“It’s not the servants I’m worried about. It’s the high fae. They’re known to hate us.”
I smile broadly. “We’ll find out today, I guess. At the ceremony.”
“Oh, we brought your dress.” Chelsea plucks a black hatbox from the floor and hands it to me. “This is what you’re supposed to wear. We’ll have the other dresses sent over for the other ceremonies.” She leans forward conspiratorially and grins. “Whatarethe ceremonies?”
“Oh, those.” I peek inside the box and am greeted with a sea of emerald tulle. Great. More itchy fabric. I settle the box on the floor beside me. “I just have to prove that my magic can mingle with Feylin’s.”
All three of their jaws drop.
“Magic?” Blair chokes on the word. “Addie?—”
I rub her arm. I don’t know how well fae can hear, but I think it’s close to superhero level, so I tap my ears and nod toward the door. “Yes, mymagic. I’m all good.”
I wink several times, and they get the hint. But worry brims in Blair’s eyes. “Are you sure about this? Abouthim? What happened last night?”
“Hasn’t Ovie or our parents told y’all?”
“All they said is that you’re now engaged,” Blair confesses.
My gaze zips to Ovie, who’s suddenly focused on a thread sticking out of her sweater.
So it’s up to me to explain. “Well…” Feylin’s words about keeping up the ruse bounce around in my head, reminding me that I’m supposed to be blissfully in love. “It was love at first sight,” I blurt out.
“Love at first sight?” Chelsea croons, practically swooning.
A storm brews in Blair’s eyes. “You were going to be engaged to Edward only two days ago, and by the way, I didn’t realize that I was talking tothe Edwarduntil your argument. Otherwise I never would’ve said one word to him. You know that, right?”
I wave off her concern. “Of course I do. You have nothing to apologize for.”
My aunt clears her throat to get us all back on track. “There’s also magic involved between Addie and Feylin. Magic that has joined the two of them.”
Blair shoots me a frantic look. I grin widely, doing my best to ignore the wrecking ball knocking holes in my stomach wall. “It wasalreadylove at first sight, and then magic got involved,” I stress really hard, hoping they buy the story. “So we can’t be far from one another. That’s why I’m here.”
Chelsea turns to me with surprise flaring in her eyes. “Is that so?”
“Yes, it is. We have to remain within a certain distance. So when he left the house last night, I was magicked with him.”
“Oh, that’s so romantic,” Chelsea declares, collapsing onto the back of the overstuffed chair. “And you’re engaged to aking, no less.”
Don’t remind me.
“But you’re not really going to marry him,” Blair tells me. It’s not a question. “You can’t.”
Ovie shoots her a look. “Addie can marry whomever she wants.”
“But not him,” Blair snaps at our aunt. Chelsea frowns ather, giving a silent warning. Blair explains. “Because it’s all so sudden.”
I scoff. “Isn’t it supposed to be sudden? We’re having balls so that we’ll each be married off. This has to happen in a timely manner or else”—I drop my voice—“or else, you know what.” My cheeks burn from all the attention plus the secret that I’m keeping. Time to change the subject. “What about those balls?” I take Blair’s hand and give it a playful shake. “Those’ll continue, right? So that you can find your husband.”
Chelsea shoots an annoyed look to Ovie. “We’re waiting until after you’re married to start them back up.”
My throat shrivels. Ovie was against me being with Feylin, so why are they waiting? As I watch her, my aunt’s eyes narrow, saying it all—she wants my relationship with Feylin to end so that I can find a different husband at a different ball.
That can’t happen.
“You have to keep the balls!” I shout. The three of them look at me like I’ve grown a second head. I smooth the hem of my blouse and clear my throat. “What I mean is—why wait? Ovie, you’ve said that we have to marry, so why stop because I’ve found my true love?”
She coughs.
