CHAPTER 28
Axel
A
xel finished buttoning his red waistcoat, studying himself in the mirror. He had worn his formal outfit on many occasions, but it felt more significant tonight.
Lifting his eyes from his clothes, he watched Katy’s reflection as she slid her arms into her dress and arranged the high waistline over her abdomen. At a little over halfway through the pregnancy, the bump was difficult to miss now. She paused, resting a hand on her side and making a face.
“Is our little one as feisty as you are?” he asked, smiling at her.
She shook her head at him. “All babies kick. But—” Her nose wrinkled. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to being pummeled from the inside.”
About four months until their baby arrived. Would Fabian appear immediately after? Would he wait until the child was older?
Axel straightened his sleeves. With any luck, the sorcerer would be wearing a pair of magic-canceling cuffs by then.
Otto had secured a position with Lord Ulrich using his new identity, which gave them better intel, not to mention potential influence.
It was only a matter of time until they had a plan to capture the treasonous nobleman.
And once he gave up his accomplice, it would all be over.
“They may all kick, but the frequency and strength may vary.” Turning, he began fastening the buttons on the back of Katy’s dress. She pulled her hair out of the way, so he bent down to run his nose lightly across her neck. “A fiery little girl with your curls sounds perfect.”
“I thought you wanted to be on time for the performance,” she laughed. “You should focus on the buttons.”
He moved his lips to the back of her ear, fastening buttons as he hummed, “I can multitask.”
Katy twisted her head so he could see her smirk. “That’s not what I meant.” Her mouth softened. “Are you ready for tonight?”
With Otto undercover, magic-canceling cuffs on order from Castellia, and the succession issue permanently removed from the council, the weight he’d been carrying the last several months had lifted from his shoulders.
He was cautiously optimistic that all their troubles would be neatly wrapped up within a few months.
And with that feeling, he’d found it harder to keep himself from the music room.
The score the director had sent him called to him, burrowing into his mind.
He’d stuck to his resolution not to learn it, limiting himself to flipping through the pages and humming a few bars while reading the lyrics.
Katy had pulled out his old scores, and they’d spent free evenings singing through those over the last month.
For the first time in five and a half years, a performance would bring life to the Himmelsburg Theater tonight, charming a few hundred citizens with the beauty of sets, costumes, and music.
And for the first time in fifteen years, Prince Axel wouldn’t know the music before he arrived.
So was he ready?
“I am completely attired, but I have yet to comb my hair.” He finished the last button and stepped away. “Are you doing your own hair this evening? Or will Liesl have time after her own preparations?”
“Your mother wouldn’t approve of a hairstyle I can do myself,” she replied with a sigh. “She’s sending her maid. Which she planned to do anyway, since my sister is still learning the latest fashions.”
Axel hid a smile. Katy was still full of fire, but five and a half years as a princess had tamed her. A little.
While his mother’s maid styled Katy’s hair, Axel wandered into their sitting room.
He ran his fingers over the collection of sheet music on the bookshelf.
The loose sheets feathered out between bound scores of the many productions he’d learned.
From when he was twelve and had just started working with Lotti, through The Tanner’s Secret when he’d met Katy, the story of Cesar and Bonita, and the final show that his father had pulled him out of at the last minute.
He paused over the newest one. A Home for Howard: tonight’s show.
There wasn’t time to learn the whole thing. But maybe he could learn the melody for the key aria. The note-writer hadn’t reappeared; it couldn’t hurt.
Pulling back, he stuffed his hands in his trouser pockets and strolled to the window. He’d decided not to learn it; he wasn’t going to cave now simply because there had been no sign of trouble.
“I don’t care if it’s not fashionable; I like the loose curls around my face.”
“But Princess Katrin—”
“Non-negotiable. The loose curls stay.”
Yes, his mother might have tamed Katy a little, but she was still a force to be reckoned with. If she could insist on the curl for him to play with, he could resist a piece of music.
“Axel? Katy? Are you still in there?” A rapid knock accompanied his sister’s voice. “Or should Liesl and I head to the entrance hall?”
Crossing to the door, he threw it open, holding his head high and resting a jaunty hand on his hip. Perhaps he couldn’t be on the stage tonight. But that had never stopped him from performing. “Had I not been here, how would I have instructed you on your future course?”
Liesl giggled; Helena rolled her eyes. “If you hadn’t answered, we would have assumed you were already gone. But I don’t want to arrive before you, because Tobias will probably be there. If I’m incredibly unlucky, Luther will be as well.”
“’Tis truly a curse, being so popular.” Axel pressed a hand to his chest and dipped his head with a sigh. “Yet once you make a selection, the rest will flee, and you will be left in peace once more.”
“Is that how it worked for you?” Katy’s sister grinned at him. “I know I only come at Midwinter, but you seem pretty popular still.”
Shaking her head, Helena cracked a smile. “Royalty is never truly free of brown-nosers, or so I’m told. But if Tobias is to be believed, my brother used to sneak out of parties to escape the women hounding him.”
“If you were smart, little sister, you would heed the wisdom of your older brother,” Axel interjected, lifting his chin. “You have only two men lurking in your immediate shadow, but with the proper technique, you could free yourself from their interminable presence.”
Liesl tilted her head, her dark, sandy-blonde curls bouncing with the motion. “I thought you liked Tobias.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “What has that to do with my sister’s opinion of him?”
“Ignore him, Liese.” Katy’s voice tugged at the corner of his lip. “He’s hopeless when he’s like this.”
“Like what, my love?” He turned a wounded expression on her, even as he admired her beautiful dark hair, loose red dress, and rounded belly.
Following her own advice, his wife ignored him, addressing their sisters instead. “If we’re all ready, should we be on our way?”
Helena and Liesl began walking down the hall, chatting about the play, but Katy grabbed Axel’s hand and held him back. “I tease, but it’s good to see you happy again.”
His eyebrows pulled together. “What do you mean? I have not been unhappy.”
“No,” she agreed, playing with his collar. “But your playfulness has been missing. With all the excitement the last few months, you’ve been more serious. That’s not a bad thing.” Her hand moved up to brush his cheek. “But I’ve missed the full twinkle in your eyes.”
“The call of the stage, I suppose,” he quipped, grinning. “Opening night brings it out.”
She smiled back. “Yes, it does. I hope you have the chance to be on stage again someday. You love it too much to be kept from it forever.”
“As soon as Helena is whipped into shape for taking my place,” he joked. Dropping a kiss on her nose, he lightly tugged her into the hall. “The entire kingdom will breathe a sigh of relief when their singing prince is no longer their future king.”
“Stop saying that.” Katy’s mouth bent down, a hint of irritation in her voice. “Over the last few months, you’ve proven that you can be stern when you need to be. The fact that you enjoy being on stage doesn’t mean you can’t be a good king.”
Dear, sweet Katy. So na?ve in the ways of politics, even after almost six years’ exposure to the court.
“Anything for you, Katy.” He reached over to play with her curls. He knew she was wrong, but he could keep his thoughts to himself.
Helena’s prediction proved to be correct: Luther and Tobias were both waiting in the entrance hall.
Luther was doing a poor job at hiding his distaste for Tobias, whereas Tobias sprawled on a bench, oblivious to the other nobleman’s presence.
When the younger ladies caught his eye, Tobias swayed to his feet and bobbed a shallow bow.
“Princess Helena. Lady Liesl. You look lovely.”
Helena rolled her eyes. “I don’t know why you bother to be so formal with me when you aren’t with my brother. You may as well drop my title as well.”
That was surprising; Axel hadn’t realized Tobias had softened her already.
Tobias merely raised an eyebrow while Luther rushed forward. “You are radiant this evening, Helena.” Luther swept her a deep bow, rivaling Axel’s flair for the dramatic. “May I have the pleasure of escorting you to tonight’s performance?”
Unfortunately for Luther, Helena was unimpressed by such gestures. Her lip curled as she surveyed him. “You can keep using my title.”
It was a harsh blow, given his clear aspirations, but the young lord only flicked annoyed eyes at his rival before turning from the disdainful princess. “I see. Since Princess Helena is unwilling, may I—”
Helena’s eyes darted sideways before she jumped forward and grabbed his arm. “I said you could use my title, not that you couldn’t escort me.” As she dragged him toward the door, she muttered, “As if I’d inflict you on my friend.”
Left to themselves, Tobias and Liesl met each other’s eyes. Liesl shrugged, then took the arm he offered her and followed the other pair, while Katy and Axel trailed behind.