Epilogue
ARCHER
“Is there a long way to go?” Ella asks me.
She keeps her eyes closed, just like I told her to.
Her fingers clasp mine tightly as I lead her across the wooden floor.
I had to pull a few strings to get the second floor cleared today, but the hospital was more than happy to oblige once I told them what I was planning to do.
I stopped short of agreeing to let them post a picture of Ella and me on their website, but I did say they were allowed to mention us on their future tours. I can imagine rooms in this ward will start fetching a pretty hefty price after today’s events.
“Just a bit more.” I guide Ella forward. The stairs, despite being refurbished, were the most treacherous part of our visit. I’m glad we’ve already cleared them. We reach the middle of the room, just below the skylight that was added to the house a century after it was built. “Okay. Stop here.”
“I’m not sure what to expect with all this build-up,” she says with a smile, eyes still shut. I could have blindfolded her. That might have been the practical thing to do. But there’s something about having her join me of her own volition that means something to me.
If we’re going to be navigating royal life together, as I hope, then she needs to go into this with her eyes wide open.
A small pang of nervousness twists inside me. Tonight is the grand finale of the Carvarell Games, with a closing ceremony like no other planned. By all counts, the last two weeks have been a resounding success. And there will be plenty of soirées and afterparties to celebrate.
But this morning, it’s just us. And I need to make this window of privacy count.
I stand in front of Ella and take both her hands in mine.
She yields her hands with her usual, trusting smile.
I love how Ella looks when she’s dazzled up for our formal events.
But there’s something even more special whenever I see her before all the ornamentation and packaging.
This is the girl from the airport—kind, sweet, and genuine.
This is how I hope to get to see her, for the rest of our lives.
“You can open your eyes now,” I say softly.
She opens them, blinking for a bit to take in our surroundings. Her eyes dart from the ceiling to the bare walls to the wooden floor. She doesn’t let her disappointment show, but it’s obvious that she’s a little confused about this particular choice of location.
“Is this another castle?” she asks.
I take a deep breath. “This is the geriatric wing of a private hospital.”
Ella looks even more confused.
I try to smile. “But a hundred years ago, it was colloquially called Langford House. And this, right where we’re standing, is the master bedroom.”
Understanding dawns in her eyes, followed by the same expression she had when we explored the cellars at Langford Castle. Her smile is shaky, her eyes sparking. “This—this is where my ancestors used to live?”
“Yes.” I step closer and hold her hands tighter. My heart brims with gratefulness. “And where I hope we can start our new future.”
I hope I look as princely as I feel when I drop to one knee and pull out a ring box. Ella gasps.
“Eleanor Ruth Langford, you have called out to my heart from the very first time we met. And I cannot ever be grateful enough for the circumstances, however outlandish, that have led you back into my life.
“What might have started as a romance for show has somehow, against all odds, grown to become a romance for real. At least for me. And I hope, with everything I have, that it’s managed to become that for you too.
“Tonight, I’m going to stand before all of the Carvarell countries and make declarations about our joint future that I am determined will come to pass.
“It would mean everything to know that you will be in that future too.”
I squeeze her hands tight, even as I try not to drop the ring box. Emotions stronger than anything I have ever felt before swirl around and inside me.
“My princess, my future queen, my accomplice for everything else that waits for us on the other side of today—Ella, will you marry me?”
She smiles and cries. I’m somehow crying too.
Then she nods. And she says, “But I already have a ring.”
I laugh. “My mother chose that ring. I had this one made for you.”
She focuses for the first time on the bespoke jewelry sparkling against the velvet lining.
It’s a simple one, as royal rings go. The halo of diamonds around the center stone are collected from the ancient mines of Northandria.
The small silver twists are designed to pay tribute to traditional silver filigree.
But the center sapphire is an especially-chosen, newer piece—a jewel I chose for its exact aquamarine shade.
I see the recognition in Ella’s eyes before she says the words. “The design and color. It matches—”
“The Langford brooch,” we finish together.
More tears flow. I just hope they’re the overjoyed type, like mine.
“Yes, Yes,” Ella says, laughing. “Yes, Archer. I will marry you.”
I slip the ring on top of her current one, too eager to embrace her to worry about where to place the previous one. We can worry about all that later. Ella doesn’t waste a second before rushing into my arms the moment I rise.
It may be the last day of the Carvarell Games, but we are at the start of something even better.
There will be plenty of celebrations tonight. Fireworks. Food. Glamor and luxury. But for me, I have everything I could ever want already tucked right next to my heart.