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I bit back a chuckle and instead made a sympathetic sound, giving his back a discreet rub. He’d recently told me about his and Dan’s unfortunate encounter at Frank and Beans’ former home, including Beans shooting Vince in the testicles with a paintball. And stealing his favourite pants.

The pair had apparently since fled to California, where they were stealing zippers. For some reason. The more I learned about those two, the less I saw any point in questioning anything about them. Only complete chaos could be found in the answers.

“At least it’s before the show,” I said, to try and make Vince feel better. “We’ll still be able to leave at the normal time.”

He grunted. “I would’ve flat-out fucking refused if Holt had told us we were doing this after the show. You promised to wear that white lace thing for me tonight.”

Heat prickled in my cheeks when I saw Dan side-eye us. Then Heidi’s head popped up on his other side, and she shot us both an enthusiastic grin.

“But you’re still coming to Gargy’s tomorrow night, right?” she asked boisterously, slapping Dan on the back and making him almost drop his head. “Crossbody, you promised I could teach you pool, boyo.”

I flushed with both pleasure and embarrassment. It was still strange for me to be so… involved with the other wrestlers. Strange but welcome. Fulfilling. I’d convinced myself I didn’t care about getting along with my co-workers, but I’d been making an effort to chat with them, remember details about their lives and ask them how they were. It wasn’t something I, as a former prince, had ever really been taught—caring about other people in that way. People my mother would believe were ‘beneath’ me. But fuck that. Fuck her.

I hoped she was still finding cake frosting in her hair.

When Vince and I had returned to work a few weeks ago, he’d made a somewhat embarrassing announcement to the other wrestlers, confirming to all of them that we were together. He’d seemed so proud to publicly claim me that I’d fallen even more hopelessly in love with him in that moment.

And then he’d apologised to me, yet again, in front of everyone, about how standoffish he’d been to me for all these years. He’d admitted that it was his own insecurities that had made him hostile toward me, and he said he’d been wrong, because his actions had inadvertently influenced how the other wrestlers treated me too.

He’d apologised to me again when we got home, still looking like he was wracked with guilt. No matter how many times I’d assured him that it was fine, he’d still seemed tense and almost anxious about it.

Until I’d climbed on top of him in nothing but my silk robe and innocently asked him to show me just how sorry he was, not tell me. That had worked wonderfully.

Since then, the other wrestlers had begun making an effort to include me in things. That tiny part of me that was probably always going to be a bit of a snob, a bit too arrogant and proud, despised how much I craved their acceptance. But mostly, I was thankful. And determined not to isolate myself again.

This was truly my life now. Not just a stopgap. Not just a temporary stay until my mother forced me back to Otherworld. This was it. I could do whatever I wanted, for as long as I wanted.

And I wanted Vince.

My gaze automatically drifted over to him as he grinned at me, briefly smoothing a palm over my lower back.

“I bet you’ll be great at pool,” he said, which made me realise I hadn’t answered Heidi yet.

“Of course we’re still coming tomorrow,” I told her with a smile, then raised a brow only somewhat haughtily as I glanced at Vince. “And yes, I’m sure I will be excellent at pool.”

He chuckled, tucking his arms behind his back once more. “It’s hot when you’re all arrogant like that.”

My mouth stretched into a wide smile before I quickly smoothed my face back into the High Lord’s typical aloof, slightly bored expression, because the fans were getting more wriggly and eager out in the hallway, practically standing on each other to lean in and spot us.

“Oh, I got a new letter from Ianthe, by the way,” I told Vince out of the corner of my mouth.

“Oh yeah?” He looked over at me. “How is she?”

“She and Chrios are planning to visit the human world next month. She asked if we’d like to join them for dinner and maybe show them around town.”

“Sounds fun.” He grinned at me. “Is her dad still mad at her for eloping?”

I huffed in amusement. “I think so, but after all the gossip about the Spring Queen getting humiliated in front of her own court by a group of elderly lizard women and a ‘mysterious ghoul’ who threw a cake in her face, I don’t think he’s going to risk making any sort of scene. All four of the courts are still talking about it, Ianthe said. They can’t get enough. The Autumn Queen had her jesters do a reenactment of the entire scene at a recent ball.”

“Holy shit.” Vince snorted. “Was your mom there?”

My mouth twitched. “Yes. Ianthe heard about it through her former lady-in-waiting. Apparently, Galantha was so furious she turned dark purple.”

I’d struck up a friendship with my former betrothed—after being practically terrified of her for all these years—and I enjoyed receiving her letters immensely. It was almost cathartic for me, seeing letters coming from Otherworld and knowing that now, they wouldn’t be filled with vitriolic condemnation from my mother.

I was excited to see Ianthe again, and to meet her new husband, Chrios. They had been living in the Winter Court since eloping, as the Winter King was the most open and accommodating to outsiders, but I suspected they might have been considering the human world as their new home.

I tossed back my hair as I saw Ludo poking his head around the doorframe. Perhaps I was a bit of a trendsetter among Otherworld’s royalty. I would start a wave of young royals taking off to live their own lives.