“I do.”

There is an ocean of subtext in that tiny phrase, and I can guess what it’s about.

“Why did you send her to me in exile?” I ask. “What did she do? It’s not like she hasn’t broken rules before.” And laws, I add silently, because Daddy might not know about those. I’m taking the high road again. Doe owes me double.

“This was…” Again he shakes his head. “I think this is a matter best kept between Dosinia and me.”

“Okay.”

Daddy has on his king-of-the-seas persona, which means there’s no negotiating. Besides, the way everyone is fin-dipping around the issue, I’m starting to think I’d rather not know what Doe did. It might scar me forever.

“Cid tel s me you have brought another boy for separation,” Daddy says.

“He’s not mine,” I explain, even though Daddy should know I would never cheat on Quince. “Dosinia kissed him.” Daddy heaves a deep sigh, his chest rising and fal ing beneath his uniform jacket. “I guess I didn’t take away enough of her powers to keep her from getting into trouble.” I’ve seen that sigh before. Doe lives with our aunt Bel s and uncle Portunus in a big manor house at the center of Thalassinia’s historic district. But she’s spent enough time in the palace that Daddy and I have both experienced plenty of her antics. Like the time she burst into the throne room in a panic, claiming there was a great white on her tail. Or when she hid stinky lobsters beneath the mattress of every bed in the palace—everyone had to sleep in the hal s for a week. Or, most famously, the time she convinced the male members of the palace staff that Daddy wanted them to appear shirtless at a royal ceremony involving the heads of several other kingdoms. I was amazed Daddy didn’t fil et her alive then.

So hearing that, within her first week on land, she’s gotten herself bonded to a human boy is not exactly a shock.

“Meet me in my office,” Daddy says, pushing away from my bed. “Bring the boy so we can discuss how to proceed.” I spend a few minutes getting dressed and freshening up before going to find Brody. Margarite, the palace housekeeper, placed him in the South Pacific room—a casual space decorated in black pearls and giant abalone, with wal paper made from woven sea-palm fronds. It always makes me want to swim to Bora Bora. I’ve never been, but in my imagination it is as close to paradise as you can get.

I find Brody studying the ceiling of inlaid abalone that almost exactly represents the sky over Thalassinia at dawn.

It’s a masterpiece—and it’s only a ceiling. Even though I grew up here, I’m stil in awe of the palace’s majesty.

The same awe I see in Brody’s wide eyes.

“This place is amazing, Lil,” Brody says, echoing my thoughts as we make our way through the palace to Daddy’s office. “I can’t believe you never told me about this.”

“Yeah, wel ,” I say softly, “I’d always planned to.” Thankful y, he misses my double meaning. He doesn’t know that for three long years I wanted to bond with him, bring him home to Daddy, and eventual y take the throne with him at my side. He also doesn’t know that I’m insanely happy that never happened. We are nowhere near as compatible as I always fantasized.

“You know,” Brody says, his voice dropping to a serious tone even though he keeps looking excitedly around the hal , “I knew I wasn’t good enough for you.”

“I—” I choke on my response. He doesn’t mean what I think—what I fear—he means, does he? “You—what?” He stops gawking long enough to face me. He flashes me a heartfelt smile. “I’m glad you connected with Fletcher—

he’s a great guy.”

“He is,” I whisper. He didn’t come right out and say it, but I definitely get the feeling my secret crush wasn’t as secret as I thought. Embarrassment burns onto my cheeks.

“Did you know the roof is covered with living sea life?” he asks, turning away, his golden brown eyes wide with excitement as he swims off ahead of me. Even with me in mer form, I have to increase my speed a little to keep up.

I focus on ignoring my sudden humiliation. It’s a good thing I didn’t find out while I was stil crushing on him, because I might have flat out died from mortification.

“Yeah,” I answer, making myself pretend that nothing has changed. Apparently Brody is forgetting that I actual y grew up here. “Awesome, isn’t it?”

By the time we reach Daddy’s office, I think my cheeks may have returned to their normal, pale, freckled selves.

The royal guards outside the door salute as I approach. I return the salute and briefly wonder how they wil greet me when I’m no longer a royal princess. Wil they stil salute? Or just wave and say hel o? Or wil they not greet me at al ?

Wil they, like Doe, see me as a traitor, abandoning my kingdom for myself? I can only hope they see I’m trying to make the best choice for both.

They open the doors so Brody and I can enter.

Daddy is at his desk, bent over a stack of papers, studying intently. When his secretary, Mangrove, clears his throat, Daddy final y looks up.

“My apologies,” he says, waving us into the seats across from him. “I was just reading over separation law to confirm my suspicions. I’m not cal ed upon to perform separation very often, and I needed to refresh my knowledge.”

“Suspicions?” I ask, not liking the sound of that.