Chapter Three
THREE MONTHS LATER
“Holy shit.” Jemma covered her mouth.
Holy shit was right.
I looked over Jemma’s shoulder at the scenery behind her.
“Belvedere Castle,” I spoke the name quietly, like it was a secret.
The castle was much more than that. It was in the middle of Central Park and a part of the city’s history. I hadn’t traveled much outside of the country, but there was something about the castle that seemed like it probably wouldn’t be able to be topped, no matter where you went.
“You can’t be serious,” Jemma whispered to me as we both moved to stand on the sidewalk where the pedicab driver was waiting for us. “There is no way there is a castle like this in New York.”
“Belvedere has been around for more than a hundred years and is the focal point of Central Park.” The driver spoke up before he pedaled away, and another arrived shortly afterward.
We’d been picked up at the hotel in New York City that the award show had provided for us. There were some last-minute rules implemented for the masquerade ball, such as we had to put on our masks when leaving our room and could not remove them until we were back.
Then a limo driver picked us up and drove us to Central Park, where a row of pedicabs awaited those attending the ball.
I hadn’t expected that when we’d been picked up at the hotel, we’d only be traveling a few minutes down the road to Belvedere.
The bike ride in was magical with lights cascading from trees as we made our way to the entrance of the castle.
I’d seen it in passing a few times, having been from the city, but I’d never ventured up to it before.
“This is crazy,” Jemma stated in disbelief as she stood next to me, admiring the sight in front of us.
“Welcome to the city.” I nudged her, taking in the sight before us as well. It was stunning; the castle was filled with a soft glow as people were walking up. Lights hung from the trees, and it looked like we were about to walk straight into a fairytale.
“You know,” Jemma started as we continued walking up to the castle with others following behind us. “I forget sometimes that you’re from the city.”
“A time I like to forget.”
“We could always go to Tennessee.” I shot a look of surprise at her suggestion.
“I think we are both fine in Westfield, not reliving our family trauma.” I grabbed her arm, linking it with mine as we walked closer to the castle.
It was easier to see the decorations that had been set up in better detail.
The open landscape of the castle greeted us with small tabletops lining the edges of the walls, covered in dark tablecloths.
Three bright red pillar candles, encompassed in ivy, were placed in the center of each.
The middle of the walkway was left open and free for mingling amongst the party guests as they were slowly arriving.
I looked around at everyone dressed up; some women were in ball gowns or simple dresses, and most men were in full-blown suits.
I pulled away from Jemma and ran my hands down the front of my dress.
“You look wonderful,” Jemma leaned in and whispered to me.
“That’s not what I’m worried about.” I knew I looked amazing in the dress Jemma had ordered for me. But I took a deep breath as I took in the amount of people around us.
So many people.
“Breathe for me.”
“What do you think I’m doing?” I gave her a pointed look as I took a few more breaths, my fingers playing with the lace of my dress.
Jemma was dressed up in a deep purple gown that fit her petite figure perfectly and complemented her dark skin, with black and white accessories.
I stood in a simple white slip dress with a dark green lace overlay that went all the way to the floor, with a slit along the leg.
The sleeves were a few sizes too big for me, designed to create a flowy look.
My white strappy heels barely peeked out from the bottom of the dress.
I was worried about us standing out with those around us, people knowing who I was, but I found that it didn’t matter, because no one was paying attention to us.
“You look just as stunning, you know.” I reached up and placed a hand on the crown I was wearing, making sure it was straight.
When the dresses Jemma had ordered arrived a few months ago, I’d joked with her that the only thing that was missing was a crown, so when I put on the dress tonight, she pulled out a dried white rose flower crown for me to wear.
“Oh,” Jemma gave me a little shimmy. “I know.”
She winked as we came up to the open dance floor, where more guests were lingering.
The theme of the evening was a pop of color. Jemma and my colors weren’t really as bright as some others, but it meant we blended in a little more. I readjusted my dark green lace mask that matched my dress.
My mask was probably the most revealing, while with others, you could hardly tell who they were with it on. Most men had a half-face mask on, like in the Phantom of the Opera.
“Hors d'oeuvre, ma’am?” A server snapped me back into focus, holding out a tray of small crackers with jam and cheese on top.
“Sure.” I shoved one in my mouth, hoping the nerves coursing through me wouldn’t make it come back up later.
Soft music filled the space around us as a string quartet began to play.
This was most definitely not what I’d expected from a gaming award show.
That was, until ten chords into the song.
My head jerked to those around us, wondering if they were hearing what I was, the theme song to League of Witches.
A smile crept across my lips as I soaked in the familiarity.
Oh, nerds.
“Let’s check out the rest of the castle.” Jemma looped her arm in mine, guiding me to where she wanted to go. “Maybe we’ll find me a prince, since you’re not looking.”
“Like you’re actively looking,” I scoffed as she led us to a set of stairs.
“Maybe I am, maybe I’m not.” She shrugged.
I rolled my eyes as we took the first step on the stairs. A dark green carpet lined the center, while each step was crowded with what looked like black roses.
“Can you believe they themed this as a League of Witches masquerade?”
I turned around to two men who were talking at the bottom of the stairs.
My head shot back to Jemma, whose eyes were wide with realization. We knew the night was in honor of League of Witches, but I don’t think we had any idea they would be theming the decor to it as well.
“What do you mean?” I spoke up, not meaning to let them know I was eavesdropping.
“Did you not see all the little details around?” One of the men scoffed, like it should have been obvious.
And maybe it was to most, but I honestly hadn’t been paying full attention.
I’d noticed the decorations and the music, but hadn’t put two and two together.
I was so preoccupied with what everyone was wearing and trying not to think too much about how many people were here that I hadn’t looked at the party itself.
“Those black roses,” one of the men pointed close to where I was standing. “Are in brass cauldrons with wisteria as fillers.”
“Abigail’s front door arrangements.” The words slipped from my mouth as I spun around to see what else I’d missed. A server walked by with another snack: lavender macarons—a love spell. The cracker, jam, and cheese earlier were a replenishing spell.
“This is so fucking cool,” Jemma whispered beside me.
I grabbed her hand, pulling her up the stairs, so she wouldn’t accidentally give away who those men were talking to.
She was too excited, and she loved letting people know exactly who I was.
She couldn’t keep anything to herself, and it wasn’t like I wanted to actively voice my identity at this very second.
When we reached the top, cascading stars fell from the branches. It felt like we were really in the Meridin Forest, and I sucked in a deep breath.
When I’d worked on the world-building and storyline for League of Witches, I’d never expected to see the imaginations come to life like this.
I’d seen cosplayers at conventions, those who created outfits, and people who reenacted scenes online, but something this grand had never even been a thought to me.
As a writer and creator in general, seeing your work come to life where it was tangible was the ultimate goal.
I let my hands run along the ledge we stood by, basking in the fantasy that had been created around us. Not just for those who were invited, but knowing that this was set up for the game I created.
That this was all done for me.
“I’ve never seen you speechless before.” Jemma was back to facing the party.
“I’ve never been this moved before.” I looked up and closed my eyes, basking in the sounds of those at the party and the music floating through the air.
The next song that played was from Abigail’s wedding ceremony.
One of my favorite scenes to create. It was what I’d always wanted my wedding to be—enchanted and themed like a forest fairy.
“If I’d known, though, that this kind of geeking out would make you turn into this, I’d have you stay longer at events.
” Jemma put her hand on mine and gave it a squeeze.
She knew how I was with so many people around, and she was right; if I’d known I could have been feeling like this, I might just have stayed longer, but there was never a chance that I wanted to.
I was glad we had come tonight to see this all come to life.
“It’s not just that, though.” I took a few deep breaths and turned around to Jemma’s view. “I’ve always wanted my work to impact people’s lives, and tonight feels like I have.”
“You’ve seen that for years, hun.” Jemma looked confused.
“I have, but I haven’t. I’ve seen it through social media, photos, conventions, videos, and written words. But somehow seeing something of this magnitude in person,” I stopped, taking it all in. Tears welled in my eyes. “It’s all I’ve ever dreamed of.”
“Oh, hun.” Jemma turned to me and wiped away a lone tear that slipped down my cheek. “We’ve got so many more dreams to make come true for you.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, and for me too,” she grinned.
“Yeah, we do.” I smiled back at her and then looked back at the surrounding landscape.
Remembering what Jemma had said earlier about finding herself a prince had a pang hitting me in my chest. I wanted to bask in all of this, but the reality of what needed to happen after this weekend was creeping up.
“We might need to find me a partner tonight.” The words came out in a whisper, but Jemma was beside me in an instant.
“You are willingly looking for someone? After months of not dating? What gives?”
“I got the first draft back from my editor.” My hands rubbed together as I confessed only a portion of the truth.
“That was quick. What did she say?” Jemma fished for more. She was right, though. The draft had only been with them for four days before I got the email this morning.
“In Alexa’s exact words, ‘First, I’m not allowed to kill off the love interest. Second, they actually need to fall in love.’” I held up two fingers and then placed my head in my palms. My elbows dug into the stone beneath them.
“And how does this relate to me helping you find someone this evening?”
“I need to get laid to get some romance going again.”
“Did Alexa really tell you to do that?” Jemma let out a cackle.
“No, but it feels like the only option. Don’t laugh,” I said into my hands.
“I think it’s fucking hilarious.” Jemma wrapped an arm around me. “The best-selling fantasy romance author who can’t seem to write the romance part of her books now needs to find someone to fuck her for inspiration.”
I rolled my eyes and pushed her away.
“I just need to find one person. That’s it, nothing more than a hookup.”
“You think a hookup is going to help with inspiration?” Jemma questioned me. I looked up; her hands were on her hips, and her foot was tapping.
“I have no idea what’s going to help, but that’s what I’m willing to start with. I haven’t been on a date in months for a reason. Dating sucks.”
“Well,” Jemma grabbed my shoulders and spun me toward the stairs. “Why don’t we start with that masked prince walking this way?”
My eyes trailed to the person Jemma was speaking about.
The man caught my attention right away.
He looked fucking tall, had a bun on top of his head, and looked like he was built like a fucking lumberjack. He was clad in both black dress pants and a shirt. His dark green vest matched my dress and mask. He had a black, long coat, white sneakers, and a white mask to finish his outfit.
His mask, though, wasn’t like those I’d seen the other men wearing. He covered his entire face and left everything to the imagination.
He looked like everything except a prince.