She could hear Mistress Cedrice speak to the customer, but she could not hear what they said. Hopefully they would not be long, as Ashlin did not want to make a sound. She waited for the sound of the front bell to signal their exit.
Instead, she heard the back door open and a heavy footfall pause inside the doorway. That was not the sound of the seamstress. Had the palace guard come back to officially arrest her?
The footsteps came deeper into the room, and a pair of glass shoes appeared around her wall of crates.
“I found these in Blossom’s stall last night.” Onric peaked around the corner, his eyes laughing down at her. “I thought you might want them back.” He set the exquisite shoes on top of a crate. They were still whole.
“Onric?” She jumped up and flew into his arms. Her heart lurched in happiness as he swung her off her feet. “What happened?” she asked as soon as she was on the ground again.
“Lord Munney was the Majis spy,” Onric said, filling her in. “We are sending him back to the Council in Chendas so they can deal with him. And we also sent along word of your discoveries regarding the source of the magic. Thank you for that.”
“And Ian?”
“Ian is fine.” Onric’s face clouded. “Aden, however, is not.”
Ashlin placed her palm on his chest, silently offering her support while she waited for him to explain.
“Munney cursed him into the form of a beast.”
“A beast?”
“He seems to have retained his mind and his ability to speak. Every physician in the kingdom has been summoned to see what can be done.”
“I might know someone who can help,” Ashlin offered, thinking of the seamstress. “But I will have to ask their permission before I share more with you.”
Onric’s face held a touch of hope. “Please do,” he said. “I am sure that my father will gladly protect anyone who can help Aden.”
“How is Aden taking it?”
“He’s not very happy about it, understandably. Ian has sworn to find the instigator and take vengeance.”
“That’s very noble of him.”
“Considering that Aden took the curse for him, it’s the least he can do.”
“And you? How did you know I was here?”
“You said you were moving forward. I figured that meant you were finally going to apprentice, like you have always wanted to do.”
She smiled, pleased that he had known exactly where to look for her. “Ian told me it was your idea to open the invitations to everyone in the city.”
Onric stepped closer to her, softly running the back of his fingers down her cheek. “Almost since the day we met, my heart has been entirely yours. Ashlin...” He dropped his voice to a whisper. “Will you marry me?”
For a moment, she nearly melted with happiness. But her heart and her mind were not saying the same thing. She reached up and placed a hand on his chest. “No.”
It took a moment for him to register her answer, but when he did, he jumped backwards and peered down at her face. “No? You can’t...”
“Oh, but I can.” His face was so shocked, she nearly laughed. “I clearly recall that you told me I could say no to you, prince or not.”
“Alright, alright.” He put his hands up in defeat and confusion. “Surely you are jesting, though. Will you please consider saying yes, just this one time?”
The tenderness in his eyes took her breath away. “I said no, and yes it was half in jest, but partially serious as well.” She paused, trying to organize her thoughts so she could express herself without hurting him further.
Onric watched her patiently, waiting silently.
“I am saying no for now, but I want to ask you for something. Only, it is a very selfish thing to ask for.”
“Selfish? You?” he responded. “You are the least selfish person I have ever encountered. In fact, you are so unselfish that it is entirely unhealthy. I want you to be selfish. If you asked for five selfish things every day, I would do everything in my power to grant them to you.”
