“What!” I exclaimed as Mellie gasped, “When?!”
Adelaide bit her lip. “The last time was right before they announced that Prince Xavier was abdicating.”
“Thelasttime? Meaning there have been multiple times?” Mellie’s tone was excited, like she was interviewing someone for a juicy story.
“Well…yeah,” Adelaide said, looking between both of us as though trying to get a read on how we were handling this news.
I had been so eager to hear the rest of my friend’s story that I had briefly forgotten that I should have felt instantly jealous.
“Oh, do go on!” Mellie, completely unfazed, egged Adelaide on.
“There was a fundraiser at the school a few months ago, and he and I?—”
“Here you go!” Ambre said excitedly as she strode through the door straight to Adelaide. “Put these on so we can see everything together.” She handed Adelaide the gloves and set to bobby pinning the small hat onto Adelaide’s head.
“Yes! That’s the outfit,” Mel said. I chuckled to myself; for someone who declared how much she hated doing this type of stuff, Mel sure did love telling Adelaide how great she looked.
“Birdie, what do you think?” Adelaide asked, her eyes wide.
“I think he’s going to forget his name when he sees you.”
She gave me a half smile and turned back to Ambre. “Well, I guess this is the one.”
After scheduling the delivery of our dresses with Ambre, we made our way down the street to The Snowdrop for lunch. As we walked in, the smell of cinnamon and spices filled my nose, and my mouth instantly began to water. I felt as though I had been transported to a fairy garden; ivy vines and twinkling lights hung from the ceiling, giving the feeling of standing under a willow tree. Vibrant potted plants were scattered throughout the shop, contrasting with the dark countertops. It would have been easy to forget that it was nearing Christmas were it not for the holiday insert in the menu.
After ordering at the counter—a feat I hadn’t expected to be so difficult thanks to the variety of delicious options—we settled in at one of the tables to wait for our food, Jacob taking a two-top within earshot. I couldn’t wait to dig into the soup I had ordered, hoping it would warm me up from the short walk.
About ten minutes later, Cora carried a tray with our food out of the kitchen.
“Hey, Cora!” I greeted, giving her a warm smile. “How’s your day going?”
“Hi,” she answered, looking around the busy café and patisserie. “It’s going well. Busy. But I spotted you come in and wanted to bring your order out.”
“Are you looking forward to the garden party?” Mel asked her.
“I was…” Cora’s voice trailed off as she fiddled with the edge of the tray that was still in her hands.
“What changed your mind?” I asked.
“I’m just nervous. After the stuff that happened at the artisans’ square, I’m so nervous to be around Prince Oliver. I managed to avoid pretty much everyone at the school drivethis week. But seeing Renata today just brought all those feelings back.” She tucked the tray under her arm and wiped her hands on her soft pink apron.
“You saw Renata today? Was she nice to you?” Adelaide asked, alarmed.
“Yeah. She wanted to use the private party room upstairs. She was with that reporter from the press conference. The one who wrote thePine Timesarticle.”
Alistair Fucking Davies.
“She was probably doing her own interview so she can paint herself in a good light and they don’t write some sham article about her, too. Buttering up the press,” Adelaide said, rolling her eyes. “No offense, Mel.”
“None taken,” Mel laughed. “But I don’t think that’s the case. Alistair got fired.”
Adelaide, Cora, and I all gasped, our mouths wide.
“Yeah,” Mel continued, taking a bite of her sandwich. “I can’t believe I forgot to mention it earlier. Turns out, he was accepting bribes to write articles with false claims about the success of various businesses. He’s in a world of trouble right now.”
“That’s insane. I wonder why he and Renata need to have a private meeting,” I mused, not at all liking the idea of the two of them being up to something together.
“Do you think she’s a part of the bribe stuff?” Adelaide asked.
