Royal Rivalry
I had to act like a poor boy from the countryside, not Valecourt’s unwilling puppet.
I repeated the lie in my head the same way a prayer was repeated before battle.
I was Billy. Billy. Billy.
The maid waited impatiently while I wiped my hands against my worn trousers.
“His Highness is waiting,” she reminded me.
“I’m coming,” I answered softly.
Even to my own ears, my voice sounded unfamiliar these days. I had spent days forcing myself to erase every trace of the person I used to be.
I changed the way I walked, the way I spoke, the way I held eye contact, even the way I stood. Royals were trained to occupy space naturally, workers weren’t.