I slipped inside and took in the glistening chandeliers casting dancing, golden patterns across the marble floor. The flowers’ perfume tickled my senses as I searched the room for Aiden. While I didn’t find him, my gaze caught those of the king and Princess Seren, glaring pointedly from their seats on a raised platform. I hastily looked away.
“There you are, Gemma.” The Dracerian royalty bombarded me. Princess Elodie immediately looped her arm through mine. “Where have you been? We’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“Fashionably late, a genius tactic in this quest for the Dark Prince’s hand,” Prince Liam said with a wink. Princess Aveline wrinkled her nose.
“She’s far too late to be fashionable. Why, she arrived after Prince Deidric.”
I wrinkled my nose at his formal name, even as my heart fluttered at her reference to my Aiden. “Where is the prince?” I returned to scanning the dance floor, crowded with waltzing couples.
“There.” Princess Rheanna pointed towards Aiden, who was dancing with a noblewoman with gliding movements and the most proper of expressions, no emotion in his eyes—until he twirled his partner around and his gaze settled on me. He lit up and I smiled in return. We stared at one another for a beautiful moment before Aiden reluctantly tore his gaze away.
“Well, that was interesting.” Prince Liam gave me a knowing look. “Do you two know one another?”
I smiled shyly. “Certainly. Prince Aiden and I are good friends.”
“Prince Aiden?” Princess Elodie giggled. “He rarely gives anyone permission to use his middle name; he didn’t even grant it to Rhea, and they were engaged for years.”
Princess Rheanna blushed and lowered her eyes.
Prince Liam leaned in close with a cheeky grin. “It appears you’ve been cheating by meeting with the Dark Prince in secret. Another brilliant tactic.”
Princess Elodie beamed. “Ooh, have you captured the Dark Prince’s heart? I suppose that means he actually has a heart, doesn’t it?”
Prince Liam rolled his eyes. “I don’t understand all the rumors surrounding him. Am I right, Gemma?”
Gemma…now that the competition was over, at last I could tell them the truth. “I’m actually not Princess Gemma of Malvagaria. My name is Eileen. I’m a common girl from a tiny village. Aiden and I met and…” I shrugged.
They all stared at me in disbelief. Prince Liam reacted first, his face breaking into a wide grin. “Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. Sneaking into the Princess Competition to nab a prince for your husband? Genius.” He winked and the tension that had been tightening my chest slowly eased.
Princess Aveline’s nose wrinkled at me as if she now deemed me unworthy to stand in her presence, but Princess Rheanna offered a shy—albeit sad—smile, and Princess Elodie once more looped her arm through mine. “How romantic. This entire spontaneous competition makes more sense now.” She bounced on her heels. “Look, the dance is ending. Perhaps Deidric will claim you for the next one?”
Aiden escorted his partner off the dance floor and immediately headed in our direction. Before he reached us, Princess Lavena intercepted him with an exaggerated curtsy. Disappointment and annoyance flashed across Aiden’s expression before he reined his emotions back behind his rigid, polite mask. He bowed to Princess Lavena and led her onto the dance floor.
“Excellent.” Prince Liam rubbed his hands together. “If I’m lucky enough, Lavena’s delightful charm will win Aiden over.”
Even though I didn’t doubt his devotion, jealousy still flared in my heart, sharp and prickling, as I watched Princess Lavena’s exaggerated smiles and coy expressions throughout their dance. Aiden’s polite expression tightened in annoyance.
Throughout the dance, Prince Liam quietly chanted beside me. “Please pick her, please pick her, please pick her…”
As if he heard Prince Liam’s pleas from across the room, Aiden glanced over with a raised eyebrow. Prince Liam clasped his hands together imploringly. Aiden smirked and subtly shook his head before his smoldering gaze slid to me, causing my heart to flip.
Princess Elodie sighed. “He’s looking at you as if you’re his other half. His choice has obviously been made; it appears the contest is over.”
I grinned girlishly.
“As wonderful as Eileen is, I’m convinced it’s Princess Lavena he wants,” Prince Liam said, sounding pathetically desperate.
“Why would he want her when you don’t?” Princess Aveline asked.
“While her only suitable match is a fellow ogre, I’m hoping Aiden has recently suffered a blow to the head that renders him temporarily insane.”
“He’s chosen Eileen. Isn’t it obvious?” Princess Elodie’s smile brightened as she leaned in close. “Do tell us how it happened.”
“We met before the competition. We fell in love, but in order to be together, first he had to break off…” I warily eyed Princess Rheanna, whose eyes had lowered once more. I gently took her hands. “I’m so sorry I’m the cause of your broken engagement. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
She took a long, wavering breath as she looked up. “I’m not mourning him, for I’ve never been in love with him. It’s just…” She stared unseeing at Aiden dancing with Princess Lavena. “It’s rather humiliating that I wasn’t good enough for him.”
Princess Elodie wrapped her arm around her sister just as the waltz came to an end. Aiden escorted Princess Lavena towards us.
“Liam, Princess Lavena was just telling me how eager she is to dance with you next.” His expression remained stoic while laughter filled his eyes.
Princess Lavena blanched and Prince Liam glared at him. “Unfortunately, I’ve already promised the next three dances to my dear sisters. Haven’t I?” He gave each of them a pleading look. Princess Elodie giggled as she accepted his arm.
“Certainly, Liam.” She stood on tiptoe to reach his ear. “But you’ll owe me a week’s worth of desserts.”
“For this rescue, make it a year’s worth.”
Princess Lavena—looking just as relieved as Prince Liam to have wriggled out of a dance with her intended—slipped away.
Aiden smiled warmly at me as he held his hand out. “You look beautiful, my dear. May I have this dance, Princess Eileen?” His grin broadened. “I could call you that forever.”
I rested my hand in his and he pulled me towards him, wrapping his arms around me to hold me close, far closer than he’d held his previous partners, a gesture that announced I was his choice. I sensed everyone’s gazes fixated on us and felt my face heat.
“Aiden, everyone is staring.”
“Let them stare. They’ll know by the end of the ball you’re to be my queen, hence I see no reason to resist my affections for you just to keep it a secret for a bit longer.” He pressed the tenderest kiss on my brow.
“Confident I won’t change my mind, are you?”
He jerked back, eyes worried. “Have you?”
I immediately regretted my teasing. “Never, but I wouldn’t object to you trying to persuade me during our dance. Perhaps you can pull faces to get me to smile.”
He chuckled in relief and offered his arm. I took it and happily allowed him to escort me onto the dance floor. The stares of the crowd intensified, but my attention was only on Aiden. The music began and we spun into a waltz. I immediately looked down at my feet, fearing I’d step on him.
“Keep your head raised,” he whispered in my ear. “Trust your fiancé to lead you.”
My heart warmed at the word, one I had never thought would apply to me. I met his soft gaze. “We’re really to be married, aren’t we?”
“We are. Despite my frequent fears that our union would be impossible, now there’s nothing keeping us from being together forever.”
With these beautiful words we spun into our dance, one that was magical and far too short. I basked in every touch and tender look from Aiden, the beautiful sensation of him playing with our clasped hands, and the adoration filling his eyes. I was aware of no
one but him, even after the last notes of the music faded and our waltz slowed. Each spin on the dance floor reassured me that he was the correct path.
Aiden gave me an affectionate squeeze. “Are you ready?”
I nodded and allowed him to lead me to the two empty thrones on the raised platform. Aiden lifted my hand as he turned us to face the watching crowd. A hush settled over the nobility as they watched us with wide eyes. Aiden wordlessly helped me sit in the empty throne on the right while he took the one on the left.
As I settled against the soft cushions, my nerves melted away, replaced with a sense of calm. I straightened with a newfound confidence. As much as I’d resisted the idea of being a princess, settling into the throne felt so…right, undoubtedly because of the man sitting beside me. How strange that I’d gone from a girl terrified of a future of romance to one who couldn’t imagine her life without it.
The king rose from his throne and cast me a long look before he forced a smile for the watching crowd. “My son, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Deidric, has selected his bride. May I present the future crown princess of Sortileya, Princess Eileen.”
My stomach fluttered as everyone bowed and curtsied. Aiden gave my hand an assuring squeeze, which I returned. We smiled at one another, and I basked in the love and adoration filling Aiden’s eyes.
I was exactly where I belonged.
It was a long time before we could slip away from the ball and its crowds of curious well-wishers. Our natural destination was the Forest, where we walked hand in hand, swinging our arms back and forth. It was hard to imagine that the last time we’d walked this road, only hours earlier, it was towards goodbyes and separation; now it only led to the promise of a bright future.
The canopy of branches had parted above to bathe us in silvery moonlight that illuminated the path, which opened up to the pink-blossomed clearing of the musical lake, Aiden’s special place, now ours. The lake was aglow in the night and its soft, melodic tunes filled the perfume-shrouded air.
We settled on the bank, facing one another knee-to-knee. Aiden took my hands and held them securely between his. “It’s time for my promised explanation, the one I should have given you long ago.”
“About why you kept your identity a secret?”
He nodded and began playing with my fingers. “I felt no need to tell you who I really was when we first met in the Forest, though I had a strong desire to know who you were. After I realized I was falling in love with you during our picnic by the waterfall, I planned on waiting until I knew for certain that I could court you, since at the time I was still engaged. The first night I visited you after you’d arrived at the palace, I fully intended to tell you everything—about who I was and why I’d enrolled you in the Princess Competition—but my plans shattered when you informed me you had no interest in being a princess.”
He winced at the memory, as if the pain of that rejection was still fresh. I bit my lip guiltily.
“After I realized your feelings concerning the matter, I decided to wait a few days until you got used to the royal life in hopes you’d change your mind.” He frowned. “Only you never seemed to.”
I stroked his cheek in apology. “It would have been easier to accept if I knew you were the prince whose hand I was trying to win.”
He smiled wryly. “I considered that, but I was afraid that if you knew, you’d think I was foisting my title on you and that you’d be afraid of denying my affections, making it difficult for you to say no to a prince who was in love with you. I also feared that knowing who I truly was would make it harder for you to be yourself; I didn’t want you to change around me or pull away. What if you thought you didn’t deserve me due to our vastly different stations and decided that the noble thing would be to step aside so I could choose a real princess?”
As I searched the vulnerability filling his eyes, the remainder of my lingering wounded feelings for his keeping his secret for so long faded away. He’d only done it to protect me and our relationship, which at the time hadn’t yet blossomed from its fragile bud, as it had now.
Aiden’s hold on my hands tightened. “I admittedly didn’t consider any of these reasons when I first broke off my engagement and asked the Forest to bring you to the competition; I just saw it as the path for us to be together. I thought I was doing the right thing keeping it from you…until I saw how distressed you were in my world and how much my secrecy was hurting you, which caused me to believe you’d be happier remaining outside my world of royalty and returning to your simple life.”
I finally understood. “That’s why you decided to take me home. You didn’t want me to feel intimated or choose you out of obligation.”
He nodded. “I thought I was being noble and sacrificing, but now I realize I wasn’t motivated by what I thought was best for you, but rather my own fears that you wouldn’t want me or the life I came with. By my refusing to tell you who I was, I wasn’t protecting you like I’d convinced myself; I was deceiving you and taking away your opportunity to decide for yourself what life you wanted. For that I’m sorry.”
I searched his eyes, full of sweet sincerity and love, and smiled in forgiveness. “You were only trying to do what you thought was best. I can’t fault you for your choices, especially considering they’re in the past. We’re together now.”
“We are. I love you, Eileen. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
I closed my eyes and basked in his sweet words. He loved me, truly loved me, and thus nothing could sway me from our chosen course…except for one final fear, a new one that had emerged after learning his true identity.
I lowered my eyes to our intertwined hands. “But you’re right about one thing: you’re a prince and I’m nothing but a mere commoner.”
He ran his knuckles along my cheekbone. “There’s nothing common about you, my Eileen.”
“But you’ve had to help me through every single task to prove myself worthy to be your bride. If it weren’t for you—”
“Eileen dear, please listen to me.” His expression became very serious. “Those tasks weren’t my criteria for the woman I want as my wife but were dictated by my father. I don’t care whether my wife has proper decorum, knows the royal histories, or can dance at a ball. None of that matters. I had my own process of selecting the woman to entrust my heart to.”
“You did?”
He nodded. “I found everything I was looking for in you. During the first task, you possessed the grace to extend forgiveness after I’d involved you in this competition; this grace of spirit and tenderness of heart means more to me than whether or not you walk with any. And when you drew your portrait, it showed me you look beyond the surface to see people for who they truly are, a trait that will be invaluable as my future queen.”
Tears filled my eyes. He stroked my face with such gentleness I was certain I’d melt.
“The second task showed me not only your intelligence but your resilience and determination to work hard. Even when you feel lost and overwhelmed you push forward, no matter the difficulties, and always remain true to yourself.”
My tears escaped to trickle down my cheeks. Aiden leaned forward to kiss them away, an act which only cracked my heart open further.
“In the third task, I learned just how fragile your heart is and how much I’ll need to take care of it. And I will. I promise, Eileen.” As he spoke, he withdrew my locket I’d given him as the second payment. “When you gave me this, you began to let go of your past. It gave me hope that together we can move forward into the future.”
He carefully clasped the locket around my neck, but unlike when I’d worn it before, it was no longer heavy. I opened it and cradled the heart-shaped pendant in my palm; I smiled to see that not only did it contain Father’s portrait, but now Aiden’s as well.
I raised my gaze to his before leaning over and pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. “Thank you, Aiden.”
“Have I assured you of your precious worth?” he asked.
&n
bsp; “You have, but I’m still uncertain about our future.” I nibbled my lip. “Marrying you will make me Sortileya’s future queen. I’m not sure I’m ready for such a responsibility.”
“I know you feel intimidated now,” he said gently. “But that won’t happen for many years. You’ll have plenty of time to grow into the role.”
I took a wavering breath. “I’ll require many more late nights of your helping me to make me queen material.”
He softly kissed my knuckles. “You’re equal to the task, for you already possess the essential characteristics of a future queen. You’re a true princess in spirit, and thus everything else will come.” He flashed a mischievous smirk. “But be that as it may, I’ll still gladly help you all you like…for a price.”
I giggled. “What sort of price do you have in mind?”
“While you have everything to offer me, including a lifetime of happiness, I wouldn’t say no to another kiss.”
I laughed and he joined in as he helped me to my feet and hooked his arms around my waist to nestle me close. I stood on tiptoe. “That’s a price I’ll gladly pay anytime.”
His hands wove through my hair as he leaned down to kiss me, far more earnestly than his others had been, yet the kiss was still so soft, so gentle, so many beautiful things. When we broke away, I saw reflected in his adoring eyes so many promises, promises I now allowed myself to believe, another confirmation that the path chosen by my heart was the right one for me.
We entwined our hands and he led me down a path that opened up at his silent command. Even though we walked away from the rosy glow of the lake into the darkness of the night, I trusted Aiden and the Forest to take us where we needed to be.
Which reminded me…. “You really asked the Forest to lead me to the palace for the Princess Competition?”
He gave me a guilty smile. “I couldn’t very well have the woman I loved absent from the quest for my hand.”
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