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being nice back to him. This would all end badly.
    No matter how attractive I found him.
    When we were finished with our dessert and I considered the real possibility that I might never eat again because I was so stuffed, I asked, “Can I help clear the dishes?” It seemed like the polite thing to do.
    The queen gave me a sweet smile. “No, dear, but thank you. That is very kind of you to offer.”
    The men in matching uniforms who had been bringing in our food all night came in to clear away the dessert plates. I noticed Violetta hadn’t touched her tiramisu at all while I’d had to refrain from licking my plate.
    “I understand that Nico plans to give you a tour this evening,” his mother said to me. I felt a little like I’d been on display all night, with just a touch of third-degree interrogating going on by his brothers. All very kindly and nicely done, but there had been a lot of questions. This was a statement more than a question, but it still felt like I was under scrutiny.
    “Yeah, he mentioned that.”
    “But only if you’re feeling up to it,” Nico said, and I wanted to melt at the look of concern on his face.
    “I’ll be fine.” I wanted to reassure him when it probably should have been the other way around. I couldn’t help it. Besides, it was true. I barely even felt the pain any longer, which was probably due in part to the fact that I no longer felt like I was going to die of starvation. The food had helped, as I’d hoped it would.
    “Then shall we?”
    I went to stand up, and Nico practically knocked his own chair over rushing over to help me out of mine. The twins again got to their feet. Serafina jumped up and threw her arms around my waist, and I put my arm around her shoulders. “Goodbye. I wanted to come with you, but Mamma said I can’t because you and Nico are going to be alone,” she announced in a stage whisper voice. Everyone around the table hid their smiles, and I willed myself not to blush. Had Lemon recruited all of them into her plan to find me a boyfriend?
    “Maybe next time,” I said to her. I wished she could come. I was worried I might find myself in need of a chaperone.
    “Make sure you show her the moonlight gardens,” the queen said as Nico and I walked to the door. “They’re my pride and joy. After my children, of course.” They all laughed, but I could barely muster a smile as my stomach screwed itself into tiny little knots.
    “Shall we?” Nico asked as he opened the door.
    I was about to walk around with a too-attractive-for-his-own-good prince in a romantic, darkened castle and go someplace called a moonlight garden. I should have said no. I should have said I was in pain and needed to go back to my room. I should have let Serafina come with us.
    But I didn’t do any of those things.

Nico did not take my arm this time, but kept his hands clasped behind his back. I didn’t know if that was his natural stance, or if he was avoiding touching me.
    He took me down to the main part of the castle, showing me the Great Hall, the ballroom, a banquet hall. There was the White Drawing Room and the Green Drawing Room and the Blue Drawing Room. Each room was more luxurious and bigger than the last. Nico kept up a steady stream of information about everything he showed me. But I’d seen one drawing room. I didn’t really need to see all of them.
    “How many rooms does the palace have?”
    “Including bathrooms and staterooms, over eight hundred.”
    Eight hundred rooms? I stopped. He realized I was no longer standing next to him and turned to see what I was doing. “We’re not going to look at all eight hundred rooms, are we?”
    He smiled. “I’ll show you one last place that I like, and then I’ll take you to the garden.”
    On our way, Nico continued to point out rooms and their names, like some kind of hot, determined tour guide. He nodded toward the library. I was torn between asking him to stop so that I could see it and wanting to hurry this up