My stomach was a knot of nervous energy as we drove to the picnic. The King had been easy enough, but Bertrand told me that meeting the Queen would be much more involved, which meant many more opportunities for me to embarrass myself. I got a few words of praise over the way I had handled the press (though admittedly, most of them were from Maxwell). And before I knew it, we were at the garden picnic. The huge lawn was set up with white tents decorated with pink and cream flowers, and under the tents were tables with white linen tablecloths and fancy tea settings. It was like something out of Downton Abbey.

"This is...not what I thought a picnic looked like," I said. Bertrand ignored me and ordered me to go stand in a receiving line with the rest of the ladies.

Hana was just in front of me, but we didn't have time for much conversation, as the Queen was heralded just after I found my place. She stood at the front of the receiving line to address all the suitors, but I was distracted by the woman next to her. She was young, maybe a little older than me, but gorgeous. Blonde, thin, and poised. I thought for a moment she was the princess, but Liam didn't have any sisters as far as I knew.

As Hana and I whispered about it, Olivia butted into the conversation to inform us that the young woman was named Madeleine. "Countess Madeleine of Fydelia, to you," she hissed. "And if you haven't heard of her, then you really are behind the times." Apparently, Madeleine was engaged to Liam's older brother Leo, before he abdicated. He broke it off with her and married a commoner (Slumming it must be a family thing, I joked to myself). "Poor thing must be the Queen's guest as a consolation prize," Olivia finished, though there was no hint of empathy in her tone.

After a moment, the Queen reached me in the line of suitors and paused. I gave a low curtsy. "It's an honor to meet you, your majesty," I said.

"Ma'am," Madeleine said quietly, but loudly enough that it was clear she didn't care if I heard, "This is the one I was telling you about."

Queen Regina nodded. "Ah, yes. Lady Riley Harkness. The press is touting you as the Everywoman. A woman of the people."

I smiled proudly, but stopped when I saw the Queen's face. She did not take that as a compliment, apparently. "It's good the people see themselves in you, but if you become queen, I hope you'd be aware of your true status."

"Of course, ma'am," I said, hiding the annoyance I was feeling. "I'd take it very seriously."

"Tell me," the queen continued, "What do you think is the best quality for a ruler to have?"

"I believe a good ruler must possess a sense of duty. They must put the welfare of the country and its people above all else."

"That's true," she conceded. "Governance is not to be taken lightly. You will be bombarded daily by a hundred little decisions. Few will be glamorous and many will weigh on you. Loyalty to the kingdom and to the people must guide your every decision. Furthermore, we must always portray a sense of calm and dignity. If the rulers appear in control, then everyone will be reassured. Hysteria benefits nobody. Do you agree?"

It was obvious that the correct answer, in her mind, was yes, but I thought it sounded a little cold. Instead of disagreeing though, I found what I thought was a rather diplomatic answer. "I believe a stoic leader makes for a stoic people." She took my response as agreement, which I was hoping she would, and then she nodded to me and moved on to the rest of the receiving line. I couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief when it was all over. Hana patted my arm reassuringly, smiling at me to let me know I had done well.

Once all the suitors were greeted, the Queen led a procession across the lawn to a croquet field (Court? Field? I wasn't sure what it was called). As she walked, I found myself quite near to her at the front. Apparently I walk too fast for a noble lady. We came to a bend in the road, and I quickly stepped back to make sure I wouldn't bump the Queen or get ahead of her, as Bertrand had warned me what a terrible faux pas that would be. She smiled at me out of the corner of her eye, and I wonder if she was waiting to see what I would do in that moment.

Finally, we reached the end of our procession, with the final leg of the journey being to pass by Liam. He nodded and greeted each lady as she passed, and maybe it was my imagination, but I would have sworn his smile was biggest for me.

I couldn't spend too long focused on Liam, though, because as soon as all the ladies were greeted, the Queen took command of our attention again. "Custom has it," she announced, "That the Queen and Prince play a round of croquet with two of the season's suitors. I have chosen Madeleine as my partner."

A rush of murmurs broke out from the group, with women whispering things like, She's a suitor? And Can you believe this? Madeleine seemed undisturbed by the quiet uproar, as she smiled and thanked the Queen.

"As for myself," Liam said next, "I shall choose Lady Riley."

I could hear a few more protests behind me, but it was my turn for a smug smile as I joined Liam on the field. The four of us – me and Liam, Madeleine and Queen Regina – set up at the beginning of the course. "Did I mention I've never played croquet?" I whispered to Liam.

He smiled reassuringly at me. "Just do what I do. You'll be fine. And, if nothing else, we'll manage a few extra moments together."

"I guess it's worth it, then."

With Liam playing first, I was able to follow his lead as we knocked our croquet balls through the wire hoops for what seemed like an interminably long game. I amused myself by imagining I was Alice in Wonderland, playing croquet with the Queen of Hearts and using a flamingo as my mallet. Finally, Liam told me that the game was all tied up, and I was the one who could win it for us.

"What?" I almost yelped.

"Just knock the ball through that hoop," he pointed, "And hit the peg, and we win."

"The peg is that stick thing?"

He grinned. "Yes, that stick thing."

I shook my arms loose and lined up the shot. For a moment, I wondered if I should throw the game to avoid making the Queen mad, but then thought better of it. Didn't want to give her an excuse to say something negative about me, like god forbid I didn't excel at this lawn game. I held my breath as my ball rolled across the grass...and knocked the peg! A round of polite applause from the crowd and a beaming smile from Liam were my prizes for what was undoubtedly my greatest ever sports victory.

I kept myself from jumping up and down, and instead shook hands with Madeleine and the Queen.

"Nice show," Queen Regina said to me, and I thanked her. "I've seen too many young ladies throw the game on purpose in order to impress me. That's why I decided the throw the match on purpose."

I opened my mouth, but didn't speak. Did she know I had had the exact same thought? "You were testing me?" I asked.

"And you passed," she said with a faint smile. "I'm sure we'll have times in the future where we'll find ourselves on opposing sides. Next time, though, I expect we won't be simply playing croquet. And I won't be holding back."

"I won't either," I assured her. As we parted ways, Liam helped me find a table where the two of us could sit. Hana joined us and congratulated us on the game. Soon, Drake and Maxwell arrived, and waiters came around offering us loads of tea-time type snacks. Tiny cucumber sandwiches and the like. It was cute, but I was starving. I took a heaping plateful as Maxwell grilled me about my time with the Queen.

"I think I impressed her," I told him.

"Fantastic." He wiped a fake tear from his eye. "It's like watching my baby bird learn how to fly."

"What do you think, Liam?" I asked. "Do you think the Queen approved of me?"

"I think you performed quite gracefully in front of her." He said with a smile.

"Enough about Riley," Drake said, "All the little sandwiches are gone, and I'm still starving."

I looked down at my own empty plate and agreed. "I could really go for a cronut right now."

All around me were blank faces. In the most adorable way possible, Hana tried to gently correct me. "I think you mean donut, Riley."

I laughed. "Wait," I looked at each of my friends. "None of you have heard of a cronut before?" All I got were heads shaking no.

"You poor, over-privileged, under-pastried nobles."

"Watch it," Drake warned.

"Nobles plus Drake," I corrected. "But seriously. This is a real problem. A cronut is the sumptuous inside of a croissant mixed with the glazed outside of a donut. It's one of the best things ever invented."

"It sounds...American," Maxwell said. From anyone else, it would have sounded insulting, but from Maxwell I knew I shouldn't feel offended.

"Very American," I agreed. "From New York with love. We have to get some! I think I saw a pastry shop advertising them. We could all go after the picnic!"

Liam gazed longingly at me. "While that sounds like an adventure..." he started. "I don't think the schedule will allow for it."

I pouted, then gave him my most mischievous smile. "Then how about a jail break tonight? Think we could sneak out of the palace for a cronut run?"

"That does sound like fun," Hana said.

"Very tempting," Liam agreed.

Everyone was excited about it, so we made plans and met up later that night. Liam was the last to join us outside the palace. Drake sounded like he wanted to leave without him, but I insisted we stay an extra few minutes. Finally, Hana pointed towards the palace. "There he is!" she exclaimed.

"Shh!" Maxwell chided. "You're gonna get him caught!"

As Liam jogged over to us, he apologized for being late. "It's been a while since I've had to sneak out my own bedroom window," he said, smiling at me. "I nearly fell into the rose bushes. But," he took a step back and held out his arms, showing himself off. "I stand here before you, unscathed."

"And now the real adventure can begin!" I led the group down the palace drive towards the city. It was a long walk, but we were mostly quiet. It was a beautiful night, so every once in a while, someone would comment on the stars or the weather, but that was about it. It was actually kind of nice. No one was worried about impressing each other or saying just the right thing. I think we were all happy to spend a few minutes relaxing after the long day.

Eventually, we reached the pastry shop where I had seen the cronuts. I ushered everyone inside. Maxwell stopped in the doorway, with his hands on his hips. "We need all your finest cronuts, please!"

Drake smacked him upside the head.

Hana advised him, "I think you're supposed to go to the counter, not just shout from the doorway."

"Like normal people," Drake added.

"I'll handle this," I told them. "You all go get a seat."

After ordering, I took the tray of delicious goodies to my friends at their table. There was one seat left open, right in between Drake and Liam, so I took it. Liam casually draped an arm around my chair, and smiled at me, but I suddenly felt a little self-conscious with his attention. Maybe because it was the first time I had it while Hana was around. She was in contention for the crown, too, after all. I didn't scoot away from Liam's embrace, but I tried not to encourage him, either.

"Well, these look delicious," Liam said, eyeing the cronuts hungrily.

"What matters is how they taste," Drake said, reaching for one.

"All together now," I instructed, and everyone took a pastry. "On the count of three," I held mine up to my mouth but didn't take a bite. "One...two...th-"

"Yuuummmmm!" I was interrupted by a moan of satisfaction from Maxwell, who couldn't handle the wait.

"Maxwell!" Drake snapped.

"I regret nothing," Maxwell said, his eyes closed in delight as he savored the last bite of his cronut. I laughed and took a bite of my own, and everyone else followed suit.

General yummy noises dominated the conversation until everyone was finished. "The last time I had something that delicious," Maxwell declared at last, "Was when Bertrand hired a personal chef from a Michelin rated restaurant to make his birthday cake."

"That was a good party," Liam agreed, "And a good cake."

"Wait," I said, "Did Bertrand used to have fun?"

"Yeah," Maxwell laughed. "He wasn't always like he is now."

Liam nodded. "There was a time when Bertrand would have been here with us tonight." His smile faded. "He's...he's grown distant the last few years."

I frowned and forgot about my decision to avoid Liam's attention. I reached out and put my hand on his as a consoling gesture. He smiled at me appreciatively.

"Aw," Maxwell said lightly, "Bertrand's gonna be fine. He's just sorting some things out. You know what? I'll even bring him back a cronut."

"That's sweet, Maxwell," Hana said.

"Yeah, we'll see if it makes it home," Drake countered.

"Are you implying I'd eat my own brother's cronut?" Maxwell scoffed. Drake just gave him a look, but it made Maxwell reconsider his position. "Well...it's the thought that counts anyway, right?"

We all sat and talked for a while longer, until the shop keeper wanted to close up. "I hadn't realized how late it was," Hana said as she saw the time. "We really should be heading back."

"I have already been gone for too long, probably," Liam agreed.

"Historians will tell of the day when Cordonia nearly collapsed because the Prince went out for cronuts." Drake said wryly.

Liam rolled his eyes and reached behind me to smack Drake. "Okay, maybe it's not that bad, but we should still head back to the palace."

I cleaned up our place and we all headed back into the cool night air. As we began the long walk back to the palace, it was easy to fall into smaller groups. Liam and I walked behind everyone else, and I quietly slipped my hand in his. He looked at me fondly for a moment, then turned his attention back to the road. "Thank you for today," he said at last.

"Always happy to introduce cronuts to a few new people," I said casually.

"Not just that," Liam chuckled. "You...you just make everything more fun, Riley." After a beat, he added, "I'm really happy you're here."

I felt a pang in my stomach as he spoke. "I've been wondering if it was a good idea to come," I said. He looked at me in surprise.

"Of course it was! I was so glad you came."

I nodded, but looked down at the ground as I spoke. "I know. It's just...can I really be Queen? I sometimes worry that I'm just going to make it harder for you to make the right choice."

Liam stopped, ignoring the fact that we were falling behind the others. He turned to me and tilted my chin up, forcing me to look him in the eye. "Hey," he said. "Don't worry about me. You've already given me more than you can possibly know. Whatever else happens, I don't regret the time we've spent together."

He looked like he was about to kiss me, but for once, I was the one who turned away. We kept walking, still hand in hand, but quiet, each ruminating on the days to come.