I was going to have an aneurysm.



No, seriously. This was not happening.



I sat stiffly on the edge of my bed, staring blankly at the ceiling in utter horror.



The entire palace was buzzing with the latest royal scandal—



Me. The King. Secret engagement.



And worst of all?



The King wasn't denying it.



As soon as I stepped into the palace halls, I knew things had gotten out of hand.



The usual palace gossip had escalated into something far worse—whispers, knowing looks, and even the occasional curtsy.



Curtsies. To me.



A maid.



I grabbed the nearest passing servant, a young girl carrying a stack of freshly laundered linens.



"Hey, what's going on?" I whispered urgently.



She turned pale the moment she saw me, nearly dropping her load. "L-Lady Thalia!"



I flinched. "Lady? Who are you calling lady?!"



She hesitated before bowing. BOWING.



I felt my soul leave my body.



"You—you don't have to do that!" I stammered, waving my hands. "I'm still a maid!"



The girl fidgeted. "But... the rumors say you're His Majesty's intended..."



I groaned, rubbing my temples. "No, no, no—ugh, you know what? Forget it."



This was above my pay grade.



I needed answers, and I needed them now.



Which is why, five minutes later, I burst into the King's office, fully prepared for war.



"You," I announced, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "Have exactly ten seconds to fix this mess before I throw myself into a well."



The King, sitting as infuriatingly calm as ever behind his desk, simply looked up at me.



"I don't see a problem."



I gawked. "YOU DON'T SEE A PROBLEM?!"



He set down his pen and steepled his fingers, eyeing me with mild amusement.



"People think we're engaged!" I shrieked.



"And?"



"And?! That's not true!"



He leaned back slightly. "Isn't it?"



I grabbed the nearest paperweight and hurled it at his head.



He dodged.



Smirking.



"Oh, you think this is funny?" I seethed.



"A little," he admitted.



I was going to combust.



He sighed, finally giving me a proper answer. "This keeps you safe, Thalia. If the nobles think you're important to me, they'll think twice before trying to harm you."



I paused. Damn it. That... actually made sense.



But still!



"But now I'm officially a public figure!" I whined. "What if people start asking me weird questions?!"



The King's golden eyes gleamed with amusement.



"Then answer them."



I considered throwing myself out the window.



Just as I was trying to process my impending doom, the door slammed open.



Cassian and Duke Adrian stormed in.



"What the hell did you do?" Cassian demanded, his face set in an unamused scowl.



The King barely glanced up. "Good morning to you too, Royal Physician."



Adrian, rubbing his temples, sighed. "We left you alone for ONE assembly, and now Thalia is supposedly your fiancée?"



"Hm," the King hummed, flipping through a document. "So I've heard."



"YOU STARTED IT!" Cassian barked.



Adrian turned to me. "And you're just letting this happen?"



I threw my arms up. "DO I LOOK LIKE I HAVE CONTROL OVER THIS?!"



Adrian sighed, looking thoroughly exhausted. "The palace is already in chaos. The nobles are confused. The rebellion's momentum has stalled. And Lady Genevieve..."



He and the King exchanged a knowing look.



"...is not happy."



My stomach sank.



Oh.



Oh, that's bad.



~~~



If there was one thing I learned about Lady Genevieve, it was this:



She does not lose gracefully.



The next few days were eerily quiet. Too quiet.



Every noble that once openly mocked me was now whispering behind my back. Some even started bowing when they saw me.



But worst of all?



Lady Genevieve was smiling.



That's when I knew she was planning something terrible.



I needed to be careful.



And, more importantly, I needed to figure out how I actually felt about all of this.



That night, I lay in bed, dramatically rolling from side to side.



"Okay, okay," I muttered to myself. "Let's be logical about this."



Why was I really upset?



Was it the rumors? Obviously, yes.



Was it the political chaos? Also, yes.



But was I also kind of upset that the King hadn't outright denied it?



...Maybe.



I grabbed my pillow and screamed into it.



Oh no.



I had a problem.



And that problem was feelings.



For the King.



I let out a strangled noise and kicked my blanket off the bed.



"Nope! Nope! Not happening!"



I needed to focus.



The rebellion wasn't over.



Lady Genevieve wasn't done.



And I?



Was absolutely not in love with the King.



...Right?