Chapter 26

MILA:

I stared at Felix in shock. He was generous, and I was allowing him to spoil me a bit by way of him purchasing me one outfit, but everything? I couldn’t accept that.

Especially not since our relationship still felt… undefined.

“That’s too much,” I said softly. Felix looked at me, genuinely confused.

“But you liked them all!” he exclaimed.

I nodded, sadly. The truth was that I’d loved them all. They were intricate pieces of art that made me feel beautiful, and sometimes it was really hard to feel beautiful.

“I did like them all. Marie did a great job,” I said. “But… you’ve seen my little motel room. I can’t possibly fit all those clothes in there! Besides, I would feel weird wearing such nice clothes in the kitchen.”

Not to mention the clothes alone would cost the same amount as a down payment on a restaurant of my own. I decided against mentioning the cost, since Felix had made it very clear that money was no object to a prince.

Felix studied me for a moment. He then pulled out his credit card and handed it to Marie.

“Just the yellow dress, then,” he said. There was a small twinge of disappointment in his voice.

“And the earrings,” I added, throwing him a lifeline. “And the shoes with the little bows.”

He turned his head to me, joy lighting his eyes.

“Yes! He exclaimed. “We’ll take those too!”

I mean, he was insisting.

Felix graciously allowed me to get ready for dinner at his city apartment. I curled my hair and put on a little bit of makeup, trying to ignore how much my hand was shaking as I put on my mascara. With the earrings and the shoes, I actually looked a little sophisticated. Glamorous, even. Marie really worked wonders.

Secretly, I was terrified. Thanks to Felix, I might look appropriate for tonight’s meeting, but there was no denying my status. Everyone else in Felix’s life was born into the royal family or had some other sort of noble status. At the end of the day, I was just some plain, working-class commoner from America. I couldn’t ignore the difference.

Everything else aside, what if Felix’s parents just hated me?

What if they thought I wasn’t good enough for their son?

What if that made Felix think I wasn’t good enough for him, too?

Felix was kind enough to give me a twirl as I emerged from the bathroom. His eyes lit up when he saw me. It made a small portion of my fear subside.

“You are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen,” Felix said. I allowed him to give me a quick kiss on the lips, careful not to smudge my lipstick.

“I bet you say that to all the women,” I said jokingly. Well, half-jokingly, knowing his habit of chasing skirts.

Felix took both my hands in his. “I mean it, Mila. You look stunning. You are stunning. I’m completely enthralled by you.”

“Thank you very much,” I managed. I wasn’t used to this kind of compliment. Even though his words were affectionate, they did very little to soothe my nerves.

“I can tell you’re nervous,” he said softly, pressing his forehead against mine. It was truly amazing how well he was always able to read my emotions. “But they’re going to adore you. What’s not to love?”

I tried not to think about that word–love–as we pulled up to the castle.

The Castle of Fresonia sat at the very top of the tallest hill in Fresia. Somehow, it looked even more foreboding than when I’d been there the week before. Large stone towers pierced the sky, and lanterns lined the gravel drive up to the two large wooden doors. Tiny windows dotted the turrets, with beautiful balconies overlooking the city below.

Last time I had been here, I had gone in through the servants’ entrance.

This time, I was going through the main doors.

Two footmen opened the wooden double doors for us, bowing their heads solemnly to Felix as he passed. I could tell they were both staring at me. I wondered how many girls Felix had brought home to the castle.

Felix led me to a small (well, small by castle standards) room off of the main dining hall. The walls were lined with tapestries embroidered with scenes of dragons, and the rug on the floor was several inches thick. My heels sank down into it, and I almost cried out from the comfort.

But there they were, standing by the windows.

The King and Queen of Fresonia.

Felix’s parents.

I quickly dropped into a curtsy, just as Felix and I had practiced.

“A pleasure to meet you, Your Majesties,” I murmured, keeping my eyes trained on the ground. I only had the courage to stand when Queen Rowena walked over to me and tucked her hand beneath my chin.

“So you must be the famous Mila,” she said. I looked up to see warmth and sincerity shining in her eyes. Felix had the same ones.

“Thank you for having me in your home, Your Majesty,” I demurred. The Queen smiled.

“Please, dear, just call me Rowena,” she assured me. “We don’t need any of that formality here.”

The King gave me a short, strong hug, a gesture so fatherly it almost brought tears to my eyes.

“Enchanted to meet you, Mila,” King Ivan said. He had Felix’s crinkly smile and sharp cheekbones. “We’ve heard nothing but lovely things.”

It was actually a bit soothing to find Felix’s features on the faces of his parents. They felt familiar, in a way. And they were kind–very kind, as a matter of fact.

In many ways, they were nicer to me than my own family back in America. I couldn’t remember the last time my father hugged me. The thought alone instantly made me warm to them.

The Queen wore a simple yet elegant linen dress, diamond bracelets, and low, square-toed heels. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief that I was not underdressed.

“You look beautiful,” Rowena said. I saw her studying my dress. “Where did you get this?”

“We went shopping in town today,” Felix said breezily. “Marie helped us out.”

“Oh, that Marie! She’s a doll,” Rowena exclaimed. I felt instantly at home.

From behind me, the door opened and closed. I turned to see two people enter–Prince Charles and an elderly woman dressed in rich velvet robes. She scrutinized me intensely. I felt a chill go down my spine.

“Oh good! Charles, you’re here. Come meet Mila,” Rowena said, extending her hand to her youngest son. Charles swaggered his way over, obviously not in a rush.

He was good-looking enough, I supposed. He had the same coloring as his brother, although he was lean where Felix was muscular. His face was a bit more angular and pinched than Felix’s, and his eyes had none of the warmth of his mother’s and brother’s. He wore a crown haphazardly on his head, as if he couldn’t be bothered to go through with the effort of putting it on straight.

I curtseyed again. Charles smirked as I rose.

“I’m Prince Charles. You can call me Your Royal Highness,” he said smugly.

I immediately did not like him.

From behind him, the mysterious older woman cleared her throat.

“Well, isn’t anybody going to introduce me?”