Read Online Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt - Free Book Online

was a “Subs Learn and Earn!” poster, and Lilith’s desk held a few golden-framed pictures of her in different designer gowns.
    “Let’s go over our history first to give you an educated foundation.” Lilith pointed a purple-jeweled remote at a blank screen that covered one entire wall, while I slid into my seat. “This first item is more precious to us than all those tiaras out there combined.”
    I expected to see a fat set of crown jewels, or maybe even a throne made out of diamonds. Instead, a picture of a small and very old turquoise statue filled the screen—something you might pass by in a museum on the way to the mummy exhibit.
    “Is that a…is that a hippopotamus?”
    “Yes. Hippopotamuses are very important in Egyptian history, and in Façade’s as well. You see, this agency’s beginnings trace back to an ancient Egyptian priestess, Woserit, who was the first to discover the magic of transformation.” Lilith clicked to the next slide, a beautiful ebony statue of a woman’s head. “There she is. Now, those were dark times. The royal court was buzzing with rumors of a plot to murder the queen. Woserit was by the Nile, pondering her queen’s dire situation, when a hippo appeared and told her to rub some Nile silt onto her face—that’s the active ingredient in the rouge, you know. The silt temporarily transformed her into the queen’s double and inspired Woserit’s plan: until the traitors were apprehended, the queen would hide, and Woserit would masquerade as the queen. That very night, the traitors poisoned her food, and Woserit died protecting the queen, thus sealing the magic to all who serve royalty.”
    “Wow,” I said. “Didn’t learn that in my sixth-grade Egyptian unit.”
    Lilith laughed and turned off the projector. The lights came back on. “Don’t worry. We won’t let you get killed. Any other questions?”
    Uh, yeah . “How many subs are there?” I asked.
    “Surrogates, dear. Call them surrogates. Sub sounds so common. Anyway, there are several fine surrogates employed by the agency. I would say there’s about one surrogate for every six royals.”
    One for every six? So I guess I kind of was a big deal. And I probably had a good shot at subbing, er, surrogating for big-time royals! “One more. How do the levels work?”
    “Levels are assigned to royals based on the their country’s wealth, their world influence, the amount of protocol associated with the royal’s title.…It’s a very complex formula. Oh, and media attention.” Lilith beamed and showed me her diamond bracelet. “This was a gift for a particularly tricky maneuver.”
    Tiaras, diamond bracelets. The job perks sure beat free Mountain Dew at Pets Charming.
    “The higher the level,” Lilith continued, “the more the client can expect from her surrogates—such as a mastery in all the basics: riding, literature, world history, art history, and classical music. It’s a rare and talented individual who progresses past the first two levels. Only a select few ever match.”
    “Match?”
    “Oh, Desi, it’s the best. Matching is a surrogate’s main goal. Once you’ve worked for a princess multiple times, you may apply to be her match—her permanent substitute. You get to grow with your client, become close to her family, and really live her life . You can see why it’s important to be so keenly trained, right?”
    “Yes. That’s…there’s so much involved,” I said, feeling daunted.
    “Well, royal life is culture at its highest. But don’t worry, Desi dear, although it certainly doesn’t help your case that you are working with Meredith. Don’t get me wrong: she’s talented, just a bit of a renegade. She used to be something of a protégé, but then there was that scandal.”
    I leaned in. “Scandal?”
    Lilith waved her hand. “Oh, no. I did not mean to mention that. Let’s just say it was enough to strain important professional relationships and revoke her training privileges, which is