The Princess and the Player (Royally Pitched 1)

Millie held up a piece of paper. On it were lines of text. The first letters were like seventy-two-point font, and the rest were a regular twelve. Ele started from the top, opting for the small segments rather than the big picture.

Everything matters—even on off days.

Come on back. The pitch awaits.

Onward. Every day is one step closer.

My boyz. Those who have your six are always close.

Easy day on the pitch.

Back to basics.

Another win. Another dance move. Another time.

Chi-Town throwback. Magic.

Kind of like faith. Must have.

Trust me. I’ve got this.

Oh, yeah. I’m looking for my glass slipper.

Memories captured here.

Eyes on the prize.

Ele took a deep breath.

“E, come back to me.” Millie pulled the paper away from the screen. “Do you see it? What do you think?”

Ele lifted her hand and glanced down. She was shaking. She daydreamed about Tristan, fantasized about being a girl who fell for a guy. But after the disaster at the palace, she knew they could never really have anything because neither of them was ordinary. In their country, they could never walk down the street or go to a restaurant or sit at a bar. Their separate obligations would leave them little time together. And she was quite certain, she wouldn’t be able to travel to his games or really support him the way she would want to. And those concerns were small compared to the problem of her family, her duty, and her obligations. If they were ever to get married—what?—she would have to give up her crown. She could live with that, but she wasn’t sure her family could, and she didn’t know if she could leave Jamie in such a lurch. If the government found out that Jamie could not father any children and Ele renounced the crown, it could mean the monarchy would cease to exist in its current form when her grandmother passed. And she didn’t know if she could override her sense of duty—even for love.

“It’s sweet,” Ele finally confirmed.

Millie scrutinized her. “Sweet?”

“Sweet.”

“He cornered Jamie in the elevator to make sure you were okay.”

Ele smiled, knowing that sounded just like him. “Of course he did.”

“Are you going to reach out to him?”

“Probably not.”

Millie’s horrified expression filled the screen as she moved closer to the camera function. “Why not?” she demanded, apparently forgetting she was speaking to her boss. “Sorry,” she offered.

Ele waved her off. “Because, Millie, I can’t just date him. And when I offered to secretly date him, he was a little offended.” She smiled at the memory of their last conversation. He’d tried to play off the hurt, but she had seen it smoldering in his eyes. “But even if I could, I’d just be setting us both up for heartache.”

“How? You could be together.”

“Oh my God, Millie. Stop! We can’t. I’d have to basically be disowned, or he’d have to give up his career. I could never ask him to do that. Have you seen him play? He was born to run up and down the pitch, and I was born to be a princess. Some things just don’t match.”

“But you don’t care about all that.”

“No, not about the tiaras and money. But I care about my family and my duty. There are things you don’t know—”