Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Once everything had calmed down, Sabine traveled south with a handful of guards who’d volunteered to escort her.
Anton had been sworn in as the new king of Lynk.
The people had been sad to see her go. However, once she gave her full support to Anton, people began to come around.
After he married the commoner, everyone fully embraced him.
It felt like she hadn’t been home in years, even though it had only been a few months. So much had changed that she no longer felt like the same person who’d left here, determined to seek revenge for her sister’s death.
When the carriage rounded the bend revealing her family’s castle in the distance, tears filled her eyes.
She’d missed this more than she’d realized.
Things had been so busy lately that she hadn’t had time to think about her life here in Bakley.
Seeing her family’s land, she knew that she’d made the right decision by leaving Lynk.
Now that she understood what it meant to be a queen, she wanted to thank her mother for all she’d done for her family and her kingdom.
The carriage pulled through the gates and onto the road leading to the castle.
Her family stood on the front steps, waiting for her.
An overwhelming sense of gratitude, love, and something else that she couldn’t pinpoint overwhelmed her.
When the carriage came to a stop, she almost shoved the door open, wanting to throw her arms around her parents.
However, she refrained from doing so. Not only was she no longer a child, but she was the princess of Bakley and needed to act accordingly.
Drew opened the door and held out his hand for her. Before she could take it, Harta jumped out of the carriage, thrilled to finally be able to run around. Smiling, Sabine took Drew’s hand, gingerly stepping down onto Bakley soil. “Thank you for escorting me,” she whispered to her loyal guard.
“It has been a pleasure serving you, Your Highness.” He bowed.
“I wish you nothing but the best,” she said. “Both you and Harper.” She knew her guard and lady’s maid had formed an attachment to one another. She hoped it worked out for them—they deserved happiness.
His face flushed. “Thank you, Your Highness.” He closed the carriage door and gave the order to head out. Now that he’d brought her home, he would return to Lynk with the soldiers who had accompanied them.
Not bothering to watch the carriage leave, she turned and faced her family, Harta obediently at her side.
She shifted her cape behind her shoulders as a genuine smile stretched across her face.
Front and center, her parents, Franz and Elsa, stood arm in arm.
To their right were Karl and his wife, Jesamine, along with their boys, Haron and Beck.
Jesamine’s stomach looked like a small melon had been placed under her dress indicating she was pregnant.
On her parents’ other side, Rolf had his arm draped over his wife who held their sleeping baby. Otto and Viktor stood next to them.
Suddenly, everything felt right in Sabine’s life.
Elsa opened her arms, and Sabine ran into them, squeezing her mother. The next thing she knew, the entire family had piled in for the hug. Tears of joy streamed down her cheeks. She was home with her family—the people who loved her most in the world. Harta ran circles around them.
The wedding was held the following day in the chapel on the castle’s property.
Everyone from town had been invited. So many came that people were forced to stand around the edges and at the back.
Flowers decorated the aisle. The marriage binder stood on the dais with Viktor off to the side, awaiting his bride.
Sabine and her family sat in the first row.
A group of musicians began playing, and everyone stood to watch Carin enter the chapel at the back, wearing a beautiful soft white dress in the traditional Avoni style, with pale pink roses embroidered along the hemline.
A cape with long sleeves matching the dress lay atop her shoulders.
She walked down the aisle, joining Viktor.
Sabine watched the two of them, remembering her own wedding day to Rainer. This ceremony felt vastly different from that one. Here, friends and family gathered to watch and support this union. This wasn’t done in secret or in haste.
Once the ceremony was complete, everyone headed over to the castle’s great hall to celebrate.
Sabine used the opportunity to slip away for a moment. First, she went to the garden where she plucked a single white rose. Then she headed to the royal family’s cemetery. She went to Alina’s grave, pleased to see a bouquet of lavender had been left on it.
Kneeling, she ran her hand over the headstone.
“My dear, sweet sister.” She laid the single rose on the grave.
“I made a promise to you. I promised to find who murdered you and to avenge your death. It wasn’t as easy as I thought.
” Taking a deep breath, she tried not to cry.
“I found out Rainer’s own sister, Lottie, wanted the throne.
She hired an assassin, and the assassin poisoned you.
I’m so sorry. So, so sorry. The assassin is dead.
Lottie is dead.” Sabine kissed her fingers, then brushed the kiss onto the headstone.
“Axel is dead. Rainer is dead.” So much death and for what? Power? It seemed so silly and petty.
“You didn’t deserve this. I miss you. Every day.” Sabine stood, wiping the tears that slid down her cheeks. “I hope you’ve found happiness wherever you are.” She headed to the castle, back to the wedding celebration, to celebrate the joining of two people in marriage.
It was funny how life continued on. When Alina died, Sabine found it hard to live, hard to breathe, hard to carry on. But she was forced to, and so she did. Her family would never be the same. Life would never be the same. But Alina wouldn’t be forgotten.
Inside, she found the celebration in full swing. People were dancing in the middle of the room while others sat eating at the tables around the perimeter.
“Sister,” Viktor said, coming to stand at her side. “Have you met my wife, Carin?” He pointed his chin to the dance floor where Carin was dancing with their father.
“I have.” She wondered how Carin felt about coming to Bakley and marrying Viktor. “How’s it going?”
“I never thought I would marry for political reasons.” He lifted a single eyebrow. “But I think I lucked out. Carin is beautiful, funny, witty. We seem to get along.”
“That’s all well and good, but remember—she’s an assassin.” She tried to keep her lips from pulling into a smile. “I wouldn’t tease or upset her too much.”
Viktor’s head tilted toward Sabine. “Thank you for that information. I will keep that in mind every night when I sleep by her side,” he deadpanned.
At that, Sabine burst out laughing. She missed joking with her brothers.
The song ended and Carin and Franz came over and joined them. Viktor took his wife’s hand and he twirled her into the medley of dancers.
“Can I have a turn with my baby girl?” Franz asked.
“I would love that.”
The song that started was a slower tune, giving them the opportunity to talk.
“I’ll give you a full update tomorrow when we have a chance to speak in private,” Sabine assured him.
“I’m more concerned with how you’re doing.”
“I don’t want to talk about anything related to Lynk right now. Today, I just want to celebrate and be happy with my family.” Tomorrow she could tell him all that had happened.
“I can understand that.” He filled her in on the town gossip, her nephews’ antics, renovations to the stables, how her horse missed her, and how her mother seemed to be doing much better.
Sabine took it all in. The familiar faces, the fragrant flowers, the feel of home.
Someone tapped her shoulder, and she glanced to see who it was.
Two green eyes were staring right at her, amused.
“Evander?” She spun around to face him.
“At your service,” he said with a bow. “I came for my sister’s wedding.” The corners of his lips pulled up as he fought a smile. “It’s good to see you, Princess Sabine.”
“I’ll let the two of you finish this dance,” Franz said. “I’m going to go find my wife.” He patted Sabine on the shoulder before leaving.
“Dance with me.”
Her heart picked up, beating faster as she put her hands on Evander.
“I hear you’re missing a husband,” he said, amusement sparkling in his eyes.
“I am.” She wanted to ask him why he didn’t save her that night in the army camp.
“Is the position open?”
Her brows pulled together in confusion.
“Because if it is,” he went on, “I’d like the opportunity to fill the role.”
“You want to be my husband?” she asked, dumbfounded by this turn of events.
“More than anything. I want to marry you. I want to be your husband. I want a life with you. Say you’ll marry me.” His eyes sparkled with amusement.
She pulled back, searching his face. “I thought you left me,” she whispered. “That night, at the army camp…”
“I left with my men,” he said. “I knew you could take care of yourself. That you didn’t need me to save you.”
“I thought you didn’t care about me.”
“You have to know,” he whispered. “You have to know how much I love you.”
She threw her arms around his neck, yanking him to her. “I love you, too.”
He chuckled, the sound light and happy. “That’s good to hear. Because I have no intention of letting you go.”
His lips came down, gently kissing hers.
They were in public, kissing. And it was okay. She wasn’t married. She was just Sabine, the princess of Bakley. And she could do as she pleased with whomever she pleased. It just so happened she loved Evander.
And planned on spending the rest of her life with him.
The End