“I might not like sailing after all. It seems to come with a lot of emotional turmoil,” I reply.

Viv smiles sadly. “Good thing you’re from the only triply landlocked state then, huh?”

My brief laugh is bereft of any real humor. I’m too drained. “Yeah, good thing.”

I turn the key, and the engine roars to life. I shift into gear and twist the wheel as I begin to drive back the same way we came. Reaching out to the dashboard, I turn down the volume of the music. Viv reaches out and tangles her fingers with mine before I have a chance to return my hand to the wheel. I drive one-handed the whole way back.

When we arrive at the palace, Cara is waiting in the entryway.

“Anne would like to meet with you now, Mr. Dawson,” she informs me, glancing at Viv a couple of times nervously.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Viv asks.

“Not unless you feel like you need to,” I tell her. “I can handle it.”

She nods. “Okay, I’ll see you after.”

To my surprise, she gives me a kiss on the cheek before strolling toward one of the twin staircases that leads to the upstairs residence. I look over at Cara, who is quickly schooling what looks to be a shocked expression.

“Uh—this way, Mr. Dawson,” she instructs.

I don’t engage her in small talk this trip. It’s only late afternoon, but I’m completely depleted from this rollercoaster of a day. Cara stops in front of the same conference room Viv and I met with Anne in this morning.

“Anne should already be in there,” Cara tells me.

I nod and head inside. I feel a flash of déjà vu as Anne rises from her seat at the table. She doesn’t curtsy this time, just smiles at me before sitting again. I take the same seat I sat in earlier.

“Hello, Mr. Dawson.”

“Hello, Anne,” I respond, mimicking her formal tone.

“I take it Princess Vivienne filled you in on the change of plans for tomorrow?”

“Yes, she did,” I confirm.

“And why?”

“Yes.”

“All right, then. Based on our conversation earlier, I don’t think there’s going to be anything new that comes out the press is going to question you about. Rather, they’ll focus on how you respond to their questions. Body language, facial expressions, etcetera. The calmer and more detached you appear, the better. Now, my suggestion is for you to imagine each reporter who questions you as someone you don’t particularly like but have to interact with in a somewhat civil manner. It could be a former teammate or coach, whoever you like.”

“Charles Vanderbilt?”

The words slip out unbidden, a product of the phrase “the Princess’s fiancé” I can still hear echoing around my head.

To my shock, Anne actually laughs at my response. She looks as surprised about it as I am as she quickly regains her serious expression.

“As I said, whoever you like. Now, make sure you’re not being too curt or overly short in your responses. Stick to the facts about your relationship with the Princess, but make them sound as uninteresting as possible. Understood?”