“Queen Minerva had the exact opposite response. When her daughter went missing, she first requested me to seek her out, but upon learning her whereabouts, she demanded I dispose of her. After I refused, she found her own means of murder and nearly succeeded. She proved to be untrustworthy and too willing to take unnecessary risks, which would jeopardize their kingdom’s well-being. Not only was she bloodthirsty, but she was sloppy. She employed the help of unreliable sources, including a foolish business owner and myself. Her actions could have easily been exposed under different circumstances, proving her to be unfit to rule.”
The king smiled, appearing to be fully entertained by the man in black’s report. “Excellent work.” The king rose from his throne and approached the spy. “Ever since King Victor’s death, I have grown worried about the care our beloved ally kingdom was left in. Victor always had a bit of a… aggressive side to him, so I’m glad to hear that his daughter shall remain a tad more docile. I prefer our associates to be a tad more predictable in nature. I believe the princess will make a competent ally for our uses. I shall permit her to rule for now, and we shall save our forces for a separate invasion instead.” He stood above the man, placing a hand upon his shoulder. “You have done well my son.”
The dark-clad prince flashed a confident grin toward his father with his perfect teeth. The king lowered his hand and made his way back toward the throne, no longer interested in handing out compliments. Once seated, the prince took a half step forward.
“Are my efforts found worthy of reward, my king?” The prince gave his father an audacious smile, which was recognized with a snort.
“My… your humility still hasn’t improved,” the king grunted. “However, you have proven useful to Ashbourne, so a reward you shall receive.” The king picked up a golden, bejeweled scepter that rested by the side of his throne. He lifted the glistening staff from the ground before thumping it twice against the polished floors. An echo resounded off the walls in the empty space summoning a royal bookkeeper.
The scrawny man scurried awkwardly with a large piece of parchment in hand and quill at the ready. He positioned himself next to the king before he gave a gentle nod, noting he was ready to receive his command.
“Let it be written,” the king decreed while the man scribbled furiously, “that as of this day, I, King Darius Agnar of Ashbourne, decree that my third son, Prince Miron Casper, be made second in line to the throne. Henceforth, he shall be placed above his second eldest brother in rank and rule.” The king leaned back into his chair as the keeper finished writing his statement before leaving from where he came.
“Thank you, Father.” Prince Miron’s eyes gleamed maliciously. “You won’t be disappointed… I assure you.”
I stared at my reflection in the mirror, looking up and down at the girl staring back at me. She was beautiful, but more so now than she ever had been. Sure, her skin was fair and flawless, and her eyes complimented her dark hair perfectly. But that didn’t stand out anymore, not like it used to. The girl who looked back at me was strong, courageous, and was surrounded by people who loved her. She had taken on her greatest fears and conquered her greatest weaknesses. She no longer possessed a poisoned heart filled with pride and vanity. Instead, her heart was filled with love and compassion for those around her. I smiled at the girl in the mirror and gave a slight twirl of excitement. Today was my coronation, and the day I became the queen of my beautiful kingdom.
After the queen was found guilty of my attempted murder, she was banished to the desolated kingdom of Sybettal. It was difficult speaking out against her, but it had to be done. Mr. Dwarfer confessed to knowing about the poisoned soap, but he had no idea he was working for the queen or killing the princess. Because of his lack of knowledge, he was given a lesser punishment of only five years of imprisonment, along with a revoke of his lands. This included the mill, which was passed onto Daniela, who had been the longest reigning employee. The queen never openly confessed to her crimes, but with mine, Earl’s, and Aurelia’s statements, the evidence was stacked against her. The Drancos kingdom stood with our ruling and signed an official alliance to support us until I found a husband to reign as king. Everything was settled with a neat, tidy bow.
Well, except the true origin of the assassin.
Per expectations, King Darius sent a congratulatory and apologetic gift for the occasion without much more thought toward the matter. And upon request, an Ashbourne delegation came forward to speak on behalf of the assassin’s conduct, but no one claimed to have any knowledge of the man. After nearly two months of back-and-forth theorizing, we finally came to the conclusion that it truly must have been the actions of a foolish noble. We never got the full story on whom he was or who had hired him, but I suppose it was the best outcome we were going to get. The good news was that there had been no further threats to me or Isalla—the new captain of my personal guard make extra certain of that. Peter had taken to the role like a fish to water, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the extra time with him.
As I stepped away from the mirror, my two dressing maids clasped their hands in excitement as they took in my appearance. Edith glowed with delight as she placed my silver tiara on my head for the last time. My newest dressing maid Hazel let out a shrill squeak of joy as she admired my rose-red gown.
“Oh, Arabella, you look perfect!” Hazel gushed as she pushed a stray hair off my forehead. “I cannot believe you’re going to be queen in only a few hours!” She jittered happily, causing both Edith and I to laugh.
After Mr. Dwarfer had been locked away for assisted murder, I offered all the girls positions at the castle. Hazel had accepted, but everyone else chose to return to their home and work under Daniela. Well, all except for Glenda, who had reopened her bakery. I stopped by every other week to get her fresh bread and pastries. My stomach growled at the memory of the warm yeast scent that filled her shop. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much time for breakfast on the day of a coronation.
Aurelia visited often, but she had to lessen her time at the mill to smooth things over with her parents. They were furious when they learned the full story behind our meeting, even though it led to her assisting in my rescue. I wrote to her often, hoping to help cheer up her lonely days at the estate. Hopefully, her parents would lighten up in time. Aside from her less than fortunate outcome, I still followed her lead on the treatment of my servants. At first, the changes were met with confusion, but after time, the staff became much more cheerful with my new compassionate approach. It was truly satisfying being able to repay their loyalty in all the small ways I could.
“You look stunning,” Edith chimed in, breaking my thoughts. She had just completed the perfect placement of my tiara. “And I know we won’t be the only ones who think so...” The girls giggled, and I rolled my eyes. It wasn’t hard to imagine who they were referring to.
“Peter thinks I look good no matter what I wear,” I chided, but internally, I was hoping that he would be impressed. “He’s seen me in a laundry mill uniform before and still followed me around.” I laughed with the girls as they added final touches to my gown. It was a similar dress to the one Aurelia had once lent me; however, this gown had elegant ruffles that cascaded down the skirt with detailed embroidery around the bodice and capped sleeves.
“He won’t be able to take his eyes off you!” Hazel teased, adding the dramatic flair of a fake swoon. We giggled away the hours until the time came for the coronation.
As I approached the grand hall, Peter stood guard at the front of the entry doors awaiting my arrival. The grand hall was still being filled with spectators, so we were positioned in a side corridor while we waited for the ceremony to begin. It was just the two of us in the small space, but that had become a common occurrence ever since he became my personal guard. We had spent so much time together over the past two months, and I was grateful I got to share this important day with him. My heart fluttered from nerves when familiar warmth spread across my palm. I looked up at Peter, who was now petting my hand as he always did.
“You look beautiful, Arabella.” He turned to face me still holding my hand. His compliments hit differently than anyone else’s ever had, and I was certain I would never grow tired of them.
“Before you step into the hall and become the most incredible queen Isalla has ever known, there is something I must tell you.” He gave me a sweet smile as he gazed into my eyes.
“You can tell me anything Peter, you know that.” I gave his hand a light squeeze and his eyes lit up from the touch as my nerves melted away.
“I’m glad to hear you say that,” he said with his signature cheeky grin, “because… I cannot continue to be your guard.”
Instantly, my heart sank. Was he going to leave me?
“I cannot be your guard anymore because it is too difficult,” He continued and smiled, but I was growing concerned. Had I been overusing him? Why hadn’t he told me? “It’s too hard because I cannot bear another day standing beside you without knowing if I can be by your side forever.”
“Peter, I don’t understand—” I started but was silenced when he dropped down to one knee, still holding my hand.
“I’m saying that I wish to be more than just your guard.” His words felt like a dream as he pulled a beautiful golden ring from his pocket. “I wish to protect with all that I am. Princess Arabella Ivory Zakaria, would you do me the greatest honor I could ever receive and become my wife?” He held the ring out to me with the most loving expression in his glistening jade eyes.
I felt my eyes mist over as my heart nearly flew out of my chest from joy. I would have cried in pure happiness if I wasn’t about to face my entire kingdom as their new queen. “Yes, of course!” I exclaimed as I leapt into his arms. He held me in his embrace for a long moment, then pulled back with his face inches from mine. “I love you, Peter,” I whispered as he gently leaned forward.
“I love you, too,” he whispered back, pulling me into a kiss.
Slowly, we separated, though we still held each other tightly. My grin was unmoving, and my body pulsed with the greatest joy I had ever felt. I was about to lean in for another kiss when a sudden knock alerted me that they were ready for my entrance. I pulled away regretfully, but beamed as my future king gave me a loving smile.
“They’re waiting for you, my princess.” He slid the golden ring onto my finger and my heart swelled as I looked at the sparking circlet. “When I see you again, you shall be my queen.”
I wrapped him in a final hug before walking toward the grand entrance. Then my next quest shall be to make you my king.” I turned back to give him a quick wink, then strode grandly into the hall to accept the rule of my beautiful Isalla.