I Have A Suggestion

The moment the words left his mouth, Lyra’s eyes flew open, outrage bursting forth like a shaken soda can.

She sputtered, pointing at him. “You—! I—I cannot believe you just—!”

“I cannot wait to get the hell out of this place!” she snapped. She gave a very unladylike snort and stormed out of the room.

Goodness… he hadn’t had this much of an internal laugh in ages. The things she did, the way she said them… Sure, she was a whirlwind of chaos and emotional carnage, but there was something endearingly unpredictable about her.

Thaddeus cleared his throat.

“Your Highness… I have a suggestion,” he said cautiously, stepping forward.

Elias arched a brow. “You always do…”

“I was thinking,” Thaddeus said, eyes glancing toward the door Lyra had just stormed through, “that you delay Miss Lyra’s return.”

Elias looked up sharply, his moment of mirth evaporating. “And pray tell,” he asked, folding his arms with mild suspicion, “why the hell would I do that?”

“Well, she is a splitting image of Lady Lirae,” Thaddeus said carefully, watching Elias’s mood. “To keep you from prison—or worse… exile. Let her stand in as Lady Lirae’s double while you carry out your own investigations.”

Elias stared at him. “Thaddeus, I am not going to prison.”

“You aren’t the crowned prince anymore,” Thaddeus reminded gently but firmly, standing a little straighter. “Your Highness, you’ve been stripped of your title and the king would’ve done worse if it wouldn’t have caused a civil war. Lady Lirae’s death is all the armour he needs to get rid of you permanently.”

“You think the crown has a hand in her death?...to have me take the fall?” he asked.

Thaddeus hesitated. It wasn’t easy talking about the woman who had once made Elias smile. “Lady Lirae’s attachment to you earned her a lot of enemies,” he said softly. “But in the days leading to her death… she was visiting the royal palace more often.”

Elias turned sharply, his breath caught between disbelief and a rising knot of dread. “And you are just telling me this now?”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness,” Thaddeus said, stepping back just slightly in case a flying goblet was in his future. “But I never put all the details together until now. I only assumed the king wanted to know more about who you were suspected of seeing after that news in the gossip column.”

“I’ll think about your theory,” Elias said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “But be ready for Lady Gemma’s wrath if I even consider this. I did promise her I would consider dating again once I return from the countryside.”

At the mention of Lady Gemma, Thaddeus made a face that could curdle milk. “I can handle Lady Gemma.”

“You say that like she’s a raccoon in the attic. She is favoured by my family.” Elias muttered.

“Please find a way to make our guest stay,” Thaddeus pressed, adopting that overly calm tone that meant he was silently panicking. “She could be your salvation… if we teach her not to trip over everything first.”

“I haven’t agreed to it yet,” Elias snapped, but the edge in his voice lacked venom. It was more a protest for protest’s sake.

And then the thought struck him. “Do you really think this woman can pass as Lady Lirae?” He looked like he was chewing glass. “She has the social etiquette of a pig.”

*****

“Everyone can learn,” Thaddeus replied, smiling. “With the right motivation.”

Elias let out a long, dramatic sigh. “Fine,” he said finally. “I will consider it.”

“Please do, Your Highness.” Thaddeus bowed low, the victorious glint in his eyes not lost on Elias.

*****

Lyra had finally been moved from Elias’s bedroom.

Her new room was large but of course not the size of the pompous idiot’s room. There was a canopy bed, gold-stitched drapes, and a beautiful view. It overlooked a stone courtyard where Elias was practicing archery.

“Of course he does archery,” she muttered, leaning against the window frame. “What next? Swordplay on horseback?”

Back in her world, the only view from her bedroom window was the neighbor’s laundry line.

And yet… she still wanted to go back.

“Why?” she whispered to herself. “What exactly am I rushing back to?”

Elias was rude in a polished way.

Still, as much as she wanted to slam a door in his too-handsome face, she had a goal: get back to her world. And unfortunately, that meant enduring his attitude.

Dragging herself away from her window, she finally sighed and stepped into the courtyard. It was quieter than expected, save for the satisfying thwack of arrows meeting targets.

She approached slowly, standing just behind him. He didn’t turn, didn’t acknowledge her presence, just kept firing arrow after arrow. His stance was annoyingly perfect. His hair was annoyingly tousled. Even the breeze seemed to favor him, tousling his shirt just enough to expose the defined line of his back muscles.

Focus.

But after five minutes of being thoroughly ignored—and mildly impressed—she decided enough was enough.

She cleared her throat.

He missed.

Elias groaned, lowering his bow. He didn’t even glance at her as he picked up another arrow, tension in his shoulders. He inhaled through his nose.

She cleared her throat again. Louder.

“Yes…yes… I know you are behind me,” he snapped. “Could you wait until I am done with this?”

“Oh, sorry. I thought maybe if I stood there long enough in complete silence, you might actually notice me.”

“Very amusing,” he muttered, this time not even attempting another shot. He sighed dramatically and dropped the bow beside him on the stone platform.

He finally turned. His eyes were steely, jaw clenched.

“What is it now?” he asked, exasperated. “Because unless you’ve come to sabotage my aim again or remind me that you still can’t walk without toppling over a banquet table—”

“I’m kind of in a hurry.” She crossed her arms, ignoring his jab.

He raised a brow. “To do what?”

“You know…” She made a vague gesture toward the castle walls, “…that small matter of returning to my world and getting out of here?”