Page 58 of This Prince Is Not Charming

Meera’s green eyes had gone wide. “This just got interesting. You two are normally the most boring of everyone.”

Siobhan slowly turned, and I was shocked to see tears streaming down her cheeks. “This is everything to my mam. She was a slave for so much of her life, and she just wants something better for me.”

“It’s not better if it isn’t what you’d choose for yourself.”

“How can I tell her that? How can I tell her I don’t want to be queen?”

The gap started closing between us, and I had to hold out my arms to keep from tumbling.

“How can I tell her that I don’t want to marry Prince Cillian? That I didn’t have a good time on our date last night? That it was actually the worst date I’ve ever had in my entire life?”

The gap kept closing, bringing me to her, so close I could almost reach out and touch her.

“How do I tell her that I dream of leaving this place and seeing the world? Of others being able to see me and not expect anything of me?”

The gap between us closed completely, the hedges shaking and splitting open to reveal Cillian floating on a throne above us. But he was surrounded by hedges, a door tucked into the greenery between us closed. We had to get through that door to get to him. But how? I had a feeling we wouldn’t just be able to open it.

Siobhan didn’t even seem to notice the appearance of the high prince. “I don’t want any of this,” she said, voice full of awe like she was just now realizing it to be true. “I don’t want the bloody crown or him.” She pointed a finger at Cillian, who frowned.

“You do know I can hear you, right?”

Siobhan threw out her arms, pacing. “I don’t want to win this stupid trial. And if it means disappearing, then so be it.”

“You’ve unleashed a flood,” Meera said with wide eyes. “I think this is the most honest she’s been in her entire life.”

And she wouldn’t stop. She just kept going and going and going. “I want to fall in love with me. Not some stupid prince.”

“Ouch,” Cillian called out.

“Siobhan,” I said, but she wouldn’t stop.

She was laying everything out, telling us all the things she wanted and didn’t want for herself, not even taking a breath to stop.

“Psst,” Meera said, nodding toward that door, a key now sticking out of the golden lock. I walked toward it, Meera following me while Siobhan was still chattering on.

“I want my mam to appreciate me for who I am and not just what I can do for her.”

I reached the door and turned the key. The door swung open, revealing stairs that went directly to Cillian’s floating throne.

“Oh, we’re too late,” Marsten said behind me as he and Lila ran up to us.

“Go on.” Meera nodded.

I looked up at Cillian, who stared down at me with an unreadable look in his eyes. I walked up the stairs toward him with the key in hand until I stood right in front of his throne.

“Ceri,” he started, voice low.

“Congratulations!” Morton said, appearing out of thin air. “Ceri, you’ve won your first trial!” Morton looked at Siobhan right as I remembered that she’d been trying to tell me something about Cillian and I wouldn’t listen. If everything she’d said about their date last night was true. . . what exactly had happened in his bed chamber?

I wouldn’t get the chance to ask, because at that moment Siobhan disappeared.

CHAPTER 25

Cillian

Iwished I hadn’t taken that entire bottle of heartstopper. That was the only thing currently running through my mind as everyone and everything disappeared around me and Ceri, the garden transforming back to its normal self—except for the white tent set up in the middle, filled with plush pillows, wine, fruit, and cheese. It was surrounded by flowers, trees, and trimmed bushes.

I shot a look at Ceri from the side of my eye, and without even thinking, said, “Race you.”