Chapter 21

FELIX

Mila stared at me, slight panic in her eyes. I could practically see the wheels in her head turning as she processed everything I’d said.

I knew I had put her on the spot. A part of me selfishly hoped that maybe a public declaration of love was exactly what was needed to convince her to be with me.

I watched her ponder my offer, trying to hide my racing heartbeat and the desperation I was sure had entered my eyes.

My confession of devotion was both true and false–I was drawn to her, I did care for her, but the curse weighed heavily on me. I knew Mila was my only chance to break the curse.

Truthfully, I felt torn between my feelings and my responsibilities. I had a duty to my kingdom, to my family, to stay alive. I also knew Mila would be crushed if she were to learn that I had been lying to her. I still had no idea how to break the news of the curse to her.

Exposing the secret of the Dragon Knights to strangers–to anyone not associated or involved in the royal family, really–was strictly forbidden. There was no way for me to tell Mila the truth even if I tried.

For the time being, I was more than happy to present my feelings as love at first sight. She seemed to care for me, as well, and perhaps I could build on that initial attraction to make a case for us to have a quick courtship and marriage. Mila seemed alone in the world. The solution to her loneliness and my problems was one and the same.

A relationship. A courtship. A marriage.

I held her eyes, and held my breath.

MILA

I was unsure what to think of Felix’s confession.

As far as I was concerned, I’d simply had a one-night stand with a notorious playboy. A royal playboy, true, but still a playboy. How could he possibly want a true relationship with me?

The whole thing sounded like a fairytale.

Ever since our one-night stand (where both of us had not been totally sober), all our interactions had been under the pretense of Miya. And the missing necklace. He didn’t know me, not really. And if my gut instinct was good for anything, it was telling me that something about what he was saying wasn’t totally sincere.

Still… we did have a nice night together. He did seem kind and caring, and there were clearly tensions with his family that I could relate to.

I looked him in the eyes. He was nervous, it seemed, although he was trying desperately to hide it. I felt an odd rush through me–could I have that effect on him?

I wondered if he was telling the truth. I also wondered if I wanted to say no.

Maybe…

“Maybe...We can give it a try,” I managed.

A bright smile overtook Felix’s face. I was aware of the cooks around me applauding loudly, clearly thrilled with this outcome of events. To be fair, this was likely the most dramatic royal tasting any of them had ever witnessed.

From the corner, Samara gave me a slight nod of approval. I practically exhaled in relief.

“In that case,” Felix said, still smiling from ear to ear, “We can go ahead and present the Royal Chef Badge. To be clear, Mila, you were the top choice even before this little… interruption.”

More applause from the kitchen. I was vaguely aware of Cassandra next to me, squealing. For the most part, the reception in the kitchen was warm. Mrs. Barker was clapping in delight.

I craned my neck slightly to see Fiona across the kitchen. She was scowling, and the glare on her face only deepened when Felix pinned the Royal Chef Badge to my shirt. His fingers were gentle. My face heated as I raised my head to meet his gaze.

“Congratulations,” Felix murmured softly. “You deserve it.”

My breath caught in my throat. I tried to respond, to say something clever, something witty, something at all, but I wasn’t able to make a sound.

Not all of us in the kitchen were struck with the same affliction.

Lady Isabella sniffed haughtily and looked down at us from her perch.

“I see that the prince has decided to slum it,” she sneered. “How quaint.”

“I’d appreciate it if you showed respect to Mila, Lady Isabella,” Felix replied mildly. “After all, she is very important to me.”

Isabella couldn’t roll her eyes fast enough.

“When you’re ready for a real lady, Felix,” she said calmly, leveling her icy stare with his, “You know where to find me.”

She strutted out of the kitchen, still fanning herself. Felix snorted at her exit and shook his head.

“Never mind her,” he said to me softly. “She’s all bark and no bite.”

She’s definitely got bite, I thought to myself, remembering the tea kettle incident. Lady Isabella might have had a pleasant and charming exterior, but there was definitely venom lurking underneath. If nothing else, tonight served as a reminder to watch my back around that particular courtier.

Elsewhere in the kitchen, Fiona was loudly complaining about favoritism and how the Royal Chef Badge was clearly losing its meaning if nobodies from America were winning it off a “stupid pie.” Judging from Samara’s death glare and frustrated whisper, I was almost positive she had told Fiona to shut up.

I tried not to smirk at that interaction. All my troubles had been worth it to see Fiona’s reaction to me winning the Badge. And it was nice to know that Samara was still on my side through everything.

I made my way through the crowd in a daze, attempting to be as gracious as possible to the many people congratulating me. I felt like I was underwater. In a matter of minutes, my life had turned upside down once again.

What was it about this country? It seemed like a major, life-altering event happened to me here every two days.

I was grateful when Felix caught up with me. He carefully linked his arm through mine and steered me towards one of the exits.

“I’ll take you back to wherever you’re staying,” he offered. “We can talk more about… everything… later, if that’s alright with you.”

I nodded mutely. I still had no idea what to say to this man–my boyfriend? Is that what he was now? He had said I was “important to him.” Was that some sort of slang term for dating? I had so many questions.

Felix led me out of the kitchens and to the main entrance way of the castle, where a shiny black car–easily costing more than a restaurant space ever would–had pulled up. A driver stepped out of the front seat and opened the back door for me.

“Where are you staying?” Felix asked as I slid into the car. He followed behind me.

“Uh, one of the motels off the main strip,” I mumbled. It would be dreadfully embarrassing for Felix to see where I had been living, especially compared to his large castle and expensive apartments.

He smiled and nodded at me, and we were off.