Page 37 of Welcome to Fae Cafe

Kate flipped another page:

The real names of North Corner royals cannot be recorded, as it is the eternal decree of the Four Ever Corners in section III of the Ancient Fairy Law.

But the names of all others, including peasant, noble, servant, slave, and master, must be one of the following, as per section III, so that the High Queene of the Ever Corners may command them as she sees fit.

The ten real names of the fae of the North are as follows:

A book tumbled from two shelves away, and Kate leapt back, her shoulders hitting the wall. It was too late. There was no more time. She had no choice.

Kate’s heart hammered as she stepped out from the shelf into the aisle.

Four muscular fae turned in her direction.

“Obsideous Hamma Greystone,” Kate read aloud.

The auburn-haired faepulled a leather handle from his coat, and metal burst out at both ends to form a sharp spear.

“Snatch her up,” the Prince commanded in a low voice.

Three fae moved for her, the white-haired one knocking over a stack of books in his way.

Kate’s voice cracked as she rushed, “Foxen Bristen Tripol, Ammilee Sel Jeong, Leviden Christa Shomwan—”

The fae with the auburn hair stopped walking. His spear hung lifeless at his side.

“Elene Sidius Willow, Mariie Emlenton Corra, Lane Esthpen Norquill, Muji Noh Pentipar, Hur Issicar Ashteen—” The guy with the dark, curly hair stopped where he was. Kate’s eyes flashed up. She said the last name, “Nam Baek-Hyeon.”

The white-haired guy froze in place. His face was ashen.

A dead silence filled the library.

The fae Prince stepped forward with a dark glare. “Human,” he growled.

“Protect me from him!” Kate shouted, pointing at the Prince.

The Prince staggered to a halt. He blinked and glanced over to the guy with curly, dark hair.

A long, terrible pause followed, and Kate took a step back, afraid it hadn’t worked. But then…

Slowly, three muscled, sharp-eyed fae turned away from Kate and toward the Prince.

Kate slapped the book shut and held it tight against her chest as what she read on the first page of the book rang in her mind:

The first rule of enslaving a fairy is to learn its real name. Once you speak the real name of a fairy with the intent to enslave, you become its master. Once you become its master, you can command it to do anything.

This trick works both ways. So never tell your name to a fairy, no matter what it offers.

“…don’t be afraid of using a real name.”

Freida hadn’t been talking aboutKate’sname at all.

“If he so much as touches me, beat him up,” Kate added, her raspy voice filling the library. She slowly inched past the group toward the library doors.

The fae Prince looked as white as a ghost. His heavy gaze was glued to Kate, and in his hard expression, Kate saw that she just did a very bad thing, very well.

Kate Kole had just enslaved the fae Prince’s three deadly assassins.

12

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