19. Xander
Xander stood beside his brother, his heart in his throat. He’d wanted to pull Maisy aside and spill his heart to her. He’d wanted to tell her that he loved her, that he’d made a terrible mistake when he’d agreed to forget about what happened in Kanalea. He’d wanted to tell her that life without her wasn’t worth living and that she was more important than either of their duties or responsibilities. He’d wanted to tell her that she lit up his life and had since the first day he’d met her.
He”d wanted to tell her how gorgeous she looked in that green dress.
Then he’d wanted to explain the plan he and Niko had created last night. But there hadn’t been time. Xander had been about to pull her aside when her mother had called her into the room and, dutiful daughter that Maisy was, she’d gone with her mother. Xander had only had time to whisper, desperately, that he loved her and that he had a plan, and to outline the very broadest strokes of it.
Now he waited beside Niko. Agnes, who Niko had managed to find earlier this morning and who had already agreed to the plan, stood in the corner beside a second witness. She smiled at Xander, and he smiled back, but he was filled with tension. There was every chance that Maisy would refuse his plan. He’d given her no reason to believe that he was trustworthy or that things would be different.
But then, Maisy turned to him. She bit her lip. Then, slowly, she nodded.
Relief flooded Xander. She was willing to go along with his plan. There was still a chance for them. He felt like his heart was soaring. It didn’t matter that the hardest part was still to come or that he had to face the wrath of both their families. The only thing that mattered was that, even without him having had the chance to explain himself, Maisy was willing to try.
“Thank you all for coming.” Queen Karina looked serious. She was wearing a muted suit and a small, elegant tiara. “Are we ready to begin?”
Everyone nodded. Xander saw that Maisy was still biting her lip. He wanted to run to her and put his arms around her, but he didn’t. He couldn’t. Not yet.
“Wonderful. We’ll begin, of course, with the annulment. Our lawyer has listed the grounds as dishonest presentation of facts by the groom. Of course, this document will not be publicly available, but will be stored in the palace records. Xander, Maisy, please step forward and give your signatures.”
Maisy crossed to the raised table where the document had been placed. Xander looked at Niko, and they exchanged a quick, meaningful nod. Then Niko stepped forward to join Maisy. Xander’s heart was hammering. This was another moment in which everything could go wrong.
Maisy looked at Niko and gave him a small smile and a nod. “Shall we sign… Xander?”
“Yes. Once again, I apologize for all the trouble I have caused.”
Xander had to try hard not to roll his eyes at that. He watched as first Niko, then Maisy, lifted the ornate silver pens and signed the annulment.
“That’s it, then.” Maisy lifted her gaze to Niko, a tiny smile gracing her full lips. “We aren’t married.”
“No. And we never will be.”
The assembled parents exchanged looks of confusion, but, in the corner, Lily’s eyes widened. She looked from Niko to Xander and back. Xander met her eyes and gave a quick shake of his head, silently begging her not to say anything. She nodded.
“All right. Now for the wedding. Niko, Maisy, please step forward.”
Niko retreated to the corner, where he stood beside Agnes. Xander saw, from the corner of his eye, as Niko brushed the back of his hand against Agnes’s. She smiled.
Then Xander strode across to Maisy. She looked up at him, her green eyes wide and mistrustful. Xander could hardly blame her, but he was ready to prove that he was worthy of her trust and her love, every day, for as long as it took.
“If you would each take a moment to sign the wedding document…” the officiant began.
Xander quickly signed, then Maisy did the same.
“Now, it is time to exchange the traditional vows.”
“Actually, I’ve prepared my own,” Xander said.
“You have?” Maisy bit her lip.
“I have. Maisy, I’ve loved you since the moment I first set eyes on you. You inspire me, challenge me, and make me want to be a better man. When I’m with you, I feel complete. I promise to love you, every day, as long as we both shall live. I know I made a huge mistake when I didn’t fight for you, but I won’t ever make the same mistake again.”
“Wait.” Queen Karina stepped forward. “What’s going on here?”
Xander turned to her. “Mom, you know what’s going on.”
“Xander?” An expression of fury crossed the queen’s face. “You can’t be serious. After all the trouble we went through to fix this, you and your brother decided to… what? Play a prank?!”
“This isn’t a prank, Mother. Niko and I knew that you wouldn’t listen to us unless we did something big. That’s why we switched places, one last time. I love Maisy. And I hope that, someday, she might love me, too.”
“That’s all very sweet.” Queen Karina sounded more annoyed than touched. “But Maisy is meant to marry Niko. That’s what we’ve arranged. And we’ve had this arrangement for years. If someone had a problem with it, there were plenty of times to speak up.”
“No, there weren’t.” This time, Niko stepped forward. He was holding Agnes’s hand. “An arranged royal marriage isn’t what I wanted. It never was. But every time I tried to bring it up, you reminded me of my duties. I understand that I have duties to Aenicea and to our family, but I have a duty to myself and to the woman I love, too.”
“The woman you love?”
“This is Agnes.” Niko put her arm around the woman, who was blushing. “She’s the love of my life. She’s the person I want to marry, and she’s the only person I will marry.”
“And I want to stay married to Maisy.” Xander kept his arm around Maisy’s shoulders as he turned to his mother. “We understand that there may be fallout, but surely our citizens will understand true love when they see it.”
There was a moment of silence in which all of the parents looked flabbergasted.
Then, Maisy’s mother stepped forward. “Honey, I’m so happy that you’ve found someone you love. And I’m sorry if we pushed you into marrying Niko.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Maisy looked slightly teary. “I wanted to do the right thing for our family.”
“I know you did. But I can see that you and Xander care for each other, and that’s more important than any family obligation.”
“Mom?” Niko turned to Queen Karina. “Can’t you agree?”
The queen wavered for a moment, then seemed to soften. She looked back and forth between Xander and Maisy, and Niko and Agnes. Then she sighed.
“Of course. I’m sorry, too. I didn’t realize that you both felt this strongly. I thought you were just resistant to growing up and taking your roles in the government, but I realize now that you’re more grown-up than I knew. And I see that you’re in love. I won’t stand in the way of that.”
Xander turned to Maisy and, suddenly, it felt like it was just the two of them in that crowded room. Maisy looked up at him with those big green eyes.
“Maisy,” Xander said, his voice low, “I’m sorry that I didn’t fight for you back on Kanalea. But I’m asking you to give me another chance, and I promise I won’t let you down. Our parents approve. Do you think you can trust me again? Will you stay married to me?”
The moment stretched as he and Maisy looked at each other. Maisy bit her lip. Then, ever so slowly, her pink lips curved into a smile.