Time flew by real quick. We were two days away from the Jubilee. Raplen and its people loved my grandmother so they were already in celebration mode. Our red and white national flag hung from every street and every corner. Colorful fairy lights adorned the buildings and trees. It was my favorite time of year. It was even better than Christmas. Everyone was in a festive mood but I was focused on getting my favorite Arabian horse ready for the Jubilee. Xena was a beautiful race horse with a silver coat and shiny white tresses. She was a very unique mare with a powerful personality. I was the only one allowed to ride her. We took part in the annual race every year. I was determined to win this time. I loved showing Xena off to everyone. She was trained by the best horse trainer in Europe.

My schedule for the past week was full. I was responsible for arranging the palace flowers. My dear grandmother fired the florist who was responsible for this task. She said he was too obnoxious and did not adhere to her taste. He brought daffodils instead of tulips so I had to go buy a thousand red and white tulips on short notice. It took forever to arrange them. By the time I was done, UFOs invaded the earth and aliens took over. I promised myself to never volunteer to do anything for my darling grandmother right before the Jubilee. Her obsession with turning the palace into a tulip shrine every year was odd. It most probably had something to do with her childhood. She did have an overbearing mother after all.

After training Xena and feeding her a balanced meal for the day, I headed back to my lovely home. It was so calm and quiet without The Moonstones. The group was still undecided about performing at the Jubilee. I expected them to say yes right away but their manager seemed reluctant the last time we spoke on the phone.

I went straight to my bedroom and changed into my custom made suit and Burberry tie. Prince Asher and his family were back in Raplen in order to attend the celebrations. Queen Emmeline invited them over earlier than everybody else. The prince and I formed quite the friendship. He was funny and hopelessly in love with a commoner. We stayed in touch over the phone so I was looking forward to dining with him tonight.

Lockridge Palace was bustling with people when I got there. The royal dinner was a state affair so the media was covering the event. I stepped onto the red carpet and smiled at the army of photographers. They stood at a respectful distance and blinded me with their flashing lights. The palace security guards also hovered in the background just in case.

I ran into a couple of ambassadors on the carpet. Everyone was dressed to impress. The marble horse statues lining the stairs were decorated with luminescent orbs that glowed on and off. The orbs changed colors every few seconds. Guests were taking Selfies in front of the statues and the grand unicorn fountain at the entrance. It was a gift from the Medici family who governed Florence in the fifteenth century. The palace was filled with ancient gifts from different countries and decades. The state rooms resembled the interior of a museum. I used to spend hours in there as a child. These rooms were open to the public during the Jubilee.

The emerald ballroom played host to the state dinner. It was one of my favorite rooms. The dome shaped ceiling was decorated with a million buttercup seashells. Their golden hue complemented the mint green walls perfectly. I spotted my family at their usual dining table and greeted them with a smile. Prince Asher and his parents were also seated at the table. It was becoming more and more evident that our respective families were pushing us together. I smoothed down my tie and activated my charming powers. The prince’s mother blushed when I kissed her hand. Ruppy and Greg rolled their eyes at me when I sat beside them.

“Brother, why do you insist on making us look bad?” Ruppy remarked with a grin.

“Yeah. You have a strange effect on men and women.” Greg chimed in. “What is it about you that makes everyone blush and giggle?”

I leaned back in my chair and smiled. “What can I say? I was born with a charming spoon in my mouth. A very big, sparkly one at that.”

“Show off.” Greg reached under the table and pinched my knee.

“Shut it.” I chuckled before turning my attention to Prince Asher. He was dressed in a charcoal suit this time. The fabric hugged him in all the right places. I noticed his family’s personal photographer lurking behind the table. He was trying to capture a photo of the two of us.

“Hey you. Long time no see.”

“Likewise.” He flashed me a brilliant smile. “How is Xena. Is she ready for the race you told me about? I saw her photos on Instagram and she looks like a spoiled princess.”

“Well, she’s doing great. I personally fed her a generous snack right before coming.”

He leaned in close, his grey eyes darting to the side. “My family is keen on you. They want us to get together as soon as humanly possible.”

“Oh dear.” I sighed. “No wonder they invited you here early.”

“Exactly.” He nodded. “They want us to bone like rabbits.”

I covered my mouth to muffle my loud laughter. “Jiminy Cricket! And here I thought my grandmother was the meddlesome one.”

“They’re both conspiring against us.” He whispered.

“Would you like to carry this conversation elsewhere? I feel like everyone is staring at us.”

“Yes please.” He nodded.

I escorted him out onto the balcony where it was somewhat calm and out of earshot. “My mother was talking about you nonstop on the way here.” He filled me in. “Marrying me off to a prince from Raplen is high on her Asher list. Yes, she has a list of things she wants me to do. This includes seducing you into marrying me.”

“Dear God. That must be awful.”

“It is.” He sighed, resting his elbows on the railing. The view from up here was magnificent. The palace was on a small hill overlooking the glamorous suburbs of Raplen.

“Tell me, how is your secret relationship with that young man you told me about?”

“Bad.” He admitted. “The strain of my family’s disapproval has pretty much ruined everything.”

“Oh no. I’m so sorry to hear that Asher.” I stood next to him and placed a comforting hand on his arm.

I suddenly noticed someone spying on us from one of the windows. It was none other than Aunt Edith. She stared unabashedly at me with a sour look on her face. Asher noticed our staring contest and frowned. “Now she’s one old meddlesome woman.”

“She’s the worst of them all. Trust me.” I told him. “Her chair is about to tip over. Just look how hard she’s craning her neck to glare at us.”

“She really is a piece of work. Why don’t we make her fall out of that chair?” He suggested with an evil smirk. “That’ll teach her to mind her own business for a change.”

Asher and I moved our heads in the same direction at the exact same time and accidentally bumped our foreheads together. “Ouch!”

A camera suddenly flashed in the distance. Our eyes met and we both started laughing like a pair of drunken fools. “What the hell just happened?”

“I think Aunt Edith made us head butt each other with her mind.”

“Danny, no offense but your skull must be made of titanium because my head hurts like a bitch.”

“Sorry about that.” I gave him a sheepish smile. “Let me get you a drink at that jazz bar you like. After dinner of course so my parents don’t kill me.”

“Sounds like a plan.” He continued to rub his forehead as we headed back inside.

Both our mothers had the same mischievous smiles on their faces when we got there. I rolled my eyes and pretended not to notice their conspiratorial glances while we ate our dinner. Queen Emmeline made a small speech to thank her guests for coming. She gave me a wink before going back to her seat. It seemed like everybody was rooting for us. They had no idea that Prince Asher and I were nothing but friends. We had some good chemistry but it was on a platonic level. It was fun to keep them guessing though.

The Jubilee dinner was a boring affair. The only highlight was the food. The palace kitchen was famous for cooking up a storm during these events. Each plate was a work of art. Greg and I pretended to be food critics and rated each dish just to amuse ourselves. We drove Aunt Edith crazy by suggesting we take part in our very own version of The Bachelor. It would feature gay men from all over the country competing for the heart of one handsome prince.

After dinner, we drove to our usual jazz bar and spent the rest of the night drinking and listening to good music. Asher told me more about his complicated situation and his eyes teared up a little. I felt blessed to have a family who was okay with us marrying a commoner. Lizzie was one lucky girl compared to poor Asher.

I bought the sullen prince ice cream on the way home and invited him to hang out with me the next day. It was the least I could do after hearing about his heartbreaking love life.