“I can do this.” Princess Catherine shored up her courage. She was a royal. A princess. She could do anything she set her mind to—except stand up to the king and queen.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her parents, the king and queen of Lysianna, wouldn’t allow her to head to another country on her own. They insisted she be an advisor to her brother, the future king. Charlie could handle himself and he’d be a great king—whenever the time came.

If she didn’t practice what she wanted to say, she’d flounder and this was not the time to lose her nerve. She tucked her hair behind her ears. “Mother, Father, I need to speak with you. I’ve completed two years of online schooling towards a degree in art history and I’m going to Kenton State College in the United States to finish it.” Did she sound convincing enough?

She’d already completed her application for acceptance on campus, chosen her classes for the first semester and landed a good apartment in a building just across from the main portion of the campus. Her plane ticket had been paid for and she’d packed most of her things. All she needed to do was tell her parents she’d be leaving.

She abandoned her image in the mirror and resumed packing the last of her things—her brushes, photos and stuffed rabbit in her bag. She’d come back, but she wasn’t sure when. Sadness filled her mind. Change would be hard—she’d only ever lived in the castle—but she needed to move forward with her life. She’d never be happy living as part of the court. Even if she did nothing more than teach an art class or run a portion of a museum back home, she’d be happy and doing something with her life.

Her lady-in-waiting, Corinne, hurried into the room. “I guess you’re ready to go.” She folded her arms. “Want me to go with you? I should.”

She had plans for her lady and wasn’t about to disclose them now. Corinne was terrible with secrets and would’ve told her parents before the point of no return. “It’s handled.”

Corinne sat on the bed. “What am I going to do with myself? I have nothing to do if you’re not here. They might let me go.”

“They won’t.” She closed her bag. “They like you. If my brother wasn’t gay, they’d have married you off to him by now.”

“But he is gay.” Corinne groaned. “Sucks.”

Her lady hadn’t been shy about her crush on Charlie. In the whole of their time together, Corinne had insisted to Catherine she wanted to marry Charlie. The problem? Besides Charlie being gay, he wasn’t going to marry Corinne simply to make an heir. He refused to change just for the royal line.

“Your parents would rather you marry Duke Elmore. He’s handsome,” Corinne said. “If you’re into older guys.”

Catherine shivered. “Older isn’t the half of it. He’s almost twenty years older than me, he’s not handsome at all and I don’t like him. I don’t want to be married to someone who sees me as a ticket to the good life. He wants a title beyond duke.” Her stepmother would never understand. She’d married the king, despite their ten-year age difference, just to have a title.

“So you’re going to America to avoid him?”

“No.” She simply refused to marry someone out of duty, not love. “I want to finish my degree. Art makes me happy. Him? Not so much.”

“Well, it’s time to talk to your parents.” Corinne walked with her to the corridor. “Need me to do anything?”

“Nope. I’ve got this handled.” Catherine gave her bag to the butler. “Thank you.” She shored herself up again and headed down to the throne room. The car was ready and once she reached the airport, the plane would be waiting to whisk her to the States. Even if her parents said no, she’d left nothing to chance.

“Catherine.” Her stepmother, Eloise, closed her book. “You look determined. Have you made a decision concerning the duke?”

“I have.” She clasped her hands together. “I refuse to marry him.” She stood tall. “I’ve made a choice about my future, too.”

“Oh?” Her father finally looked up from his paperwork. “What have you decided?”

She sucked in a ragged breath, then sighed. “Mother, Father, I’m attending college.”

Her father tipped his head and said nothing. Her stepmother gasped. “Why? You’re a royal. You don’t have to do schooling. Elmore will take care of you and you can play with your art all you want. Royals don’t dirty their hands with studies.”

Her stepmother spit the words out like sour candies. Catherine didn’t care. She had to focus. “I want a degree in art history. I’d like to learn about the art here in Lysianna and around the world—like my mother used to know.”

“Interesting,” her father said. He tapped his pen on the table. “Why do you want to follow in your mother’s footsteps?”

She’d prepared for this question. “I need to have something that’s mine. I love art and I’m dying to continue my studies.” She had to keep her explanation short and sweet. The more she talked, the greater the chance her parents would coerce her to change her mind. “I want something to hold on to that reminds me of my mother. I don’t remember her and this is my private link.”

“She’s gone,” her stepmother snapped.

“Let her have this, Queen. It’s her choice,” her father said. “She’ll get bored after a year or she’ll find this is the thing she wants to do. As for Elmore, he can wait. Or maybe he can’t and he’ll choose someone else. Doesn’t matter to me. He’s a pest.”

She wasn’t going to get bored, but if her father thought Elmore was a pest, then why try to palm her off on him?

“What about Charles?” her stepmother said. “He should be the one to go first. Yes, he deserves a degree.”

“He already has one.” Catherine gritted her teeth. Their parents didn’t know Charlie well. He hated being referred to as Charles and he wasn’t interested in going to college again. Charlie had attained a degree on his own and had his plan for making his own way without their parents to intervene. Now was her chance to do the same.

“Anyway, I’m leaving.” She turned on her heel and left the room. If she looked back, she risked changing her mind. Only forward now.

“You’re what?” Her stepmother chased after her. “You cannot. We need to arrange lodgings and security and everything else. You’ll need handlers and Elmore should accompany you for protection. Or he should set up a security detail so he can keep you safe, but stay here to run his businesses.”

God, no. Catherine headed through the foyer to the waiting car. “Goodbye, Mother.” The idea of calling her stepmother Mother annoyed her. She’d had a mother and the queen wasn’t a very good substitute.

“Catherine.” Her stepmother caught up to her. “We’ll summon Elmore. You cannot make the flight unprotected.”

She sighed. “He’s old enough to be my father and he’s not attractive, so no.” She tossed her bag onto the seat. “I’ll be fine. No one in the United States knows me, so I won’t need the huge protection you’re planning.” She’d have her roommate in her new apartment and a few transplanted palace security guards around, but out of sight.

“Take Corinne, please?” Her stepmother pushed Corinne at her. “You can’t go alone. And don’t forget, you need to have an approved consort by the time of your official portrait reveal.”

“Fine.” Catherine nodded to her lady-in-waiting. “Let’s go.” She ducked into the car without bothering for hugs or kisses from her stepmother. That wasn’t her stepmother’s style. Her father hadn’t left the throne room. Her stepmother glared at her, but didn’t otherwise show emotion. She wouldn’t dare. Any bit of cracking might show she was human and the people of Lysianna didn’t think she had emotions. She wanted to say goodbye to her brother, but he wasn’t even in the country.

Catherine settled on the seat and sighed. “That worked out exactly as I planned.”

“What about me?” Corinne asked. “You said I’d stay here.”

“I lied.” She winked. “I couldn’t go totally alone. They’re right. I do need someone with me that I can trust.” Well, mostly trust. “I packed you a bag and added your name to the charter. You’re flying with me.”

Corinne’s eyes widened. “My princess.” She grinned. “Naughty.”

She sighed again. “I’ve never been naughty a day in my life. Crafty, maybe, but never naughty.”

“You’ve lived in your brother’s shadow for too long.”

“He’ll be king and I won’t hold the throne. Even if something happens to him, they won’t let me be queen, so why not have something that’s mine?” Catherine asked. “I don’t mind.” She didn’t. “This way I’m out from under their thumb and can experience life.” She couldn’t wait for the next chapter to start. There was a great big world out there just waiting for her to explore it.

There was the tricky thing about her needing a consort, but she had plenty of time. The portrait reveal wasn’t for another year. The world wouldn’t wait a year—not when her consort might be out there somewhere.

* * * *

Twelve hours later, Catherine stepped through the doorway of her apartment. Picking an apartment had been harder than she’d thought and the one she’d ended up with looked nothing like the photos online. The carpets weren’t pretty beige, but more of a dirty tan. The furnishings already there looked tired, rather than like antiques. The walls were boring and bland, but it was bigger than most of the apartments in the building.

Besides, she’d made it. The flight hadn’t been bad, although the miles of paperwork had sucked. Then there had been moving things into the apartment. At least there had been an elevator. She’d never changed residences before and had no idea how hard lugging her bags and other belongings would be. Still, she’d done the work with little help.

Count one victory for me.

She deposited her personal belongings on her new bed. The art in the bedroom left something to be desired, but she’d live. Soon, she’d be so engrossed in learning she wouldn’t have time to complain about the sad art. She arranged her brushes and makeup on the counter in the bathroom, then pieced through her clothes hanging in the closet. She’d run away from her life—away from everything she knew. On one hand, she’d made a huge gamble that could bite her hard in the ass. On the other, she could find the direction she needed in life. Direction was good.

When Catherine returned to the living room, Corinne had collapsed on the couch. “What a day.” Corinne propped her feet on the coffee table. “This is why we left the castle? It’s furnished, but it’s lived-in. Couldn’t you find something better?”

“I could’ve, but I wanted the authentic college experience.” Excitement ratcheted up in her brain. “I’ve never done anything like this—nothing on my own. But I did. I’m here.” She stepped out to the miniscule balcony. There was no privacy, but she was high enough up to be safe from stalkers. Did anyone care that she’d come to America? Probably not. She hadn’t announced anything on social media and as far as she knew, her stepmother hadn’t alerted the media yet.

She spotted movement in her peripheral vision. A man stood on one of the other balconies. Two floors down and one unit over, if she wasn’t mistaken. Tall, dark hair…he could be handsome if she saw him from the front. He could also be nothing like she preferred. He sat on a weathered lawn chair with his back to her and bent over what appeared to be a drawing board. She couldn’t quite make out what he’d drawn on the paper or board.

She almost shouted to him to ask what he’d sketched. Instead, she leaned over the railing and watched him. Within seconds, she recognized the form—a nude woman. He must have a girlfriend there. Or a model.

Figures. He had to be handsome and most likely taken. All the good-looking ones were involved with someone. She ducked back into the apartment and closed the screen door.

“Did you see something?” Corinne asked. She hadn’t left her spot on the couch. “Anything good?”

“No.” Catherine leaned on the doorframe. He could be good and handsome, or rotten. What did she know? She left the door and sat beside her lady. “It’s strange how it’s so quiet.”

“Because there’s no one around?”

“And because there’s not someone breathing down my neck. My stepmother is desperate for me to marry the duke,” Catherine said. “Doesn’t she know I can’t stand him? I’ve told her as much. Yet, she seems to think that she’s got to push him at me.”

“Still?” Corinne shrugged. “He’s not so bad.”

“Yeah, he is.” He’d tried to assault her at the last ball and demanded she marry him before she did something stupid, like lose her virginity to someone else. Her stomach lurched. She’d rather die than marry him. “At least we’re here where he’ll leave me alone. I think he’s trying to curry my father’s favor and it doesn’t appear to be working.”

“Everyone wants to curry his favor.”

“Maybe that’s my problem,” Catherine said and left the sofa. “I don’t want to curry my father’s favor. He doesn’t know what to do with me.” She faced her lady. “The other issue is that I don’t have enough authentic people in my life. Everyone seems to want to know a princess or wants to get their sticky hands on the title. No one ever asks me what I like or if I have thoughts on things.”

Corrine crossed her ankles. “You’re a princess, honey. It’s going to be hard.”

“I know.”

“But I get what you mean.” Corinne stood, then hugged Catherine. “It’s hard to get to know you when your stepmother lurks, Elmore hangs on and you’re not alone. It’s also difficult because you’re right, no one ever asks you what you want out of life.”

“I know,” she said. She rested her head on Corinne’s shoulder and closed her eyes. Her life had become more complicated. Time to start working on the next steps. She opened her eyes. “So, we need a cover story.”

“We do?”

“Yes, and I’ve been thinking about what we should say. You’re my older sister—older by two years—and we’re living together to save money.” Catherine nodded. “I’m finishing my degree and you’re working.”

“I am working—as your lady—and I am two years older.” Corinne frowned. “Are you sure this is going to work?”

“Nope.” She paced the length of the apartment. “So, you’re my sister and we’re here so I can finish school. You’ll still be Corinne, but I’ll go by my middle name—Zara—just in case anyone thinks they’ve figured out who I am.”

“Zara?”

“Uh-huh.” She rubbed her hands together. “Why? What’s wrong with my middle name?”

“Nothing. I’m just not used to using it.” Corinne shrugged. “You know this is the smartest thing you’ve ever done.”

“Is it?” She hadn’t expected Corinne to say such a thing. “You usually talk me out of stuff.”

“I do, but this is different. You’re out, you’re experiencing life and you’ve taken charge. It’s what a leader does and I’m proud of you.” Corinne hugged her again. “I’m also tired. See you in the morning?”

“Sure. I’d like to look around campus, so I’ll probably head out early for a walk. It’s not weird to want to look around, right?” Catherine asked. She had to be Zara. If she wanted to be described by a new name, then she had to act that way.

“By yourself?” Corinne stopped short. “You can’t do that.”

“You do realize I’ll have to go to class alone, right?” She’d have her security out of sight but within reach if she needed it.

“I guess you will, but it seems risky.”

“I’ll be fine, but I’ve already set up security agents—three that aren’t attached to the palace—and I’ll have my phone.” She nodded. She’d seen the guards lingering around the building. If she were most adventurous, she’d make a play for one of them. Her father would have a coronary, though.

“Okay, but this isn’t Lysianna. You can’t scream royalty and privilege if you get a ticket or get into trouble,” Corinne said. She frowned and rested her hands on her hips. “Be smart.”

“I will.” She sat on the sofa until Corinne left the room. Once alone, she picked up her sketch book and pencil before heading back out to the balcony. She left the door open and sat on the bare concrete. The world glittered below. Sure, there had been danger in Lysianna. People robbed one another and many lied. The same ones found guilty tried to appeal to her father for leniency. Campus life wouldn’t be much different. People would be rotten to one another and they’d try to steal—boyfriends, girlfriends, supplies, grades… It was life and the world wasn’t perfect, but she didn’t mind as long as she had a chance to experience it. Her eyes were open concerning school, but she still loved the romance of being so far from home and meeting new people. The variety! Not everyone would bow to her and some might not notice her. What a concept!

She spied the tall, dark-haired man on his balcony. He held a cup of something. Coffee? Tea? Something stronger? She scooted over on her own balcony to watch him. He stood barefoot and clad in nothing but pajama pants. Was this his post-sex look? She sort of hoped so.

He wrapped both hands around the cup and rested his elbows on the railing. Worry knotted his shoulders.

She could see his face finally. He seemed handsome. Dark eyes and a killer body. Strong, muscled…she wondered if he’d finished the drawing from before and if he’d slept with the model.

She shivered. She’d never slept with anyone of the opposite sex and the times she’d slept with Corinne didn’t count because they’d actually slept. No sex involved.

She opened her sketch pad and created a list.

While I’m at university, I want to:

*be kissed properly

*buy a cheeseburger

*see a rock band play a concert

*have sex & lose my virginity

*have sex with a handsome man

She tapped her pencil against her lips as she debated the next item for her list.

*to meet the tall, dark and handsome artist downstairs

*to model for someone (nude?)

*to attend a real party

*to fall in love

She snorted. Love wouldn’t happen. Not for her. Before things got that far, she’d be found out. The law of averages wasn’t in her favor. If her stepmother didn’t tell someone she’d arrived at the college, Corinne would let the secret slip.

Still, she could dream.

Besides, the list was only one of dreams. It wasn’t like she’d created a checklist to live by. She’d come to the college to get an education, not fall in love. Even if she wanted to be with someone and experience those aspects of life, she had to finish her degree first. She’d paid the money to attend and refused to waste the chance—even for love.