The "Secret Royal Couple" was not all that false, after all. They just picked the wrong twin. Kaden was kissing Emilia the whole time right under their noses.
"Kaden? Emilia? What?" Eadlyn asks.
"Uhh... We'll explain?" Kaden offers up.
"Actually... This is a little awkward, isn't it?" I say.
"Definitely. But hey, when has it ever not been awkward?" Emilia agrees.
"Yeah... I'm gonna go... Eady?" I say, uncomfortable in this awkward setting.
"Okay... Well, bye," Eadlyn says, every bit as uncomfortable as the rest of us.
"Bye..." Kaden says.
"Okay, now I know what it's like for you guys when you walk in on me and Kile," Eadlyn whispers when we get out.
"Yeah, until Osten splashes you with seaweed or something like that. Then we just start laughing like maniacs," I whisper back.
"Well, what do you want to do?"Eadlyn asks.
"I WOULD suggest 'sneaking out,' but you have a bunch of boys probably looking for you, so that's crossed off the list," I say.
"Hey, do you want to try to switch places? I mean, we have some pretty gullible victims here. Obviously, our family and close friends would be able to tell us apart, but I'm kind of getting tired of people trying to find me all the time," Eadlyn suggests.
"Sure. It'd be fun to see what your life was like. But how should I act?" I ask.
"Kile would be able to tell us apart, so no need to worry about him, but just imitate me in front of the others. What about me?" Eadlyn says.
"The Selected don't pay me too much attention, anyways. Just don't act like your normal self," I tell her.
"Okay. What are we supposed to wear? Oh, wait, I remembered. Most of them look at my eyes. They might see the difference," Eadlyn says.
She's referring to the fact that our eyes are different by about two shades. Mine are darker than hers are, bordering on brown like our father's, and just barely brighter, but her eyes are a little lighter and twinkle when she is testing them.
"Well, it'll be like a test for them. See who knows you well and who doesn't," I suggest.
"Okay," Eadlyn agrees.
"Let's see who's been paying attention."
I go to her rooms and she goes to mine. Neena isn't fooled, and I don't think Jane will be, either.
"Can you pretend I'm Eadlyn? We're testing her Selected," I explain.
"Of course, Princess Eadlyn," Neena says.
I grin. "Thanks."
Neena finds something from Eadlyn's closet that is just barely smaller than my own clothes, since I'm about an inch taller. Not tall enough to tell that the outfit was not made for me, though. I walk out and try to find the Elite Selected. The first one I see is Hale.
"Princess Eadlyn," he greets me.
Does Eadlyn call him Sir Garner, Hale, or Hale Garner? Ugh, this is harder than I thought.
"Hello," I say. Hopefully he'll accept a neutral response.
"Your highness, you may think me incompetent to ask, but, what time is the party tonight, again?" Hale asks.
What party? Eadlyn never mentioned a party.
"I'm sorry, what party?" I ask.
"I know that it isn't Princess Eadlyn," he whispers.
"Well, you're quite clever. How'd you know?" I ask, impressed that he could tell so quickly.
"I've worked with fabric long enough to know that the dress you're wearing was not made to fit you. And, you're an inch taller than you should be in those heels," he replies.
"Wow, you have an eye for detail. But do me a favor and don't tell anyone else," I tell him.
"Of course," Hale says.
I continue walking around as Eadlyn. The next Selected I pass is Raoul.
"Your highness," he says.
"Hello."
I have a conversation with him, and I can tell that he believes that I am Eadlyn. I continue walking around. Some of the Elite Selected can tell the difference, and others can't. In the end, Kile, Hale, Henri, Baden, Ean, and Fox recognize me. Raoul, Julian, Ivan, and Gunner do not. I go to find Eadlyn to ask her if the Selected act differently around her when she's dressed as me. Apparently, they do.
"Oh my goodness, they are so different around me when I'm disguised!" she exclaims.
"Why? What did they do?" I ask.
"They insult each other, mainly the ones they insult are Kile or Henri, because they're different, and they are extremely rude when they don't think they're talking to the Crown Princess!"
"Who?"
"Mainly Raoul and Gunner."
"Yeah, they also fell for our trick."
"Well, if they're both rude, AND don't pay attention, they probably shouldn't be here!"
"Kile, Hale, Henri, Baden, Ean, and Fox could tell I wasn't you. Raoul, Julian, Ivan, and Gunner were fooled."
"Well, Julian and Ivan can stay; I haven't spent much time with them, so it would be unfair to kick them out for not being able to tell the difference between us."
"Okay. Well, all in all, this was actually a pretty productive test."
"Come on, let's reveal it."
Author's Note
Some of you probably saw the Kaden and Emilia moment coming. But hey, I gave you clues. What I want to know is how many people saw the switching test coming. I kind of brushed that topic because Celeste keeps being mistaken for Eadlyn. But, hey, why not?
-Nom Nom
