He threw his head back and laughed, the sound rich, full, and entirely unbothered. “Treason warning noted.”
They wove through the streets, passing Crown housing and outbuildings, climbing steadily toward Eirenden Keep. Vivienne grimaced. The laces of her bodice bit into her ribs, each inhale a sharp reminder that she’d tied them too tight. Her boots, still stiff from lack of wear, pinched with every step.The things we do for beauty.She adjusted her posture, taking short, strategic breaths to compensate.
Ahead, the castle stretched into the sky, its stone towers casting long shadows. It felt more imposing than usual, like a living thing watching their approach. Vivienne’s mouth went dry.
“Are you nervous?” Lewis asked.
“Of course I’m nervous,” she admitted, a strained chuckle escaping her lips. “I’m about to ask for a favor from a King. A King who doesn’t even know I exist.”
He glanced over his round spectacles. “If anyone could win over a monarch,” he mused, “I’m confident you’d make the top ten.”
Vivienne let out a quick, startled laugh, her eyes widening in mock offense. “Top ten?”
“After today, you might be well on your way to cracking the top five.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Not all of us are on nickname terms with royalty.”
As the streets grew steeper, their breaths came harder, boots scuffing against uneven cobblestones. Vivienne considered several different violent demises for her bodice and its punishing laces.
“You know, I’ve never actually spoken to the King,” Lewis admitted.
She shot him a curious look. “Don’t you work at the castle?”
“I work in the gardens and greenhouseadjacentto the castle,” he clarified. “I haven’t spent much time inside.” He nudged a small stone forward with the tip of his boot, watching it bounce along the street. “One time, I watered a fern in the same room as the King,” he added, playing at nonchalance.
Vivienne burst into laughter. “A fern? And you dare to put me on a top ten list?”
“Hey,” he defended, hands raised in mock surrender. “At least I’ve been in the same room as the man.”
Vivienne gathered the folds of her gown in her hands, careful not to trip as the incline sharpened for the final ascent. “I’ve never been up to the castle,” she confessed. “Or the grounds.”
Lewis glanced sideways at her, a knowing smile creeping onto his face. “You’re in for a treat.”
* * *
As they approached Eirenden Keep,the pristine white-stone walls gave way to an unwelcoming iron gate. A castle guard stood at attention, clad in lightweight golden armor, the hilt of his sword gleaming at his side.
“State your business,” the guard boomed.
Vivienne slipped a hand into the folds of her gown, pulling the instructional parchment from her pocket. “We are here for an audience with King Berius.”
The guard barely glanced at the parchment before stepping aside. “You may proceed.” His voice, just as thunderous as before, made her jump.
Lewis leaned in close, his breath warm against her ear. “Do you think he uses that voice with his wife?”
Vivienne clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh but as soon as they stepped past the gate, her laughter died in her throat.
Her hand remained over her mouth—but it was no longer to keep from laughing. It was to contain the gasp of pure astonishment.
The garden unfolded before her like the scenery of a dream.
A living tapestry of color and fragrance stretched in every direction. Beds of goldenrod, asters, and cardinal flowers spilled over carefully arranged pathways, their scents twining together into something rich and intoxicating. The flowers formed labyrinthine designs following the elegant arches and carved stonework of the courtyard. Polished stone paths wound through the garden, leading under arching trellises heavy with climbing honeysuckle, their petals fluttering like silk in the gentle breeze. The cascading water of the central, grand fountain caught the afternoon light, sending ripples of gold and silver dancing across the surrounding flora.
“Do you like it?” Lewis' voice was quiet as his eyebrows knit together, forming a crease between them.
Vivienne’s gaze darted from one breathtaking detail to the next, her mind struggling to absorb it all. “Like it?” she breathed. Awe pooled in her chest, rising like the tide. Her eyes shimmered with anticipated tears. “Lewis, it’s the most beautiful, the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen.”
Lewis wasn’t looking at the garden anymore.
