Chapter 212

The next day, I drove to the mansion to talk to Andrew. As I ascended the stairs to the entrance, each step felt as though I were walking through quicksand. My heart thumped painfully against my chest, and butterflies fluttered in my stomach.

With a deep breath in and out through my nose, I knocked on the door.

Instead of Parker, the maid named Lisa answered the door.

“Hello, Ms. Blanchard,” she said quietly. “His Highness is not here right now.”

“Oh,” I replied, unsure of what to say next.

I had never really liked this Lisa, either. She was too meek, too mousy. It was almost as though she had something to hide.

“Well, do you know where he is?” I asked.

Lisa seemed to give it some thought, then nodded.

“Yes. He’s at Howler Park with Princess Aurora.”

My eyes narrowed. Heat raised into my cheeks.

Princess Aurora.

He had taken her to Howler Park, the city’s central park—the same park that we had gone to the first day that he had played hooky for me.

I forced myself to breathe deeply. There was no need for me to jump conclusions. Andrew was probably just showing Princess Aurora the city and its sights.

“Thank you,” I told Lisa, making myself smile at her.

Lisa returned my smile, although something felt off about it…twisted, almost.

“My pleasure, Ms. Blanchard.”

Without another word to the maid, I turned on my heel and headed back to my car, determined to see for myself what was going on between Andrew and this princess.

I walked through Howler Park searching for Andrew and Princess Aurora. I only knew what she looked like based on some images of her that I saw online, but I had a pretty good of idea of her basic appearance: blonde, blue eyes, curvaceous, pretty… She looked a lot like me, actually.

I stopped by the bench where Andrew and I had sat that day he played hooky. I stared at the water feature that we watched and lost myself in its soothing cascades. I thought back on that day, when my nightmares of vampires were so prominent but Andrew’s support of me had been so strong.

I sighed. That day seemed like centuries ago. To think, kidnappings and vampiric attacks were my biggest problems back then.

Now, I didn’t even know if what I was doing was right or wrong anymore. I had been so certain, just days before Lisa’s wedding, that Bob’s arrest was undoubtedly the right thing to do. Lately, though, with everything that had gone wrong as a result…I just wasn’t sure.

I ran my hand through the cool water. It was so calming, emptying my mind of all negative thoughts. I smiled, very nearly at peace.

Then I heard a high-pitched giggle from nearby.

Curious, I followed the sound around the water feature and down a path lined with towering oaks and golden poppies. The giggling turned into two voices, one male and one female. My heart began to race.

I recognized one of the voices.

“Andrew?” I called out softly, afraid to get an answer back. “Andrew?”

As I expected, I got no answer back. I followed the voices to another clearing. What I found. Hit me like a punch to the gut, leaving me breathless.

Andrew sat on a checkered picnic blanket with the young woman from the news article picture, one hand placed behind him on the ground and the other holding a hot dog. He smiled broadly at the princess and leaned close to her. Princess Aurora leaned back, leaving their faces inches apart.

My heart felt like it was about to stop. Bile raised into my esophagus. Tears poured down my cheeks unchecked.

“You have a little mustard on your chin,” Andrew said, gesturing to his own chin to show Princess Aurora where the spot was.

“Right here?” Princess Aurora asked, pointing to the opposite side of her chin.

Andrew chuckled and shook his head.

“No, no, the other side.”

“Right here?” She pointed to a spot just south of the mustard glob.

“No, a little up.”

“Here?” She moved her finger a little too close to her mouth.

Andrew continued to chuckle and shake his head.

“Here, let me get it.”

He grabbed a cloth napkin and carefully dabbed the mustard off Princess Aurora’s chin.

Susan roared angrily inside of me as Princess Aurora leaned closer, pretending that she was helping him to reach the mustard spot—but Susan and I knew better.

I wasn’t sure why I didn’t move in right then, but something kept me frozen to the spot. Perhaps I needed to see what happened next. Perhaps I needed to see how Andrew would react, to know whether he was interested in this look-alike or not.

Either way, I did not move or make myself known as I watched the scene unfold.

Princess Aurora batted her big, innocent eyes up at Andrew.

“Is that better?” she asked.

Andrew stared into her eyes and nodded.

“Yeah, it is.”

Princess Aurora moved forward, as though to kiss Andrew, when her hot dog fell out of her hand and hit Andrew’s shirt. Mustard spread all over the white fabric.

A hint of pink flushed Princess Aurora’s cheeks.

“Oh, no! I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed.

Andrew laughed.

“It’s quite all right.” He slipped off his suit jacket and removed his shirt, exposing his bare torso to the princess. “There, all better.”

Princess Aurora smirked.

“Oh my…that is better.”

She began to reach her hand out, as though to touch Andrew’s abs. I had seen enough.

“Andrew!” I yelled as I made my way towards the couple.

“Crystal?” Andrew said. He leapt to his feet, Princess Aurora following his example. “What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing?”

Andrew looked down at his bare torso, then at Princess Aurora, then at me.

“It’s not what it looks like,” he said.

“It’s not?” I rubbed some tears out of my eyes with the heel of my hand. “Then what is it?”

“I was just showing Princess Aurora around the city—”

“This is how you show a woman around?” I gestured to his half-naked body. “And in public?”

“This was an accident, a mistake—”

“You bet it was a mistake!”

Princess Aurora stepped up beside Andrew, her hand brushing against his.

“Please, let him explain—”

“Don’t you even start!”

“Crystal!” Andrew snapped. “Do not speak to her that way! She is a visiting dignitary, and you will treat her with respect.”

Princess Aurora smiled smugly at me. My blood boiled.

“We don’t need to drag her into our problems,” he continued. His hand lightly touched hers. “She is a sweet, innocent young woman.”

“I doubt that she’s an innocent as you think,” I sneered.

Andrew’s brows furrowed.

“What do you mean? You don’t even know her, especially not the way that I do.”

That phrase struck a nerve with me.

You don’t know her the way that I do.

How did Andrew know Princess Aurora? They looked awfully comfortable with each other before I approached them.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t take how closely they stood, how good they looked together, the excuses that Andrew was trying to make…I needed to leave before I said something that I would regret.

I turned around and ran back down the path. Andrew did not follow.