I decided not to spend the next day with Ivetta. That steamy evening in the library was more than sufficient to sustain me until the engagement ceremony, and there was a lot I needed to discuss with Gilbert, anyway. The emperor’s death was still a secret to all but a few trusted people within the Obsidianite palace. As far as everybody else was concerned, the original story Gilbert told us last night was the truth. Even the doctor kept himself sequestered in the emperor’s room, supposedly tending to his ailing ruler. Gilbert was going to announce his father’s death upon his return from Rhodolite. There would be no coronation ceremony. He was just taking the throne, as his father had done before him, with no fanfare and a bloody backstory.
He was more than happy to take the traitorous noblewoman who had attempted to poison Ivetta back to Obsidian, along with the two other women who had also participated in the emperor’s scheme. Clavis and I had dealt with the men, of course. My current problem was the affected families. Unsuspecting spouses and children did not deserve to be punished for the faults of their foolish significant others. I decided to give them a choice: remain in Rhodolite, or go back to Obsidian, with reassurances from Gilbert and I that there would be no retribution either way.
I was glad Ivetta didn’t know about any of this.
The day of the engagement ceremony was crisp and cloudy, with the heavy promise of snow in the chill breeze. My preparation was minimal. I simply changed into a white tuxedo that afternoon and headed for the church, where Leon, the priest, and I would wait at the altar for Ivetta. She would be wearing a dress made from a silken white material sent by Silvio as a gift. A dress that could easily be a wedding gown. It annoyed me to no end that we had to maintain this ridiculous tradition, but Sariel was insistent, especially after I talked to him about changing the law that allowed for the king to be a bigamist.
“I will have to discuss the matter with the other court ministers,” he said firmly, his lavender eyes narrowing.
“There is no discussion. I want these marriage proposals to stop.”
“Of course, but you must understand that there will be resistance,” Sariel replied, removing his glasses and massaging his temples. “I can already tell you the court ministers will want to see Princess Ivetta produce a male heir before they will consent to changing this law.”
“Would you rather I talk to them?” I growled.
Sariel replaced his glasses and gave me his usual thin, frightening smile. “That will not be necessary. I will see that this is resolved to your satisfaction, but if I may, they will be more easily swayed if you and Princess Ivetta continue to meet their less noxious demands, such as maintaining ceremonial traditions.”
The give and take of politics could be incredibly draining.
“Hey, Chevalier!”
Yves caught me just before I stepped outside into the cold air on my way to the church.
“The ring,” he gasped, out of breath from running through the halls to catch me. “I know it’s not part of the ceremony, but I thought you might like to put it on her finger again. You know, since you have to go through all this nonsense, anyway.”
I took it from him, the cool metal re-energizing me quite effectively as I slipped it into my pocket.
“Is she ready?”
He shook his head. “I just finished doing her hair, and she still has to get dressed. She’s pretty nervous.” He suddenly grinned. “Have you seen the dress?”
“No.”
I hadn’t even contributed to the design of this one. The seamstresses were insistent that I did not see the engagement or wedding dresses until the day Ivetta wore them.
“Well, let’s just say you may not want to let her dance with anybody else,” he said, winking as he walked away.
He was referring to an order I’d given my brothers earlier in the day. I was still unsettled from the near poisoning, and though I knew the danger should be past, I wasn’t ready to let her dance with just anybody. My brothers and the foreign princes were the only men I was allowing near her this afternoon and evening.
And maybe not even them, if Yves’ words were to be believed.
“Ready for this?” Leon asked as I stepped into the church foyer. He, too, wore a white tuxedo.
“Naturally,” I said coolly, following him into the empty church. “When will the rings be ready?”
“I got them this morning. Should I go get them, and we can do this all at once?” he asked, chuckling.
“That would be my preference,” I muttered.
We took our places at the altar with the priest, waiting for an eternity, until finally the church doors opened again.
Yves was right.
Her silky black hair had been pulled back and piled up on top of her head, the intricate updo decorated by a single white rose, leaving her nervous green eyes and shy smile unobscured. Long, lacy sleeves, interwoven with solid white roses, hid the scars on her arms. The shimmering white bodice was tight down to the top of her thigh at the front, a diagonal line cutting up across her hips to the small of her back, with a full skirt flaring out below that diagonal line, reaching down to just brush the ground.
She was breathtakingly beautiful, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.
The nerves I felt the night of the proposal came back in full force as she walked down the aisle, but hers faded from her shining eyes as she neared me. The priest’s voice droned on in the background, drowned out by the pounding in my ears, and somehow, I recited the appropriate vows at the appropriate time. Her hand was warm to the touch when I slipped the ring on her finger. We signed the official document, and then I finally got to kiss her soft lips, much more briefly than I would have preferred due to the presence of Leon and the priest.
Later, when we were alone, I would kiss her properly.
For now, I led her back down the aisle, out into the cold winter air, where the sharp wind stung my cheeks and snapped me fully back to reality. It was much colder than when I’d entered the church. I took her to the balcony above the outer court for the people’s presentation, wanting to get this done with and get her inside as soon as possible, but the look of awe on her face as she stared down at the hundreds of people below made me pause. She hadn’t realized how popular she was with the commoners.
“Ivetta,” I said softly, turning her toward me for another kiss.
The cheering down below increased to a roar. A matter of months with her in my life, and the people who used to fear and despise me no longer had any complaints.
Neither did I.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” she gasped, beaming up at me as snowflakes began to dust her hair.
“This isn’t the wedding yet,” I reminded her - and myself.
“No, but it’s made everything so real.”
It all felt unreal to me. This should be the wedding. She shouldn’t be dressed like that, we shouldn’t have to go through all these steps, just to announce our impending wedding. This should be it. I should tell Leon to get the rings and meet us back in the church. Forget Sariel, the court ministers, and the troublesome nobility. I was the king. My rules were my own.
She shivered, and the fantasy faded in an instant.
“Come back inside.”
A crowd of servants waited just inside the doors to raise another cheer as soon as we stepped across the threshold.
She giggled. “Are you sure this isn’t the wedding?”
I stifled a frustrated sigh.
“Sariel has set the date.”
“Already?” she asked, looking up at me curiously.
Already. I chuckled and inclined my head toward her so she could hear my low whisper.
“I have the rings.”
She only smiled, dashing my hopes to the ground. Sariel and the court ministers won for today.
The guards opened the ballroom doors, and we were greeted with another cheer, this time from the royalty and nobility who were gathered. She squeezed my hand, her green eyes nervous again. These were the people she had been working so hard to please, the people I’d rather throw out and be done with, but every face was smiling. Her hard work was paying off. The orchestra began to play, and I led her onto the dance floor, watching the tension disappear from her face as we moved together.
Early spring. I’d waited this long; I could wait that much longer.
I bumped into somebody and adjusted course, glancing irritably at the offender, and there was Luke. He was dressed in his royal regalia, his worn everyday clothes exchanged for shockingly white pants, a long white coat edged in black and gold over a green shirt, and white dress gloves. And he was completely oblivious to the world as he danced with Arianna.
“Look,” I said to Ivetta, nodding in their direction.
She looked over at them and giggled. “They make a cute couple. She must not be as bad as I thought, if Luke likes her.”
“Or his judgment is impaired,” I commented.
“There’s one sure way to test them,” Ivetta said, looking back at me with a knowing smile. “Has he received a marriage proposal?”
“No.”
She looked back at them, her green eyes sparkling. “Maybe her judgment is impaired, too.”
I glanced back at them as the music slowed. Arianna had her head on Luke’s shoulder as they swayed back and forth. She was much prettier when she wasn’t behaving like Silvio.
“Excuse me, may I?” Silvio asked, as if my thoughts had conjured him into being.
I frowned, but Ivetta laughed. “Go on. I know you don’t like dancing that much.”
It wasn’t my favorite activity, but I still didn’t like passing her off to Silvio. His triumphant grin as he spun her away was particularly obnoxious. Nevertheless, I took the opportunity to step aside and talk business to the inevitable string of people who approached me, keeping an eye on the dance floor all the while. Leon was drinking champagne and holding court on the other side of the ballroom, with Gilbert listening closely. Jin, Clavis, Yves, Nokto, Silvio, and Keith danced with an assortment of women, always close enough to intercept Ivetta from the inevitable nobleman who tried to cut in for a dance. Licht hung back against a wall, his crimson eyes watching Ivetta closely, his frown and occasional glance at the door evidencing his discomfort. He hated parties. Only his protective instincts kept him rooted in place.
I made my way around the ballroom to his side. His arms were crossed over his chest, his fingers digging into his biceps.
“Go.”
He didn’t look at me. “I’m fine.”
“The situation is under control. You’re not needed.”
His jaw clenched and unclenched. I glanced back at the dance floor, where Nokto was dancing with Ivetta.
“Julius has her guard detail posted here in the ballroom and at her room. He may need coverage elsewhere.”
Licht uncrossed his arms and headed for the door without another word. An opportunity to render his services away from the party was not just in his best interest. Ivetta was clearly enjoying herself, and that would come to an end the moment she noticed his sour face. I didn’t need her mothering another wounded brother of mine.
Especially when I wanted her all to myself.
I finally pushed through the crowd to reach her, taking her by the hand and pulling her off the dance floor.
“Come.”
She didn’t protest as I led her out of the ballroom to the parlor. My behavior wasn’t purely selfish. She’d been dancing for hours, and she had to be tired. I left her seated on a sofa while I left to get us champagne. There were others in the parlor as well, resting and socializing, and I accepted their congratulations while plotting our escape.
Fifteen minutes. If she wanted to go back to the rules, we only had fifteen minutes alone before we had to come back to this nonsense.
A lot could happen within fifteen minutes, especially in the library.
But when I returned to her side, I found Gilbert sitting there.
“You were just a child when that happened,” she was saying. “How could I hold you responsible? Besides, there’s no changing the past.”
“Gilbert, you’re sitting too close to my fiancée,” I interrupted, handing her a glass of champagne.
“My apologies, and my congratulations. I can only hope to find such a woman for myself,” Gilbert replied smoothly as he slid away from her.
I sat beside her and draped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her toward me. “I wish you luck in that endeavor. You’ll need it.”
That statement was not intended to make her blush, but it did. She needed to finish her champagne and catch her breath so we could go.
“Chevalier, Gilbert has found some documents from Garnet,” she said quickly, redirecting the conversation.
“Oh? I would be interested to see those.”
“I gave them to Sariel,” Gilbert said. “If I find more, I’ll be sure to send them as well.” He stood and took her hand, kissing it. “My gift for the princess.”
“Thank you, Gilbert,” she said, smiling up at him.
His blood red eye met mine, and I frowned slightly. Whatever our agreement may be, he needed to leave, and he needed to find another woman to love.
At least he left.
She leaned her head against my shoulder, snuggling closer to me and effectively taking my mind off of Gilbert. “I’m proud of you, Chevalier.”
“Naturally.”
“Rhodolite’s relationship with Obsidian is becoming better all the time. I know you don’t like Gilbert, but you’re setting your personal feelings aside for the betterment of both countries. That means a lot to me.”
“Which is why I’m doing it,” I said, caressing her shoulder. An oversimplification, but with far more truth to it than was strictly ideal under normal circumstances.
A shadow fell over us, followed by a haughty voice. “There you are,” Silvio said, taking Gilbert’s spot beside her on the sofa. “How do you like your gift?”
Even off the dance floor, I couldn’t get her away from them.
“I love it,” she said happily to him. Turning back to me, she explained, “He sent the fabric for this dress. Isn’t it lovely? And it’s so soft, too.”
I knew all of that. I also knew that Silvio was taking the opportunity to look her over while she wasn’t looking at him, and I suddenly wished I hadn’t left my sword in my room. My warning glare wouldn’t do any good if I couldn’t catch his eye. I removed my hand from her shoulder briefly, tapping my knuckles against the back of the sofa twice, hard enough to make a light sound that caught his attention. His sea-blue eyes met mine, and he scowled.
“Did Gilbert get you anything?” he asked her casually.
She turned back to him. “You’ll be happy to hear that he did.”
“Good. I didn’t want to have to chew him out again,” he replied, his sly grin in direct defiance to me.
I stood up, offering her my hand. “Let’s go.”
“Lighten up, Chevalier. We’re just talking,” he said dismissively, as if I didn’t know exactly what he was doing.
She smiled apologetically at Silvio and took my hand. “Thank you for the lovely gift. Maybe we’ll talk later.”
I led her out into the hallway and kept walking.
“We’re not leaving the party, are we?” she asked.
“It’s too crowded.”
“It’s our party. We can’t be gone too long. And, besides, our rule?”
I glanced down at her and smirked. “Are we following the rules again?”
“Yes,” she said firmly, although she was still smiling. “We still have a long way to go before the wedding. But you were rather rude to Silvio.”
If she only knew.
“He’s always rude,” I said simply.
“As if that’s any excuse. You’re not jealous, are you?” she asked teasingly.
Insanely.
I held the library door open for her, smirking as she walked past. It was hard to blame Silvio for looking.
“I have shared you for several hours now,” I said, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her close. “It’s time for you to be with me.”
She was ready for my kiss, wrapping her arms around my neck, her sweet lips eager and responsive. One wasn’t enough. I kissed her again and again, each more intense than the last, until I finally had to stop to take a breath.
“Oh, Chevalier,” she gasped, resting her forehead on my chest. “This isn’t the wedding.”
“Unfortunately.” I leaned in to kiss her neck, breathing in the scent of lilacs. “Early spring.”
“That long?” She pulled back and looked up at me. “Do you think you can arrange for nothing to happen between then and now? No assassination attempts at least?”
I kissed her softly and rested my forehead against hers. “I will do my best.”
She took a deep breath and smiled up at me. “And I’ll do mine. When the wedding comes, I’ll be ready to be your queen.”
I frowned, confronted once again by her self-doubt. She was ready to be my queen today. This moment. What was she expecting from herself?
“You don’t have to push yourself,” I said softly.
“But you’re so far ahead of me, and I have so much work to do to catch up.”
“I’ve been preparing for this all my life. You have been a princess for only a few months. There is time,” I murmured, kissing her again.
“Chevalier - oh!”
I cut her off by scooping her into my arms, eliciting a surprised giggle from her as I carried her across the library to the alcove. Fifteen minutes was passing far too quickly. I sat down, holding her on my lap as I leaned in for a kiss, but she cupped my face in her hands and kissed me first. My hands glided across the soft material around her waist and up her back, fingers digging in, pressing her up against me to feel the heat radiating through the dress. For these few minutes, she was mine to enjoy, and I wanted as much of her as she was willing to give me.
It was never going to be enough.
“Ivetta,” I finally said, kissing her jaw lightly, “it’s time.”
“Already?” she moaned, tilting her head back as I trailed kisses down her neck.
And then her stomach growled.
I pulled back, chuckling. “When was the last time you ate?”
“Um…breakfast,” she admitted sheepishly.
“Then you need to eat dinner,” I said firmly, pushing at the small of her back to urge her off my lap. That was something we could do together, in the company of others, to reset the timer. I could bring her back here after that.
“So do you,” she replied, standing up and turning back to me. “Oh, look outside!”
The gardens were blanketed in snow, with more gently falling from the darkening sky. Bright red and pink blossoms poked out of their snowcaps here or there. Snowflakes landed on the cold water filling the base of the fountain, disappearing into the stillness of the dark gray. The flow of water from the top had stopped. Lines of frost were tracing their way across the motionless pool, promising a sheet of ice by morning.
But more beautiful still was the look of wonder on her face, as if she’d never seen snow before.
“We could bring dinner back here,” I suggested, slipping an arm around her waist as I stood beside her.
“I’d like that. And maybe, if you behave, we can stay here a while,” she replied, resting her head against my shoulder.
I kissed the top of her head, considering. If I behaved. It would be difficult, but I could manage. Although the rose petals tickling my cheek every time I kissed her head were getting annoying.
“Only if you let me take your hair down.”
She looked up at me and giggled. “After Yves put so much work into it?”
“If we’re not going back to the party, what does it matter?” I asked teasingly.
“Hm.” She looked back outside, the falling snow reflecting in her green eyes. “I guess the party will go on without us. And this is our celebration. We should get to spend some time together.”
“Then come.”
I led her back to the parlor, where food had been laid out for the guests, and we filled our plates and accepted congratulations all over again. Then we were back in the library, seated on a sofa with the food spread out on the coffee table before us, eating and talking as the snow continued to fall. The candles flickered out, and we were still there, hairpins and a white rose scattered across the coffee table as she rested her head on my shoulder, my arm around her waist, my free hand combing through her long, silky black hair.
Behaving wasn’t so bad. I could manage this until early spring.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMoLnl06F1A
