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I push it away. “I’m not crying.”
“Yes, you are, ma mie.” She carefully wipes under my eyes.
“Well, that was scary! I’ve never had a gun pointed at me before! And I’m so mad!” I glare up at Teo. “Your cousin might be the future emperor of Freiberg, but he’s a jerk!”
“I know.” He puts a warm hand on my shoulder. “Do you think you can walk?”
I snort a laugh, then grab Lina’s tissue to wipe my nose. “I was scared, not hurt. Let’s get out of here.” I look at my friend as I rise. “I don’t know why you’re so enthralled with all this royalty crap. What a?—”
“Careful.” Teo squeezes my shoulder again. “We’re still in the palace.”
I glare at him through narrowed eyes. “Are you defending him?”
“Do I sound like I’m defending him? I’m just saying you want to watch what you say when people could be listening.” He looks around the vast entry hall. “This is where they meet with foreign dignitaries.”
Lina’s jaw drops. “Do you think they’re listening to us?”
He shrugs. “I don’t think they’re listening—I know they are. Security is tight in the palace. And while I don’t think anyone would disagree with Eva’s assessment of my cousin, I wouldn’t put it past him to make trouble for her if he finds the recordings. She’s already been detained by the police—twice.”
I almost miss the twinkle in his eyes, but it catches my still pounding heart and soothes it. I stand with a shaky laugh. “How do we get out of here? Without setting off a national security incident?”
He pulls off his jacket and wraps it around me. “This way. We can walk across the back to Rosenhäuschen. We’ll have some tea.” He looks doubtfully at my shoes. “The paths should be clear, but I can call the car.”
“I’ll be fine as long as no one with a gun tries to stop me again.”
He puts his arm around my shoulders. “You’re safe with me.”
“Where’s Andi?” Hans asks. “She probably already called the car.”
“Good point.” I pull out my phone and text my sister. Her reply comes through quickly. “She’s headed back to Rosenhäuschen. With the car. We can wait?”
Eva shakes her head. “I’d rather walk.”
We cross the foyer to the other side of the grand staircase and a door matching the one we entered through, then walk down the narrower, but still ostentatious hallway. We turn, then turn again, then down some broad stairs. At the bottom, we go around in a kind of U-turn and through another door. I’m completely lost by this time, but Teo moves with assurance, reminding me this crazy palace was part of his childhood.
We enter a glass-walled room filled with plants. Beyond the windows, the terrace looks similar to the one outside the dining salon. We weave through the palms, flowers, and vines and exit at the back to a covered porch. A wide path has been cleared through the couple of inches of snow that built up today, but a thin layer of white covers the walkway, and more drifts down through the darkness. The royal family must have cornered the market on twinkle lights—even here they cover every bush and tree.
Teo frowns at the fairyland before us. “Your shoes are going to get wet.”
I glance at my beaded, black satin heels, then at the snowy ground. “I’ll probably get deported for ruining the queen’s shoes.”
Teo chokes on a laugh. “I don’t think my aunt ever wore those. And I suspect Andi is footing the bill for your apparel. Or will be if she tries submitting the expense report to the palace after tonight.”
“I don’t want her to have to pay for damages!” Using Teo’s strong shoulder for balance, I lift my foot and pull off one shoe then the other. Behind me, Lina is doing the same.
“You’ll freeze!” Teo protests.
“I’m a mountain girl. Walking barefoot in the snow for a few hundred yards isn’t going to hurt me.” I lean down to grab the hem of my dress, folding the skirt up at my knees. “Let’s go!”
Lina bundles her wide skirts up, too, but they’re huge. “Grab the back, Hansi!” Hans complies, and they shuffle across the porch together, laughing at their awkward gait.
“I can carry you.” Teo puts an arm around me again.
I shake my head. “I’m sure you could, but then I wouldn’t get to dance in the snow.” Besides, I’m not a tiny thing like Lina—getting me all the way to Rosenhäuschen would be hard for Thor, much less my strong but slender prince.
I step onto the path. Snow-covered gravel bites into my feet, so cold it almost feels hot. After a few steps, I point at the pristine snow the path has been cut into. “Is that grass?”
Teo starts, then nods. “Yeah. The lawn extends all the way to the trees.” He points at the dark, leafless trees clearly visible against the lights of Rosenhäuschen.
