I laugh. “I missed you, Katie.”

“I missed you too.” She gives me another hug.

“How long are you here for?”

“I have to leave tomorrow afternoon. I got into this theater program in New York City, and it starts on Monday.”

“That’s amazing! Congratulations!”

Katie blushes, but looks pleased.

“What else is new with you?” I ask.

We’ve managed a few phone conversations over the past eight months, but knowing Katie, I’m sure there’s a lot I have yet to hear about. She can make a story about a five-minute interaction last an hour.

“Oh no, we’re not talking about me right now. We’re in your literal palace! I want to see everything!”

I laugh. “Okay. Do you have any bags?” I glance at the bare floor.

“One of your butlers already took them,” Katie says, and then grins. “I can’t believe I actually just got to say that.”

I roll my eyes. I already feel lighter, more buoyant in her happy presence. Katie’s enthusiasm is infectious.

I show her around the entire main residence, and she’s appropriately dazzled by the endless stream of luxurious rooms.

“Can we go outside now?” she asks.

“Sure. Did you bring a bathing suit? There’s a pool.”

Katie shakes her head.

“Come on, you can borrow one of mine.” I lead her to the wing that houses my room and a couple of guest suites. “They probably put your things in one of those rooms,” I tell her, gesturing down the hall when we enter the new wing. “I’ll have someone find out.”

I open the door to my room and step inside. Katie is right behind me.

“Holy shit,” she says, looking around the massive room. Then she claps her hand over her mouth. “Can I swear here?”

I laugh. “Yes.”

Katie walks over to my window seat and looks out the bay windows at the gardens spread below. “Wow,” is all she says.

“Come on, the closet’s this way,” I instruct her.

She follows me into my walk-in closet. She looks around at the endless racks of clothes with awe. “I thought you brought a lot to Lincoln,” she says. “Who knew it was like two percent of your wardrobe?”

I smile as I walk over to the portion that houses my swimwear and open the series of drawers.

“Here, take your…” I turn back to Katie to see she’s staring at the gray t-shirt I left pulled out of the stack yesterday. She looks over at me, but doesn’t say anything.

“These the suit options?” she asks, coming to stand beside me.

“Yeah,” I reply. “I was already going to swim later, so I’m wearing a suit. I’m going to grab some towels. Be right back.”

I duck out of the closet and into my bathroom. There are already towels piled by the pool, but Katie doesn’t know that, and I need a minute.

I knew the moment I saw her, the topic of Jace would come up. No matter how often I find myself thinking about him, I haven’t had to discuss him with anyone. Not once. Not a single person in Marcedenia knows he exists outside of me and my security team. I was worried Thomas might say something as part of the investigation into who leaked my identity, but since the Royal Guard immediately determined Philip was the one who shared it, there was no reason to look into anyone else who might have known my true identity at Lincoln. Jace would have been at the top of that list. The only name on that list.