Chapter 1

I was the most noble princess in all of Eldoria, and yet I fell in love with Philip Kingston, my cold and untouchable Royal Tutor.

For him, I stripped away every ounce of my pride.

I knelt in the snow for six brutal hours, begging for the medicine that could save my life, but he stood over me with his arms wrapped around his "best friend," Evelyn Lane, and looked down at me like I was nothing.

Philip's voice was ice. "Charlotte, enough with the theatrics. Evelyn needs the medicine too. You're a princess. Surely you can spare a little grace."

I looked at the woman nestled in his arms, smirking as she'd already won, and the last flame inside me went out.

Then came the day he knelt outside the throne room, slamming his forehead against the stone steps until blood ran down his face in streaks, begging for just one glance from me.

But I strolled right past him on the arm of the realm's most decorated young commander, and I smiled like the sun breaking through storm clouds.

I glanced back at him and let the words fall like a blade. "Mr. Kingston, if there is one thing I have never been short of, it is men who know how to heel."

*****

Snow had buried every road in Capital City, and the cold gnawed straight through to the bone.

I knelt at the gates of Kingston Manor, clutching a box of winterbloom extract against my chest.

I had begged my father, the King, for three days and three nights before he finally granted me this medicine.

Philip's old illness flared every winter, and the pain kept him awake through the night.

The heavy oak doors groaned open at last.

My eyes lit up, and I moved to stand, but my legs had gone numb from the cold. I collapsed face-first into the snow.

"Philip!" I called out, ignoring the pain. I lifted my head, but the eyes that met mine were cold as steel.

Philip stood in the doorway, draped in a black fur cloak that made him look every inch the lord he was born to be.

And beside him stood Evelyn, dressed in fitted riding leathers. She had one arm slung casually over his shoulder, grinning like she owned the world.

Evelyn tilted her head and laughed. "Well, well. Your Highness, that's quite the bow you're giving him. Phil isn't worth all that."

I ignored her mockery and held out the medicine box with trembling hands. "Philip, I got the medicine. Please, go inside and take it."

He didn't reach for it. His gaze drifted to Evelyn, to the tip of her nose flushed red from the cold. He unfastened his fur cloak and draped it carefully over her shoulders.

"Why did you come outside?" he murmured. "You know you can't handle the cold."

Evelyn stuck out her tongue with a playful grin. "Can you blame me for worrying about you?" she said. "We're basically brothers from different mothers."

A flicker of indulgence softened Philip's gaze. "You never stop talking," he said.

I stood frozen in the snow, the medicine box clutched in my hands as a piece of iron pulled straight from the forge. The heat of it seared through my chest and squeezed the air from my lungs.

"Philip, your medicine," I said again, my voice raw and strained.

Philip turned his head at last, and his eyes swept over the soaked hem of my dress. "Charlotte, what game are you playing now?" he asked.

I stared at him. "I begged for this medicine and brought it to you myself," I said. "How is that a game?"

Evelyn let out a dramatic gasp and snatched the medicine box from my hands. "Arctic root? This is incredibly rare."

She opened the box and clicked her tongue twice.

She said, "Perfect timing, Phil. My father was wounded in battle not long ago, and this is exactly the remedy he needs."

I shot to my feet and reached for the box. "That medicine is for Philip's treatment!"

Evelyn ducked behind Philip with the ease of a cat, her voice dripping with wounded innocence.

"Princess Charlotte, there's no need to be so fierce. I was only thinking out loud. Besides, Phil knows his own body better than anyone. I'm sure he'd want my father taken care of first. Wouldn't you, Phil?"

Philip wrapped his arm around Evelyn's waist, his brow furrowed.

He said coldly, "Charlotte, Eve's father is a war hero who bled for this kingdom. You are a princess. How can you be so selfish?"

I could hardly believe what I was hearing. "He's a hero, so you'll give away what I fought for just to buy her family's favor?"

Philip let out a short, bitter laugh, his voice thick with contempt.

He said, "What you fought for? All you did was throw yourself at the king's feet and cry until he gave in. Eve is right. You always push too far and never know when to stop. There isn't an ounce of grace in you."

Evelyn peeked out from behind Philip and waved the medicine box with a cheerful grin.

She said, "Thanks so much, Your Highness. I'll buy you a drink sometime. No need for formalities between us."

She turned to Philip and tugged his arm. "Phil, let's go inside. It's freezing out here."

Philip nodded and pulled her close as they turned toward the door.

"Wait!" I lunged forward and grabbed Philip's sleeve.

My voice broke as I said, "Give me the medicine back. It's your life we're talking about."

Philip shoved me away with such force that I stumbled back into the snowdrift. "Charlotte, don't make me despise you more than I already do."

The heavy oak doors slammed shut just a few feet from where I lay.

Snowflakes settled on my lashes and melted into cold drops that trickled into my eyes.

I stared at those sealed doors, and for the first time in three years, the truth hit me. Every gift, every sacrifice, every desperate attempt to win his heart had been nothing more than a fool's errand.

My handmaiden Grace came running toward me, tears streaking down her face. "Your Highness, please, let's go home."

I pushed her hand away and forced myself to my feet. "Grace, when I begged my father for that medicine, what did he say?"

Grace choked back a sob. "His Majesty said he would grant it to you, if only to put your devotion to Mr. Kingston to rest."

I laughed at that, laughed until the tears came. "Devotion? Well, consider it put to rest."

I brushed the snow from my gown and straightened my spine. "Send word to my father. Tell him my estate is in need of restoration, and every gift I ever bestowed upon Kingston Manor is to be reclaimed."

Grace froze. "Your Highness?"

I fixed my gaze on the iron crest above his gate and spoke each word like a decree. "Philip, since you prefer the company of your 'brother', then you can spend the rest of your days with her."