The court didn't attend the rest of the Apple Blossom Festival, so we had the rest of the week off. I spent some time with Hana, Drake, and Maxwell, but didn't get to see much of Liam. I tried my best not to pout about this too much. But, when the festival was finally over, Maxwell definitely saw my mood perk up when he told me that we were going to have our next event the next day.

"What are we doing next?" I asked.

"We're going 'fox hunting.'"

I scrunched up my nose. "We're hunting?"

He shook his head, "No, didn't you hear my air quotes?" He held up his fingers in air quotes as he spoke this time, so I'd be sure to get it. "We're 'fox hunting'. Basically, we're riding one of the ancient hunting trails that nobility used to use a million years ago, when it was still considered good form to kill helpless animals for no reason."

The next morning, he and Bertrand both woke me up early with a surprise outfit for me. I took the hanger and looked at the riding outfit. I had ridden horses before; I grew up in a kind of rural area, and while we were never horse-owner types, a few of my friends lived on farms. But, as I put on the stiff pants and blazer, I had the feeling that noble people riding horses was going to be different, somehow.

"Any tips for today?" I asked as we walked to the front of the manor.

"Time is of the essence," Bertrand said solemnly.

"Isn't it always with you?" Maxwell asked. He was grinning, but shrunk back as Bertrand gave him a withering stare.

"You need to find time to spend with Prince Liam. I have it on good authority that he is in the stables preparing for today's ride."

"So that's why we're practically running down the hallway?" I asked, struggling to keep up with the long-legged men while wearing my new riding boots.

"Yes!" Bertrand hissed. We finished the walk in silence, and once we were outside, Maxwell showed me to the stables.

"I'll stall anyone who tries to enter," Maxwell whispered to me as he pushed me through the stable doors.

He shoved me so hard, I nearly fell into a bale of hay, but managed to recover before Liam saw me. "Lady Riley," he said, turning from the horse he was tending. "You have a habit of finding me when I'm alone."

"Ha, yeah," I said, trying to act cool. "What a series of strange coincidences."

"Coincidences? Or plans in disguise?"

I waved my hand. "Let's try not to overthink things."

"I couldn't if I tried," He said, smiling at me. "My mind goes blank every time I see you." He pulled me into a quick, tight hug. "I've missed you." He cleared his throat. "I hope you're looking forward to the Royal Hunt today. Do you know how to ride a horse?"

I rolled my eyes. "I did okay on that mechanical bull, I think I'll be okay on one of your pretty little ponies."

He laughed loudly. "That's true. Perhaps I'll be the one asking you for advice today." He looked at the horses in their stalls. "I take it you don't have a horse for the hunt today?"

I shook my head. "I don't think so."

"Lucky for you, the royal stables have a number of fine steeds you can borrow for the day." He showed me a few.

"These are the loaner horses, huh?"

"Well, there is one horse here for sale by her owner. The Derby winner, Marabelle's Dream." He took my hand and led me to the stall where the horse in question was being kept. She was a gorgeous black horse with a long, soft mane and a white diamond on her snout. She even had a pretty pink flower braided into her mane.

"She's so beautiful," I said, stroking her nose. "But why is she being sold?"

"She's retired now," Liam explained, "But still has a lot of life left in her, for the right owner."

I sighed. "I wish I could keep her," I said sadly. "She seems so sweet. And you know she can ride like the wind. She'd be the perfect horse."

I turned to go back to the loaner horses, but Liam held me back. "She's yours," he said. I looked at him in disbelief.

As his words registered, I shook my head fiercely. "No, Liam, you can't..."

"I can."

"What would I even do with her? What if...I can't take her home with me."

He smiled. "I'll buy her for the royal stables, but she'll be yours. Any time you want to ride her, she's yours. You can even rename her, if you want."

I was still shaking my head, but I was smiling, too. "Are you sure?"

"I am."

I stroked the horse fondly as I pondered his offer. "Juliet," I said finally.

"Huh?"

"I want to name her Juliet." I smiled up at Liam and gave him a big hug. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome. I'll talk to the groom and have her prepared for your ride today."

As I continued fawning over my extravagant gift, a small commotion erupted outside the stables, followed by the King entering. Maxwell stood sheepishly behind him, mouthing the word Sorry to me, as if he failed his mission to keep people away. I smiled at him and the King.

"Good Morning, Your Majesty," I said.

"Lady Riley," he replied, smiling at me. "You're looking very sporting today."

"Thank you sir," I said. "I was just leaving. I'll see you both out there." I curtsied to the King, smiled at Liam, and joined Maxwell at the entrance of the stables. Together, we raced up to the growing crowd in front of the manor.

"Sorry," Maxwell told me, "I couldn't hold him off."

"That's okay," I assured him. "You did great." He seemed happy to have helped, and I gave him a side hug as we stepped up to our group of friends. We chatted for a few minutes as the nobles gathered their horses. After a while, Juliet was led out by one of the royal family's servants, who handed me her reigns. Olivia scowled from nearby.

"How did you manage to get the Derby winner?" she asked.

"A lady doesn't tell," I said, flipping my hair a little. She just grunted and turned away. I winked at Maxwell, who was looking equally confused. "I'll tell you later," I whispered.

Just as I was mounted on my horse, the King and Liam arrived, both on horseback as well. The King gave a brief opening statement, and then led our procession towards the trail. As we settled into the ride, I found myself towards the middle of the group, looking longingly up at Liam in the front. He was riding next to Madeleine, with the King and Queen just in front of them. I fought back feelings of jealousy as Liam laughed at something Madeleine said, but I couldn't help a little scowl. I slowed Juliet a bit, letting myself fall even farther behind, so I couldn't quite hear the front of the pack.

After that, I let myself enjoy the scenery – we were just passing through the forest on the edge of the manor, and emerged onto an uphill climb. Once that was done, we were following a gentle slope up a rocky mountain trail, and I could see the sea in the distance where the peaks fell away. It was beautiful, and I allowed myself a minute to close my eyes and soak up the sunshine. I was startled out of my reverie by Drake's voice. "Harkness," he said, riding up to me. "There you are."

"Hey, Drake."

"You look, uh...very dignified today."

I gave him a funny look. "Starting with a compliment?"

"Careful, don't want you falling off your horse now."

I chuckled. "I'm surprised to see you out here with all the nobles today."

He shrugged. "Turns out, I had an opening in my schedule today." He looked up ahead at Tariq, Lady Kiara, and Lady Penelope. "And there's something oddly satisfying about watching nobles fuss over their stuffy blazers."

I adjusted my own blazer self-consciously. "Is that why you're smiling more than usual today?"

As if to prove my point, he smiled widely at me. "It has more to do with the company I keep."

"That's two compliments!" I said with an exaggerated jaw-drop.

"One more and you win the jackpot."

"I hope it's all of your whiskey," I said.

Drake looked at me and sighed. "You know, when we first met, I wanted to dislike you so badly."

"Why?" I asked. It wasn't a surprise that he wanted to dislike me – when Drake wants to dislike someone, they know it. But if we were going to talk about it, I was going to find out the truth.

"You were crashing Liam's bachelor party!" Drake answered me as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It was supposed to be our last night out together, before all of this..." he waved his hand around, indicating the whole court. "We've always been like brothers, doing everything together. Now, I'm lucky to see him for five minutes without a noble girl throwing herself in front of him."

I shifted uncomfortably again. He saw me and frowned. "Sorry," he said, "I didn't mean it like that."

"I know," I said, not sure if I did.

"Anyway," Drake said, quickly trying to move on, "I know we got off to a bad start, but somewhere along the way, things changed." He shook his head, holding his reigns tightly in a fist. "Hell, Harkness. I don't even know why I'm telling you any of this."

"I'm glad you feel like you can talk to me," I said. "You've become one of my best friends here. Despite your best efforts." He smiled a little, but wouldn't look at me.

"Guess I'm not trying hard enough." He looked ahead, stretching in his saddle a little. "This has all been very touching, but I think I probably need to rescue Liam from his family for a few minutes." I nodded and he kicked his horse to speed up.

I spent most of the rest of the ride alone, thinking. It was a nice, quiet time, and I had a lot on my mind. Liam. Madeleine. Drake's newfound...niceness. It was all a lot to decipher, and I wasn't halfway done by the time we reached the glen at the end of the trail.

There was already a feast waiting for us when we arrived at the old mountain village. I stood in line at the buffet, and Tariq was behind me. I hadn't talked to him much since...well, ever, really. But I smiled and greeted him like we were old friends. He even offered me his extra cushioned saddle for the ride back, which was sweet of him. I waved goodbye as I finished getting my food, and found my friends who were already sitting. We chatted about nothing in particular as we ate, and then the whole group started the long trek back.

By the time we arrived back at the manor, it was well past dark, and I was ready to sleep for a hundred years.