Page 31 of This Prince Is Not Charming

Her head dipped. “Yes, Your Majesty.” She disappeared yet again.

“You don’t look well,” Meera said.

“Yes, so you’ve told me. Several times.” I pinched the bridge of my nose, not sure what to do. I certainly couldn’t take Meera on a date. I wouldn’t survive it.

“Is it time for my fish yet?” She peered at me with her big green eyes.

“If we could find Fargus, I’d be able to get you all the fish you wanted.” I thought of the little seaside town I’d wanted to go to tonight, where I could get my tonic from a local apothecary.

“Well, if you can’t get my fish for me, I’ll get it myself. I have to say, this is one of the worst dates I’ve ever been on.”

“You know what, Meera? I’m not having a great time either . . .” I trailed off, the cat’s words hitting me. She could get the fish for herself. We didn’t have fish on this mountaintop, which meant she had to portal somewhere to get it.

Fargus wasn’t the only one who could get me out of here. “Meera, I have an idea, and if you help me, I promise you’ll get the best fish of your life.”

CHAPTER 15

Cillian

We landed in the seaside town of Amaria just a few minutes later. The scents of salt and sea tickled my nose, and I breathed out a sigh of relief that this had worked. I’d actually convinced the cat to help me.

“Where’s my fish?” Meera asked.

I gestured to the ocean sprawling out before us, the sun rising over the horizon. Here, on the other side of the continent, it was just now morning, with a warm breeze blowing past us. “The world is your oyster, Meera. Go catch some of the freshest fish on the continent.”

Her lips peeled back, and she flashed shiny white teeth at me. “And what are you going to do?”

I smiled and shoved my hands into my trouser pockets. “Just meet me at the dock in two hours.”

The cat huffed but thankfully asked no further questions as I turned and walked toward the town lining the shore. I liked this little town with all the buildings—tall and wooden, on stilts to avoid the high tide, colorful and fun.

The sleepy village had yet to wake up, all the businesses closed, and shutters not yet opened. Sand covered the roads that wound between the buildings, and I basked in the warm breeze. I might have come here for a specific purpose, but it wasn’t the only thing that made me want to leave Fairwitch so often. I also loved the anonymity of it all. Out here I didn’t have to be anybody. I didn’t have the weight of a kingdom on my shoulders along with the weight of my failures.

Nobody knew me. I could just exist.

I passed colorful shack after colorful shack. All the buildings were painted so that the town looked like a rainbow. Maybe later I’d stop by the butcher, who sold fresh fried fish in the mornings. For now, I had my sights set on that little green building at the end of the road. Palm trees and jungle spread out behind it, and as I came closer, I glanced around to make sure no one noticed me.

Even if I wasn’t recognized here, I still tried to be careful when visiting these apothecaries. I had a few towns around the continent I liked to visit so that I wasn’t reliant on just one place for the tonic I needed. It also made me less recognizable if I wasn’t coming to the same village every month. To these people, I was just a poor drifter who stumbled into town every once in a while and played cards, drank, and flirted shamelessly with the women.

I came to a stop in front of the little green apothecary, a closed sign hanging over the door. I wouldn’t be going in the front. Not for this.

I wound around to the back, where a thick jungle of palm trees, vines, and knotted tree trunks spread out as far as the eye could see.

A set of stairs led up to the back door, and I walked up each creaky one, then knocked three times. Exactly three.

After a moment, the door opened, and a squat woman with grey hair and a scowl answered. “What are you doing here at this hour? Only after dark, sir.”

I held up my hands. “I didn’t have a choice. No one saw me, though. Extra for your time.” I held out a handful of gold coins, and the woman eyed me warily.

“What do you need?”

I pulled out my empty vial and shook it. “The heartstopper’s tonic.”

My throat dried up as I waited for her to take my vial and give me a new one, the same way it did every month. A few times, the apothecary I’d visited hadn’t had any in stock, and I’d scrambled to get Fargus to take me somewhere else. I didn’t have that option this time. Meera wouldn’t be so malleable.

She stared at me for a minute before giving me a curt nod, and I blew out a breath of relief as she waddled away, then came back with a full vial of the blue liquid.

“Next time, come after dark.” She slammed the door in my face.