She laughs. “Yes, they’re all very handsome. Be careful with—”
“Asmo, I know.”
She looks at me, a puzzled expression contorting her features, “I was going to say you should be careful with how much you eat tonight. It’s custom to have an array of desserts at formal dinners, and you should save room for it.”
I burst into laughter. “I’ll try to remember.”
“You never could get enough dessert,” she says, a reminiscent smile on her face. I soften a bit. It feels good to see her smile. Willa was my best friend growing up. She was always the person I turned to when I had no one else, which was often.
I’ve never gone more than a few days without talking to her, even when I moved away from home. She usually stopped by the store several times a week to say hello or to bring me a pastry from my favorite bakery. I didn’t realize how much I missed her until now.
She hops down from the stage with grace. “I’d better let you get back to your coronation party.” She turns and looks at me, a smile on her face. “I’m proud of you, Mae. I don’t tell you that enough.”
She’s right. I can count the number of times she’s told me that on one hand. My heart warms, and I can’t help the smile that steals across my face. “Thanks, Willa. That means a lot.” I hop off the stage, too, and pull her in for a hug. Her raven hair smells of her favorite floral shampoo, and I inhale deeply.
We let go, and she starts toward the door. I walk her to the front of the castle and give her a final hug before she joins the crowd of people leaving the grounds.
I turn back around to head inside, but Ivan stands behind me. I jump and put my hand to my chest, feeling my beating heart beneath the soft lace of my dress. I didn’t sense him behind me at all.
“I’m glad to see you and Willa have reconciled,” he says.
“Yes, me too,” I say, meaning it. I feel a little bit fuller, almost as if I had been missing a piece of me, and Willa just returned it.
“Good,” he says shortly. “It’s almost time for the coronation dinner. If you’d like to freshen up, Ruby and Nora are waiting for you in your wing.”
“I’ll be there in a moment. I just need to say goodbye to Cally,” I promise before hurrying back to the veranda.
Cally is exactly where I left her: standing at the same table, sipping on champagne and shoving savory pastries in her mouth.
“Hey, you,” she says with a smile as I approach.
“Enjoying the food?” I ask, already knowing the answer is yes.
She rolls her eyes. “No, it’s terrible,” she says sarcastically. “Who even pays for all of this?”
“Why, the citizens of the Woodland Kingdom, of course,” I say in my most haughty voice.
“Well, in that case…” Cally grabs a handful of pastries and stuffs them into the pockets of her dress.
I can’t contain the snort of laughter that comes out of my mouth.
“What?” Cally asks, eyes widening and looking around in feigned innocence.
Over Cally’s shoulder, I spot Ivan exiting the castle and looking around, presumably for me.
“Hey,” I say abruptly. “I’ve got to go get ready for my coronation dinner with the princes, so I came to say goodbye. Please feel free to stay for as long as you want, and take advantage of the free food and drinks.”
Her eyes widen. “I can’t wait to hear how it goes,” she says excitedly.
I wish I could match her excitement, but the only thing I’m feeling right now is my nerves taking flight in my stomach.
“I can,” I say with a sigh. “I promise I’ll spill the details as soon as I can.”
She gives me a quick hug, squishing me against the still-warm pastries stuffed in her pocket.
“Oh, Mae, the moment we saw you walking down the path with the stag…To die for,” Nora says, placing a hand on her chest. She takes my hair down from the bun and styles it in a half-up, half-down style with loose tendrils in the front to frame my face.
“Very Wrena of you,” Ruby says, a smirk on her face.
