The princess glanced up, meeting his eyes with a look that was neither warm nor cold, simply assessing. Elliot felt as though he were being weighed and measured against some internal standard he couldn't see.
“Why? So you can look cool in front of your friends?” Elizabeth stated, rather than asked, “I have no interest in advancing your chances with your fan girls.”
Elliot flinched at her direct hit. She had effortlessly seen through to one of his deepest insecurities, his carefully cultivated image at school. While Buck revelled in attention, Elliot's social standing came from calculated reserve and strategic friendships. The princess had just exposed this calculation with surgical precision.
King Alexander suppressed a smile. His daughter was magnificent in her directness, wielding tru
