Chapter Twenty-Four

Everything was going wrong.

My dress was wrinkled, my feet too swollen for my shoes, and to top it off, I was running late.

I hadn't thought about the fact that my power cords for my phone wouldn't work in Paradisa since they used a different kind of plug, so my phone had died. My curling iron didn't work. I didn't have a hair dryer.

The party was starting out in the garden and I wasn't anywhere near presentable, especially not to a queen and her friends.

I was going to bring shame to the royal family and I hadn't even done anything yet. So much for helping Freddie's image.

It didn't help that now I was crying, making my makeup run. I stood in front of the beautiful bathroom mirror and wished I was anywhere else. Why had I agreed to this party? I should have just waited until I was more ready to be in public.

“It's fine,” Freddie assured me, putting his warm hands on my shoulders and smiling at me in the mirror. “Just take your time.”

“But I want to be good!” I sobbed. “This is not t