By morning, half the kingdom had decided Amara was in love.
She discovered this while still in bed, hair a mess, silk sheets twisted around her like they were trying to restrain her from throwing her phone out the window.
"Tell me I'm dreaming," she muttered.
Her screen was a carnival of headlines.
CROWN PRINCESS CAUGHT DANCING WITH ZUBERI PRINCEENEMIES OR LOVERS?A ROYAL SCANDAL BLOOMS
There were photos too. Kofi's hand at her waist. The way he had leaned in. Her smile, traitorous and bright.
Nia, her best friend and chief gossip supplier, burst into the room without knocking. "You are trending."
"I am being slandered."
"You are being shipped," Nia corrected, flopping onto the bed. "By thousands of strangers with too much time and very good Wi-Fi."
Amara groaned. "My mother will have me exiled by lunch."
"Oh please. The public adores forbidden romance. You've given them a feast."
"I danced," Amara said. "That's all."
Nia raised a brow. "You didn't look like someone who was just dancing."
Before Amara could defend herself, her phone buzzed again.
Prince Kofi was on every news channel.
She watched, helpless, as he stood before a row of microphones, handsome and irritatingly composed.
"Prince Kofi," a reporter asked, "is there something between you and Princess Amara?"
He smiled slowly, the same smile he had worn on the dance floor.
"Princess Amara," he said, "is… unforgettable."
That was it.
One word, delivered like a spark to dry leaves.
The internet exploded.
Amara dropped her phone. "I will commit a felony."
Nia squealed. "He's flirting with you on international television!"
"He is ruining my life on international television."
The palace hallways buzzed when Amara finally ventured out. Servants whispered. Guards exchanged knowing looks. Even the paintings seemed to be judging her.
Her mother summoned her before noon.
"You embarrassed this family," Queen Nyara said coldly. "Your fiancé is humiliated. Our allies are confused. And Zuberi is enjoying every second of it."
"I didn't ask for any of this," Amara replied.
"You danced with the enemy."
"I danced because you told me to."
Silence snapped between them.
"Stay away from Prince Kofi," the queen ordered. "This ends now."
Amara nodded, obedient as she had been trained to be.
But when she turned away, her heart betrayed her.
Because somewhere in this palace was a man who smiled like trouble and spoke like temptation.
And the kingdom had already started writing their story for them.
Even if she swore not to finish it.