𝟎𝟏. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐡

“Hey, Cassie, what are you doing?” Cassie Thomas’ roommate, Alicia Lee, asked.

Cassie looked up from the novel she had been reading. “Oh, you know, just doing my English homework.”

Alicia glanced at the intricate cover in Cassie’s hands. “That cover looks familiar. What are you reading?”

Cassie shrugged. “The Race for His Heart.”

Alicia gasped in excitement, “The Race for His Heart? Like the one by Danielle Miracle?”

Cassie rolled her eyes. “Yes, that one.”

It had slipped her mind how Alicia was a huge fan of Danielle Miracle. In fact, Alicia’s half of the dorm room was full of the author’s releases and merchandise. Various books by Danielle lined her bookshelf, ones Alicia had proudly announced were limited edition specials and signed by the said author. Meanwhile, her merchandise was displayed everywhere, from her desk to her wall, and even her closet!

“So how do you like the story?” she prompted, sitting down on Cassie’s bed.

“The plot is unique and interesting,” Cassie admitted. “It's a nice take on historical royal tradition, fantasy and romance. And all the characters sound so hot! In my head, at least. If only people like that existed.”

"I know right?” Alicia squealed. “Especially the princes! Did you see the official character art Danielle has recently released? They’re perfect!"

Cassie grabbed her phone and searched for the character art. Oh damn.

“Good, right?” Alicia giggled. Cassie could only nod as she scrolled through the images. “Whoever made them is crazy talented. By the way, which part of the story are you at now?”

Cassie reluctantly set her phone down. “The part where Henry invites Charlene to walk with him through the royal gardens where they see Lucien and Verity returning from their dragon riding.”

“Oh, that’s one of my favourite parts! The scene was so sweet! It was so obvious that Henry and Charlene liked each other. I think they’ll make great rulers. Henry was born to be king, and Charlene has the makings of a great queen. Together, they have the power to change the unfairness between the nobles and commoners.”

Cassie agreed. “And what about Verity and Lucien? They’re so cute! It’s clear that they love each other, and the way Lucien always looks out for Verity is so adorable! It makes me feel so lonely. I wish there were more scenes of them.”

Alicia gasped. “Oh my god, you too? They’re my OTP! They're the literal definition of couple goals. After reading the book, I combed the entire web for fanfictions on them, but I couldn’t find any!”

“What? But they’re the best ship in the entire story!”

“I know! I could find fanfictions on all the other pairings, but not them! We can’t be the only ones who love them, right? That’s when I decided to try my hand at writing my fanfiction on them."

“Do let me read it sometime,” Cassie begged.

Alicia laughed. “Of course, I will! However, I’ve heard rumours that Danielle is working on a prequel that focuses on their romance. I hope it’s true. Oh, and have you read her other books in the same universe?”

“Wow, really? I can’t wait!" Cassie exclaimed excitedly. “And I’ll definitely check out the other books.”

Alicia smiled and pointed to her bookshelf. “Borrow whatever you want, but I would recommend starting with The Gods series. It’ll help you understand the universe better. Anyways, I’ll catch you later. I’ve got a date waiting for me. Bye!”

“Bye! Have fun!" Cassie called out as Alicia hurried out the door. Once the door clicked shut, Cassie picked up her novel again, determined to finish it before she went to bed.

The more she read, the more she wished she was a character in the story. How cool would it be to live as a royal in a fantasy world like Camelot in Eden? She would get to own dragons and ride them around…And the ending…

When she was finally finished, she glanced at her phone and was astonished to see that it was past midnight. “Shit,” she muttered. “I need to go to sleep. I’ll just write the review tomorrow then."

She quickly washed up before settling down under the sheets. “If only the story was real…” she mused as she drifted off to sleep.