Chapter 27

FELIX

As our Great Witch, Esmeralda, entered the room, the magic in the air shifted, as if bowing to her presence.

Esmeralda carried a great, deep, ancient magic in her bones, the sort of power that could make kingdoms fall with a single snap of her fingers. She always wore her red velvet witch’s robes, even when it was summer–and Fresonia could get quite hot during those months. Despite her overwhelming persona, she was kind. She had always looked after me while I was a kid, and still to this day was not above slipping pieces of candy into the pockets of my suits.

Through our emotional connection, I could feel Mila’s intimidation at Esmeralda’s entrance. Mila might not have had magic of her own, but due to our bond, I knew that she could sense the power around the witch, even if she did not know what it was.

Esmeralda practically floated across the floor to greet Mila, kissing her on the cheek and taking both of her hands.

“You must be Mila,” she said grandly. “It is such a delight to meet you. I’m Esmeralda, an old friend of the family.”

“Esmeralda practically is family at this point,” my father interjected. Mila gave Esmeralda a timid smile.

“It’s nice to meet you,” she said. Esmeralda looked deep into her eyes for a moment, and then a wide smile broke out across her face.

“We’ve been waiting for someone like you for a long time, Mila,” Esmeralda said.

It was like inhaling after holding my breath for years, the way that sentence hit me. What Mila did not realize was that Esmeralda had just confirmed to everyone else in the room that she was my Destined Bride.

I dared sneak a look at my mother. She was clearly on the verge of tears, relief flooding her eyes. My father was doing a better job at remaining stoic, but all the tension had gone out of his shoulders.

Mila was the One.

I looked over at Charles, who was lounging in one of the velvet chairs in the corner of the room. A darkness had crossed over his face at the news.

I tried to bury whatever feelings I had about Charles’s reaction, but it was difficult. He had always struggled with jealous feelings over being the spare and not the heir, but I had always thought deep down that he would never cheer for my death.

Judging from his unhappy face, maybe I was wrong.

I shoved that question aside. Now was not the time to deal with my petulant little brother.

Mila’s slight confusion at everyone’s reaction to the witch’s greeting tickled the corners of my mind. I smiled to myself. The poor girl had no idea how important she truly was.

“Felix tells me you’re a chef,” my mother said, stepping forward, guiding Mila over to a couch. While the women chatted, my father walked over to me.

“She’s lovely, Felix,” he said softly, so only I could hear. “I welcome her as your Destined Bride.”

I turned to my father. There was warmth in his eyes. He was not a man who gave out compliments easily, so Mila must have really impressed him.

“You’re right, Father,” I agreed. “She’s wonderful.”

“Your mother will be glad to have another woman in the castle,” my father went on. “She is not the biggest fan of all of our courtiers.”

“I can’t imagine who you mean, Father,” I said dryly. I knew we were both thinking of the same social climbing snake in the court.

As if summoned, Lady Isabella entered the room.

MILA

I thought things were going well. Clearly, Felix had told his family a lot about me, because the Queen–Rowena–certainly seemed to know quite a bit about my interest in cooking. Their family friend, Esmeralda, had seemed positively delighted to meet me, which did wonders for boosting my confidence.

Of course, all that came crashing down when Isabella walked in.

Was she to be everywhere in the castle? Would I have to prepare to face her every time I was here?

Isabella hurried over to the King and Felix, dropping into a perfectly poised curtsy. I had practiced mine, and I was pretty good for a beginner, but hers was elegant and graceful and natural.

She’s been doing this all her life, I reminded myself. And Felix chose you. No need to compare.

She wore a stunning dark blue dress that showed off her impressively tiny waist. It was unfortunate that her personality was so dour, because she really was quite beautiful.

“Lady Isabella, what are you doing here?” Felix was frowning. “This dinner is for family only.”

“I’m practically family,” Isabella said in a sugary sweet tone. “And I couldn’t bear the idea of your parents meeting your special guest without me!”

Isabella turned to where I was sitting with the Queen. A sly smile spread across her face, and I tried to bury my dread at whatever it was she was about to say.

“Miya! We meet again!” she chirped. “How wonderful. I was hoping we’d be able to continue our friendship.”

“It’s Mila,” I softly corrected. “It’s nice to see you, Lady Isabella.”

She waved a hand dismissively. “Oh, right, you were lying about your name the last time I saw you. Are we past that now? Is Mila even your real name, or are you still lying? Did any of you run a background check on her? Fresonia is strict on fraud, you know.”

She glanced around at the royal family. Only Charles was smiling. To my delight, Rowena looked ready to throw a punch.

“Isabella,” Felix said in a warning tone. He took a step towards her. “If you insult my guest one more time, I–”

She turned to him and giggled. “Don’t be such a buzzkill, Felix! I was merely teasing. Mila and I are old friends. We just love taking long, moonlit walks together. You really get to know a person when you see them sneaking around at night.”

She laughed again. I wanted to disappear into the couch.

“Your dress is exquisite,” Isabella continued. “Really something. Did you thrift it? There are so many wonderful secondhand stores in Fresia. I bet someone on your salary could do really well with hand-me-downs.”

I could feel the beginnings of tears pricking at the back of my eyes, but I held my head high.

“Oh, Felix got this for me,” I said, as casually as possible. “We went to the shopping strip of Fresia this morning. He’s very generous.”

Isabella’s eyes narrowed.

“Yes, Felix is known for his charity work,” she simpered. “As we all know.”

I could feel my blood heating in anger. It was one thing to take Isabella’s abuse when I was supposed to be serving her, but this was another level of disrespect.

“Oh, I know all about Felix’s love for charity,” I said sweetly. “That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?”

From across the room, Charles stifled a giggle.

“That’s enough, Isabella.” Felix’s voice was firm and strong. “That’s an order.”

For what was quite possibly the first time in her life, Isabella was speechless.

“Mila is here because I wanted her to meet the family before I made my announcement,” Felix continued.

Announcement? What announcement?

“I am thrilled to say that Mila and I are officially courting,” Felix said. “She will be bestowed the title of consort, and be given all of the privileges as a member of the royal family.”

Felix looked me deep in the eyes and added one last sentence: “She is the most important person to me.”