He didn’t elaborate, of course, and only asked, “Now what?”

“I have to find some way to make the king like me,” I said as Theo and I walked back toward my room. I wished he would’ve just left this to me, but he seemed determined to be involved in every aspect of this. Maybe he wanted to make sure I didn’t mess it up.

Brook met us outside of the library, and she was very supportive of my trying to win the king’s heart again. “You could make his favorite ...