Epilogue
Sofia
Good people of Ledonia! It’s official. Our Pitiful Princess is no more! She has emerged from her dull chrysalis a beautiful butterfly in finding herself the most handsome and worthy of men in the rather delectable, Marco Revera.
That’s right, Princess Sofia is in love with none other than Enzo the Dull’s brother, the rather yummy Marco! Can you believe it? How the two brothers are related is a total head scratcher to this writer, but having a gorgeous new man to gaze at on Princess Sofia’s arm is not something I for one will ever grow tired of.
Do we hear wedding bells in the not-too-distant future? And, more importantly, will we get to see the rather delicious Marco looking every inch like James Bond in a tux that actually fits him, gazing lovingly at his future wife as she makes her way down the aisle toward him?
Oh, swoon!
We live in hope, Princess Sofia. We live in hope.
Yours always in the most delicious of gossip,
Fabiana Fontaine xx
#RoyallyInLove
#FromSadToFab
#FairyTalesCanComeTrue
Marco slips his hand into mine as we meander through the palace gardens on an early-autumn Villadorata evening, the setting sun casting a beautiful glow around our surrounds, and I catch his eye, smiling at him. The leaves on the trees are turning beautiful hues of rusts and gold, and Lemon and Pepper race past us, disturbing the fallen leaves on the ground, having a marvelous time .
“Just look at my dogs running around in happy abandon,” I say on a giddy laugh. Because that’s exactly how I’ve felt since Marco and I admitted our love for one another the moment before Father revealed his and Mummy’s plot to bring us together. Giddy. Giddy and joyful and utterly, utterly blissfully in love with the man at my side.
The man I never thought was right for me.
The man I never knew how much I needed.
But need him and love him I do, and we’ve spent the last ten weeks enjoying getting to know one another better, spending as much time together as we can, and falling further and further in love in the process.
Who would have thought this man I first met as “Duck” in his too-small dinner suit, with his tousled mane of hair, beguiling turquoise eyes, and ready laugh could end up as my perfect match?
The obvious answer to that question is, of course, my parents. My parents and their plot to bring us together, to be more precise.
I know one thing for certain in this whole crazy ride we’ve been on, I will be forever grateful to them for their foresight in showing me how wrong I had been about how to find a husband. Marrying for love is my goal these days, and as I sneak a look at the man beside me, I secretly think that's exactly what I will do.
Through Marco's love, I've learned to loosen the taut strings I clung to, my formal and prim princess armor. That's not to say I turn up to official royal events dressed in gardening clothes and wellington boots, like Marco did that time at the National Portrait Gallery. I may be a new, improved, much less uptight version of myself these days, but that's definitely a step too far for royalty.
What he’s taught me is that it’s okay to have one persona for the public and another in private, and for that private one to allow love in. Not to shy away from it, to be scared of it, but to embrace it fully and without restraint.
And that’s exactly what I’ve done.
We reach the end of a tall hedge, around which Marco begins to lead me.
“We can't go that way, darling. It's cordoned off for work,” I say.
“Is it? Why don't we go and see what they're doing?”
I smile. “My boyfriend, the landscape gardener.”
“Do you know, I'm glad I can officially call myself that.”
“I do know that, as it happens.”
You see, Marco won the inner city park redevelopment he had always wanted, getting to design and build his pirate ship for the local kids. It’s giving him a deep sense of satisfaction and confirmed his career direction. And I must say, seeing him in his form-fitting T-shirts and pants, smeared with dirt, hard at work, is one of my all-time favorite things.
“I'm so proud of you, my love. Do you know that?” I ask.
He pauses, brushing a stray hair from my face. “I know. It's one of the many things I love about you, my Principessa .”
I also love it when he calls me Principessa , particularly when he follows it with a soft kiss, which, incidentally, is exactly what he does right now.
“Shall we check out the work your gardeners have been doing?” he asks.
“Let's.”
We step over the red and white plastic tape suspended between cones and into the space, Lemon and Pepper darting ahead of us in their happy labrador abandon. I expect to see a hive of activity with our palace gardeners working to transform the area into an autumnal corner of the garden. But there isn’t a gardener in sight.
I come to a stop as I take in the lush, vibrant plants, full of dahlias and chrysanthemums and a host of other autumnal flowers I couldn’t name, but I’m certain Marco could. There's a charming gazebo at one end, decorated with soft linen and fresh floral garlands that I've never seen before, and a small pond, reflecting the setting sun.
“This is gorgeous!” I exclaim in wonderment.
“It is,” he confirms as we wander through the garden, reaching the gazebo.
I turn to Marco, but instead of finding him standing at my side, admiring the garden, he's now down on one knee and looking up at me with a depth of love in his eyes that takes my breath away.
Instantly, my heart begins to hammer.
This is it.
This is the moment.
This is what I've been wanting for, only I'm about to get what I've been dreaming of with a man I love so very deeply.
Marco swallows, his Adam's apple bouncing, and I know he's nervous. “Sofia. My Principessa . I never knew a woman as incredible as you could love a man like me, but I want you to know how very grateful I am to be in your life, to love you as fervently as I do.” He pauses, his eyes filling with tears, and I feel as though my heart could burst with love for this beautiful man down on one knee. “I love you with all my heart, and I want to keep on loving you for the rest of my days and beyond. I want nothing more than for you to be my wife.”
I lift a trembling hand to my mouth, my own eyes pooling with tears as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small box. He pops the lid open to reveal a stunning solitaire diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds and finished with Ledonian red rubies, the stones glinting in the soft glow from the setting sun.
“Sofia, my love, will you do me the very great honor of marrying me?”
Tears stream down my face as I crouch down in front of him and press my lips urgently against his. “Yes, yes! I will marry you!”
Being Marco, he lets out a laugh as he pulls the stunning ring from the box and slides it onto my ring finger, and I gaze down at it.
“It’s beautiful,” I say.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmurs.
Pepper bounds over to us, placing a wet lick on my cheek, making me laugh.
“I see Pepper approves,” Marco says.
“I think she does.” I gaze at the ring on my finger once more. “This ring.”
“I hoped you'd like it,” he replies. “There needed to be some Ledonian red, of course, but I thought you might appreciate only a hint.”
“It’s perfect,” I gush.
“I also hope you like this particular spot in the garden.”
I blink at him in disbelief, my mind leaping to a conclusion. “You did this?”
“For you.”
“Marco, I love it! But how? Our head gardener is rather prickly and would never let you?—”
He stops my words with a kiss. “Let's just say your parents were the ones calling the shots for this evening, not your head gardener.”
“My parents?” I say on a laugh. “They helped you with this? After the whole riddle extravaganza, I shouldn’t be surprised.”
“It was my idea to make a special area in the garden just for us, and your father liked the idea. I’ve been working on it for several weeks. Your head gardener, Ralph, is a good guy.”
I roll my eyes in good humor. “Of course you and he are friends. You’re amazing. And really, if my parents weren't the king and queen I would suggest they become professional matchmaking fairy godparents.”
“They sure are crafty.”
“Thank you for this,” I say, looking around at the gorgeous setting, bathed in the evening glow. “It’s so beautiful.”
“Anything for you, my love,” he replies. He pulls me to my feet as music fills the air and I recognise the opening bars to Sucker . “The Jonas Brothers?” I question.
“I figured we needed a song, and besides, I’m a total sucker for you,” he says as he pulls me against him once more.
I grin up at him, gazing into his eyes, filled with love. “I'm a total sucker for you, too, future husband.”
“I like the sound of that. I told you songs featuring whistling are the best.”
I throw my arms around his neck. “I love whistling songs and I love you. I’m endlessly grateful that no matter how much I fought it to begin with, life has led me to you.”
“Ditto,” he replies with a grin.
“Did you know you’re my unexpected miracle?”
“I guess we're both unexpected miracles in one another’s lives.”
As he presses his lips against mine once more, enveloping me in the most dizzyingly romantic and love-filled kiss, I know that this is where I was always meant to be, with this incredible man. A man I love with all my heart. A man who will one day be my husband. He was my unexpected path, but a path I will be ever grateful I took, now and always.