Page 29 of This Prince Is Not Charming

She swallowed thickly and shook her head, pasting a smile on, one that I knew was fake because it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m too tired. Maybe next time.”

Morton flapped his wings. “You do know I wasn’t finished with my announcements, right? If you’re done making drinking plans, someone still has to be eliminated from the competition.”

Lila pressed her hands together as if in prayer to Fairwitch. I was also praying to Fairwitch that she’d be eliminated. I couldn’t handle her bursting into tears every time I spoke to her anymore.

“Liadan, you are eliminated,” Morton said in a somber tone.

The woman with the gap teeth didn’t look remotely sad either. Here I was thinking I was a prize, and yet no one else seemed to think so.

“Well.” I clapped my hands, ready to ditch the cat and get out of here. “Thank you everyone for a successful⁠—”

I didn’t get to finish my sentence.

Golden magic began swirling around Liadan, so fast it looked like a cyclone. Everyone stared, no one sure what was happening, myself included. Her parents backed away, her mother letting out a cry as her father reached for her.

Glitter and swirls moved dizzyingly fast as we all watched, unable to look away.

Liadan’s scream echoed from inside the cyclone of magic. “What’s happening to me?” she cried out.

Ceri had stepped forward, her hand over her mouth as she stared in horror. I wanted to reach for her again, to tell her it would be okay, but I couldn’t make a promise like that when I had no idea what was happening.

“Somebody help her!” Marsten yelled.

But none of us knew what to do. My jaw clenched. I was the high prince, and this castle and its magic were my responsibility. I began moving toward the cyclone. I heard Ceri whisper-yell my name behind me, but I ignored her, moving toward Liadan, wondering if I could reach through those golden swirls and yank her out.

Wind brushed my face as I approached the magic, and I reached out to grab Liadan. “Take my hand!” I yelled.

Her own hand shot out, clasping mine. I had her. I could save her. For once I wasn’t just a puppet for Castle to toy with. I could fight against its magic and win.

“Hold tight!” I tugged her hard, but at that moment, the wind died down, the golden magic disappearing, and I glanced down to see my hand grasping nothing but thin air.

CHAPTER 14

Cillian

Imarched through the castle hallways, Meera on my heels.

“What kind of date is this?” she asked. “Where is the fish?”

“Right. The fish. Of course. How could I forget that?” I asked. “We’ll get your fish, okay?” Never a sentence I thought I’d utter on a date. “I just have a quick errand to run.”

One that involved finding Fargus and getting as far away from Fairwitch and this churning in my chest as I could.

“You’re jumpy tonight. Is it because one of your contestants disappeared?”

No. Yes. It was everything. It was all the events swirling in me like a fucking storm.

“Liadan is fine,” I said. “We’ll figure out where she went.” Tomorrow. After I got my tonic.

The ceiling above us whooshed and swirled like the sea, fish darting across it, coral bright with eyes peeking out. Sometimes I’d wander through the castle and take all the magic of it in. Even if I didn’t particularly like Castle, I could still appreciate its power and beauty. Except tonight when I was too stressed to appreciate anything.

“Hi!” a voice chirped.

I nearly jumped a foot in the air while Meera yowled and leapt onto my shoulder. We faced a painting of the sea, finding Margaret standing on the sandy shore with her beige dress blowing in the breeze. “Meera is right. You have been jumpy lately,” she said, unaware that she’d just scared the life out of us. “I’ve been watching you, and for the last few days, you’ve been off.”

After tonight, I would be back to my normal self. If I could only find my fucking adviser.

Margaret beamed, her angular eyes crinkling in delight. “You two make a cute match.”