Cream Puffs and Courtship

Chapter 28- The Talk

Over the next week, the public decided to move on and the picture of Devon and Evie was no longer on every news site. Although according to Tina, who had been texting Evie daily, the palace was still on slight lockdown and the board of advisors were still fighting for Devon to reveal the identity of the mystery girl from the photo. Besides the brief text conversation that had taken place earlier in the week, Evie hadn't talked to Devon since the picture was released.

Which was why Evie was extraordinarily surprised when he showed up on her doorstep with Carlos by his side.

"Devon?" Evie whispered looking down the hall to see if any of her neighbors.

"Hey Evie," He greeted casually but Evie could see the strain on his forehead and the way his eyes flicked back to Carlos every once in a while. "Could I come in for a minute?"

"Of course!" Evie said, opening the door wider. "Sorry it's a bit messy, I just dropped Ella off at school and I had a late shift last night so I didn't get a chance to tidy up."

"It's quite alright," Devon said, stepping into the small apartment. "I was actually hoping to talk to you privately."

Carlos huffed but stood his guard at the front of the apartment. Devon rolled his eyes at the guard and happily shut the door in his face. Evie smiled at him as he made his way over to her.

"Hey," Evie said, biting her lip slightly. "How are things at the palace?"

"Can we not talk about that right now?" Devon whispered, bringing his face closer to hers.

Evie shuddered and her smile grew even bigger as he pressed his lips to her neck.

"What do you want to talk about then?" Evie asked.

"Hmmmmmmm well, I got Francisco to make us some creme brulee since you never got to have any so I figured we could start there."

"Sounds great," Evie said.

Devon grabbed her hand and lead her the short distance to the kitchen. The two talked about anything and everything but the picture of them and for Evie, it felt like normalcy had finally returned. Even if it was only for a moment. Eventually, after devouring an entire bowl of creme brulee, the couple could no longer ignore what needed to be discussed.

"I'm not going to tell them who you are Evie," Devon started. "But I want you to know that if you choose to continue spending time with Tina and me, things like this will continue to happen. As much as I like to ignore it, we're royalty Evie and people are constantly looking up to us."

"I know," Evie sighed. "But I'm not going to stop seeing you guys just because there's a risk of us getting caught. We just have to be more careful."

"Well, then I hope to see you soon Miss Evelyn Delany."

Evie laughed and leaned over to give him a quick kiss.

"Likewise Your Highness," she said.

~

Weeks went by and as the flowers bloomed in the springtime weather, so did the bond between Evie and the Royal family of Lexia.

Of course, Tina remained one of her closest friends but Devon quickly became more than just the princesses brother. The couple had gone on a few dates since their conversation in Evie's kitchen and they had definitely been more cautious in their endeavors. Devon would sneak out of the palace at night and tell Evie to meet him at absurd locations that she had never heard of. But she was never disappointed.

Once, the address lead her to a beautiful meadow where they shared a picnic during the sunset. The next time it lead her to a pile of boulders where they sat and talked for hours. The third time, he told her to meet him at a flower garden where he was waiting, holding a single red rose.

As she held the rose tenderly in her right hand, he took hold of her left and they went on a walk lit up by the moonlight.

"Are you ok?" Evie asked him, brushing a strand of his curly hair away from his face.

"I'm fine Evie," He replied. "The board has just been giving me some trouble lately and it's not looking very well."

"But, I thought they finally dropped the thing about us? I thought they stopped bothering you about that weeks ago?"

"They're bringing it up again." Devon ran a hand over his tired face. "As Crowned Prince, I have to choose one bill to advocate for before I start military school. It's supposed to give the public a chance to see what I stand for. I recently picked out what bill I want to pass when I become King and most of the people on the board don't agree with it."

"The equal marriage rights bill," Evie guessed. "But why don't they stand for it?"

"You have to understand Evie that most of these people are very old. So they've just never heard of something like this. And there's just not enough people who agree with the law. So, their solution is just to make it harder for me to get support for it, therefore, making it hard for me to pass it."

"So they're using the picture and your reluctance to reveal my identity as a way to turn citizens against you?"

"Precisely."

"But I mean they can't do too much damage, right? I mean even if they can sway some people's opinions, you'll still be King and people will help you pass it."

"You would be right except these people are playing dirty. I have never agreed with some of their views and I think they're trying to use that as an excuse to show that I'm incompetent."

"What?" Evie exclaimed.

"They don't just want to stop the bill from being passed, Evie. They want to stop me from becoming King."

A/N- Alright folks all I'm going to say is prepare yourselves for the next chapter!

Also, this book is currently entered in three different contests! The Wammys, the Wattys and the Phoenix awards! I'm so excited to be a part of all of this and I hope you guys will stick along for the ride!

See you on Thursday!