He kisses me harder, and I’ve never felt so sure of anything.
The first time Theo and I got married, it was because the universe was holding a gun to our heads. This time, it’ll be because we want to.
We split up and agree to meet in the gardens after sundown. When I ask if we have enough time to makethiswedding legal, Theo assures me that he’ll take care of it, that he’ll call in favors and pull strings if he has to. (“Perks of being the king” followed by “Shite. Henry’s going to be miffed” followed by a wide-eyed “How do I explain any of this?”)
I’m dazed as I walk out of the Throne Room. I don’t know where to go, or what to do, but I somehow wind up at the foot of the Grand Staircase. I slowly glide my hand over the bronze casting and look up to see an etched-glass dome filtering in soft gray light, and it hits me that this is going to be myhome.Not the dorm room in Northwestern with my new Target bedsheets, but the three-hundred-year-old palace that Theo grew up hating.
I sit on the bottom step and close my eyes. For the first time since the comet, I see my future in perfect clarity. Theo and I will live here. He’ll be king; I’ll be queen consort. I’ll take classes at Oxford, figure out if photography is still my passion, and spend long afternoons playing fetch with Comet in the palace gardens. We’ll find a way to move the monarchy into the future, to make Theo hate it less. No more guesswork. No more stressing over what to do with my second chance. No more hazy, uncertain daydreams. Just Theo and me together, finally, without any catastrophes to tear us apart.
I call the only person who might understand what I’m aboutto do, and I swear I hear my heartbeat echoing off the glass ceiling as the phone rings.
“Hey, what’s up?” Naomi’s voice is hushed.
“Is this a bad time?”
“No, hang on.” The line goes quiet for several seconds. I hear her say goodbye to someone, and then she’s back. “Sorry, I was in my room, but I can talk on my way to class.”
“What class?”
“Calc. But oh my gosh, I have to tell you about my English Comp professor. He’s old, so I thought it would be boring, right? But no. He’s actually hilarious and so cool. He’s covered in tattoos and swears all the time and treats us like adults. He doesn’t even take attendance. Not that I’m going to skip class—I would never—but still. Iloveit here.” She sighs dreamily, and it makes me want to cry. Suddenly, I feel sick with envy. She’s exactly where she’s supposed to be, and sheknowsit. “Hang on, I’m cutting through Sarge, it’s going to get loud.”
I wait until the noise around her subsides, and it gives me time to remember how to breathe. “What’s Sarge?”
“Sargent. It’s what everyone calls the dining hall.”
“Oh.” I realize with a start that I could be with her right now, using student slang like “Sarge.” It feels unthinkable. If I were there, I don’t know what I’d be doing with my life, or what it would mean for Theo and me.
“Have you talked to Theo yet? What’s going on with the coronation? And when are you coming home?”
My blood pressure spikes, until I remember that I finally have answers. “Theo and I are going to get married,” I say quickly.
She doesn’t respond for so long that I check to see if the call dropped. “Naomi?”
“Yeah, sorry, I just… I don’t know what to say. Obviously you and Theo are soulmates, but is it going to be a long engagement type of thing?”
“We’re getting married tonight.”
“What?!” I hear a door slam behind her, and she lowers her voice again. “That’scrazy.”
“I want to be with him, and this is the only future for us that makes sense.”
She’s quiet for a long moment. “You can’t even wait for me to be a bridesmaid?”
I don’t want her to think about that. I want her to be excited for me. “You have a room at Buckingham anytime you want. Hell, you can have a dozen rooms! Come for your birthday in December!”
“I’ll be studying for finals,” she says flatly.
“Oh yeah.” My stomach drops. “Well, I’ll come visit you! You can show me all the best places to hang out on campus.”
“Will you be allowed to do that?”
I remember Theo’s endless warnings about stalkers and bodyguards and paparazzi, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.My life will never be normal again.
“Wren—” I hear muffled voices in the background. “I have to go. Class is starting. Just… don’t do anything until you’ve really thought about it, okay?”
I assure her I won’t, but I’m dazed as we hang up. If my best friend and the biggest royal fanatic I know thinks this is too much too soon, should I reconsider? My stomach squirms uncomfortably, and I realize quickly that I can’t. Despite Naomi’s lack of enthusiasm, I’m relieved to finally have a life plan again, even if that plan is to secretly marry the king of England the night before his coronation.
I pace in front of the staircase as I mentally make a list of everything I’ll need for tonight, starting with paperwork. I text Brooke and ask her to scan me a copy of my birth certificate—along with an ominousDon’t ask questions!(After Naomi’s reaction, I don’t want anyone else to second-guess me.)
