“You know I’m always good wherever I am.” I shrugged.
“Okay,” he drawled, keeping his sight set on me.
With a knock on the door, our conversation halted. I moved to answer, but Orion stopped me and gestured to a chair. “The future queen does not answer her own door when she haspeopleto do it for her.”
I chuckled and took my seat. A female attendant brought a large, ballooning dress into the room as I sat gaping. She hung the gown on a golden hook and looked at me nervously before shuffling out. She should be nervous; what she’d brought was hideous.
“Well, this is certainly … something.” Orion eyeballed the monstrosity.
With layered skirts cascading from waist to floor, it must have weighed a ton. The puffy sleeves only added to the wide silhouette of the gown, leaving the overly gold-beaded corset as the most gaudy piece of material I’d ever seen. I would be a walking cloud, and an ugly one at that. The worst part of it was, if I were to meet King Sutton after the ceremony, I wouldn’t be getting away with anything, let alone his murder. They’d catch me before I could escape the room in my crinoline, if I could even fit through the doorway.
I needed Orion to help, not only with the dress, but with a plan. I summoned my courage to admit I was in over my head, and wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything without relying onhelp from others. It was time for me to open up and leave myself vulnerable.
“I need you to tell Benton something for me.” I stood and leaned into Orion, too scared to make my request above a whisper. “I need to speak with Jaspar and I need it to happen quickly.”
29
AUDRYN
The day pushed on, and after several attempts, I failed to get my father alone. Leanna kept me busy, rushing me from task to task and leaving zero time to myself. We barely had enough time to eat. And when we did, lunch was brought to us while she showed me the flowers she had chosen.
As if I wasn’t already sick from the dizzying plans and details, the cake still needed to be sorted. Dessert was normally my favorite course of any meal, but with little sleep, nausea edged my throat.
“We will have petit fours with almond cake and raspberry filling. In addition, chocolate truffles will be served to the guests,” Draven continued. “What is the final selection for your cake?”
I shrugged and looked down at the seven plates of half-eaten dessert. “Whichever is easiest for you.”
His face fell. He’d been so kind to me, yet I couldn’t be more uninterested in the entire spectacle. It wasn’t like I planned to even make it to the dessert table after the ceremony.
“Maybe you need to try the flavors again.” Leanna batted her lashes and pushed a plate toward me.
I sipped water from my glass. “I don’t think I can make another decision—you decide.”
She looked at the dishes thoughtfully and took another bite of each. “The lemon sponge is light and not too sweet. It is perfect for the event.”
“Okay. You know where to find me if you change your mind,” Draven said before leaving.
I stared out the window and at the sun setting over the sea. Ironically, the water was calmer than ever, while my stomach was rippling. I’d spent the day brainstorming how I’d get Jaspar inside the castle gates, but fell short. If he couldn’t come to me, I’d need to go to him. I couldn't leave my father behind while I met with my friend, so I’d need to get us both out.
I stood to leave, but Leanna placed a gentle hand on mine, encouraging me to stay. “Are you having doubts?” she asked sweetly. “I had doubts too. There are even days now that I wish I had waited to marry.”
My free hand fidgeted as I contemplated her angle. If I opened up to her, she’d likely only try to convince me to push through. She had dedicated herself to finding a wife for her brother. Plus, the garden was prepared, and the castle had been beautifully decorated. She couldn’t possibly support me in calling off the wedding.
“You can still walk away.” Leanna’s lips pursed. “There’s nothing that says you have to do this right now. My brother will understand.”
“I—”
The door opened, and Ryder sauntered in with a wide smile adorning his face. He picked up the fork and took several bites of each flavor of cake. “The chocolate is what we’ll have,” he said to nobody in particular.
Leanna scowled for a moment before she straightened her skirt and stood. “I will advise Draven of the change.”
“Let’s take a walk in the garden.” Ryder extended a hand to me.
I shook my head and left his hand hanging. “I don’t feel well and would like to sleep.” There was no reason to waste time pretending with the prince when I could focus my efforts on finding a way into town.
“That’s a good idea.” Leanna rested a hand on my shoulder. “It only makes sense that you still need to rest. I’ll walk you to your room.”
“Actually, we need to talk,” Ryder said to Leanna. He turned to me and placed a sticky kiss on my forehead. “I’ll take you to see the garden tomorrow.”
