There’s tea and breakfast for you on the table by the couch. Jessel talked one of the pixies in the kitchen into making you a hangover remedy. I had to beg for mine myself, like a pauper. Clearly, she likes you more than me.
Your wedding dress is in the closet.
I’ll see you in the gardens at noon for the ceremony.
Your Prince
Dominique wanted to smile at what he wrote, wanted to believe that these words were written to her from a man who loved her. But reality intruded.
If she ignored the fact that he called her Princess and signed itYour Prince, Dominique had to admit that it seemed friendly. Nothing more.
With a sigh, she got to her feet and sent in search of tea and breakfast. When she saw the clock, she winced. She didn’t have much time to get ready and she had no one to help her.
She walked over to the side table and found a covered tray. When she lifted the lid, a small cloud of steam escaped. It had been spelled to keep her food warm. Appreciative, Dominique saw a little glass bottle with a cork stopper next to the teacup. There was a sticky note attached, once again written in Ronan’s scrawled hand.
Take this first. It’ll make you feel better.
Confused, Dominique did as the note said, removing the stopper from the bottle. A whiff of the contents smelled pleasant, like berries and pomegranate. With a shrug, she lifted the bottle to her mouth and drained it quickly, hoping it tasted as nice as it smelled.
The sweet concoction flowed easily down her throat, leaving a pleasant sensation behind, as though she were drinking champagne. Within seconds, the dull ache in her head faded and her eyes felt less scratchy. By the time she finished pouring her first cup of tea, Dominique felt normal.
She was just about to take a sip when someone knocked at the door. Lowering the cup, she stared at it, torn. Ronan made it clear that she wasn’t supposed to answer the door for anyone, but that was when her parents were in the castle. They were gone now, so surely the threat was gone as well.
Another knock, this one louder, got her feet moving.
“Who is it?” she called.
“Your evil sister-in-law!”
A smile spread across Dominique’s face at Aisling’s cheerful words. She didn’t care if Ronan would be upset, she was opening the door for the princess. She needed a dose of Aisling’s biting humor. It would distract her from what she needed to do today.
Still carrying her teacup, Dominique strode to the door and opened it. Aisling’s bright, smiling face greeted her.
“Good morning to my favorite sister-in-law,” the princess said.
“Good morning tomyfavorite sister-in-law,” Dominique replied, stepping back to allow Aisling to enter.
“I see you’re having a bit of a lie-in today,” Aisling observed as she stepped inside, closely followed by another woman who appeared to be a maid based on her dress.
The four guards that followed Aisling shifted quickly, no doubt remembering how she’d locked them out of Dominique’sroom the day before. Two remained in the hall and the other two nudged Aisling and the maid to the side.
“Your Highness, you know we need to check the room.”
Aisling sighed, rolling her eyes, but didn’t argue. While Dominique could understand the princess’s exasperation, she was glad the guards were insisting on doing their job. If her parents could have come up with a plan to assassinate the king and queen, others could have machinations of their own to kill or kidnap the princess.
Once the two guards were done, one of them went out into the hall and the other planted himself by the door, his hands folded in front of him.
“Seriously, Zane?” Aisling said.
The guard shrugged. “You know the rules. You ignored them last time, so now we do what we have to.”
“Well, the rules suck and I’m changing them as soon as I get a chance.”
Dominique saw the smirk that tugged at the guard’s mouth and her magic shifted, sensing a potential match. Actually, her magic had reacted as soon as she saw Aisling with all four guards. She wondered if Zane was the only potential match among them.
“Now, let’s get you fed, and Bettina will help you with your hair and make-up. She’s one of the best in the realm, a true artist.”
Bettina blushed at the praise and looked down at the floor. “Thank you, Your Highness.”
