YENA

“Can we talk?”

I nodded as Nolan walked into my studio. I’d been pacing the room, looking at all my stuff, thinking about how I couldn’t take it all with me when I left.

I sat on the couch. Nolan followed me and it looked like he thought briefly about taking a seat beside me, but then he sat down in a chair across from me instead.

“I just talked to my mother. She has a plan for how we’ll move forward with…”

It annoyed me that he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

“The divorce?” I asked. My voice came out sounding even sassier than I expected.

He gave me a blank look. I might have stunned him a little.

What did he expect? To serve me divorce papers out of nowhere, and have me be happy about it? How could I not be angry?

“She wants us to take some time apart, starting now,” he finally continued. “Before everything is finalized…”

“So, what? You’re kicking me out today?”

“No. Yena, that’s not the idea. I…”

It seemed like he was about to say something but decided against it.

He shook his head and wiped his mouth with his hand.

He looked tired.

“You can go home to your family, for now.”

“Oh…”

Well, if I was going to move out, that was of course where I’d be going.

It was weird to hear Nolan call Tina’s house my “home,” though.

The palace felt like my home now.

Nolan felt like my family.

But he was right, that used to be my home… and Tina, Peter, and Evan were still my family, of course.

It was just a lot to process, all at once.

And then a worry struck me…

“She’s going to actually let me leave, right? You don’t think she’s just saying this now… but she won’t let me get on the plane, and leave, when I need to… do you?”

Nolan looked down at his hands.

His energy felt heavy.

“You’re asking if Luna will let us go through with the divorce,” he said flatly.

I nodded.

“She said she would. She doesn’t like it and she made that very clear. But she said she talked to the King, and they both agreed to let us do it.”

The whole thing just seemed surreal. I imagined Luna talking to the King about me and Nolan breaking up.

It felt good when Nolan had told me the King had called me clever, after the whole scandal, and Nolan’s imprisonment, and my efforts to clear his name.

I wondered what the King thought of me now.

It couldn’t be anything good.

I wanted to start packing up my studio right away. That was going to be the worst part of all this…

Well, apart from losing Nolan, of course…

Leaving this beautiful place behind. I had so many important memories here, already.

Nolan had left me alone after he told me his announcement, about Luna’s idea for a kind of cooling off period that we needed to do before she’d process our divorce.

I grabbed a few bags, and started filling them up with my projects I had in progress, and the supplies I’d need to finish them.

Not sure what I really needed them for now, though. I’d been working on prototypes and samples for the clothing line Nolan and I were supposed to be turning into a business.

We hadn’t talked about it yet. But it seemed obvious that splitting up our marriage meant we were also giving up on the business.

That hurt, especially since it had been his idea in the first place. All those promises he made me, that he’d be my partner in following my dream, and now…

No longer being the princess meant no more unlimited resources.

So there was not going to be business.

But it was probably for the best. I wasn’t ready to start my career like that anyway…

I was taking some garments off my plus-sized dressing maker’s dummies, when it really hit me hard.

I loved those. And they were definitely something I couldn’t take with me to Tina’s little house.

I had to take a break. I needed to call Tina anyway.

“Yena,” she said when I’d told her the news, “I’d never wish for any pain or heartache for your life, but I won’t lie. I’m so happy my beautiful daughter is coming back home!”

Just from the sound of her voice, I could tell that she had tears in her eyes.

The truth was, I was conflicted about moving back to Tina’s house. I felt two opposite things at once.

I was happy to see her soon, of course. And even the thought of sleeping in my old bed again, back in my old room, sounded comfy and welcome.

The big bed that Nolan and I shared didn’t feel good to sleep in alone.

I guess it was just Nolan’s bed now. Or it would be, after I was gone for good.

But I was sad to leave, too.

“When will you be here?” Tina asked. “Do you need help packing your things?”

“As soon as possible, I guess. And I think I’ll be okay with the packing.”

I smiled. It was such a mom thing to say.

It was sweet she would offer to come and help me move. But I guess she was forgetting that I had dozens… maybe hundreds… of people working here that would jump to help me with anything I wanted, at any moment.

“Anything else you need?” she asked.

“No,” I told her. “I’ll text you later, when I’ve been able to think about when I’ll be home.”

“Alright. One last thing… what kind of cookies do you want when you get home?”

I laughed.

“Oh, wow… I’m going to gain so much weight being back there, with you cooking for me again!”

“Well, I’ll try not to spoil you too much.” Tina laughed.

Somehow I doubted that would be true.

“Listen, do you want to talk to your brother, before you go?”

“Sure, he’s around?”

“He’s right here, sweetie. I’ll talk to you later, okay? Love you.”

Then Tina was gone. I wondered if something had caught her attention.

“Hey, Yena,” Evan said, taking over the phone.

“Hey Evan, how are you doing?”

“I’m great.” It sounded like he was grinning.

“Yeah? Why’s that?”

He paused. “Because you’re coming home, of course.”

“Aww, that’s nice.”

“I mean it.” Evan’s voice was both happy and serious. “It hasn’t been the same around here without you, Yena.”

I smiled. “It’ll be good to be home.”

“And I bought some of your favorite chocolates already. They’re waiting for you in your room, when you come home.”

“You know what, though, Evan? I’m worried Tina’s already going to make me fat again when I come home, feeding too much of her home cooking.”

“Yena, you’re beautiful no matter how much you weigh,” Evan said. The words sounded like they rushed out quickly.

I was surprised, and felt my face turning red. Where was my annoying brother who used to pinch the fat on my sides and arms and make fun of me?

I guess he’d grown up.

I couldn’t help but feel impressed with him, and flattered.

Evan coughed and cleared his throat. “But anyway, if you want, you can join me for some of my off-season training workouts.”

That sounded fun.

“Okay. What kinds of workouts do you do?”

“All kinds of stuff… I do a run every morning, if you wanna start with that.”

I’d never run for exercise before. I didn’t do sports when I was younger, and since I’d been here, training with Nolan in the fencing room was the only athletic activity I’d trained in.

Well, Nolan and I did do a lot of other exercise together, mostly in bed but some other places too… those were fun workouts.

I’d be missing that.

“Alright,” I said to Evan. “You’ll have to teach me how, but let’s go running.”