"Hey, Riley," Maxwell whispered to me, pulling me back a few paces.

"Yeah?" I whispered. We were walking through the halls of Applewood Manor, being led to our rooms by a chambermaid.

"I think that's the same person who helped us with our bags last time. Do you think she knows anything about what happened with Tariq?"

I shrugged. "It's possible, I guess."

"Should we interrogate her a little? Bad cop, good cop?"

"Maxwell, let's just play it cool. No need to get out the iron maiden just yet."

He nodded and we caught back up to Bertrand. The maid stumbled a little; she was juggling all of our bags, which was a lot for one person to handle. One of mine fell to the ground, and she yelped a little, grabbing at it quickly.

"Here," I said, taking the bag and a few others from her arms. "I can help."

"Really?" She said, eyes wide, surprised not to be scolded, I guess. "Thank you!"

"No problem." We kept walking and soon, Bertrand and Maxwell were settled into their rooms, while the maid led me on to mine.

"How's your day been going?" I asked, to fill the silence.

She looked at me oddly for a minute, but then answered, "Good. We're celebrating a co-worker's birthday later."

"Nice! I hope there'll be cake."

She let out a little grin. "The question's not will there be cake, it's will there be enough cake for thirds?"

I laughed. "That's how it should always be."

We arrived at my room, and she helped get my luggage inside. I gave her a nice tip, and as she turned to leave, she paused.

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

She turned back to me, looking nervous. "It's just...you're not like most of the nobles I meet here. You're so nice...I have to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"It's about the last time you were here. You're Lady Riley Harkness, right? I recognized you immediately, from the tabloids."

I frowned and nodded.

She continued, taking a deep steadying breath. "Last time the court was here, a noble lady came to me. She told me she wanted to play a practical joke on her friends, and asked if I'd help. We're supposed to help the guests in whatever way we can! You don't know the kind of trouble the nobles can cause for us if they're displeased."

"I can imagine," I muttered, and motioned for her to continue.

"Anyway, this noble lady said that we were going to play Cupid because two of her friends were desperately in love, but too shy to act on it. So, I had to deliver a love letter to Tariq saying it was on your behalf, and mention that his room assignment had changed, to your room. She said that if we were only able to put the two of you together, true love would do the rest."

"Didn't it seem like kind of a weird request?"

"Trust me, it's nowhere near the strangest request I've gotten. And, it sounded harmless at the time. But when I heard about the scandal, and saw the photos that came out...I realized what had really happened. I'm so, so sorry Lady Riley. I thought you deserved to know."

She looked ready to start crying, so I put a friendly hand on her shoulder. "I understand," I said. "It's not your fault, you were just doing your job. What's your name, anyway?"

"Mary."

"Mary. Nice to meet you. Do you know who the noble lady was that asked you to do this?"

She shook her head. "I didn't get a good look at her face. She was wearing sunglasses and a scarf on her head."

"And that didn't seem odd?"

"Not really. A lot of nobles dress incognito like that while traveling, to avoid being spotted by paparazzi." She wrung her hands, and looked down, clearly still terrified of what I might do to her.

"Okay. Thank you so much for telling me about this. It's my first real clue about how I was set up."

She turned to go, and I called out to stop her one more time. "Mary! Wait. Just...be careful. We don't know who's behind this, or what lengths they might go to to remain hidden. So, make sure you don't talk about it with anyone else, okay? I'd hate for you to get hurt because of this."

She nodded and smiled at me. "Thank you, Lady Riley. I wish you all the luck in clearing your name."

When I caught Maxwell and Bertrand up on the story, Maxwell gave me a high five, and Bertrand frowned thoughtfully. "It's a good step forward," Bertrand said, "Well done, Lady Riley."

"But..." I said, sensing he was going to continue.

"But, we can't bring this to the media without further proof. This chambermaid could well be seeking her fifteen minutes of fame by fabricating a story."

"You think she is?" I asked, shocked.

"No, I'm thinking like the media will."

"Still," Maxwell jumped in, "We know that it was a noble lady that set you up. That rules out, like, half the court!"

I smiled at his optimism. "Yeah, we're 50% of the way there."

"For now," Bertrand said, "Let's all get a good night's rest. Tomorrow, you'll be helping with the traditional barn raising."

"We're what now?"

"It's an important Cordonian custom where we, as a community, build a barn to symbolize the future of the bride and groom."

"Great," I said with a major eye roll.

"It'll be fun," Maxwell assured me.

The next morning, Maxwell made sure I was awake with one of his signature wake-up calls. "Rise and shine my little hammerhead. Time to build a barn!" He waited for me in the hall while I threw on an outfit suitable for barn building. I knew I packed that plaid shirt for a reason! I thought. I tied it into a knot at my waist, letting my white undershirt cover my belly, and wore a pair of denim cutoffs to complete my ensemble. I joined Maxwell in the hall, and we made our way towards our limo.

I hated the idea of watching Madeleine and Liam build anything for their future, but it was kind of cool to be spending the day in something so physical. I wondered how the nobles would fare at such a blue-collar trade. Would the other ladies be dressed down, too? Or would we see matching kitten heels and hardhats? Oh, and maybe I would get to see a sweaty, shirtless King today…

My thoughts were disrupted by a barrage of press as soon as Maxwell and I set foot outside the front doors of Applewood. When this whole scandal thing started, I had immediately shut down my social media accounts and had blocked any news outlet that might have been talking about me. So, it had been a while since I had really thought about the press. But it became very apparent that the press had not forgotten about me.

"How can you show your face at court after what you did to King Liam?"

"Why are you still at court?"

"Why did you betray King Liam?"

I looked helplessly towards Maxwell, who urged me to keep walking. I had to say something but I had no idea what! "I…" was all managed to spit out before someone interrupted me. Not another reporter; this was someone shooing the press away. He helped me and Maxwell get to the limo, and then climbed in beside us, letting out a cartoonish "Phew!" As he slammed the door.

Bertrand was already there, and I looked between him and this new man, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Thank you for your help," I said to the new guy. "But, um, who are you?"

He smiled and adjusted his thick black glasses. "The name's Justin. And it looks like I arrived just-in time!"

"He's an up-and-coming communications agent in the Cordonian bureaucracy," Bertrand explained.

"Up-and-coming means affordable," Maxwell explained further, which earned him a scowl from Bertrand.

"What it means," Justin clarified, "Is that I'm a bargain right now. Next year, when people have seen my magic, my prices will be double or triple what they are now. Of course, guiding you through the current storm may quintuple my prices, which is why I'm keen to work for you."

Bertrand cleared his throat loudly, not happy that we were discussing money. He steered us back on track. "I brought Justin on as press secretary to help manage your image."

I nodded slowly. "Okay..."

Bertrand asked Justin to start giving me tips on how to handle the press, and I felt both relieved and a little put out at the same time. Up until this latest onslaught, I thought I had been doing pretty well with the press. But, I guess a little professional help would be nice, too. So, I did my best to soak in all of Justin's wisdom.

"Biggest lesson for today," he told me, "You've got to be careful when feeding the press. They're like starved tigers, and you're trying to feed them bits of raw meat out of the palm of your hand."

"Sounds dangerous."

"Exactly. If you're not careful, you're going to lose a few fingers. They're going to steer your answers with questions because they want that perfect soundbite to fit their narrative. Don't let them do that. You've got to be the one who controls your narrative. Stay on message."

"And what exactly is my message?"

"That you're a perfect little angel who loves Cordonia. Drive it home. If they ask you about anything else, pivot to your innocence. It doesn't even matter what it is. Even if they want to know your mother's maiden name, you stay on message."

"Isn't that going to make me seem a little...one-dimensional?"

"Welcome to the world of mass-media."

I laughed a little, and Justin did too, before straightening up and getting serious again. "Now," he said. "Press are already gathering at the barn-raising event. I's a good time to issue an official announcement."

I nodded with a slow, deep breath. I had been dreading this moment, but now that Justin was here to help, maybe I could manage to make a clear, simple statement that didn't add fuel to the fire of my burning reputation. "I am a perfect little angel who loves Cordonia."

"Now you've got it."

And just in time, too, since the limo was pulling to a stop at the barn-raising. Once again, as soon as I was outside, I was surrounded by cameras and microphones, except this time I was ready.

"Lady Riley, a few questions?" Came one reporter.

"I believe Lady Riley would like to issue a statement instead," Justin told the crowd, and they all trained their lenses and microphones on me.

"I love Cordonia," I said firmly. "I spent the social season falling in love with this beautiful kingdom. In fact, when faced with the possibility of having to leave, I found that I had begun to think of it as home. I'm very grateful to the Beaumonts for bringing me here and welcoming me into their family. And...that's all I have to say for now." I looked at Justin, who gave a sharp nod, with an approving smile, and I thanked the press. Most of the reporters tried asking follow up questions, but Justin stepped in and cut them off, escorting me away from the crowds to the skeleton of a barn that was already erected in the nearby field.

Maxwell and I joined the group of nobles and trade workers on the construction site, but Bertrand and Justin excused themselves, saying they were better suited for other tasks. I shook my head, but couldn't say I was surprised. As Maxwell and I searched for a job to do, we noticed Liam and Madeleine talking to the press, looking very cozy. I must have looked as awful as I felt, because Maxwell put a friendly arm around me and reminded me that physical activity reduces stress and improves mood.

Liam wasn't shirtless, sadly, but as we kept walking, I did see a very shirtless, sweaty – okay, glistening – Drake. I cleared my throat and kept my eyes on his as I teased him a little; he and Hana had been trying to hoist a beam for the roof, but hadn't been able to get it up. Maxwell and I offered to help, and the four of us made quick work of the beam. "That's how you do it!" I said in triumph, high-fiving each of my friends in turn.

Maxwell and Hana moved on to other jobs, but I decided to stick with Drake. "We make a good team," I told him. And I told myself that it had nothing to do with the fact that watching him was a nice distraction from Liam.

"I think we'll still need some extra help to get the rest of these beams in place," Drake told me, and stepped away briefly to talk to one of the laborers. A few seconds later, a horse was brought out – a very familiar horse.

"Juliet!" I cried, running to the beautiful black mare. I looked at Drake, confused.

"Liam's made sure she's been well-cared for since we were last here. Some real horsepower will help us get these rafters up in no time. If you don't mind putting her to work."

"Aww," I said, petting her muzzle and ruffling her mane. "That's a great idea."

"It'll even make a good picture for the press," he said, and to his credit, he only winced a little. He was really trying to help, even if it pained him to make a show for the cameras.

"You're full of great ideas today," I told him with a smile. Drake harnessed Juliet to a beam, and asked me to guide her forward on his mark. He would help guide the beam into place and make sure it didn't go swinging wildly around.

Just like that, we worked for the next hour or so, until the rafters were all set. I brushed Juliet down, clouds of dirt and sawdust billowing from her black coat. "She'll need some real grooming after this," I said, and Drake unhooked her harness so she could be led back to the horse trailers.

"I'm sure she'll be pampered just like a princess," Drake said, rolling his eyes a little.

I sighed as I took a drink of water before we moved on to our next task. "This is nice," I said, looking at all the people hard at work.

Drake nodded. "A nice break from conspiracies and scandals," he said. "Just move and build. Nice and simple." I was looking ahead of us, but I could feel his eyes on me for a long moment, and I forgot to breathe a little bit. Eventually, I broke out into a fit of coughing wheezes, which made Drake jump to my side, patting my back.

"It's fine," I said, "I'm fine. Just...a lot of dust in the air." I said goodbye and found Maxwell. Together, we helped hammer the siding on the barn. Later, me and Hana helped paint. By mid-afternoon, all the nobles gathered at the front of the finished building to admire our work.

"This looks great," I said.

"Not bad for a bunch of nobles," Drake admitted.

"This was exhausting, but I'm glad we did it," Hana said.

Maxwell laid on the ground behind us and moaned. "No more...can't...saw…another...plank of wood."

We turned around and Hana and I laughed. Drake just rolled his eyes and kicked at Maxwell's foot a little. "Oh, don't be so dramatic," Drake said. "If this were a dance, you'd still be going strong."

"Like a heart, I need a beat to keep going," Maxwell said, placing an arm across his face dramatically. "But all I hear is the angel's choir. Remember me fondly..."

As Maxwell played dead, Liam joined our group, laughing a little at the display and wiping at his neck and forehead with a towel. "Hello, my lords and ladies," he said at last.

"Hey, you managed to escape," Drake said with a smile.

"Until tomorrow at least. It's been a long day."

"No kidding," I said, looking quickly from Drake to Liam. "I could really use a bath."

At my words, Maxwell stirred from his deathbed. He looked up at our group. "Oh, I know of a spa nearby where we could unwind!" He said.

"What happened to being on death's doorstep?" Drake asked.

Maxwell leaped to his feet without using his hands. "I caught my second wind," he said with a grin.

Hana looked at me, to see what I thought of the spa idea. I nodded, and she said, "It would be great to relax."

Liam smiled widely at me. "That'd be a nice end to the day."

Maxwell led us all to the limo, where we took the short ride to the spa. Once we had all changed into towels, we convened in a large bath room. To one side was a cold plunge pool, and to the other was a bubbling hot tub. There were also massage chairs with foot spas, which is where I immediately plopped myself down. Hana took the chair next to me, and we watched the guys fooling around. Maxwell was the last to arrive, and he was still wearing a shirt, with his towel wrapped around his waist. The other guys were razzing him, trying to get him to take off the shirt. Hana and I shifted our attention to each other, as I asked her how she enjoyed barn building.

"It's so different from anything I've ever done," she told me. "But, it was so satisfying to see the product of your work at the end of the day."

I nodded. "It was oddly relaxing," I said. "Hey, how have things been with your parents since you've been back here?"

"They call me every day to check in on me," she said with a sigh. "And they're constantly reminding me that the only reason I'm here is to find an advantageous match." She shook her head. "But I'd rather not think about that today."

"Okay," I agreed. I stood and cleared my throat loudly, getting the attention of the guys. "I hereby declare that all courtly drama is off limits until tomorrow!"

All my friends cheered, and I sat back, letting the warm waters of my foot bath massage my callouses. "Maxwell!" I shouted. "What the heck is wrong with you?"

"What?"

"Take your shirt off, dummy!"

He wanted to protest, but I silenced him with one look, and he sheepishly removed it so he was wearing just a towel, like the rest of us. Liam was the first to see the tattoo, and burst out laughing. Drake quickly joined him, and I swallowed a laugh of my own as I saw the adorable cartoon hippo across Maxwell's chest.

"Is that what you were hiding?" Hana asked.

"Yes..." Maxwell said. "Bertrand made me swear never to show it off around nobles, but...I can trust you guys, right?"

"Of course!" Hana said, and I nodded in agreement.

"But, you have to tell us the story behind it."

Maxwell explained the significance of the tattoo, which was actually a sweet reference to his mother. He had gotten the tattoo after she died, to remember her by. Hana and I both awwed, and Drake and Liam gave manly grunts of appreciation, and then we all moved on to other things. Maxwell seemed so relieved, and took the massage chair next to Hana. Drake headed to the steam room.

I decided to sit next to Liam, who was dangling his feet into the hot tub. I sat as close to him as possible without touching, then nudged him gently with my shoulder. "Hey," I said quietly.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Lady Riley?"

"Liam," I said, leaning my head on his shoulder, "It's just us, you don't have to call me Lady Riley. But yes, this is really nice."

"I'm so glad you came." He reached out and took my hand in his.

"We've got to take what time we can get," I said.

"That we do," he agreed.