn’t realized until he said it how much it upset him. Was it just because he was used to getting what he wanted, or because he actually wanted her to like him? Though he was also pretty disappointed that he hadn’t gotten a chance to check if she’d really had nothing on under that dress...

“You are such an idiot,” Helena sighed, interrupting his thoughts of what had nearly happened with Alix.

Duncan turned his head to look at his sister, begging her with his eyes to tell him what to do.

“No, Duncan,” she answered his silent pleas. “You have to figure this out for yourself. Don’t think. Just tell me. What do you want?”

“Another chance to see her,” he said without hesitation, surprising himself.

“Good!” She smiled. “So what will you do?”

“Invite her to your birthday party!” he exclaimed, sitting up, excited about the idea.

“I’m not having a birthday party!” Helena shrieked. “We’re born on the same day, you idiot. Three months from now.”

“Yeah, but I could tell her that we always do a small family thing, a separate thing for each of us that’s not on the actual day,” he suggested. It wasn’t far from the truth. Their parents had always let the twins each pick a “special day” during the year that they treated as their birthdays, whenever they wanted. They hadn’t done it since they were young, but Alix didn’t need to know that.

Helena leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms with a frown. Duncan turned his eyes up, tilted his head, and folded his hands.

“The things I do for you…” she grumbled after several minutes.

He nearly laughed in delight. Yes! He was worried he’d gone overboard with the puppy dog look. She always helped him, though. Just like he always helped her, not that she needed it nearly as much as he did.

“Now I just need an excuse to go talk to her,” he looked at her expectantly.

“Fine,” she said, not even trying to make him think this time, lest he invent another party she’d have to put together at the last minute. “She won the silent auction for the restaurant meal. You can go tell her. Gives me one less thing to do, now that I have a party to plan.”

Duncan smiled, kissed his sister on the cheek, and nearly skipped out of the room. With any luck, Alix was in her rooms at the palace and he could ask her tonight.