Page 43 of The Prince and the Puck
I sat up and turned to face him, pulling the sheets up against my naked body, doing my best to prepare myself for whatever was coming next. “Declan, I haven’t been altogether honest with you, either. The reason I’m not surprised is because I already knew who you were.”
“That’s impossible.”
I tilted my head, not liking the hurt I saw on his face as he began to grasp the reality of my lie. There was nothing to do at this point except reveal everything.
“I know, for instance, that you are second in line to the Murdan throne. I know that your older brother, Lambert, has been struggling and may not be the best fit to take over for your father, Erik. I also know—and you may not—that your father is unwell. And while this is a closely guarded secret,anti-monarchist rebels have found out, and they see it as an opportunity.”
Declan’s face grew more and more stern with every word I spoke. My heart twisted inside my chest until I could barely breathe.
“And how exactly do you know all of this?” Declan physically moved away from me, across the massive mattress, until he was standing, pulling his clothes off the floor and shoving his feet into his shorts. “It’s a little convenient, isn’t it, that since I’ve met you, there have been guys coming for me? My truck blowing up? Lizzy, are you part of the anti-monarchist rebel group trying to overthrow my father?”
I might have smiled. I didn’t mean to, but it was so absurd. I’d given my entire life to the protection of the crown. The idea that I would do anything to harm it… “No, Declan. Absolutely not.”
“I don’t suppose there’s any way for you to prove it, though, is there?” He pulled his shirt on over his head.
“There is, actually.” Abandoning any modesty I’d felt before, I dropped the sheet, rose from the bed, and strode across the room, opening the top dresser drawer and removing a long case. Inside were my palace ID badge and my Commendation of Valor.
I opened the box in front of Declan, holding it out to him like an offering, and stared at him as he took in the information before him.
CHAPTER 25
DECK
THIS EXPLAINS THE GUNS…
Lizzy held out a thin box,the kind you’d keep jewelry in. She flipped it open to reveal a commendation bearing my country’s crest. The other item inside was an identification card that looked just like the ones worn by my father’s personal guard. With her photo on it.
“What is…” I shook my head.
I couldn’t figure out how I felt—so I defaulted to the most easily accessible emotion. Anger. “You knew? This whole time, you knew?”
I thought about all the time we had spent together, about the way I’d tried to help her—felt sorry for her, even—and all the while, she’d been lying to me. The entire time. And what an idiot she must think I was, knowing full well that I was actually the Prince of Murdan, playing hockey guy over here in the US.
It was humiliating. It was infuriating. I had no idea what else it was. I just knew I didn’t like it.
I sat down on the edge of the bed, staring at the woman who was no longer just the PR consultant with the kickass body—the one I had just had sex with—but who was, in fact, a member of my father’s guard.
Sent here to…
That was a good question, actually. Why was she even here?
“Is your name even Lizzy?” I asked, feeling like everything was up for grabs at this point.
“I go by Lizzy now.”
“Now?” I stared at her, that odd sense of familiarity tightening around my ribs. That feeling I’d had since we met.
If she went by Lizzy now…
I asked the question. “What did you go by before Lizzy?”
“When I was young, I went by Eliza.” Her voice softened as she said it, and something flickered in her eyes. Seeking what? Understanding, maybe.
I was in no place to give her understanding. I was furious.
But at the same time, I suddenly knew exactly who she was. “Eliza? Eliza, as in the girl I played with when I was young? You grew up in the palace? Your mother is?—”
She cut me off. “But I can explain everything?—”
