I have been going THROUGH IT trying to get something written. Not even sure if I like this tbh, but I like the idea of it so…counts for something. I write Oblivious Eadlyn all the time so Oblivious Kile is a fun change. My idea list is actually getting out of control; we'll see how many of them work out!

I tilted my clipboard, frowning. The beach house design I was working on just wouldn't come out the way I wanted it to. I'd been at it for hours, scribbling away in the Men's Parlor while the rest of the guys talked or played cards, with what felt like very little to show for it. Something about the windows just wasn't quite right. I erased a large portion of my page and started again.

To be honest, I wasn't sure why designing a beach house was suddenly so important to me. It was something I'd had no interest in whatsoever until a few days ago, when the idea popped into my head out of nowhere. What if the palace had an ocean view? But not really the palace; something cozier, more approachable. And so began my series of ten-so-far failed sketches. It stubbornly refused to come out perfect, and for some reason, despite having no deadline or consequence of any kind, this design had to be absolutely perfect.

The parlor door swung open, and Baden walked in, the biggest grin I'd ever seen on his face. "I just had the best date with the princess!"

Well, that got everyone's attention. My clipboard actually slipped out of my hands, but I caught it before it hit the ground. The guys at the table set their cards down; even Ean, who always acted like he was so far above the rest of his, shut his notebook.

Nobody asked, but Baden went on to brag about his date. "She's fantastic on the piano. And she let me play some of the songs I've written."

I rolled my eyes. Did he actually think that was romantic or something?

Unfortunately, I was the only one who seemed to realize how stupid this was. The rest of the guys were leaning in; Fox and Leeland were literally taking notes. "What songs did you play? Did you guys kiss?"

I couldn't have cared less about the specifics of their "jam session, but I did admittedly listen very carefully to Baden's response regarding the kiss.

"-and no! Of course we didn't kiss! This was our first date!" Baden exclaimed.

I happened to know, from personal experience, that the princess had no issue with a kiss on the first date, but no one seemed to care about that when Baden had this new and exciting story. Everyone else—well, except Ean, who already looked bored again—was crowding around him, peppering him with questions. Baden clearly enjoyed the attention—he wanted to be a famous musician, but so far, this was the closest he could get to having adoring fans.

In the back of my mind, it occurred to me that it would be very difficult for a person to be both a prince and a pop star, so it was unlikely Baden's relationship with Eadlyn was going anywhere, despite the big deal everyone was making about the piano-playing "date". If you could even call it a date.

I didn't know why it bothered me so much. As far as I knew, Baden was a decent guy, and he was obviously genuinely excited to have connected with Eadlyn. Maybe I was just worried about him getting his heart broken in the end. Yeah. That had to be it.

Still, Baden's recap of the date grated on my ears. I tried to work on my beach house design again, but when I looked down at my clipboard, I found I hated the whole thing, not just the windows. I crumpled that page and started fresh.

Baden eventually quit talking about it, but my bad mood persisted. I pressed so hard with my pencil that the tip snapped. Giving up, I flipped my clipboard over so I wouldn't have to look at the still-not-going-very-well beach house and reached for a book instead. That should have been much harder to mess up, but I still couldn't concentrate; I'd only gotten through a page and a half when a maid brought in a note for me. She scurried out before I could thank her or ask who it was from.

Still annoyed, I assumed the note contained death threats or perhaps an eviction notice. With the way this afternoon was going, it surely wasn't going to be something good. I unfolded the paper with the bleakest of expectations, only for my heart to skip in the most pleasant way.

Three simple words, the princess's neat cursive.

Meet me upstairs?

I blinked a couple times, processing it. Obviously the answer was yes. I gathered up my supplies—maybe I could ask Eadlyn for her opinion on the beach house, if we weren't too busy—and made some excuse to Henri before getting out of there. Interestingly enough, my bad mood had entirely vanished.