Chapter 38 Kasimir
KASIMIR
Moonlight trickles in through the gaps in the hedgerow, along with the occasional excited shriek. Beside me, Ruby grips my hand. She’s shaking. But I can’t tell if it’s from nerves or excitement. Judging by the tremor in her voice, probably both.
“It’s been a month since I’ve seen them all,” she babbles. “What if they don’t like me any more?”
“They’re your sisters. Of course they’ll still like you.” I brush my fingers over the back of her hand.
“But I never got to say goodbye to the younger girls. Camellia and Fern too!” She fidgets with the ties on her lace bodice. “And then the entire palace thought I was dead… They even held a funeral for me! It must’ve been so awful for them.”
I loosen my grip on her hand and wrap my arm around her shoulders, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head. She cares way too much about those girls. Then again, the sheer number of floral-scented envelopes that’ve been shoved through my front door this past month shows they care just as much.
“Everything will be fine,” I tell her.
Before Ruby can argue, a rustling comes from the hedgerow. My muscles tense as her grip on my hand tightens – but then a grinning face pops out from the leaves.
“All clear,” Meera says. “I’ve distracted the guards. You’ve got about twenty minutes before we need to get you both out of there.” She glances at Ruby. “Just try to keep the girls quiet, if you can.”
I want to laugh at her impossible request, but Ruby’s pulling me through the curtain of leaves before I can even say thank you.
The dance circle appears before us. Moonlight spills onto the stone floor, making the tiles glow like the stars in the midnight sky.
Beside me, Ruby lets out a relieved sigh, but I can barely hear her over the squeals of her sisters.
All of them charge towards her in their puffy, multicoloured dance gowns.
“Ami!” Camellia reaches her first. “Thank the Stars you’re alright!” She throws her arms around Ruby while the rest of the girls crowd around her.
“How are you feeling?” Heather asks. “Did that awful prince hurt you anywhere?”
“Does the Scorpion have a palace?” another girl asks.
“Blossom told us you were dead!” Liliana, the youngest princess, cries.
“Blossom did what?” I growl, stepping into the circle. A few of the girls glance shyly at me, but their attention soon returns to Amaryllis when Blossom pushes out from the crowd.
“I did what I had to do,” she explains to both of us. “Father would’ve been suspicious if we all turned up to Ami’s funeral giggling about her new life with an assassin. And while I could trust the older girls to pretend to be upset…” She winces.
My eyes narrow, taking in the sight of Princess Blossom in her rose-pink dance gown. I didn’t like her before. From what I saw she could be selfish, arrogant, and oblivious to her sister’s struggles while Orion was still alive.
But tonight there’s something different about her. There’s more than just pink lacy straps on her shoulders – there’s responsibility there too. And in her warm brown features, there’s compassion, and strength enough to make the right choices, even if they hurt those closest to her.
She’ll probably make a decent queen one day.
That’s if our current shitstain of a king ever dies.
“It’s alright. I forgive you,” Ruby says, taking her sister’s arm. “It was the wisest choice.”
“Well, I don’t forgive you.” Liliana glares at Blossom. “I thought you were dead, Ami.” She turns back to Ruby. “When Blossom told us that someone had…” she sniffs, “that someone had murdered you… I couldn’t cope!”
Ruby pulls her into a hug, stroking Liliana’s brown hair. “It’s alright,” she soothes. “I’m here… I’m here, and I’m not going to let any nasty princes hurt me ever again.”
Her words cut me, and I’m weaving through the girls to stand beside Amaryllis before I can stop myself. “The same goes for all of you,” I tell her sisters. “If your father or anyone tries to hurt you or force you into a marriage you do not want, we’re only a letter away.”
“Really?” Liliana whispers, lifting her head.
“Of course,” Ruby replies, passing me a grateful smile before she turns back to her youngest sister. “I might not live in the palace any more, but I’m not abandoning you. You’ll always have me still. Always.”
I leave her side, giving her a few more minutes alone with her sisters. There’s crying, and many, many more hugs, until soon enough the conversation turns to gossip and stories from around the palace, the girls filling Ruby in on everything she’s missed.
When Meera arrives, shooting me a warning look and glancing pointedly at the archway, I return to Ruby’s side. “It’s time to go,” I tell her.
Ruby nods, and gives a final hug to each of her sisters.
Noticing Liliana standing alone, I pull her aside, taking her over to the tall hedgerow. Making sure my back is facing the rest of the princesses, I reach into my pocket to pull out a small sheathed dagger. “Here. For you.”
Her eyes become as wide as the moon. “What? Why?” she stammers.
“In case a letter isn’t quick enough,” I tell her with a quick smile.
Liliana studies the sheathed blade before quickly stuffing it into the pockets of her dance gown and grinning up at me. “Thanks.”
“Anytime.” I wink. Ruby might hate me for this later, but she’ll thank me eventually. Just the thought of leaving the princesses – some of them children – unprotected sends a shiver through my spine, and I’m not even their brother.
I glance up at the palace, picturing Sol lounging in his grand bed and being served grapes off a gold platter.
All that money, and he still can’t afford to protect his daughters…
Ruby told me about the auction for her hand, and how her father had practically gambled away one of her sisters to Prince Hugo.
If he tries that shit again he’s a dead man. King or not.
I wouldn’t deserve Ruby if I didn’t at least try.
Marching back to the group, my eyes fix on the one princess I’ve never managed to keep them off.
“Any last goodbyes?” I stroke her shoulders, my foul mood dissolving the moment my fingers brush her skin.
Ruby passes the girls a sad smile, but before she can speak—
“I have a goodbye question for the Scorpion.” Dahlia pipes up from the back, her red dance gown easily spotted in a sea of colours.
“Yes?” I sigh.
“Do you have any brothers? Ideally older and more handsome, but I’d take a younger brother as long as he’s taller and—”
“Have you no shame?” Blossom spits, but the other princesses have already turned into a fit of giggles.
“None at all.” Dahlia shrugs.
Camellia suddenly gasps. “The letters!” She pokes Blossom’s arm.
The second eldest’s frown is replaced by a look of surprise.
“Oh yes,” she starts, turning to Ruby. “We came up with a code for you, so you can actually reply to our letters without worrying about them getting caught by Father.” She pulls a sheet of parchment from her bodice and passes it to Ruby.
“Use a red envelope and we’ll always know it’s from you.
Even if your seal belongs to the baker.”
“Or Blossom’s shoemaker,” Dahlia taunts, grinning as Blossom blushes.
“Yes, or the shoemaker.” She clears her throat, glaring at Dahlia. “Just use this code to write your letters and there’ll be no risk of Father ever figuring out you’re still alive.” She turns back to Ruby, who clutches the cream parchment as if her life depends on it.
“I’ll write every week.” Her voice shakes. “And I’ll try to visit as much as possible.”
“We’ll come to you too,” Blossom says. “If we can sneak away.”
“I can help with that.” A small princess with almost-white hair pipes up from the back.
My brow scrunches in confusion. That’s odd. I don’t remember seeing her when we arrived at the dance circle, or… ever.
“Thank you, Fern,” Camellia says in a harsh tone. “Nice of you to finally show up.”
“I’ve been here the whole time!” the mousy girl protests.
“She has.” Ruby smiles at her, before addressing the group one last time. “I’ll miss you girls, but like Kasimir said, I’ll only ever be a letter away.” Her watery gaze hardens on Blossom and Camellia. “Look after them for me.”
They nod slowly, holding back their own tears.
“Let’s go.” My hand slips into Ruby’s. With a final look back, she turns from the dance circle, squeezing my hand tighter with every step.
Half an hour later, we’re walking hand in hand down the forest path that leads to Night Alley.
Above us, moonlight glides through the tree branches, painting soft patterns on the grassy floor.
I should find it beautiful, but I can’t take my eyes off the angel walking beside me.
Starlight trickles down her long hair, tempting me to wrap it around my fist and take her against a tree, like my body is screaming at me to do.
“Are you sure Meera will be alright without us?”
I cough, pushing the filthy thought from my mind. “She’ll be fine,” I say gruffly. She’d stayed behind to ensure the princesses made it back to their bedchambers safely. Not that she’d be in any trouble without us. Any monsters in this forest would run the other way if they saw Meera approaching.
“It’s a beautiful night,” Ruby sighs, tempting me again as she lifts her chin to the stars. Red hair falls away from her neck, and it takes everything within me not to kiss it.
“Yes. Beautiful,” I say, unable to look anywhere other than her skin.
She stops walking to glance at me. “What?” she giggles. “Why are you staring at me like that?”
Fuck it. I push her backwards, slowing before we reach a tree to press her back gently against it. I don’t want to overwhelm her, but I can’t take it any more. “Can I kiss you?” I ask in a low voice.
She blinks up at me, smiling before chewing on her lower lip. “I don’t know… Can you?”
“Ruby,” I warn.
“You’ve been too gentle with me lately,” she murmurs. “You know I’m not going to break if you touch me.”