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Hyunjae flashes his devastatingly perfect smile again. “Most fans are not staring at other boys.” He says it as if it’s a universal truth, no smugness in his tone. Somehow, it doesn’t come off as conceited at all. Idols must get used to being the center of attention, so it’s noticeable when they aren’t.
“I’m sorry. I’m really excited to talk to you. But I just found out he’s been lying to me since—” I frown. “Since forever, I guess. Did you know he’s a prince?” I wave a hand at Andi who has rejoined a giggling Lina and the other band members surrounding her. “They both are. I’ve known them since we were kids, and they were just normal people. But now I find out they’re royalty. Like real live-in-a-palace, wear-a-crown, royalty.”
Hyunjae gazes at Andi for a moment. I’m not sure if he’s trying to decipher my English or thinking about my complaint. “They are royalty.” He says this in a matter-of-fact way.
I nod. “From Freiberg.”
“I do not know of this country. But Minhyuk says they are important people. That is why you are here.” He waves at the ornate salon. After shoving the paparazzi out of our balcony, the venue staff moved us to this room because Princess Andela was disrupting the show. They promised her a private meeting with the band if we’d leave so they could finish the set without distractions. “I do not care about royalty, but without them, you would not be talking to me. Are you a royal fan girl?”
“No.” If I were, I would have known Teo’s real identity. My eyes dart to Lina. She’s a royalty nerd. Did she know? How could she not have known?
“Then why do you care?”
I frown. Why do I care? I’ve always kind of vaguely known Freiberg had a Grand Duchess, but it never impacted my life in any way. And I’ve suspected for weeks that Teo was related to the royals in some way. Why do I care how he’s related? “It’s not the royalty per se… I care that he’s been lying.”
He nods slowly. “Honesty is important. But sometimes you want a… a normal life. I am only an idol for two years. I love it. But sometimes, you want to meet a nice girl who does not know you are ‘special.’” He waves his hand at his chest. “To see that she likes Hyunjae, not the idol.”
“I get that.” I look at Teo again. He stands rigidly by the door, watching us. “But we’ve known each other for years. Since I was six or seven.” I hold up fingers, knowing foreign numbers are hard for some people. The twinkle in Hyunjae’s eye tells me he’s not one of those people, and I fold my hands into my lap.
“How did you meet?”
“His family comes to my town. They do business there every year. Teo and his siblings go to our schools when they are in Oregon. Teo and Hans are a year older than me, but we became friends. And I worked in his family’s store.”
“The family is royal, but no one knows?”
I frown, thinking back through the years. “No one has ever mentioned it. But people must know, right? That’s not something you can hide. Not for twenty years.”
“Perhaps only you care?”
I gaze at the idol’s perfect features as that phrase repeats in my brain. If no one in Rotheberg cares enough to even mention it, why do I? There’s no doubt Freiberg is important to Rotheberg. The two towns—okay, the town and the city-state—have a… a symbiotic commercial structure.
I’m totally going to use that phrase in the research paper for my business class.
I have to assume at least some of the adults in Rotheberg know who the Feltz family is—how could they not? And yet, no one has ever tried to make use of that information. I mean, they don’t even advertise it on any of the town’s social media. You’d think having royalty selling Christmas ornaments at your fest would draw in a ton of potential customers. It’s almost as if everyone in town has agreed to keep the secret.
That can’t be true, can it?
Maybe they really don’t care. Freiberg is a tiny place. Being a prince here is like being homecoming king in Rotheberg. Okay, not really, since that changes every year. But we have our own unofficial royalty, and no one really treats the Mead family that differently. They might get a few perks the rest of us don’t.
I think for a moment. Maybe the Feltz family has gotten perks, and I never realized it.
Either way, that means this isn’t about Teo lying to me. His family—and my town—have kept the connection quiet for two decades. He probably wasn’t allowed to tell me.
I lean over and kiss Hyunjae’s cheek. “Thank you.”
He blinks in surprise and touches his cheek.
“I’m sorry, is that not allowed?” I put a hand over my mouth. “I know you guys don’t usually get so close to fans?—”
“It is okay. Just unusual, but you are an American in Austria with a foreign prince. There is no normal here.” He stands and takes my hands to pull me up from the couch. “You should talk to your friend. I think I will sing at the wedding.”
I splutter for a second, then see the grin he’s trying to hide. “Deal.” I hand him my phone. “Put your number in there, so I can call you when we schedule it.” I wait for him to return the device, then walk across the room to Teo.
He lifts a brow at me, cool and collected. “You going to introduce me?”
His reaction is so completely different from what I was expecting, I gawk. Not that I know exactly what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that. “Uh, sure? That’s Hyunjae. He’s?—”
“On the vocal team. I know.” He pushes away from the door, nudging me back across the room with his shoulder. “Do you think I haven’t been listening all these years?”
