20
L ord Irving, a bony man with an abundance of black hair, greeted us at the steps of Vandil’s city hall the next morning.
“This way, Your Highness, Lady Narcissa,” the lord mayor said, leading us up the stairs behind a row of large pillars. At the top of the granite steps was a platform. On top was a single podium where Crown Prince Bennett was to give his speech.
Below, the Royal Guard positioned themselves at their stations with help from the city guard, armor clinking amidst the murmuring of a growing crowd.
Lord Irving wiped his brow as the civilians gathered along the street. “My deepest apologies for the short notice,” he said, eyes darting from us to the rabble. “I wasn’t sure if you were going to make a public appearance, Your Highness, but I’m afraid news of your arrival traveled faster than I expected and the people— ”
Crown Prince Bennett held up a hand. “We must do what we can to keep the kingdom at peace.” There were dark circles under his eyes, as if he had stayed up late last night.
The lord mayor nodded profusely. “Would you like some tea?”
For the next fifteen minutes he kept offering to bring tea, which Ulysses declined with increasing firmness. I fidgeted in my seat as the steward fussed and Crown Prince Bennett stared intently at his script, feeling rather useless. Ulysses said all I had to do was stand there and look pleasant.
It wasn’t long before the street flooded with people craning their necks to catch a glimpse of us. The guards held them in, though they were nothing but a flimsy chain compared to the sea of civilians.
I stole a glance at Crown Prince Bennett. There was a crease between his brow as he studied the script. I was surprised he hadn’t burned a hole into the paper yet.
“You’ll do fine,” I said.
This seemed to startle him. Crown Prince Bennett glanced at me before lowering his gaze again. “Thank you,” he said softly. The low timbre of his voice sounded almost gentle.
To my alarm, I blushed. I pressed a hand to my cheek. Was I feverish?
Before I could think too much on it, Lord Irving headed toward the podium, gesturing us to follow. Ulysses raised his eyebrows at me meaningfully, jutting a chin to the crown prince.
As the crowd’s murmuring grew, I grabbed Crown Prince Bennett’s hand, interlocking his fingers with my own. The action was difficult with the bulk of our gloves, but I hardly knew what else to do. It seemed that I had to take our image into consideration after all. He certainly didn’t.
“Welcome, citizens of Vandil!” Lord Irving said, projecting his voice over the rabble.
The crown prince eased his hand out of my hold. He looked uncomfortable. I was half-tempted to try again, but the crowd didn’t seem to be paying Lord Irving half as much attention as they were us.
“...this wonderful city. And now, it is my honor to welcome His Highness, Crown Prince Bennett Median, and his fiancée, Lady Narcissa Greenwood!”
The crowd cheered, but among the applause were several curses. I followed the crown prince to the podium, trailing a step behind as he greeted the quieting rabble.
The guard to my right gave me an encouraging grin. Red hair poked out from his helmet. I returned Flannery’s smile half-heartedly as I watched Crown Prince Bennett’s back. His posture was stiffer than usual as he began reading his script.
“It is the highest honor to tour Olderea this winter in celebration of my engagement with Lady Narcissa. As your future rulers, it is vital that we observe our kingdom at a personal level and connect with the land and the people who upkeep it—people such as yourselves. By the end of the tour, we hope our union will inspire those of all backgrounds, magical or non magical, to live in harmony and bring our kingdom to prosperity.”
The crowd began murmuring again. A woman shouted, “What a load of rubbish!”
The crown prince ignored her and continued his speech. His voice, though commanding in a room, was far too quiet for outdoors.
A young man in the crowd jeered. “We can’t hear you, Your Highness! ”
This made him pause. I wrung my fingers and looked back at Ulysses, who shifted nervously on his feet. This group was certainly not as calm as the one in Delibera. Very few were smiling. The faces of the ones closest to us were tense and displeased.
Giselle had not joined us, claiming to be under the weather. I wished we had her peacekeeping magic at hand. Some individuals looked like they could use some restraining.
Ulysses’s pretty speech would not satisfy them.
Crown Prince Bennett stopped speaking as the crowd’s murmurs grew into chatter. He was freezing up. Prince Ash told me to take over if that happened. I certainly couldn’t stand and look pleasant in these conditions.
Pulling off my gloves, I stepped forward and slammed my hands on the podium. The sound was blunt, but effective. The noise quieted.
“Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention?” I said, enunciating each syllable.
Mother had a way of speaking to the public that almost ridiculed them—slowly and clearly as if to a child. Yet her demeanor was so pleasant that one couldn’t help but listen.
Public speaking was a skill essential to a crown princess. That was why Mother taught me all she knew.
Shoulders back. Chin up. Breathe from your stomach. Project. Take up space.
Hopefully, it would be enough to tame such a crowd.
Their eyes followed me as I walked across the platform. “We understand the last six months have been...uncomfortable for all of you. So much so that some situations have escalated into violence. The purpose of this tour is not only celebratory. We hope to address the issues the people of Olderea are facing with the end of the Non-Magic Age. ”
Crown Prince Bennett met my eye before speaking. This time, he matched my volume. “Therefore, we will listen. In two days, I will meet with those who make an appointment with Lord Irving here at city hall. You may report your concerns. I will do my best to solve them when we return to Delibera.”
Ulysses scurried forward. “Er. Your Highness this is most unprecedented—”
But the crowd drowned out his voice. The people at the front still didn’t look happy, but the tense lines around their mouths had eased. I exhaled slowly.
“Only you, Your Highness? Will Lady Narcissa be there?” someone shouted. A few murmured in agreement.
“She’s a witch, is she not? She can answer our questions.”
Crown Prince Bennett tucked his hands behind his back. “Lady Narcissa will be present if you wish.”
“Are you actually going to marry her? Or is it just for show?” an elderly woman with round spectacles demanded.
The crowd grew rowdy again, this time accusing our engagement of being disingenuous. Someone threw a head of cabbage at us, though it only made it halfway up the stairs.
“You wouldn’t even hold her hand!” someone shouted.
I looked over at Ulysses, eyes wide. The steward looked at a loss. Neither of us could deny what the crowd was saying.
“You royals hate magic as much as we do! Why keep up the charade?”
Crown Prince Bennett thinned his lips. “Lady Narcissa and I indeed will be married.”
“Prove it, then. Kiss the witch!” the elderly woman shouted.
When Ulysses had warned us of the rowdy crowd, I expected cursing and profanities. But certainly not this amount of impropriety .
“Unless you find her too repulsive!”
“You wouldn’t even ride in the same carriage as her!”
I blinked, taken aback as a gaggle of young people hooted in agreement.
At that moment it became clear to me how much had changed. I was no longer a noblewoman’s daughter. Not even the crown princess. I was nothing but a witch.
A repulsive witch.
The crowd’s chatter soon turned into a chant. “Kiss the witch! Kiss the witch! Kiss the witch!”
I fought for composure. First it was Lady Huntington and Isabelle’s disrespect. Now it was the entire city of Vandil. Was Mother right? Was I friendless and weak and pathetic without her? Was I nothing without her? The back of my eyes burned.
I should have never left the walls of Greenwood Abbey.
Ulysses looked bewildered. Lord Irving had taken shelter behind a pillar. The guards held their station, ready to take action if things escalated.
For once, Crown Prince Bennett’s emotions were written plainly on his features. He was terrified. He couldn’t deny what the crowd accused him of. The realization was harder to swallow than I thought. Perhaps we were both unequipped to go through with this tour.
I squeezed my gloves and stepped back. But the crown prince touched my shoulder. I blinked back my tears.
“If I may...?” he mouthed.
I stared. Surely he wasn’t considering it.
He repeated the inquiry.
Heavens. I had underestimated him. He became engaged to someone he believed was a traitor. Why wouldn’t he kiss her too, as long as it pleased his people?
And why wouldn’t I go along with it? There was no future for me in Greenwood Abbey. I had dedicated myself to be the perfect crown princess. A crown princess must be unfazed. A crown princess must not be jeered at.
A crown princess I shall be.
Taking a breath, I nodded.
Crown Prince Bennett leaned in. I braced myself as the crowd roared.
Hesitant lips grazed the corner of mine. I waited for a firmer press, but he merely stood frozen, a full two feet away. He was either the most unenthusiastic kisser I had ever come across, or he had never done this before.
It was most likely the latter, if the guards’ gossip had any ring of truth. I was dangerously close to laughing at the absurdity of the situation. Heavens. The people of Vandil would humiliate him into the next millennia.
There was no time for wallowing in self-pity. I had a performance to give, and it must not disappoint.
I yanked the crown prince into me, holding his face in hopes it would shield the spectators from his inexperience. My gloves dropped to the floor.
The crowd crescendoed.
Crown Prince Bennett’s cheeks burned hot against my palms. Though he still didn’t move his lips, they were soft and smooth and pliable beneath mine. His skin carried a heady scent of cedar and spices, masculine and warm. My knees weakened. I began to count, hoping it would steady me.
One.
Two.
Three.
It was a shame—or perhaps a blessing—that he didn’t know how to kiss properly.
Four.
I was sure I would dissolve into pudding if he did anything more than stand there.
Five.
Six.
His breath hitched.
I released him.
Cheers and hoots exploded from the audience. I opened my eyes in time to see Crown Prince Bennett gape at me. His mouth was smudged with berry red rouge.
“Apologies,” I whispered. I quickly wiped it away with my fingers, lest the people found something else to make fun of him for.
“I...” He exhaled, staring at me with wide eyes.
I stared right back.
“Er, that was a lovely speech, Your Highness,” Lord Irving said.
The crown prince stumbled back like a child caught doing something he shouldn’t have. I touched my lips, wishing they would stop tingling, or better yet, disappear all together.
Because a quiet, curious part of me wanted to kiss him even without the chanting crowd.
Crown Prince Bennett bent to retrieve my gloves from the floor. “Yours,” he mumbled.
I took them. “Thank you. ”
He gave a jerky nod before turning on his heel. “Lord Irving, be sure to take the appointments and bring them to me. Ulysses, let us go.”
ULYSSES WAS UNCHARACTERISTICALLY silent during the carriage ride back. Crown Prince Bennett stiffened whenever our knees brushed and wouldn’t meet my eye when I inquired about the following days. They both split off upon arriving at Lady Marianna’s manor.
I was left standing in the parlor. My boldness had since fled, leaving nothing but a nagging sense of shame as a servant took my coat and gloves. Misty meandered toward me from the hall.
How did it go? she meowed, brushing against my leg.
I bent down to sink my fingers into her fur. It was softer since Lady Marianna had her groomed. After telling her everything, I fanned my hot cheeks and slumped onto the floor. “I think I need to apologize.”
Apologize? How do you know he didn’t enjoy it? Misty said cheekily.
“Well. It wasn’t that kind of kiss. It was just for show.” I grew flustered when I replayed the moment. I doubted the crown prince would have felt the difference between an earnest kiss and a kiss for show, seeing as he had nothing to compare it to. Heavens, I didn’t even know the difference.
I wanted to kiss him. Very much so. He, on the other hand, had no choice. Not with the goading crowd. Had I been too zealous? Did I take advantage of him?
“He wouldn’t even look at me,” I finally choked out.
Misty crawled onto my lap as I stroked her back. How about I ask Pippin to observe him and report back ?
“Since when did you start talking to Pippin?” Only yesterday she was throwing a tantrum because of the tabby cat.
Misty flicked her tail. None of your concern. Do you want to hear from him or not?
I shook my head. It didn’t seem right to spy with my magic again. It would be better to confront him straight on.
I found myself before Crown Prince Bennett’s door. Forcing my erratic heartbeat to calm, I raised my hand to knock, but promptly stopped at the sound of voices within.
“His Majesty would never allow such a thing,” came Ulysses’s voice. The steward sounded agitated.
“Allow what? Listening to our people?” Crown Prince Bennett asked. The door was slightly ajar. I caught a glimpse of him rising from his chair, his back to me.
Ulysses exhaled. “No. He would never allow such disorganization. Listening to the people involves written reports and schedules—”
“You know how Father is with reports. He only reads what he deems important,” the crown prince said. “Why else did you think the problem with Vandil’s textile trade came as a surprise?”
“You’ve changed. You’re bending too much to the people’s will. What is this supposed to be? Some desperate attempt to defy your father?”
“No, Ulysses. You know me too well to say that.”
Ulysses quieted. After a beat, he said, “This isn’t because of Lady Narcissa, is it?”
I stilled at the sound of my name.
Crown Prince Bennett sat back down. “What do you mean?”
“You’re influenced by her,” Ulysses said, his tone accusing. “If she hadn’t interrupted your speech, none of this would have happened. ”
“She saw things more clearly than we did,” Crown Prince Bennett said, turning away.
“She is a good speaker. You should learn that from her, but everything else—”
“Don’t you think the future queen should have a say in kingdom matters? Olderea has two rulers for a reason, Ulysses. That is something you and my father do not seem to understand.” His voice rose and quieted. “And you’re wrong about her influence. It’s not what you think.”
“Perhaps, Your Highness, I would be more convinced if you hadn’t just been thoroughly kissed,” the steward said flatly. “I was young once. I’m aware of the effect these things have on people.”
My cheeks flamed. I wouldn’t be able to look Ulysses in the eye for at least a week.
Crown Prince Bennett seemed similarly ruffled, but I didn’t linger to hear his response. I was too humiliated, knowing that my actions may have gotten him in trouble with King Maximus.
THE NEXT COUPLE OF days were as busy as could be. I rarely saw the crown prince, much less had time to apologize. I poured myself into sewing his shirt instead, a project I had forgotten about until Giselle barged in several nights to remind me. I quickly fell into a rhythm of stitching. Uneven, lopsided stitching, but stitching nonetheless. The needle grew familiar between my fingers, and though wielding it was painful in more ways than one, I found the pain more bearable than the embarrassment that arose whenever I recalled our kiss.
When Lord Irving sent us the list of appointments he had collected, the sheer volume sent Ulysses into a frenzy.
“Fitting these all into a day is impossible,” Ulysses said, throwing his hands in the air. “This was not part of the schedule!”
After hearing his complaints, Lady Marianna and Prince Ash volunteered to take part in the hearings. This quelled the steward considerably.
The next day at city hall, we listened to the citizens’ qualms.
“I detest waking up in the morning and seeing things float about like they’ve been possessed!” a laundry woman exclaimed.
“The witches always startle my sheep. I don’t know what they are doing to them,” a shepherd said.
“My store cannot compete with the ones at the witch market,” an elder who owned an antique store complained. “Did you know their porcelain figurines are enchanted to talk? Unbelievable!”
A blacksmith shook his wild-maned head. “They’re making swords and axes and saws that make no noise. Can you imagine a silent saw? The woodworkers are snatching those up right, left, and center!”
One woman asked me if witches such as myself drank the blood of children, to which I replied no. After several strings of profanity thrown my way, she was escorted out by Maddox and Flannery. There didn’t seem to be any witches in the midst, merely humans who wanted to ask me how magic worked. Some even asked how to get rid of it.
“No one needs my horses anymore,” a horse-breeder said, scowling heavily at me from across the table. “It’s because your kind enchants carts to carry themselves whenever someone asks. Next thing you know, the fields will be plowing themselves. How is anyone supposed to make a living with all this magic around?”
I noted that Cozbi got put out of work for the very same reason. The horse was living a more pampered life because of it, but I didn’t feel it wise to mention that to the breeder.
By the end of the day, the four of us rattled back to the estate, tired to the bone.
“Many in Vandil still have a strong prejudice against witchkind,” Lady Marianna said, shaking her head.
Prince Ash heaved a sigh, looking out the small window of the carriage. “I’ve been here for a month observing the situation. The main issue is the Vandil witch market outperforming other shops, despite being so new. People flock to see all the oddities. And with prices being so low for magical items...well let’s say the average family can have self-cleaning dishes.”
I furrowed my brow. “Why are the prices so low?” One would assume a self-driving cart or a talking porcelain figurine would cost a fortune.
“Witches aren’t used to being paid fair wages for their products and services. I suppose they’re low because they don’t know where to start,” Prince Ash said.
“How is the textile trade with foreign merchants?” Crown Prince Bennett asked from beside me.
Prince Ash made a face. “Not good. They’re still asking for witch-made fabrics, but I’ve managed to convince them to revisit their original sources. It seems to be working for now.”
“Is the demand for finer fabrics, or utilitarian ones?” the crown prince said. His shoulder brushed mine as the carriage rolled over a bump.
“Both. They think anything witch-made is better, though I’m not sure if that is the case. ”
The crown prince nodded, gazing out at the flax fields rolling past us. “Perhaps if we limit the witches to making their specialty fabrics, the merchants will be more inclined to go to human sources for more practical materials.”
I shifted in my seat. “Will that not take away from the witch businesses?”
Crown Prince Bennett met my eye for a split second before looking away. It was dark, but I swore his ears grew red. His voice, however, was as soft and level as ever. “Finer fabrics will naturally be more expensive. Witches can increase their prices. If their fabrics are as good as everyone claims—good enough to riot over—the merchants should have no issue paying a higher amount.”
I nodded, hoping my cheeks didn’t look as warm as they felt. “Fabrics aside, I believe we should limit anything too life-changing for the average civilian. Self-driving carts, for example. People seem the angriest over such items.”
“Good thinking, Narcissa, Bennett. I will send a letter to Father right away,” Prince Ash said. “I’ll keep our solutions vague. You know how he gets when we do all the work for him.”
The brothers exchanged a knowing glance.
Before I could read too much into it, Prince Ash yawned loudly. “But first, a bath. I believe someone spat on my leg today.”
I was ready to fall unconscious when we returned, but when I arranged myself and Misty on the bed and reached over to blow out the candle, my hands brushed over the pile of linen bunched next to it. I stared until Misty pawed my arm.
Don’t tell me you’re going to stay up all night working on that thing again , she meowed.
“I did not stay up all night. ”
She stretched herself out on the pillows. Of course. Just until three in the morning.
“I’m almost done,” I said. “I only need to attach the sleeves and sew the sides and gather the body and...blazing fires.”
I was nowhere near done. The icy air bit my ankles as I slipped out of the sheets and dug out my sewing supplies. It didn’t matter that my limbs were begging for rest.
If I couldn’t apologize verbally, at least the crown prince would have a new shirt as a consolation gift.
Misty mewed in annoyance and stuck her head under the covers. Torture yourself if you want. I’m going to dream of pleasant things and not impale myself multiple times for a garment.