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Chapter Six

Evelyn's POV

A loud chiming wakes me up from my peaceful slumber. On the bedside table sits a fancy kind of alarm clock. 08:00 reads the display.

I sit up and look around. I'm in a room that I recognize as Courtney's, painted blue and purple. My dorm room back at EFA is just beige. I look down sadly as I remember my friends there. Did I teach Courtney enough about them so that they wouldn't get suspicious?

Oh well. Anything for the good of our province.

Someone knocks on the door and I freeze. Fixing the wig, I call "Come in!"

When it's Queen Marissa that comes in, I breathe out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness."

"We only have half an hour until breakfast," she warns, closing the door and sitting at the foot of my bed. "Do you have all the information you need?"

I nod. "Do you think we can pull this off?"

"If you didn't have my help, then no, definitely not." She takes my hand and smiles gently. "Now come on, we'll need to get you dressed before breakfast starts."

Twenty minutes later, I'm in an elaborate sky blue gown that clings to my body like tin foil. It's a good thing I'm used to being in tight dresses, or else I'd probably find it hard to walk.

"You look beautiful," she murmurs, tilting her head to look at me. Even if I'm not actually her daughter, the motherly love in her eyes makes me smile.

"This must be really hard for you. To do this, I mean."

With a sigh, the queen sits down on a chair. "It is. But I'll do it for the safety of our province. I'm just happy you agreed to do this."

"Well, to be honest, I thought I'd get thrown into prison if I didn't," I joke, raising an eyebrow as a small, playful smile grows on my face. She lets out a quiet laugh and kisses the top of my head lovingly.

"I'll have to get used to doing that." She looks up at the clock on the wall. "Five minutes." Queen Marissa takes my hand and leads me out of the door. Together, we walk down the stairs and into what seems like a dining room. I manage to prevent myself from gaping at the size of it.

She pulls out a chair and sits me down. My eyes scan the table, making contact with all of my "family". Well, this is it for now, I think gravely, digging into my food. I half expect strange looks, but no, it's a good thing I eat gracefully enough to pass.

"Did you do something with your hair? It looks different," the king comments, tilting his head. 

"Oh, so now you notice," the queen jumps in, helping me avoid the question as she elbows her husband. "She's had it like this for the past two months."

Shaking his head and smiling, King Alastair continues eating. Beside me, Archer lets out a thundering burp, and I wrinkle my nose in disgust. 

"God, learn some manners!" I automatically snap, slapping his arm playfully. Isla laughs and pokes at her brother's cheek, and I'm so glad that I'd forgotten I have a crush on him at that moment. 

Now this is just awkward. 

"How are your lessons with Isla's tutor?" Queen Marissa asks. She is a freaking life saver, I think, smiling to myself.

"They're great. I mean, I know I'm relearning a lot of things, but I think I'll be able to get back on track fairly quickly once Jordan returns." 

"Are you sure you two aren-"

"Yes, Isla, 100% sure," I retort. Not being Courtney, it's easier to pretend that I'm not in love with him. But I do ship them. Definitely cuter than Rianna and her boyfriend. 

While my friends back at EFA are on my mind, I wonder how Courtney is doing with them. I just hope she remembers everything I've told her.

A/N 

Omg this chapter is shorter than usual (sorry!) but we haven't updated in a long time and so we wanted to do it quickly.

We promise the next one will be longer :D Courtney's POV is our favourite anyway hahah

Stay safe, be happy, byeeee <3

- Zalie :3