He played with scent. Roses. Lilies. Oranges. Mint. She finally settled on a light tulip. She blushed when she thought of the tulip fields where she imagined the kiss with Ari. She had to stop thinking about him.
After what felt like hours, he stepped back. “Perfect.”
It was. The ivory color of the dress was stunning against her pale skin. The flowers created a rainbow of purples and pinks that wound around to the train. Sage was all smiles.
“Leo is going to faint when he sees you in that thing.”
Zwaantie forced a smile—she wasn’t thinking of Leo.
The door across the room opened, and all eyes flew to it.
Ari strolled in, followed by his mother.
He stopped dead when he saw her, and his eyes traveled the length of the dress.
“You look beautiful,” he said. There was no cockiness in his face, and Zwaantie was nervous he would do something stupid in front of everyone, but he made no move toward her.
“No one else is supposed to see it,” Nash replied. “How did you get in here?”
“Your assistant let us in.”
Nash snapped his fingers, and the dress disappeared. Zwaantie wasn’t prepared, and she scrambled to put her clothes back on as Ari gave an appreciative chuckle.
“White, Nash? Really?” the queen asked.
“My dear Astrid, she insisted. But don’t you think it turned out fantastically?”
The queen snorted. “I suppose that one over there gave you pointers.” She jerked her thumb at Sage.
“I didn’t say a word,” Sage said with a glower.
“In that case, it’s lovely and will be the talk of the town.” Astrid batted her eyes at Nash. Zwaantie had never seen this side of the queen before and now understood where Ari got his personality.
Sage rolled her eyes and looked pointedly at Ari. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m heading to The Black City to visit my sister tomorrow, and I wanted to see if the princess would join us for lunch,” Astrid replied.
“In that case, I’m outta here. You guys have fun,” Sage said and rushed from the room.
Ari and Zwaantie waited outside the door while Astrid talked with Nash about a dress she wanted. The simmer that always existed between them was thick in the air.
“How was your visit with Leo?” Ari asked.
“It was nice. Thanks.” She gave him a grin, hoping he’d believe her. But he closed the distance between them and brushed her hair out of her face. Her skin burned where he’d touched her.
“That doesn’t sound very convincing.” He whispered right in her ear, “Did he kiss you?”
His closeness made it hard for her to breathe, let alone answer the question. He backed away.
“Of course he did.” She hated the way her voice trembled.
He glowered. “I see.”
“Ari, you know—”
“Okay, dears,” Astrid said. “Let’s go have some lunch. I’m dying to get to know the princess.”
The queen looped her arm into Zwaantie’s, reminding her of an adult version of Sage. Maybe that’s why they didn’t get along. They were too much alike.
Chapter 13
The Potions
They took a carriage and stopped by a small building that shifted shapes, but instead of changing shapes like the funhouse, this one changed settings—an ocean, a park, a castle, and an island.
“Not another funhouse,” Zwaantie said.
Ari chuckled. “No. This isn’t nearly as disconcerting, but it’s fun. Come on.”
The well-dressed man standing in the entryway gave a tiny bow. “Queen Astrid, Prince Ari, Princess Zwaantie, it is a pleasure to see you today. Just the three of you?”
“Yes,” Ari replied.
“Very well. Please give me a moment to get it set up. Any requests?”
“No, I trust you to put together something spectacular.”
It was rare for Zwaantie to see any of the Stellans pay respect to their royalty. Normally they treated them like friends.
Astrid fussed with Ari’s hair while they waited.
“The beauty mages don’t only do work on the women. I’m sure if you visited them, they could help you manage this.”
“I like my hair, Mother.”
She frowned as the host returned.
“Follow me, please.” They followed him down a long corridor. He pushed open the door to room number five and pulled three vials out of his pockets. “Potions?”
The queen cackled. “Oh goodness, I haven’t played potion roulette in a very long time. We should definitely do this.”
Ari eyed his mother. “Are you sure?”
“Only if the princess wants to play.”
“I don’t understand,” Zwaantie said.
“You take a potion, but you have no idea what it does. Generally there is a boring one like Cool, a moderate one like Lie, and one funny or extreme one like Giggle or Touch me. You never know what you’ll get,” Ari said.
Zwaantie debated for a moment. There were a thousand ways this could go wrong, but why not. She was used to doing dumb things when she was around Ari. Besides, she didn’t really feel like she could tell the queen no. “Sure.”
Zwaantie plucked one of the vials from the host’s hand, and Ari and his mother did the same.
They drank them at the same time. Zwaantie’s tasted like sugar and cinnamon. She had no idea what it would do.
“Oh man,” Ari said. He was glowing. “I got the boring one.”
Astrid looked the same, and Zwaantie didn’t feel any different.
“Your favorite, Your Highness,” the host said, ushering them into the room. “Enjoy your meal.”
“Thank you, Vulcan.”
Zwaantie was almost disappointed in the room. She’d expected something otherworldly. Instead, a simple table sat in the middle. Astrid sat first, with Ari and Zwaantie on either side of her.
“Ari, dear, your hair is ratty. You must get a haircut when we arrive home.”
“Hm. Did you get Truth or Insult?”
She raised her eyebrows. “Good question.” She turned to Zwaantie. “You look stunning. I don’t know why my son is even hesitating.”
“Yep. She got Truth. This is going to be fun. I wonder what you got.”
She wasn’t sure. If Ari got the boring one, and Astrid got a moderate, that meant Zwaantie got something extreme. Maybe she could keep her mouth shut. Somehow though, she couldn’t.
“Astrid, why did you put that curse on Ari?”
Ari’s eyes opened wide. Zwaantie couldn’t believe she’d just asked the queen such a forward question.
Before Astrid could answer, the entire room changed. Instead of sitting at a table, they were now on a blanket on the ground, surrounded by thick trees. Ari had his head in Zwaantie’s lap. He beamed up at her, and she had her hand in his hair. At first, it felt so natural and normal, and she didn’t process that he shouldn’t have his head in her lap.
In the middle of the blanket was an enormous platter with meats and cheeses and a few bowls of fruit.
Ari sat up and popped a grape into his mouth. “The scene will change at random. It’s never quite the same. Though a park seems to appear at least once.”
The queen still hadn’t responded to Zwaantie’s question. “Why did you put that curse on Ari?” she asked again, unable to help herself.
“I didn’t mean to. Not really. I’m horribly impulsive.”
“Mom, you really don’t need to do this,” Ari said, and Zwaantie shoved a grape into her mouth in the hopes that she wouldn’t say anything more.
“I want to know, Astrid. Please tell me,” Zwaantie said and gripped Ari’s arm. “What the dark kind of potion did he give me?”
“Probably Secret. It makes you ask questions you would never dream of asking otherwise. Be careful though. If someone asks you for one your secrets, you won’t have any choice but to tell them.” Astrid shoved a few crackers in her mouth with the cheese.
Ari gave a dark chuckle. “As long as she keeps eating, she doesn’t have to answer. Truth makes her tell you the absolute truth. These two potions are a deadly combination.”
Astrid took a sip of wine and gave a small smile. “It was time it came out anyway, right?”
“It’s really not. We’ve moved past it.”
Without warning, the park disappeared, and they were sitting at a small round table with bowls of clear soup. All around them was the night sky. The table and chairs were floating.
Astrid set down her glass. “No, I want you to understand. I felt so betrayed every time your father spent a night away. My own family was pretty conservative, and my parents were faithful to one another. They taught me marriage was special. After I got angry about all of his children, Ajax promised me he wouldn’t have any other kids, but he still slept around. I couldn’t handle it. I wanted him to feel the pain I felt, and I took it out on you. I thought if your father saw how important it was to me, he’d change. Of course he didn’t.”
Pain flashed across Ari’s face. “Stop. I don’t want to know any more.”
“But I do,” Zwaantie said. She clapped her hands over her mouth. This was impossible.
Astrid sipped at her soup and was quiet for a few long moments.
The scenery changed again. Now they were on a beach with bowls of shrimp resting in the sand. Waves crashed onto the shore.
Astrid leaned back and stared out over the fake ocean.
“I’m so sorry, Ari. I should’ve never made you make the promise. I couldn’t see clearly then, but I do now.”
“You don’t seem so conservative. What changed?” Zwaantie asked.
Astrid snorted and picked up a shrimp. She dipped it in the bright red sauce.
Ari waved another shrimp in front of Zwaantie’s face. “Here, eat.”
She swatted it away. “I’m not hungry.” She wanted to hear the stories she so foolishly asked about.
Astrid chewed and swallowed. “After Ajax still denied me his fidelity, I paid Xandria a visit. She made a potion that allowed me to not care what he did. It had some interesting side effects. I’m…less inhibited. I have my own lovers now. I only have one regret in my life, and that is what I did to Ari.”
The setting changed, and now they were in a bubble in the ocean, brightly colored fish swimming all around them. A platter with fried fish sat in the middle of a small table.
The space in the bubble was more confining and claustrophobic. She met Ari’s eyes, and he shook his head. “Don’t you dare open your mouth. I don’t know what you are about to ask, but I won’t want to answer it.”
“You said I’m your soul mate. If things were different, would you marry me?”
“No. I wouldn’t.”
His words stung. She ate her fish and didn’t say anything else. Astrid and Ari were quiet as well. She supposed no one wanted more secrets to come out.
The scenery changed one more time, and they were in the middle of a field of tulips, ice cream cones in hand. The smell was intoxicating and reminded her far too much of her fantasies of Ari. She wandered away from him and ate her cone. They needed to get out of this place.
Just as she was finishing up, Ari grabbed her hand and tugged her into him, his lips right next to her ear. “Tell me, princess, how do you feel about me?”
Her heart constricted. She had to tell him the truth. She had no choice. Her secret would be revealed. She tried to keep it in, but her body betrayed her. She gripped his vest, stood up on her tiptoes, and whispered, “I love you.”
Chapter 14
The Other Mother
Ari avoided Zwaantie for the next two days, and Zwaantie was absolutely beside herself. She’d told him exactly how she felt, and he’d run.
Zwaantie had been ornery and unpleasant, but Sage didn’t seem fazed. She suspected Sage knew why she was grumpy. Maybe Zwaantie could go ask Xandria for a special potion as well.
“We should keep working on the wedding. What do you want to plan next? Flowers? Foods?” Sage asked.
Zwaantie tossed a toy mouse across the room, and four cats fought over it. “I don’t know. What kinds of things does Leo like? I don’t want to make this all about me.” She felt so guilty for her feelings about Ari. She couldn’t stand this. The wedding should be all about Leo.
“You’re asking the wrong person. If you want to know what he likes, Candace is the one to ask. She knows more about him. Leo and I hang, but I don’t know what his favorite colors are or what kind of food he’d want at his wedding.”
Zwaantie blinked at her. “Candace is still dealing with everything in her kingdom. I doubt she’s going to be up to helping with the wedding. Plus, even though we sort of made up, we’re not on the best of terms.”
“Riiiiight. Well then, maybe Leo’s mother. She should know that kind of stuff, right? Maybe you can talk to her, and I’ll track down the wedding planner.”
“Oh, yes. I haven’t met his mother yet.” Mothers were an important part of any man’s life. She’d been too focused on herself to think of his mother. She had to start looking outward.
Sage gave a chuckle. “Oh yes you have.”
Zwaantie furrowed her brow. Now she was confused. “Who is she?”
“Lyra, the head mage.”
Dread filled Zwaantie’s heart. “What the dark? Why did you never tell me?”
Sage shrugged.
“You told me Lyra was the scariest woman in all of Sol.” She had been avoiding the head mage since they last met.
“She is.”
“And she’s Leo’s mother?” Leo was so sweet. How could his mother be this awful woman?
“Yep.”
Zwaantie hadn’t made a very good impression on Lyra the first time they met.
“Why didn’t anyone ever say anything?” Zwaantie wanted to know everything she could about this woman before she spent any time alone with her.
“I don’t know. It’s not widely known. They like to keep it under wraps. With Lyra being the head mage, and Leo basically her second in command, they don’t like to advertise things.”
Zwaantie gaped at Sage. “What do you mean second in command?”
“You know, Leo is the spymaster.”
Dread filled Zwaantie’s heart. The leaders of Stella had been sneaky. “No, I thought he was in charge of investigating tragedies in Stella.” Spymaster. For the love of Sol. “Seriously? They sent the spymaster over to Sol to marry the princess?” Her mind spun with the possibilities. Was Stella up to something more sinister?
“Well, yeah. He had the best shot. Plus, he did it for Candace.”
Zwaantie shook her head. At this moment she didn’t understand the implications, but she was sure once she had time to mull it over, she would.
They hadn’t sent a prince to her kingdom. They’d sent a spy.
What had he learned that he could use against her? Spies were the best liars out there. Had he been lying every time he told her he loved her? Maybe nothing he’d ever done had been honest. Sage too. She worked with him.
“We should go see her and get it over with. Seriously, she’ll know everything you want to know,” Sage said.
Zwaantie let out a breath. “I’m not sure about this.”
Sage tugged on her arm. “Come on. If you don’t do this now, you never will. The longer you have to think about it, the harder it will be.”
Zwaantie reluctantly allowed Sage to drag her down a couple of flights of stairs.
Before Zwaantie could ask any questions, Sage knocked on the door, alarming Zwaantie to what she was about to do. She wasn’t ready for this.
“Good luck,” Sage said and took off in the opposite direction. Oh no, she wasn’t going to leave her here.
“Sage,” Zwaantie hissed after her. “Where are you going?”
“Anywhere but with Lyra. I’ll see you when you’re done. If you’re alive.” She gave Zwaantie a wicked grin and disappeared around the corner. Brat. She’d get her
back for this one. That was if Zwaantie survived. Zwaantie wiped her sweating palms on her skirt. Then she straightened her shirt.
The door opened, and Zwaantie sucked in a breath.
“Princess. What are you doing here?” Lyra held the door open only a crack. Who knew what she was hiding.
Zwaantie held her head high. “I came to talk to you about your son.”
Lyra raised her eyebrows. “Which one? I have three.”
“You know which one. May I come in?” Zwaantie could not let her fear show. Now was the time to make sure she acted like a queen.
Lyra considered her for a moment. “Of course.”
One hurdle crossed, now to win her over.
Lyra sat behind a large desk, and Zwaantie took a chair across from her. Lyra didn’t say anything and simply stared at Zwaantie, making her feel uncomfortable. Lyra’s features were hard, and her arms were crossed. This would not be easy.
Zwaantie squirmed in her chair. “I was hoping you could help me. Leo and I had very little time to get to know one another. Sage and I were working on wedding plans, and I want to make sure I do something for him. What kinds of food does he like? Does he have people you think he would like for certain roles? What sort of venue would he want to get married in?”
Lyra uncrossed her arms and leaned on the desk, staring down at Zwaantie menacingly. Oh Sol, this woman was terrifying. Zwaantie shrunk in her chair.
“Why do you care?” Lyra’s voice was full of venom.
“Excuse me?” Why was Lyra being so nasty? She’d been prepared for a tongue-lashing, but a question like that was strange.
“Why do you care what my son wants? I was under the impression you didn’t want to marry him. Why do care about his input?”
“Why would you think I don’t want to marry him?” Zwaantie was certain only Leo, Sage, and Ari knew about her relationship with Phoenix.
Lyra snorted. “I am the head mage. I know about Phoenix. Including that he tried to kill you. Twice. That’s the only reason you are still willing to marry my son. Otherwise, you’d be off in some poor village with your precious Phoenix.”
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