51. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
VERONICA
The burial for Hawthorn’s beloved king is today.
At least a dozen ships sit docked along the harbor, carrying royalty from the surrounding kingdoms who have come to pay their respects.
Sounds of trumpets and soft violins are in constant rotation, I imagine they will be until Deacon is in the fucking ground.
I haven’t seen Gareth all day, he said this morning he needed to go back to the village to get some things.
He’s getting restless.
Ever since Sebastian returned, Gareth hovers more than usual.
I need some air from him as well. I’m a big girl, I’ve always taken care of myself.
He just worries, sometimes a bit too much.
Now with the burial happening today, I doubt he will make it back, the amount of people surrounding the palace is borderline insane. All to celebrate a bastard of a man.
My throat tightens as I tilt my chin to look out the window.
It’s going to rain at any moment, fitting for the somber mood that floods over the crowd of people.
Sophia and Mary stand beside each other, arm in arm, a reflection of unity.
Sebastian isn’t directly beside them, standing a few feet away.
He’s dressed in a traditional royal blue coat, gold accents with the crest of Hawthorn embroidered on his chest. His arms are behind his back, chin tilted high.
I hate how handsome he is, even with shorter hair and hardened eyes.
He’s always been the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.
That will never change, no matter how painful it is to admit.
I press my lips together as his eyes find mine. They always do, but I remain here in the window, watching him. No matter how much strain is between us, the pull to him is too great.
I am his, he is mine.
The ache in my chest returns with a vengeance.
I look away quickly before I do something stupid like run to him.
I’m so mad, the hatred for this palace and the people who reside in it burns fiercely in my veins.
I don’t trust him, how could I? Everything I have ever known is so mixed up in my head, I can’t make out what is real and what isn’t.
“Veronica?” Georgina’s voice softly pushes through the barriers of my mind.
The door to my chambers creaks open slowly and she steps inside.
I move away from the window, away from his eyes.
Georgina’s in a black dress, like all of the other maids and butlers in the palace today.
Hers, however, is the only one without a white collar.
She looks exhausted, like she hasn’t slept properly since Sebastian came back.
It’s a running pattern currently. Everything is up in smoke.
She’s worried about him, about me.
“I brought you something.” Georgina says, gesturing to the bed.
I stare at her for a moment before shifting to sit down. She sits beside me, a small brown package on her lap. There’s no name, just plain brown wrapping.
“I need you to open this, take your time and keep an open mind.” I look at her, my eyebrow raises and she gives me a pointed look. “An open mind, Veronica.”
My lip twitches, and I blow out a breath before nodding.
Georgina gets up from the spot beside me, leaving a brown package in place of her warmth. Her fingers brush against my cheek and I lean into the touch, closing my eyes. I don’t open them, not until the door quietly shuts and I am alone again.
Dear Ronnie,
Nothing I say could ever convey my feelings right now.
I have made it to Tria safely, physically at least. Mentally, I am with you under the gazebo. I, myself, do not know what is truly going on but Mary knows and she told my father. They didn’t tell me how they found out but I will get to the bottom of it, I promise you, Little Dove.
I will come back to you.
I love you.
Forever,
Sebby
Dear Ronnie,
It is hell here.
You’d be laughing at me as I try to wield a sword properly. This is far worse than any family dinner, I will tell you that. It’s getting warmer too, so tell me about the garden. Have you been going outside? Have the hydrangeas bloomed? The roses?
Do me a favor, talk to our child when you are sitting out there. Tell them every memory you can think of, the happy and the sad. I want the garden to be as special to them as it is to us. One day the three of us will create our own memories there. I promise.
I’d tell you to stay strong while I’m away, but you are already the strongest person I know.
I love you.
Forever,
Sebby
Dear Ronnie,
You’re upset, I know by your silence. Each day I wait for the carrier to come by, each day there is only a letter from Georgina. She says you are doing alright, tired but alright.
Please, write back. Please know if I could return to you and our baby, I would. I’d walk thousands of miles to you. I can’t do this without you.
I love you.
Forever,
Sebby
Dear Little Dove,
Wait for me.
I’m coming back to you.
Forever yours,
Sebastian
Hours slip by in what feels like mere seconds.
Letter after letter, torn open and unfolded, scattered across the expanse of my bed. There are so many of them, all of the words blurring together in my mind. Each one is dated from the very first day he left to the day Sebastian was on his way back. He wrote to me every day.
Every single day.
Sebastian didn’t lie. His confusion is clear in a lot of the letters. He pleads with me to write back, to send him any sort of hope that I was still there.
My chest tightens, a burning ache spreading throughout as I tear my gaze away from the opened letters.
There is one left, one without postage. It’s in an elegant cream envelope, my name written in delicate cursive.
I swallow and turn the letter over, running my index finger over the gold wax seal stamped with the crest of Hawthorn.
I carefully open the envelope, my heart thumping loudly in my chest, as I try to remember how to breathe. A card slides smoothly from the envelope, and my heart stutters in my chest.
Miss Veronica Beverly,
By Royal Decree, we request the honor of your presence at the solemn crowning of Prince Sebastian Baros as King on Friday the 3rd of April at 1:00 pm. The ceremony will be located in the grand ballroom inside the palace of Hawthorn.
Signed by the Hawthorn Council