Page 28 of Heartless Sinner

Me: May the best man win.

The typing bubble appeared almost instantly.

Brooks: My personal Helen of Troy.

Personal.

That asshole and his ownership issues.

Six

Daphne

“Time to wake up, my hungover Princess.”

I groaned at the voice outside my door.

Sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains. Everyone in the castle was expected to wake with the sun, so blackout curtains were practically illegal. It didn’t matter that my flight hadn’t landed until three this morning.

I’d spent the rest of the flight watching The Vampire Diaries while Cory paid more attention to his phone than the show.

Another knock pounded through my skull.

“Coming!” I grumbled, throwing off the comforter.

I dragged myself toward the door, shielding my eyes from the obnoxious amount of sunlight. Salty air blew through the open window.

I swung open the door, and Elodie threw herself at me in a hug that nearly knocked me over.

“Daphne!” she squealed. “I’ve missed you!”

I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed her back.

Elodie had been my first lady since our teens. She was also my best friend and the biggest pain in my ass.

She wrinkled her nose while taking in my wrinkled clothes.

I rolled my eyes at her. “Hey, you keep judging me like that, and I’ll find something wrong with your outfit too.”

Elodie ran a hand down her blue dress with the Caliran flag stitched across the bodice.

Calirans didn’t do casual fashion. They wore structured uniforms, tailored clothing, or formalwear.

Sweatpants? Out of the damn question.

“You wear that outfit to breakfast, and the king will kick you out,” she commented.

I tugged at the hem of my skirt. “These are yesterday’s clothes.”

She cracked a smile. “That doesn’t make it better.”

“I was exhausted when we landed. Sleep ranked higher on my priority list than changing clothes.”

She leaned in and sniffed me.

I shoved her away playfully. “Excuse you! I don’t smell!”

She laughed before changing the subject. “How was the flight with Cory?”