“There’s always an ulterior motive with you, isn’t there?” I jested back. The two of us laughed for a moment, simply enjoying each other’s presence. I had always been grateful to be born a prince, but I was even more grateful to be the son of such a loving king. He inspired me to one day rule with the same love and compassion he extended beyond his own family. I could only hope to be half the ruler he was someday.
We both retired to the nearest parlor in order to breathe in some peace before the big event. The invitations had been sent, the food was being prepared, and the decorations were ready. All we had to do now was wait. I sat back in the rounded armchair and closed my eyes, trying to relieve some of the stress building up within me. I was going to meet my future wife tonight, or at least, that was the goal. Would she be everything I had ever hoped for? Would she make a good queen someday? Would she relieve my mind from thoughts of Daisy?I opened my eyes and sighed, recognizing my obvious reluctance to let go of the hope that my garden companion would change her mind. As I situated myself in the chair, I caught sight of a rather distraught expression on Father’s face.
“Father?” I questioned. “Is everything alright?”
“Hmm?” He glanced up at me with a distant look before snapping himself out of his daze. “Oh, sorry, son. I was only thinking about the merchants that invaded a few weeks back.” His calm tone did little to mask the concern in his eyes.
“I had nearly forgotten about that,” I admitted. “Are you concerned that they are working toward some sort of goal? It has been quite some time since their breach, and we haven’t heard any word since. Maybe they were only misguided refugees from Sybettal, who could only cross the border by force?”
The king’s eyes glossed over into thought once more. “It’s possible, but unlikely that a group of simple refugees could take out so many trained soldiers. I’m afraid that my fear stems from their patience. If they entered our kingdom with a malicious agenda, then what better time to enact trouble then on the evening of a grand ball.” His gaze cast over toward me, and I could sense his fatherly fear.
“You’re worried they intend to do me harm because I’m the only heir,” I said flatly, filling in the blanks of his worries.
“Indeed,” he sighed. “There are no other blood heirs who could take the throne. If something happened to you, then a member of court would have to be appointed as the next heir. I’m afraid that a high-ranking member of the nobility has considered this factor and has chosen to hire trained mercenaries to do away with you. The guards will be stretched thin for the ball already, so it would be far easier to assassinate a prince…” His voice withered away as his terrified expression held onto mine, his cherished son.
“I will be fine, Father.” I stood from my chair and crossed over to where he sat, joining him. “If you’re truly concerned, then we can shift a few of the guards around so I have more protection. But the ball is a massive event and will be full of witnesses; any noble would be a fool to attempt a strike against the crown on such an occasion.” I placed a calming hand upon his arm and felt him release a touch of tension.
“You’re right,” he said reluctantly. “I’m just being a paranoid old man, aren’t I?”
“Not at all,” I smiled. “You’re being a wise king… You’re still old, though. I can’t deny that.” He smacked me upside the head again, and I laughed. I definitely deserved that.
“You’d better watch that wit of yours tonight while you’re trying to catch a wife. If you’re not careful, then thisold manwill be the only one snagging dances with the young ladies,” he scolded teasingly. “I do think I’m going to adjust the guard positions a bit for the evening. It sure would help me enjoy the party if I knew you had a few extra eyes on you tonight.”
I nodded. “That shouldn’t be a problem to arrange. I’ll handle the details now.” I stood from my seat and crossed over to the door. I had nearly exited when Father called back to me.
“Jasper, I’m proud of you.” His loving voice sent warmth through me in a way that only he could do. “Have fun tonight.”
“Is everything ready?” Prince Conan asked as he inspected the tools laid out before him. The morning light glinted off the various daggers and swords that lay out across the grass. The prince stopped occasionally to give the weapons a closer inspection but appeared overall pleased with the array. He picked up a narrow sword, testing its weight as he passed it between his hands. With a solid swish of the blade, he sliced off a single strand of hair that hung in front of the man’s eyes before him.
“Yes, Your Highness,” the man replied, unfazed by his new trim. “Our entry point is secure and the uniforms were acquired last night. We shouldn’t have any trouble breaching the palace and getting close to the royals.”
“Excellent.” A wicked smile flashed across the prince’s face. “And you’re certain that our little recruit will be there?” He looked across the small crowd of men that addressed him, inspecting them over for any ounce of uncertainty. He spun the sword’s hilt around in his palm, flashing its silver blade before his men.
“I personally guarantee they’ll be in attendance, Your Highness,” the brown-and-silver-haired man stated confidently.
“Good.” The prince stepped forward, eyeing his soldier. “Then if anything goes wrong, I’ll know who to apply the consequences to.” The prince watched as the man displayed no sign of intimidation. He was confident in his words. Perfect.
“Time to suit up, men,” the prince commanded. “Our preparations begin now.” He twirled the blade in front of his eyes, grinning wide in the steel’s reflection. “We finish at midnight.”
chapter eleven
The morning sun blared through the attic window, rousing me awake. I wasn’t sure what time it had been when I got home, but it was late enough that everyone else had gone to bed, and I had to sneak in through the back. I stretched my limbs, trying to shake off some of the exhaustion. As my mind came back to me, I recalled the events that had kept me out so late.
I was going to the ball tonight.
A surge of anxiety and adrenaline spurred through me as I looked over at the brown paper package sitting on my wobbly desk. Camille had helped me wrap the dress in the bundle in order to hide it from any prying eyes I may have encountered on my way inside. Fortunately, no one had bothered to stay awake long enough to see my return. Sapphira was likely hopeful that I was gone for good, but little did she know that I was not only back, but back with a vengeance. Tonight was my chance to reclaim everything she had taken from me, and I wasn’t going to dawdle any longer.
I threw my blanket aside and jumped out of bed, carefully avoiding glancing out the window. It had been too dark last night to see the remnants of my garden, and I wasn’t sure I could handle the sight just yet. Tears still burned in the corner of my eyes when I recalled the memory of Sapphira’s triumphant smile. They may have been only flowers to her, but to me, they were a part of my family’s history and a part of their memory. Sapphira had crossed a line.
As I reached for the paper package on my desk, I quickly unraveled the twine that held it together. The dress unfurled before me, still as wrinkly as before, or perhaps a little more so now. The dress would have been pretty if it had been in better shape. The top had an elegant, strapless bodice and the satin skirt was full of volume, but the tears, stains, and wrinkles made it a little difficult to appreciate. I would need to make a few alterations before I could take it into a royal ball.
Not wasting any time, I dug through my trunk and produced a small sewing kit. Laying the dress out on my bed, I began by pressing the wrinkles out as much as I could with a few heavy books I had stored. There wasn’t much I could do about the stains on the lace bodice, but I could mend the tear at the base of the skirt. The rip was a little worse than I had originally thought, since it appeared that a part of the fabric had been torn off by whatever ripped it. I selected a scrap of light purple fabric from my old embroidery supplies and used it to patch up the tear as best as I could. It wasn’t a perfect match, but it would have to do. Hopefully no one would look too closely in the middle of a crowded ballroom. A shudder of nerves rolled down my spine at the reminder that I would likely see a lot of scathing glares tonight. Perhaps if I mended the dress well, it would look presentable enough that I could disappear amongst the crowd.
As I began to sift through my supplies, a sudden noise alerted my ears. Someone was climbing the attic steps.But why would anyone come up here?I didn’t have time to ponder the information before I recognized the incoming, high-pitched chatter of Brielle and Odelia. My heart raced as I scrambled for the dress that still lay strewn out across my bed. In rapid movements, I bunched up the dress into a sloppy fold and stuffed it back into the paper packaging. My fingers trembled as I tied the twine back, binding the paper as the door flew open.
“Oh great, she came back after all,” Odelia scoffed with an unladylike eye roll. I held her gaze as calmly as I could while I slid the package off my lap, hoping they wouldn’t pay it any mind.
“Don’t look so nervous, sister, it’s not as if we came up here to speak withyou.” Brielle said snidely as she approached my open trunk. “We’re only here to get the dancing slippers Mother had foolishly bought for you.” She leaned over my trunk and began to rummage through it, tossing my belongings indelicately onto the floor.