The Princess Game: Glitter and Gold

The Princess Game Glitter and Gold Lyra Vincent Copyright © 2023 by Lyra Vincent All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Contents Trigger Warning Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Short Story: ONE NIGHT More Books in this Series Thank You About the Author Trigger Warning Recollection of an attempted sexual assault in a character’s past. Chapter One “Welcome to the Glittering Palace!” On the TV screen in the corner of The Grumpy Bean, a faerie in a burgundy checkered suit spreads his arms wide against the backdrop of a grand, gleaming foyer. “King Eldyn of the Autumn Court invites you to step into a world of dazzling magic, extravagant luxury, and swoon-worthy romance.” “Meet the prince,” cries the woman standing beside him, her head piled high with bright pink curls, “experience the lavish life of the fae court, eavesdrop on every magical date, and follow along as the crown prince of Faeworld’s Autumn Court finds his true love.” “Welcome, ladies and gentlemen—” the camera refocuses on the first faerie “—tooooo …” He draws the word out, his voice rising before he punches the air with a bejeweled fist, shooting gold sparkles into the air. “The Princess Game! Thirty contestants. One prince. Who will win the tiara?” Beside me, Quinn sticks her finger in her mouth and mimes throwing up. I elbow her in the ribs, trying to suppress a laugh as my gaze darts across The Grumpy Bean to see if any customers have spotted us. But the morning rush is over, and—for now, at least—it’s just the two of us. “I cannot believe they’re making a TV show out of this,” Quinn says, tucking her dark hair behind her ears and pushing her glasses up her nose as she continues to glare at the screen. “It’s—” “—a huge farce, completely ridiculous, and a hundred of your brain cells die every time you’re forced to watch anything about this crappy reality show. I know.” I give her a look. “You’ve said that about seven thousand times since they announced this thing.” “Two hundred brain cells, Avery,” she corrects, directing her glare at me. “Every time.” “Good thing you’ve got plenty to spare, Super Nerd.” She sticks her tongue out at me. I give her my sweetest smile. “That was the teaser trailer for The Princess Game,” the news anchor says, drawing our attention back to the screen, “the most highly anticipated reality TV show ever. Hosted by two of the most delightful fae folk I’ve had the pleasure of meeting: Carwyn Aster and Evanna Zynn. Next up, an interview with Riya Patel, daughter of British tech tycoon Darsh Patel and the latest contestant announced by the Glittering Palace.” “Daughter of a tech tycoon,” I murmur. “I bet they got super excited when they saw her application.” “Yeah, I’m sure that’ll come in handy with their world domination plans.” Quinn folds her arms over her chest as we both scrutinize the photograph that’s just popped up on the screen: a girl with flawless brown skin, glossy black hair, and a beauty queen’s smile. “It’s all so fake,” Quinn grumbles. “Prince Faerie Face isn’t actually going to find the love of his life on this stupid show. Everyone knows that. For the fae, it’s all about politics and control and getting their conniving little fingers wrapped around our necks, because apparently they haven’t done enough of that since they showed up five years ago. And for us, it’s all about entertainment and the possibility of getting even a teeny bit of their magic, and—” “And it’s about money,” I finish with a sigh. “Because that’s what makes the world go round.” I absently twirl the end of my blond ponytail around my fingers as I think of the less-than-friendly note our landlord shoved under our door last night. Somehow, between Quinn’s two jobs and my three, we can still barely afford the rent for the tiny apartment we share. “It just makes me sick that they’re trying to spin it into a fae prince finding true love with a human girl when it’s obviously not about that,” Quinn continues. “The Autumn Court said from the beginning that they would only agree to this insane competition if they got to select the contestants from all the applications. That’s not how true love works.” “And you know so much about true love,” I comment, trying not to laugh. “And why is no one calling them out on their hypocrisy?” she demands, ignoring me. “They spend years looking down their noses at us, and then suddenly one of us is supposed to be good enough for their prince? And what about that convenient loophole they suddenly pulled out of their asses about their heirs? No one thinks that’s weird?” I lean one hip against the counter and cross my arms. “I’ve heard a lot of conspiracy theories from you. You’re going to have to be more specific.” “You know, the thing about humans and fae not being able to produce kids with magic. They’ve told us that since the day they arrived, and then one day they introduce The Princess Game—” “They didn’t introduce it. Some human did.” “—and we’re all like, ‘But how will your royal line continue if your prince marries a human and you don’t have magical babies,’” Quinn continues without a