Epilogue #2
She shoves the cloth in her pocket and lets out an uplifting sigh. “Let’s get a move on. We can’t keep the other kingdoms waiting.”
I don’t bother taking another look in the mirror, because I know there’s nothing I could or would change, anyway. Turning on my heel, I stride through the room and out into the hallway, trying to push down the incomplete feeling caused by my missing necklace.
Every corridor is empty as we weave through the castle.
All the staff are probably already seated and waiting in the throne room as a musical ensemble entertains them until the ceremony begins.
That was my mother’s idea. She hated the dreary silence of the castle that I had become accustomed to, and it was one of the first things as queen mother she suggested we change.
We descend the steps down the main staircase, arm in arm, and weave through the halls until we approach the throne room from the opposite side.
Whenever I have had to use it, I typically enter from my private entrance on the side, but not today.
Not when I have to follow the ceremonial steps and allow everyone the chance to gawk at the queen they’ve never seen.
Just before we round the corner of the final corridor leading to the black wooden doors that await my arrival, I spot Addy briskly walking toward me.
“Addy!” I call out, releasing my mother’s arm as I approach her. “Have you seen my necklace? I can’t find it anywhere, and I need it.”
She drops into a deep curtsy before righting herself again, and I can see she’s mildly out of breath. “No, Your Majesty, I haven’t.”
My stomach sinks, and it takes all my focus to keep my hands relaxed at my sides instead of worrying my fingers. It isn’t queenly behavior, especially right now. I can’t let anyone see the current of nerves surging just beneath my skin.
“Alright,” I sigh. “If you find it, just bring it to me, please.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“We’ll see you inside, Addy,” my mother says with a smile.
Addy drops into a nervous curtsey, her hands clutching in her skirts. “But oh, I’m so sorry, Queen Mother.” She worries her lip and then turns back to me. “Your Majesty, I was actually coming to find you. We have a bit of an issue in the entrance hall.”
My head quirks and my brows draw in as I process her statement. There should be no issues to deal with right before the coronation. Everyone who has been invited should already be seated. Mason made sure of that. “What do you mean? What’s going on?”
“There’s a man here. He says he needs to speak to you.”
I huff a laugh. There’s nothing anyone could need to speak to be about in this moment that couldn’t wait until the end of the evening. “He can speak to the guards. If he doesn’t have an invitation to the first part of the ceremony, he can wait on the grounds for the ball.”
She shakes her head. “I tried, Your Majesty. He was insistent. He says he will speak only to you. He’s claiming to be the First Guard.”
Another wave of irritation washes over me. I need to be focused on the ceremony right now, not dealing with a delusional man showing up at my doorstep, demanding to see the queen.
“I haven’t chosen a First Guard,” I say through gritted teeth.
My mother clears her throat softly behind me, and my eyes fall closed as I take a deep breath.
I can’t let something this simple fluster me, despite the other inconveniences that have already altered my mood.
When I think about what my mother would do, how she always prioritized time for those in our kingdom, I decide to lock away my feelings and take care of it.
At least if I do, I won’t spend the entire ceremony wondering what is going on in the courtyard.
“Fine,” I concede. “Take me to him.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Addy breathes. She drops into another swift curtsey before turning on her heel and leading us through the empty corridor and toward the entrance hall.
Just before we reach the giant black doors that lead into the entrance hall, Signee steps through the archway beside them, a look of relief on her face. “There you are. Everything’s ready, Lennox. We’re just waiting for you.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I need a few minutes. Someone is in the entrance hall demanding to see me, claiming he’s the First Guard.”
Signee’s mouth closes abruptly, her features schooling to indifference before she takes a few quick steps forward and falls into place behind me. “I’ll come with you.”
“It shouldn’t take long. You can go. Just wait for me at the doors.”
She shakes her head firmly. “Nope. I want to see this.”
I shoot her a confused look, but shake it away as Addy opens the door before us. She drifts through the opening, and I hear her announcement echo off the stone walls.
“Her Majesty, Queen Lennox Holt.”
I hope my face doesn’t show the frustration I feel at having to address whatever concerns he has, especially now that Signee said everyone is in place and waiting.
But when I step into the room, I’m no longer worried about frustration showing on my face.
My body jolts to a halt when my gaze trails through the room and falls on the man in question, the man claiming to be the First Guard.
I don’t know what I expected. The man my mind concocted that could halt the commencement of the coronation was one that frequented the taverns, one well past his prime, who would do anything to relive his youthful days.
That is not at all who stands before me. My eyes slide up his body, catching every detail of his formal armor and uniform, complete with the seal of Blackwood and the insignia of the First Guard. But the shock of his attire matching his claim isn’t what halts me.
I can’t tear my eyes away, because he is the most attractive man I’ve ever seen.
His intense focus is trained on Addy, but when she steps back out of the way, her announcement of my entry now over, his head turns in my direction.
The moment our eyes meet, his stoic expression falters.
His throat bobs with a hard swallow, and it’s as if time is frozen as we stare at each other from across the hall.
I can barely take in his other features in my peripheral vision: dark wavy hair, a thick beard, broad shoulders and corded muscles that fill out every inch of the uniform he wears.
But his eyes.
The teal is enchanting, and I can’t look away.
So it takes nothing for me to notice when he does. My skin heats as his eyes slide down my body, blazing a trail over every inch of me in this gown, before gliding back up to my face. The muscles in his cheeks flicker as he clenches his jaw, his throat bobbing once again before he clears it.
The harsh sound snaps me out of whatever ensnared us in a trance, and I hope no one noticed my clear perusal of his features.
Remembering that I have a coronation to attend, I step forward, slowly closing the gap between us, trying to pretend as if my body didn’t react so obviously at the sight of him.
When I’m just beyond his reach, I halt, and hear Signee and my mother filing into the hall over the swish of my skirts.
A sharp gasp from behind me makes me turn, and my gaze falls on my mother, her eyes wide and hand covering her gaping mouth as she stares at the man.
I glance between them, confused, but he isn’t looking at her. His gaze is still locked on me.
“I’m sorry, sir, but you’ve come at a very inconvenient time.
The coronation is about to begin, and I simply cannot hear your concerns until after it is complete.
” I try to hide the irritation in my voice, but with as flustered as I feel after losing my necklace and the anticipation of all eyes being on me, I know some of it slips through.
One corner of his mouth turns up in a smirk, and I’m startled by the way my stomach flutters, deep and low. I shift on my feet.
“I disagree, my queen. I think I came at the perfect time.” The low rumble of his voice with that hint of a smile makes my skin ignite again, and this time I’m the one clearing my throat to regain my composure.
“You did not. My handmaiden says you claim to be the First Guard, but seeing as I have not appointed you to that position, you are not.”
His eyes don’t stray from mine, and I am doing everything I can not to squirm. “Again, I disagree, my queen. I can provide you with proof of my position.”
He reaches into the pocket of his uniform and pulls out a piece of folded parchment before extending his hand. Addy crosses in front of me, taking it from his grasp before bringing it straight to me.
“The position of the First Guard can be passed down from the previous First Guard. You’ll find the details of Blackwood’s law in that letter. I assume you will recognize the handwriting.”
I eye him warily, but he only smirks back at me, and the smugness grates on my already overworked nerves. Prying the seal open, I turn my attention to the parchment before unfolding it and reading the first few words.
I’m unable to stop the sharp intake of breath as I immediately recognize the writing. I don’t even need to see the signature. He’s right. I would know that handwriting anywhere. My eyes fly over the words, consuming them as quickly as I can before my head snaps back up to his.
“Where did you get this?” I demand.
“Do you have no objection to the contents, my queen?”
“‘Your Majesty’ is just fine, thank you,” I say, trying not to sound rude but completely flustered by how intimate the words feel coming from this stranger’s mouth.
His smirk deepens, and I seethe further. “I think I’ll stick with ‘my queen’.”
I huff a laugh, holding the letter up so he can see it. “When did Edmond give this to you? And how do I know it isn’t falsified?”
“He assured me you would know it came from him, because you’ve seen his writing throughout your childhood.”