Princess in Practice Read online

  Contents

  Prologue

  PART ONE: Family 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

  PART TWO: Friends Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  PART THREE: Enemies Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Epilogue

  Süß aber bitter

  Follow Penguin

  About the Book

  Lottie Pumpkin is an ordinary girl who longs to be a princess; Ellie Wolf is a princess who longs to be ordinary. When fate puts them in the same dorm at Rosewood Hall, the two come up with the perfect solution: to swap places.

  Now back for their second year at Rosewood, Lottie and Ellie are close as ever, and learning more about their new roles.

  But strange things are happening at Rosewood. With pupils being poisoned, it seems like the threat of secret organisation Leviathan is growing closer.

  Lottie and Ellie are determined to find the culprit. But is danger closer than they think?

  PRINCESS IN PRACTICE is the sequel to the hugely popular UNDERCOVER PRINCESS.

  About the Author

  Connie Glynn has always loved writing and wrote her first story when she was six, with her mum at a typewriter acting as her scribe. She had a love for performing stories from a young age and attended Guildhall drama classes as a teenager. This passion for stories has never left her, and Connie recently finished a degree in film theory.

  It was at university that Connie started her hugely successful YouTube channel Noodlerella (named after her favourite food and favourite Disney princess). Here Connie vlogs about her passions, which include comics, cartoons, impressions, video games, cosplay and all things cute. Connie recently passed 930,000 subscribers and has over 86 million views. 2016 saw Connie make her first appearance in a cinematic film release as she made a cameo as the voice of Moxie Dewdrop in Dreamworks’ UK release of Trolls.

  Follow Connie on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr

  @Noodlerella

  #RosewoodChronicles

  This is dedicated to anyone who ever made me a tea.

  Thank you.

  In the dimly lit dungeon beneath the Maravish palace a body lay sprawled on a thin mattress. The cells were bare, but they were at least clean – the royal family of Maradova could keep a prisoner here for weeks or even months if they had to. The figure stretched out lifelessly; no one could have guessed at the cogs turning furiously inside her head.

  Every day Saskia San Martin meticulously plotted her escape, committing to memory the exact movements of each guard, how the cameras worked, the gurgling of the pipes and the overhead footsteps of members of the household. No detail had been overlooked. Still, she was running out of time. It had been seven weeks since her attempt to kidnap the Maravish princess had been thwarted. Soon her old classmates would return to Rosewood Hall for their next year of studies. She had not spoken a word of Leviathan’s plan to any of the guards. She refused to open her mouth except to eat and to reiterate her one demand.

  ‘I want to speak to my master, Anastacia Alcroft.’

  She knew by the guards’ guilty expressions that no one had sent for Anastacia. Now she turned on to her side to eye the clock on the wall. As each second ticked by, she felt a sinking dread. Her wounds, inflicted by the princess’s Partizan, Jamie, were healing. Partizans, being highly trained to protect, were the ultimate bodyguards, and Jamie had fought hard. Thankfully, all that remained of Saskia’s embarrassing defeat was a faded bruise around her eye and a cut on her jaw that would probably leave a scar. But still she was trapped.

  Tick-tock, tick-tock.

  Any day now, Leviathan would begin Phase Two of their plan. But if Saskia was stuck in this cell, she had no way of being sure Anastacia was safe. Leviathan had assured her that Anastacia would be protected, that if Saskia joined their cause then she would finally be free to be with her. The two of them would no longer have to hide their true feelings from Anastacia’s overbearing father – the man who was also Saskia’s boss.

  Saskia froze as an image flashed into her mind: Anastacia standing furious in the light from the palace hallway, her brown hair billowing around her. Then another picture came to her: Ellie, standing barefoot in a torn dress, brandishing a golf club in an attempt to save the princess from attackers. Except Ellie wasn’t saving the princess. Ellie was the princess. It had taken Saskia weeks of incarceration to realize this. How could she have been so stupid? But with so much time to think she’d finally been able to join the dots. Ellie was a princess in hiding. Lottie Pumpkin was not the real princess of Maradova. She was a Portman, officially hired to operate undercover, pretending to be a princess to protect the true identity of the real princess: Ellie, the furious girl with the golf club who had smashed Saskia’s windscreen and who’d taken a punch from her in an attempt to save Lottie.

  Saskia rolled on to her back and stared at the patches of damp on the ceiling. I need to see Anastacia, to warn her what’s coming.

  A high-pitched beeping sound alerted her that someone was about to enter the room and she scrambled to a sitting position. A tall, scarred man with an intimidating build unlocked the cell door and entered with a tray of food. It was Sir Nikolay Olav, the king’s Partizan, and the person she dreaded seeing the most.

  He stared at her as he placed a tray of grey food on a small table in the centre of the room. Nikolay usually escorted whoever was lucky enough to bring her food, but occasionally he’d carry the tray down alone. This meant only one thing. Interrogation.

  Nikolay sat on a plastic chair by the table and took a long, exasperated breath. He knew as well as she did exactly how this would go. The same way it had every other time.

  He rubbed the stubble on his chin, his fingers grazing the scar on the left side of his face.

  ‘Saskia San Martin.’ He said her name with a low grumble. She didn’t respond, instead reaching to spoon up grey lumps of food, which she then allowed to fall back to the tray. He ignored her actions. ‘You need to tell us everything you know about Leviathan.’

  Her spoon froze in mid-air and she stared at him blankly. There was only one possible response, the same words he’d heard her say over and over again since the day she’d been thrown into this dungeon.

  ‘I want to speak to my master,’ she said slowly, ‘Anastacia Alcroft.’

  Lottie winced as she felt the palace floorboards vibrate beneath her feet. The knowledge that Saskia was down there somewhere sent a prickle up her spine with every step. But Lottie couldn’t dwell on that now. She needed to stay focused; she needed to stay poised. She needed to act like a perfect princess until this party was finally over. Then she could get back to Ellie and finish packing for
Rosewood.

  Lottie was being treated to a grandiose birthday soirée, attended by some of the world’s most powerful press. She’d been on her feet for nearly two hours, smiling and shaking hands with influential people who all believed she was the real Maravish princess. Thankfully the king and queen had imposed a strict no-photography rule to protect her identity, to limit people recognizing her in public. The palace’s gallery had been adorned with jewel-encrusted streamers, and the marble pillars were encased with winding ribbons of rainbow colours. Frilly tablecloths covered tables that were piled high with offerings for the princess, each gift fighting to outdo the last.

  Lottie was dressed in traditional Maravish garb, including a dark embroidered sash that circled her long-sleeved jade dress. A silver tiara nestled in her curls, a gift from her mother on her birthday just over nine years ago. Just over nine years ago. This whole party was a charade. It wasn’t Lottie’s birthday; hers had been five days before. Today, 1 September, was Ellie’s birthday. Lottie wasn’t even really a princess – she was standing in for her friend. And that was a secret that none of the guests could possibly be allowed to guess.

  ‘Are you OK?’ By her side, Jamie kept his voice low enough so that only she could hear. Lottie had been asked this question too many times over the past few weeks, and it always left a hard feeling in the pit of her stomach.

  ‘Yes of course,’ she said automatically, her eyes drawn to a figure approaching them. ‘Tall woman on my left.’

  Jamie glanced in that direction. ‘Olga Ulov, editor of the Golden Sovereign.’ The older ebony-haired woman wore a pristine silk suit as she strode through the colourful crowd. In contrast to all the other guests, Jamie was wearing a simple black shirt and trousers, his dark hair scraped back from his face. Lottie had tried to get him to relax but he’d remained rigidly alert during the whole party, scanning the room, convinced something terrible might happen again.

  Olga stopped in front of them and dipped her head in greeting. ‘Princess Eleanor Wolfson.’ She dragged the name out slowly, her eyes narrowing as her gaze travelled over Lottie. ‘It is my absolute pleasure to finally make your acquaintance after all these years of you hiding yourself away.’

  Lottie had thought she’d never get used to being called by someone else’s name but now she could respond with an effortless smile. She wondered how Ellie would feel in this situation.

  ‘Why, thank you, Olga – I can only hope it has been worth the wait,’ Lottie replied sweetly, doing her best to seem as humble as possible. Jamie gave a small nod of approval. Although they no longer had ‘princess lessons’, Jamie still kept close to make sure she didn’t slip up.

  Olga’s lips curved into something approaching a smile, but her eyes penetrated Lottie’s as if she were trying to read her mind. Ellie had never had a good relationship with the media. Rumours had been spread about the reasons she’d been kept undercover, none of them true but all of them harmful. It was Lottie’s job as Ellie’s Portman to keep the rumours at bay by playing her role in public, being the most pleasant and modest princess she could be. The queen had decided that a birthday celebration would be the perfect opportunity to fix Ellie’s media troubles. ‘Smile and shake hands,’ Lottie had said to herself. ‘How hard can it be?’

  Lottie just had to hope she could pull it off.

  ‘Your Highness …’ The words, coming from behind her, ended in a hiss. Lottie turned to see the king’s advisor, Simien Smirnov, standing rigidly to attention, his arms behind his back. He gave a small bow to Lottie. ‘The artist Sir Yanovski would like to present his gift to you. Kindly follow me to join the king and queen.’ Simien gave a thin smile, as he gestured for her to follow him.

  ‘That sounds delightful.’ Lottie beamed back at him, happy to have an excuse to get away from all the snooping attendees. She was still trying to figure out Simien and what he thought of her role as Ellie’s Portman, but he undoubtedly set an excellent example in manners.

  She followed his lead, walking elegantly – she hoped – between the party guests. They passed a group of servants, each of them balancing a silver tray loaded with caviar and truffles. I wonder what Saskia is eating now. She quickly shook the thought from her head. It had been difficult enough to truly relax in the Maravish palace that summer. The deeper she got into her role as Portman, the more uncomfortable she felt. Now she wanted nothing more than to be back at Rosewood Hall, back at the academy where she felt like her true self. But, regardless, she had to get through this party first. She mentally repeated the mantra that her mother had taught her before she’d passed away: I will be kind, I will be brave, I will be unstoppable.

  As they emerged from the crowd, Jamie gave a small cough, dragging her from her thoughts. She looked up to realize they’d arrived at the far end of the gallery, and were standing before Ellie’s parents, the king and queen.

  King Alexander and his wife, Queen Matilde, couldn’t have been more different, yet they suited each other superbly. The king stood motionless, his eyes dark as an abyss, strong and unreadable. Beside him, Queen Matilde appeared as light and delicate as gossamer, as though she might float away at any moment. Lottie was still taken aback by how much she resembled the queen. It felt like looking in a mirror sometimes – no wonder she’d been allowed the honour of becoming Ellie’s Portman.

  ‘This party suits you wonderfully.’ The queen beamed at Lottie with a knowing smile, gently drawing her over to stand between herself and King Alexander. Anyone who didn’t know any better would assume that Lottie was taking her rightful place between her parents. The king gave a brief wordless nod to Lottie and then to Jamie.

  To one side of them was a shimmering purple velvet drape, which was covering something. Whatever was hidden beneath was incredibly tall, almost reaching the ceiling of the ballroom. It made her a little nervous. Someone clinked a fork against a champagne glass, and the room slowly hushed into silence as the crowd turned respectfully to look. A round-faced man with colourful hair and quirky spectacles stepped forward. Lottie was sure she recognized him. Where do I know him from?

  ‘That’s Yanovski, the knighted artist,’ the queen whispered to Lottie, keeping her face trained on the mystery gift.

  Lottie had been told that the princess would be receiving an important gift – something not only in honour of her birthday but as a commemoration of her coming out into the world. Moments like these made Lottie feel especially odd about the Portman agreement. These gifts were meant for Ellie, for a real princess. Although, knowing Ellie, Lottie couldn’t imagine she’d be entirely happy about this over-the-top display.

  Yanovski approached and lightly took Lottie’s wrist, bowing deeply as he kissed her hand.

  ‘Isn’t the princess simply wonderful?’ He straightened up, gesturing grandly to Lottie in such a way that made her feel like a prized horse. Everyone in the room clapped and voices rose in agreement. ‘Just wonderful! The perfect princess!’ Instantly Lottie blushed, feeling a thrill of pleasure. No matter how much of a fake she felt, she couldn’t help enjoying being treated like a princess.

  The king raised a hand and the crowd hushed again.

  Yanovski cleared his throat. ‘Your Majesties, I’m sure I speak on behalf of everyone here when I say how delighted we are to finally meet your beautiful daughter.’ Lottie’s heart lurched. What did the king think of this masquerade? ‘She is a glorious representation of the Maravish family and a shining example of everything a princess should be.’ He paused for applause and gave a self-satisfied smile as everyone clapped and cheered. The queen’s smile didn’t falter, but Lottie noticed the king’s mouth twitch. ‘You must be very proud,’ Yanovski continued. ‘It is my honour to present this gift to the princess on her fifteenth birthday, to commemorate her debut into society.’

  Two uniformed men walked over to the gift and everyone held their breath. Lottie had the oddest sense that the tiara on her head felt heavier, dragging her down. Then the stewards snatched away the velvet, and a river
of glistening purple flowed to the polished floor. Lottie arched her neck to gaze up at … herself!

  A towering statue filled the room. It was an expertly crafted depiction of Lottie cast in bronze. It was, by far, the most extravagant gift she had ever received in her life. Yanovski had effortlessly recreated the dress Lottie had worn to the Maravish Summer Ball. She looked like a natural-born princess. The statue was wonderful, so wonderful that it took Lottie a moment to realize how entirely silly it was.

  ‘Oh dear,’ she breathed through a forced smile.

  Queen Matilde smiled grimly; the king stood in silence, his expression impossible to read.

  ‘An uncanny likeness!’ Simien clapped, laughing a bit too loudly. ‘Look! The royal family have been shocked into silence.’ The king threw Simien a look, and the laughter dried up on his lips.

  ‘It’s truly remarkable. This must have been a very … challenging piece?’ The queen had found her voice. It must have been very unnerving for both of them, to see a girl who wasn’t their daughter cast in bronze forever.

  ‘Why, yes, actually! This has indeed been one of my most difficult works, but worth every second for our princess.’ He gave Lottie an adoring glance and swept his arm round in a deep bow.

  Lottie could almost hear Ellie howling with laughter from somewhere deep in the palace. What a joke! Lottie dared to glance at Jamie and saw him biting his lip, his shoulders shaking. He was trying to stop himself from laughing.

  She stared up at the bronze reflection of herself, and held eye contact with the statue. It made her feel dizzy. She blinked rapidly and shook herself. Come on. Say something!

  ‘Thank you.’ Her mouth opened and closed, as she struggled to find the right words. What would a princess say? Finally she smiled and gazed around the room at the delighted onlookers, the people who had to believe she was daughter to the king and queen. ‘It looks just like … me!’