Chapter 3: Shadows and Fireworks

Derek’s exam win should have been pure joy, but the past never stays buried. Three years ago, after I vanished, word spread that the imposter princess had stolen someone’s place. That year, the real princess, Amanda, was welcomed back to the mansion.

I remember the chill when I saw Amanda’s face in the Savannah Gazette—blonde curls, perfect smile, everything I’d been taught to mimic. They called her the prodigal daughter, the true princess reclaimed.

I was selling paintings with Derek at the flea market when I heard the news. I froze, but soon doubled over laughing at his nerdy debates with other vendors. Those peaceful days didn’t last. Soon after, I saw the wanted notice from King Caleb.

The flyer was tacked to the library bulletin board—my old yearbook photo staring out over the word WANTED. My knees buckled. Derek tried to shield me, but the world spun. I was nobody, just a ghost in someone else’s skin—why were they still hunting me?

In that moment, my world spun and went dark. I never imagined they’d erase me so completely. I started thinking up excuses to leave, but Derek came to me first, asking if I’d come with him to his hometown community college. I couldn’t have wished for more.

He made it sound easy—packing up, starting over in a place where nobody asked questions. We drove all night with the radio on low, headlights carving through the dark, my heart rattling with relief and fear. Maybe this was what freedom felt like.

So I hid in a small town for three years. When Derek went to Atlanta for the exams, I finally dared to step outside.

That first walk down Main Street, I kept expecting royal guards behind every corner. But all I saw were stray dogs and old men playing dominoes outside the courthouse. For a while, it was almost enough.

Derek noticed my nerves, but he never pried. So on the Fourth of July, with fireworks popping over the water tower, he made me a promise.

We licked frosting off our fingers while the sky exploded red, white, and blue over the water tower. The smell of fireworks and barbecue clung to the air. Derek leaned close, face lit by bursts of color.

"I, Derek, will never let you down in this life!"

He sounded so earnest, I nearly choked on my cupcake. I teased, “Even if I’m a wanted criminal? Even if I’ve committed grave crimes? Even if I… lie to you and deceive you?”

He grinned, then squeezed my hand tight. "If you’re a criminal, I won’t cover for you, but I’ll never abandon you. I’ll stay by your side—if you live, I live; if you die, I die."

I called him a fool and hugged him, tears sneaking out before I could stop them. Once, in the grand estate, someone else had said those same words to me. But in the end, he broke his promise.

The fireworks faded, but the ache in my chest lingered. I pressed my face to Derek’s shoulder, wondering if anyone else could love me this stubbornly. I hoped not. I didn’t want to share that kind of faith again.

But hope is a dangerous thing in this town, and secrets never stay buried for long.