“Actually,” Evelyn admitted, “that’s not far from the truth.”
The sisters stopped dead in their tracks. The confused horror on Daphne’s face contrasted with the sheer elation on Desirée’s.
“Are you pregnant?” Desirée shrieked. “I don’t usually like that as a plotline, butoh my gods,right now it would be?—”
“No!” Evelyn assured her. “I’m not pregnant!”
“Then what in all hells happened with you and Alexander?” Daphne demanded.
Evelyn looked past them to see Leo and Nicolas laughing at something, which caused Damien immense mock outrage. “I didn’t know who he was.”
“What do you mean?” Desirée asked.
Evelyn hesitated. “Did you know he uses an illusion on himself?”
“He showed us a couple times,” Daphne recalled. “He has that dark hair from his mother’s side of the family and his weird blue eyes.”
“Right. But I can’t see illusions. Not sure why, but my magic blocks them. I canonlysee his brown hair and blue eyes.” Evelyn gave them a moment to process that before she continued. “There wasn’t anyone else around when I met him, and I had no idea he was the prince. I assumed he was a guard, and then he said his name was Leo.”
“That’s what Damien calls him sometimes,” Daphne remembered.
Desirée clapped her hands. “Mistaken identity! Oh, I love that one! It’s like the story where the princess sneaks out of the palace and meets a commoner in the market, but he doesn’t know she’s a princess and then?—”
“Desirée!” Daphne shouted. “Will you please focus?”
“Right! Sorry,” Desirée said sheepishly.
“Okay, so…” Daphne turned back to Evelyn. “When did you find out who he was?”
“Right after the ball. My father asked me about dancing with the prince, and I said I hadn’t, and it all unraveled from there.”
Desirée gasped. “Alexander didn’t even tell you himself? That’s?—”
“I will burn your bookshelf if you start talking about plot twists right now,” Daphne threatened.
Desirée closed her mouth but continued bouncing gleefully.
“What did you do?” Daphne asked. “Did you punch him in the face?”
Evelyn shook her head. “No, but Damien wanted to. I mostly cried, honestly.”
“Did he declare his undying love and beg you to take him back?” Desirée’s hands were clasped together like she was praying for it to be true.
“Basically.”
Desirée squealed and Daphne glared at her.
“It’s romantic!” Desirée said. “They’ve overcome obstacles to be together.”
“That sounds really fucking stressful, Evelyn,” Daphne said. “Are you sure you want to get marriedtomorrow?”
“Gods, you really are like your brother. Yes, I want to marry Leo. Alexander. I love him, whatever his name is.”
Daphne snorted. “All right. You’re crazy, but all right.”
“Isn’t love always a little bit crazy?” Evelyn countered.
“Carrowmore must have even more romance books than we do.”
