But I now realized the cost was too high. If I continued this course, I’d receive my prince and castle—and with it the duties that came from being a princess, only unlike Eileen, I wouldn’t have the joy of being in love with my husband.
I searched Prince Liam’s blue eyes. I didn’t love him, only the fantasies I’d created of the life he’d give me. And that wasn’t real love—not the kind I read about and wanted. I may not get the storybook ending I’d always imagined, but I could still find my own happily ever after.
My gaze was drawn towards Ali, still in his usual guarding post, staring intently at me. The sweet look in his hazel eyes gave me the resolve to place the toffee in Prince Liam’s hand.
He got up off the floor and settled beside me, smiling at my toffee as if it were a precious jewel. “Did you make this, my Rosie?” And he continued to admire it.
I shifted impatiently. “Aren’t you going to eat it?”
“Eat a gift you made? I think not. How could I eat something so perfect? Instead I’ll keep it forever.”
Alarm filled my heart. This wasn’t part of the plan. “But Your Highness, I made it especially for you.”
“Which is why I’ll cherish it.” He pressed the toffee to his heart.
My panic swelled, but before it could eclipse me, an idea struck. Princes always seemed moved by damsels in distress. I conjured up some tears, which wasn’t difficult when I considered the consequences should I fail to unspell the Crown Prince of Draceria.
Prince Liam’s eyes immediately widened in alarm. “What is it, petal?”
I buried my face in my hands. “I worked so hard to make you a treat I hoped you’d like, and now you won’t even eat it.”
Prince Liam immediately began fluttering about, stroking my arms soothingly. “Please don’t be upset, Rosie. I didn’t realize it meant so much to you. Of course I’ll eat your treat if it’ll make you happy.”
My gaze snapped up in time to watch him pop the toffee into his mouth. Everyone watched with bated breath, waiting in anticipation as Prince Liam chewed slowly, swallowed…. “Mmm, that was delicious. Thank you, Rosie.”
I held my breath as I continued watching him, searching for any indication that the love spell was fading, for the sappiness to leave his eyes, anything…but nothing happened. “Prince Liam?” I asked hesitantly.
“Liam, my sweet.” He brushed another kiss along my knuckles.
“Do you still love me?”
“Of course, my Rosie petal. How could you ever doubt my love towards you?”
I sank back in my chair in defeat and exchanged an alarmed look with Aiden and Eileen. Aiden moaned, burying his face in both hands. “Maybe it takes time for it to work?” Eileen whispered. We continued to wait anxiously but were left disappointed as Prince Liam continued to stare doe-eyed at me, no sign that his infatuation was melting away.
Aiden snapped to his feet, burrowing his fingers in his hair as if he meant to yank it out. He paced the parlor several times, clearly agitated. Prince Liam glanced at me and raised his eyebrows, the first sign of his old self rather than the spelled version. My heart swelled in hope…before it was dashed again when he leaned towards my ear.
“He’s obviously jealous I possess the love of one who bakes such delicious treats.”
My eyes burned with tears, these ones real. I buried my face in my hands, the hopelessness crushing me. If the reversal spell hadn’t worked, what was I going to do?
Eileen appeared at my side. “We’ll figure something out,” she whispered.
“How?” I glanced towards the lovesick prince, who lit up when our gazes met. He was most definitely still spelled, which meant I was back where I started—on my way to an unhappily ever after with no way out.
Horror curdled my stomach at the realization: I was a character trapped in a story I no longer wanted to be in, and I had no idea how to break free from a plot rapidly spiraling out of control. The parlor was suddenly much too confining. Escape—I needed to escape.
I yanked my hand from Prince Liam’s burning grip and leapt to my feet, ignoring the wounded look now filling his eyes.
“Rosalina?” He attempted to reach for my hand again but I jerked away. I’d had enough of this ridiculous charade.
I bolted from the parlor and darted down first one hallway, then another, before I dove behind a curtain. I pressed myself into the corner, panting for breath as all the tears and frustrations of the last several weeks came pouring out. The love spell had worked…far too well. And now I couldn’t undo what I’d done, despite desperately wanting to. I’d become the tragic heroine in my own story and there was no escape. I whimpered and slid down the wall to curl my legs to my chest and bury my face against my knees.
I stiffened when I heard footsteps approaching. No, I simply couldn’t bear it if it was Prince Liam. I pressed myself deeper into my corner in hopes it would swallow me whole. Being forever trapped in the walls as an eternal decoration seemed a better fate than another encounter with my spelled albatross.
I held my breath and waited, hoping the footsteps would pass my hiding place. To my horror they paused directly in front of me. The curtains slowly parted. I didn’t even need to look up to see who it was.
“So you found me,” I mumbled into my knees.
“Were we playing hide-and-seek?”
I peeked up at Ali. Despite his wry comment, no trace of amusement lined his features. They softened further as his gaze took in my crumpled expression.
“I’m sorry, I should have knocked before barging in.”
Normally, I’d have responded with a witty comeback as part of our usual word spar, but I was a defeated heroine and in no mood to play today, not even with Ali.
“You may come in,” I said with a sigh.
He slipped behind the curtain and settled himself beside me on the floor. Heat pulsed in the close space between us.
My cheeks warmed. “How did you know I was here?”
“After your hasty escape, I heeded Her Highness’s orders to come after you. As to how I knew you were behind this curtain…” He leaned closer and I caught a whiff of his delicious honey-lemon scent. “…I believe you need to pick better hiding places, Rosie.”
Once again I didn’t have it in me to retort. I leaned my head back against the wall. “If Eileen is the one who sent you, why didn’t she come herself?”
“She seemed to believe you’d prefer to see me,” Ali said carefully, as if unsure of his own words. “She had a most mischievous smile as she made the suggestion.”
How could Eileen possibly want to play matchmaker at a time like this?
Earnestness filled Ali’s eyes as he scooted closer, awashing me in the heat of his touch. “Would you like me to sit with you for a while?”
I nodded numbly. We sat in silence for a while before he was the first to break it.
“Rosie?”
He said my name so tenderly, in a way that made me certain he understood everything I was feeling. My tears escaped. I reburied my face in my knees, but Ali wouldn’t allow that. He wound his arm around me and pulled me gently against himself.
I burrowed against his warm chest. “Why didn’t the spell work? I don’t understand; I know I followed the recipe exactly.”
“I’m sure there’s a logical explanation,” he said.
“There is: I’m doomed to an unhappily ever after. I’ve ruined not only my life but Prince Liam’s as well. You were right, Ali; I am the villain in my own story.”
“Of course you’re not.” Ali’s arms wound more securely around me. “Just because you’re experiencing a dark part of your fairy tale doesn’t mean the story is over.”
He gently brushed my tears away with his thumb, his eyes full of tenderness. I searched his gorgeous hazel gaze. I used to fancy I favored blue eyes or even green in a man, but not anymore. Now I adored hazel, especially Ali’s eyes, not only beautiful but full of such sweetness.
“I’ve made such a mess of things.” I
said. “Nothing is going as I thought it would. I plotted for Prince Liam to be spelled and he is, but…”
Something lit in Ali’s eyes. He leaned closer. “But…”
“He isn’t my prince. I now realize he never was.” I couldn’t look into his eyes, couldn’t admit how wrong about everything I’d been.
Ali cupped my chin, encouraging me to look up at him. “If he’s not your prince, is there someone else?”
My heart beat wildly and I found myself leaning towards his touch, and yet…I furrowed my forehead, trying to sort through my jumbled feelings. “I don’t know.”
He leaned back with a disappointed sigh. “It’s alright, Rosie. One day you will.”
“How do you know?”
“Because you’re terrible at keeping secrets, especially from yourself. Thus I have no doubt you’ll eventually sort everything out.”
“Then why is everything so confusing now?”
“I believe you’re currently experiencing a common trope in many stories where the heroine begins her tale with one goal in mind, only to discover during her quest to obtain it that it’s no longer what she desires.”
“But I still long for true love. That hasn’t changed.” Although that dream had never felt less obtainable than in this moment. More tears trickled down my cheeks and Ali wiped these away too, the gesture so sweet I only cried harder.
“I know you do,” he said. “Perhaps the key to breaking His Highness’s spell has nothing to do with magic. What’s the most powerful force in any fairy tale?”
I gasped. “True love.”
He smiled. “Exactly.”
He was right: true love could break any curse, no matter how powerful and sinister. But my elation at the idea quickly faltered. “And where am I supposed to find true love?”
“Like anything worthwhile, it has to be discovered.”
“Great. When you find a treasure map leading to it, please let me know.”
He frowned. “I don’t think anyone can help you on that quest of yours.”
“Then I’m doomed.” I reburied myself against his warm, cozy embrace. “This is the tragic end of The Tale of Rosalina, an ending full of tears and heartbreak, with no happily ever after in sight.”
Ali began rubbing my back. I nestled closer with a strangled sob. “Don’t you think it’s a bit early to be making such a denouncement? A true heroine fights through her obstacles and doesn’t give up.”
I shook my head. “I no longer believe a fairy tale romance exists for me, else the reversal spell would have worked.”
“Of course it exists.” Ali moved his stroking touch from my back to my hair. “As the noble knight in The Tale of Rosalina, I’ll do everything I can to help the fair maiden obtain her happily ever after. Can you trust me, Rosie?”
I stole another peek up at him. Sincerity radiated in his sweet expression. “Why do you believe in my happy ending?”
“Because even when the heroine experiences obstacles in her tale, they never last forever. And when they eventually end, what happens?”
I finally managed a smile. “She achieves her happily ever after.”
Ali nodded. “Exactly. Even if you don’t believe in yours right now, I’m confident one day you will again. After all, it’s an essential trait that makes you my Rosie flower.” He embraced me, tightly and tenderly. I melted against him and allowed him to hold me for this chapter of my story, one I strangely felt would never be long enough.
And despite my story being in the darkest of chapters, I felt a flicker of hope ignite in my heart.
Chapter 23
The dark, shadowy corridors had become incredibly familiar, like friends, almost more so after midnight than they were during the day. I’d snuck out of my room later than usual, for Prince Liam had taken it upon himself to pace outside my door every evening, as if hoping to catch one last glimpse of me before he retired for the night. Even after he’d finally abandoned his near-constant post and returned to his own room, I’d cautiously peeked around every corner before venturing into the hallway so I could evade him should he still be up and wandering the palace.
I became more at ease when Ali appeared as the corridor I currently wandered met up with his, as if he knew I’d arrive at that time and place—and perhaps he did, taking his cues from the invisible script of whatever scene in our story we were currently playing out. He fell into step beside me. I beamed up at him and he smiled warmly in return. I was glad he was here; evening wouldn’t be complete without our midnight stroll.
We wandered passage after passage, no particular destination in mind, walking in contented silence. Who would break it first? Everything seemed to be a delightful game between us. Each interaction we shared left me eager to discover what scene we were currently acting in, for we were cowriters in this tale, a tale that was us.
I peeked up at him only to discover his sweet smile. He’d been smiling more and more lately, and even though it was becoming increasingly familiar, it still filled me with joy to see it.
“How would you like to explore a part of the castle you’ve never seen before?” he asked.
“That sounds like a grand adventure.”
Ali held out his hand. My breath hitched. For a moment I just stared at it. He wriggled his fingers. “Step one: you’re supposed to take my hand.”
Slowly, I did. The moment I rested mine in his, his fingers gently enfolded my hand to cradle it within his own. Ripples of heat pulsed up my arm. How could I experience such a reaction from a mere touch? But it wasn’t a mere touch at all but an incredibly heavenly one.
“You’re holding my hand,” I murmured.
He tilted his head. “Is this as precious an experience for you as your first kiss? I’m not taking away anything from your fairy tale, am I?”
I shook my head. While I’d always considered my hand being held as sacred as the act of true love’s kiss, I didn’t mind sharing this experience with Ali. I peeked through my lashes to stare into his not-so-handsome-but-somehow-incredibly-handsome face. “This is exactly how I imagined the experience would be.”
He gave my hand a gentle squeeze before leading me down the hall. “Then let’s commence tonight’s adventure to discover a most spectacular secret of the palace…or rather, secrets.”
I shivered in anticipation and allowed Ali to lead me down several corridors on different levels of the castle. Wherever he planned on taking me took awhile to get to. I didn’t mind. How could I when we were strolling hand in hand—hand in hand, imagine that—through a palace after midnight. No matter how many times we’d embarked on our nightly wanderings, it had never lost its thrill, but this particular midnight stroll was better than all of the others combined. For I, Rosalina, was walking hand in hand with Ali through a moonlit palace. Oh, bliss!
My forehead wrinkled in puzzlement as I considered this. Ali was a royal guard, not the prince I’d always expected to share this moment with, yet somehow I felt every bit a princess. What an unexpected plot twist.
Despite how much I relished Ali’s hand intertwined in mine and delighted in the warm sensations rippling over me from the gesture, my ever-simmering curiosity soon got the better of me. I tugged on his hand when I couldn’t stand the anticipation a moment longer.
“Ali, I’m going to burst. What’s the secret you’re determined to torture me with?”
He chuckled and the warm, reverberating sound went straight to my heart, appeasing my wriggling impatience. “I knew sooner or later your curiosity would get the better of you. You’ve made me wait a torturous amount of time for your secret, so I thought it only fair…”
“A secret is too precious to toy with in such a way.”
“Secrets in this case, Rosie, and since I’d very much hate to make you actually burst before discovering them, I shall put you out of your misery.” He walked a short distance further then pulled me to a stop in front of a wall covered by an ornate tapestry depicting a gruesome battle scene that I couldn’t help but sta
re at even as I simultaneously wanted to tear my gaze away. “Here it is.”
I frowned at the tapestry for a moment more before gazing quizzically up at him. “The secret is the tapestry?”
“Is it?”
I should have known it wouldn’t be that easy. Ali always kept me on my toes. I smiled to myself. It was one of the things I liked most about him.
“Smirking at the tapestry won’t get it to reveal its mysteries to you.”
“That’s what you think.” I cleared my mind from all the rather pleasant Ali thoughts filling it in order to focus on the task at hand.
The scene depicted knights battling a ferocious dragon, and the dragon was clearly winning. It was a fierce beast made up of fiery gold and flaming red threads that hovered in the air, breathing orange fire at the struggling valiant knights. I studied every inch of the tapestry, determined to unlock its secrets, but no matter how long I stared at it, it seemed to be an entirely ordinary tapestry, hanging on an entirely ordinary wall that was part of an entirely ordinary corridor. Ordinary, ordinary, ordinary.
After several minutes of intense study—during which Ali watched with far too much amusement—I spun on him.
“Are you tricking me? This appears to be an entirely ordinary tapestry.”
“Giving up already? That’s unlike you. I went through all the trouble of securing His Highness’s permission to share this with you. If you’re unable to decipher its secrets…”
“No!” I squinted at the tapestry again, searching for any secret codes or hidden symbols that might have been woven into the fabric of the gruesome tale it portrayed, which would reveal the location of something quite fantastic. Surely this was a worthy quest, considering Ali seemed quite insistent that I discover its meaning.
I peeked sideways at him. Anticipation filled his gorgeous hazel eyes as he waited for me to figure out something, which meant I had all the information I needed to uncover this secret before me.
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