Total pages in book: 192
Estimated words: 192810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 964(@200wpm)___ 771(@250wpm)___ 643(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 192810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 964(@200wpm)___ 771(@250wpm)___ 643(@300wpm)
“Laura,” Lancet snapped, planting his hands on his hips. “You promised. And may I remind you, you don’t have time for this.”
He was right. I did promise, and I didn’t ever have time for a bitch slapping fight. Especially right now.
I was running late. Not super late, but for what was planned this afternoon, any late was too late.
But in my defense, Lancet was making a big drama about this, and my anxiety was on overload.
“Then let me do it,” I tried.
“Do you not trust my vision?” he demanded, pulling out the big guns.
Gah!
I reclined on the killer-cool curve of the chaise in my closet and pouted.
Understanding his victory, I saw his smirk, and for my sanity, I ignored his smirk. I then heard the beeping as Lancet entered the settings before he put the cosme-mask on my face.
More beeping and a, “Sit up,” order from Lancet. I sat up and the mane-mate hood was slipped over my hair.
I felt the patting, buffing and brushing on my face, and the tugging and twisting on my scalp.
“I cannot believe you live here,” Lancet said. “This place is so mega, it defines a whole new level of mega.”
I couldn’t speak, because you couldn’t move your face when the cosme-mask was at work. The results were always horrifying.
But he wasn’t wrong, so I gave him a thumbs up.
“And I can’t believe Prince Aleksei is your mate,” Lancet continued. “He’s so mega, it isn’t a redefinition of it. There hasn’t been a word invented yet to define how mega he is.”
He was so right about that, I gave him two thumbs up.
“I also can’t believe you are imminently going to announce your engagement,” he went on. “And last, I can’t believe you don’t have your ring yet!”
That last part got a major thumbs down (though, only in my head).
I couldn’t believe it either.
In fact, I was beginning to get worried about it.
Had Aleksei forgotten?
His day was even busier than mine, so he wanted me to meet him at his office before the photo op and interview. We were going from there to the Palace to sit down with Germaine to hash out how I would answer the questions we’d agreed for the interview. After that, the photo op (ugh) and vidding the interview (ulk). I would have my last class with Madam Garwah, and then we were going to swing by for a quick look-see of Spikeback Castle (well, I would be looking and seeing, Aleksei had been there before).
I was a nervous wreck.
I was also far too busy.
Fortunately, my classes with Madam Garwah were ending, I only had that one more (although her classes had become a hassle because of my busy life, truth told, I’d miss her). So that would be something to tick off my to-do list.
But Nata was quickly getting up to speed. This meant I was going to need to accept some invitations, consider what charities I would become a patron of, get on with my royal duties, and Germaine had warned I needed to make a statement with my first choices because they would define my reign.
No pressure there.
I managed to get all my designs in the studio’s Seam-Stitch. They would be ready by the skin of my teeth. But once the fittings were done, the shooting schedule was set to start within a matter of days, and I’d be expected on set for the entirety of the three-month shooting schedule.
Intermingled with all of this, I had the Midnight Masque. There would be an engagement party shortly after. And I had a wedding to plan.
I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to find the balance Aleksei said we’d find.
In fact, just thinking of my scroll through of the invites in the file Nata created, I was thinking it might be impossible.
I wasn’t twenty people. Even if I did this as my full-time gig, like Queen Calisa, I’d have to decline the vast majority of them. The beings who sent them had hope I’d care about what they cared about. It was going to suck to have to tell them, essentially, I didn’t have time for them.
The mask beeped it was done, and Lancet said, “No peeking. You promised.”
And again…
Gah!
“All right, no peeking,” I agreed, wishing I hadn’t because this look was too important, and giving in to Lancet’s drama was ratcheting up my anxiety.
But he was my friend. This was important to him as well, possibly more important, and he was excited about what he’d designed for me.
I didn’t have the heart to put a damper on that.
He swept the mask away.
Thirty seconds later, the mane-mate beeped, and then that was gone.
He took my hand and pulled me out of the chaise while I made the prodigious effort of avoiding spying myself in any of the mirrors in my closet, of which there were a lot.