Chapter 3
A New Dress
“Evelyn! Wake up already!”
Evelyn jumped at the voice interrupting her dream about a handsome guard on the beach.
“Dammit, Hannah.” She groaned into her pillow. “What time is it?”
“Ten o’clock!”
That can’t possibly be true. Surely, it’s still the middle of the night.
“Are you lying?”
“No, I am not! You missed breakfast with the Ducasses!”
Shit.
Evelyn opened her eyes but immediately closed them again to fend off the bright morning sunshine streaming through her large windows. “Why didn’t you wake me earlier?”
“I tried! You told me to fuck off and nearly singed my hair with your Fire magic.”
That does sound like me.
“So I left,” Hannah continued, “and you missed breakfast and you didn’t get to meet the prince!”
Evelyn leaned against the headboard, slowly letting her eyes adjust. “You met Prince Alexander this morning?”
Hannah jumped on the bed and made herself comfortable. “Yes! He’s amazing!”
A sense of relief swept through Evelyn.
She likes him. She’s happy. It will be okay. I won’t have to set a prince on fire.
“Tell me everything.”
“The king introduced Alexander and he bowed to me and he has the most gorgeous smile and he sat across from me at breakfast and he is so friendly and he kept asking me questions about myself and what Carrowmore is like and his blond hair looks so soft and shiny, but he couldn’t stay long because he has work to do, but he promised to take me on a walk through the garden later and he said he is looking forward to getting to know me and he bowed to me again before leaving and he is so, so, so perfect, Evelyn, you don’t even know! ”
Hannah remembered she needed to breathe.
Evelyn processed the rapid-fire summary. “So… you like him?”
“YES!” Hannah flopped to her side on the bed.
“Well, then it’s good that I overslept. You and Alexander had time to get to know each other without me saying something dumb.”
“That’s a good point.” Hannah sat up again. “Maybe you should stay in this room while we’re in Gryon.”
“Hey! You can’t keep me prisoner. You aren’t a Ducasse yet.”
“But I will be soon!” Hannah laughed. “Can you imagine it? I could live here where it doesn’t rain every day. The palace is right on the Sapphire Sea and it wouldn’t be that far to travel to Neskowin. I could meet so many new people.”
Does she want to get married, or just get out of our drafty castle?
I can’t ask her that right now. Not while she’s this excited.
“Let’s hope Alexander continues to be charming and doesn’t turn into a jerk,” Evelyn said instead.
“Don’t even joke about that. He’s perfect. Nothing is going to ruin this for me.”
“How do you know he’s perfect? What do you like about him?”
Hannah paused like she wasn’t expecting the question. “He’s… a gentleman. He’s handsome. Everyone likes a prince, right?”
She only met him this morning. It’s okay that she doesn’t know him very well yet. But will she be able to see past the crown?
“Will I like him when I finally get to meet him?”
“I never know who you will like or not, Evelyn,” Hannah said with deep exasperation.
“What are you talking about?”
“Do you remember meeting Lord Bryant?”
“At that dinner we had with the Moran family? Yeah, I guess so.”
“Do you remember calling his youngest son an asshole?”
Evelyn rolled her eyes. “I didn’t say it loud enough for Lord Bryant to hear.”
Hannah threw her hands up. “That doesn’t make it okay!”
“His son was being an asshole.”
“He was a child!”
“He was knocking shit off the table with his Air magic. Like a cat, Hannah!”
“He was only four! He was learning how to use his powers.”
“Then his parents are the assholes for not setting any rules. Even a cat would be sprayed with water for that.”
“You cannot call the Lord of the Air Court an asshole!”
“Too late!”
Hannah sighed. “My point is, I don’t know if you will like Prince Alexander or not. I cannot predict your arbitrary reasons for liking or disliking important people.”
“What will you do if I don’t like him?”
“I don’t know, Evelyn. But you are not the one who is going to marry him, so I think we will all survive.”
“Not sure about that,” Evelyn countered. “Fire would definitely win in a fight against Vision magic.”
“No!” Hannah reprimanded. “You cannot already plan on fighting with my future husband!”
“Future husband? This morning really did go well for you.”
Hannah grinned. “Get dressed. You’ve wasted most of the morning.”
Evelyn laughed as Hannah practically skipped out of the room.
I can’t believe I’m the younger sister. Hannah seems so innocent sometimes. I swear I will burn this palace down if the prince hurts her.
Evelyn passed several guards on her way downstairs.
The Connollys brought a dozen members of Carrowmore’s Royal Guard. They wore crimson tunics, with a shortsword. Fae who worked as guards or soldiers in Carrowmore trained with weapons but were more likely to use Elemental magic to defend the royal family.
Members of Gryon’s Royal Guard were stationed in and around the palace.
They wore blue tunics and each had a longsword in a scabbard on their backs, as well as a dagger sheathed at their thighs.
Perceptual magic was less inherently dangerous than Elemental magic, so guards and soldiers in Gryon relied more on weapons.
Evelyn found Hannah and Queen Camille in the sitting room.
“Good morning. Did you sleep well?” the queen asked.
“I did, thank you.” Evelyn blushed. “I apologize for missing breakfast.”
“It was just breakfast, nothing formal. But I have good news. King Gerard and your father decided to throw a ball.”
“A ball?” Hannah beamed. “When? Who will be there?”
“Four days from now. Invitations will go out today to the lords of the four courts and their families, as well as other significant fae of the region. Hannah, this will be a great opportunity for you to meet many important people in Gryon.”
Hannah paled, then nodded.
“But mostly,” the queen continued, “a ball is an excuse for a new dress and a night of dancing.”
“Are you certain it was the kings who came up with this plan?” Evelyn asked.
The queen’s eyes lit up. “They wanted Hannah to meet the lords. I may have been the one to suggest a ball was the ideal way to accomplish that goal.”
They better have wine at this party. And the prince needs to show up. I don’t think I’ll trust Alexander until I see what he and Hannah are like together.
The kings were engaged in Important King Business and did not come down for lunch. The prince was also absent and had not been seen since breakfast.
Queen Camille brought Hannah and Evelyn to a room on the second floor. Gabrielle, the royal dressmaker, did not waste any time moving Hannah onto a small raised platform to get the princess’s measurements.
Hannah picked a turquoise satin for her dress. Someone knocked on the door just as Gabrielle finished draping fabric pieces over Hannah to plan the neckline. One of the dressmaker’s assistants opened the door.
A maid entered and curtsied to the queen. “Pardon me, Your Majesty. Prince Alexander has returned and is requesting to see Princess Hannah.”
“Oh!” Hannah squealed. “He’s going to show me the garden!”
“Hold still,” Gabrielle scolded her.
“Please tell Alexander that Hannah will join him soon,” the queen directed the maid.
Hannah flew out of the room when Gabrielle released her a few minutes later.
She’s actually worried the prince will leave without her.
Evelyn stepped onto the fitting platform next. Gabrielle was marginally more patient with her than she’d been with Hannah.
Does she like that I’m not as fidgety as my sister, or is my dress less important than the future queen’s?
Future queen… Hannah would be good at that. Everyone loves her. She’s kind. She’s good at talking to people. The ball will be a breeze for her.
Evelyn decided on an icy blue fabric for her own gown. She was trying to remember why the color looked familiar when the queen spoke up.
“Did you enjoy your stroll on the beach last night?” Queen Camille chuckled when the question visibly surprised Evelyn. “You aren’t in trouble. I know how tempting that ocean is under a full moon.”
“It was beautiful,” Evelyn said. “I didn’t realize anyone had seen me, other than the guard.”
“Which guard?”
“Leo… He didn’t say a last name. He wanted to make sure I was all right.”
The queen raised a brow. “Leo was with you?”
“Yes… Should he not have been?”
“No, that’s absolutely fine. It’s just that Leo isn’t social often, especially with new people.”
“Oh. You know him well, then?”
“I do.” Queen Camille smiled. “He’s been with us a long time. You enjoyed talking with him?”
“Yes, he’s… clever.”
“You are quite right, Princess Evelyn.”
The queen seemed pleased, and her eyes shone with some other emotion Evelyn couldn’t identify.
I shouldn’t be shocked that royals enjoy gossip as much as the rest of us.
If Leo has worked here for a long time and has favor with the queen, maybe he’s higher-ranking than I thought. One of them would’ve said if he was the Commander of the Royal Guard, but he could be close to that level.
Will I see him again? Does he even want to see me again? He was probably just being nice last night. Nicer than he should’ve been, considering I set a trellis on fire and insulted the royal family.
But I would really like to see him again.