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"By reading trashy royal gossip websites?" I ask, blowing on the surface of ossip websites," Isabel confirlued to the screen in front of her "It’s a sacrifice, but that’s what I’o above and beyond," I reply, rolling o back to the multiple-choice test in front ofat the sa aboutover her shoulders "Not that I’ve seen, but I haven’t checked Cron"

"Please think about the words you just said, then ask yourself how you feel about the out of yoursos Some of them are about all the various royals in the world There are, like, really serious ones, like Royal Watch and Moments of the Monarchies"

She turns her laptop so I can see the page This is Royal Watch, and there’s a giant Union Jack across the top Underneath, I can see a few tasteful pictures of the English royal family

"Those are mostly run by Americans," Isabel tellselse

"Then there’s Prattle, a azine about posh people for posh people You know, ‘What Hotel Has the Best Concierge?’ and ‘Which of Your Fa"

"Chariant type of the title and the picture of a frowning aristocrat holding a cocktail

"But then there’s stuff like Off with Their Heads and Cron, and those are the trashy ones," Isabel finishes, turning her laptop back toward her

"Which s

"I wish I could say no, but yeah, those are the ones I’ve book in Florida and the rest of the royalsplenty of headlines in Scotland, no one cares all that ether "Is that good or bad?"

"It’s good," I say, relief turning the words into a sigh For all that Ellie had claiht away, I hadn’t actually believed her But it’s been over teeks since the engageht is still firmly on Ellie and Alexander

"People love Ellie, by the way," Isabel tellsher straw up and down in her cup to poke at the ice "Like, apparently, so an American, but the commoners are allllll about it"

"You just said ‘the coood run, but--"

Isa pulls the straw out of her drink, flicking ive you the lay of the land here, Dais I a woman"

I wipe my cheek with a napkin, then toss it at her "No, you’re just reading gossip, and besides, none of that really has anything to do withher dark eyes, Isabel props her elbows on the table "You really think that?" she asks, and I shrug, unco to do with me, but maybe I can just take a crash course in royal etiquette before the wedding, then go back to living a life where I never have to kno deeply to curtsy to anyone