JENNIE

"I'm not wearing that much makeup." I grabbed a washcloth and rubbed at my cheeks. I looked at Jimin in the mirror and hissed under my breath. "I look like a prostitute."

He barked a laugh. "You do not."

I glared at him in the mirror as I rubbed off an inch of foundation.

"Okay. A very classy one."

"Damn it. I smeared the eyeliner!" I rubbed at my face harder. "Now I look like a crying prostitute."

"Stop that! You're taking off skin." Jimin grabbed the towel out of my hand. "Look at me."

I turned toward him and sat very still while he carefully wiped around my eyes. He picked up something that I couldn't see. "Close your eyes."

I sat there patiently while he reapplied the eyeliner. He tsked under his breath while he worked. "The makeup artist I hired had a family emergency."

"Where did you find her replacement? A brothel?"

"It's not that bad."

I peeked one eye open. "Yes it is."

"Okay. It was pretty bad." He spun me toward the mirror. "But I fixed it."

"Why didn't you just do it in the first place?" I checked my reflection out, feeling much better about the way I looked.

"Bah." He helped me out of the chair. "Now hurry. We need to pick a diadem for the photos." He led me into the room where we were doing the shoot. There was a bland-looking background set up in one corner with lights focused directly on it. Off to the side was a table with a large wooden box. Jimin went straight to the chest, produced a large key, and unlocked the lid. He opened it and stepped back so I could see what was inside.

"These belong to my family?" I ran my fingers gently over the jewel-encrusted tiaras.

"These belong to you."

There were three in the box, each as beautiful as the next. One had large, clear emeralds set between diamonds. The next one was large and flashy—it would make Ryujin proud. The last one was small and had been worked to look like vines. It was simple but breathtaking. It was intricate, but not over-the-top, and I knew it was the one I wanted immediately.

"Do you know anything about them?" I lifted the tiara out of the box and watched as the light played along the jewels.

"I had a feeling that would be the one you chose." Jimin took it from my hands and nodded toward the chair. I sat down and let him place it on my head before securing it with a hundred pins. "This one was designed in the seventeen hundreds for the marriage of Duke Kim to the Duchess of Minsington."

Cecil, the photographer, entered the room with a large smile. "Duchess Kim, you look lovely."

"Thank you." I stood up, trying to ignore the priceless heirloom tucked into my hair. "What would you like me to do?"

"Have a seat right here on the stool. That's it." He grabbed a camera from a small worktable. "Now, there are a few basic shots we have to get and then we can try a few different things."

I let him tell me how to sit, which direction to look, and when to hold my breath. I smiled big, small, with teeth, without teeth. I made serious faces, thoughtful faces. He put a table in front of me and told me to prop my face in my hands. I did as he said and tried to not laugh as images of glamour shots flashed through my mind.

I heard the door open quietly, but I couldn't tell who it was that had snuck in. The lights focused on me were so bright I couldn't see much past the table. The shadowy figured moved toward the corner and Jimin joined whoever it was. I squinted but still couldn't make the newcomer.

"What kind of face is that?" Lisa's voice rang through the room. I scrunched up my nose, but couldn't help the smile that pulled at my mouth. I heard the camera clicking, but didn't care. My heart felt a little lighter.

"This was wonderful, Jennie. I think we have some great images." Cecil set his camera down and walked toward me.

"Thank you." I hopped off the stool and shook Cecil's hand. "I hope some of them are useable."

"I think I have some you'll enjoy." Cecil gave a short bow and grabbed his camera off the table before leaving the room excitedly.

I made my way over to Jimin and Lisa. "Well, how'd I do?"

"I think you deserve the night off." Jimin smiled at me.

"Excellent!" I rubbed my hands together. "I saw a little bookstore on the ride to the zoo. I think I'll make a run over there and poke around. I promised I'd send Somi some souvenirs. Oh! I can wear jeans for something like that, right? Please tell me I don't have to wear another pantsuit. They're giving me hives."

"Not so fast." Lisa narrowed her eyes. "You need to have a lesson in Lilarian."

"You're going to deny me the chance to wear jeans? I miss them." I gave her my best puppy-dog eyes.

"You're getting better at the anime eyes. Have you been practicing with Ryujin?" Lisa smirked when I frowned. "I rearranged my schedule so I could help you with Lilarian. Besides, I thought you hated to shop."

"I hate shopping for clothes. Books are something else." I widened my eyes, empowered by my close freedom. "Come with me. You can teach me Lilarian in the car."

Lisa shook her head. "You're definitely getting better at that look. Okay. We can practice in the car. I need to buy a gift for someone anyway."

"Thank you!" I threw my arms around her without thinking. Her hands slid around my back with no hesitation and pulled me closer for just a moment.

"Well, I'm going to go unless you need anything else, Jennie?" Jimin cleared his throat. "Let me help you with the tiara first, though."

"Of course! You need a night off, too." I pulled myself away from Lisa and smiled at Jimin. "Sorry, you've been just as busy as I've been."

"It's my pleasure." He made quick work of the pins holding the tiara in place before locking it back into the wooden box. Jimin picked up the chest and ducked a small bow. "Good night, Lisa. Jennie."

"Good night, Jimin." Lisa slapped him on the back as Jimin made his retreat.

"I'm free!" I smiled up at Lisa and did a little dance. "Free!"

"Has this week been that bad?" Lisa looked down at me with sad eyes.

"It hasn't been torture." I frowned, remembering her telling me that I was a bad liar. "Okay. It wasn't peeling-your-eyelids-off bad, but I need a break. I need to be Jen, not Duchess or the weird, long-lost cousin."

"Peel your eyelids off, duchess, and creepy cousin." Lisa shook her head. "I think I followed that."

"Why are you here, anyway?" I ran a hand through my hair and found another pin.

"I came to bring you this." Lisa held her hand out, revealing a small black box.

"What is that?" I looked up at her. Jewelry? Why would she give me jewelry?

"I saw this the other day and thought of you." She held the box out a little farther and I picked it up off her hand gently. "When Ryujin offered to lend you a necklace, I decided to get it for you. I know Ryujin's style wouldn't really fit your personality. Unfortunately, it took a little longer than I had planned and wasn't in time for the shoot."

I opened the lid slowly, not sure what to expect. I shouldn't have worried. Inside was a simple gold chain with a bird charm trapped among the links. I pulled it free, careful to not tangle the chain. I looked at it and realized that the charm wasn't meant to hang at the bottom, but sit along the side of your neck so that it looked like it was in flight.

"It's beautiful."

"Would you like to wear it?"

"Yes, please." I handed her the necklace and turned so that she could put it on me. She took her time, her warm fingers sending goose bumps racing over my skin. When she was done, I peeked in the mirror on the wall. It was dainty and wouldn't draw a lot of attention, and I absolutely loved it.

"It looks good on you."

"Thank you." I met her eyes in the mirror.

"You're welcome." She tilted her head to the side, watching my reflection. "Now, go change into the jeans that had you salivating."

"Yes!" I hurried for the door and hesitated. "Should I meet you out front?"

"Perfect."

I smiled at her as I made my way through the door. Once inside, I quickly snagged one of the passing maids to help with the zipper and then threw on my favorite pair of jeans. Closing my eyes, I sighed in happiness. It was like slipping into my favorite pj's after a long day. I dug through my clothes and found my favorite sweater. My warm pea coat, scarf, and boots completed the outfit—I was ready to be me.

I stopped at the mirror briefly and checked my hair before running my fingers over the necklace. Smiling, I wrapped the scarf around my neck, turned the lights off, and headed for the front of the palace.

Lisa was talking with a blond woman wearing a cocktail dress, the blond hand laying on her arm. She laughed at something Lisa said and stepped a little closer to her. I looked down for a minute and tried to rein in my jealousy. I had told her I wanted to be friends and I had no right to envy the way she was touching her.

She said something in Lilarian and Lisa chuckled while shaking her head. I couldn't understand anything they were saying, but thankfully I didn't hear the word stuffed.

I cleared my throat when I got closer, not wanting it to seem like I was creeping up on them. The woman turned to look at me, her expression open and friendly. I tried to not focus on the fact that her hand was still on her arm.

"You must be Jennie!"

I held out my hand to shake hers and smiled. "That's me."

"Jennie, this is Adriane, the Lady Minsington—Daniel's sister." I hoped my face didn't falter as I realized this was one of Lisa's past flames. No wonder she was so comfortable with her.

"Nice to meet you."

"You, too. Lisa was just telling me that you were going out to do a little shopping." She looked over at her. "I offered to let you take my car. I figured it might keep some of the reporters off your tail."

"Thank you, that's very generous."

"You've been hounded this week and need a break." She shook her head. "It's hard enough for us who are used to it. I can't imagine what it would feel like being thrown into all this."

"It's definitely been an experience." I buttoned up my coat. "But I'd hate to take your car and leave you stranded."

"I'm in town for a charity event, so will be staying at the palace. It won't be a problem at all." Adriane checked her dainty watch. "In fact, I'm supposed to be meeting with the president of the organization shortly."

"Would you like to try to duck out?" Lisa looked at me, assessing my response to her offer.

"Will you hum the Mission Impossible theme song?" I smirked.

"You two have fun. I'll chat with you again, Jennie." Adriane's eyes slid between me and Lisa. She gave me a sly smile before heading down the main hallway.

"So, the palace is like a cross between a Motel 6 and a dorm." I followed Lisa as she led me away from the front door.

"That's a rather apt description." She put her hand on my back as we walked through the kitchen.

"So this is where they hide the food." I looked at the industrial-grade appliances and open pantries. "Now I can get my own midnight snack."

"They keep ice cream in the third freezer on the right." Lisa winked at me.

"Nice." We exited a large door, and I whistled when I saw the car.

"Adriane has always had a fondness for fast cars." Lisa clicked the key remote and opened the passenger door.

I slid into the low seat and ran my hands over the leather. "Not exactly low profile."

"The press will assume it's just Adriane and she's not the one they're after." Lisa revved the engine and I could understand why Adriane loved this car. It was sexy and powerful without feeling too masculine. she moved the car around the palace and toward a rear exit. A guard waved us through the gate and we were off.

"Why don't we leave through the back gate all the time?"

"If we give them a little of what they want, we can keep a little for ourselves." She glanced over at me. "When you leave through the main gate for official royal tasks, it keeps them from looking everywhere else."

"Seems a bit lazy that they didn't have someone watching the back exit." I reached up and grabbed the handle above the door as she turned onto an expressway.

"They have people watching, but they can't see the door we left from."

"In other words, we really did look like Adriane leaving."

"Exactly." She shifted gears and the car rumbled.

"Do you use this trick often?" I was trying to not be bothered by the fact that we were in one of her ex-girlfriend's cars. I was trying really hard.

"Only when I need to, and I think you really needed a break."

"Thank you."

"Anytime." She smiled at me. "Are you ready for your first real lesson?"

"Just don't teach me to say something horrible and embarrassing, okay?"

"Never!" she smirked. "Well, not for this event."

"Great." I shook my head. She rattled off a song that sounded much like the alphabet song Americans learned in grade school. I tried to follow her lead but tripped up on some of the sounds.

"Do you know any French? That would help. Our languages are closely related."

"I took a couple of classes in high school." I frowned. I tried again, this time keeping in mind the French I had learned years ago. It went a little smoother.

"Much better." She sang it again and then waited for me to follow suit. After the third time I was fighting the giggles. The princess of Lilaria was teaching me the alphabet. "What's so funny?"

"Just this. You. Teaching me the alphabet."

"You have to start somewhere."

"True. Okay. How about some numbers and then key phrases? Like 'where is the bathroom.'" Just in case I needed to puke before the ceremony.

"I'm the teacher here," she protested. "And I think we should try some numbers and then key phrases."

"By all means, teach on."

We made the drive, her correcting my pronunciation and me laughing at her frustration. The drive came to an end all too soon.