Chapter 74

MILA

With the opening of the restaurant now behind me and day-to-day operations running smoothly, I was able to start dedicating my time to the other massive event going on in my life: my wedding.

Every little girl dreams of growing up and marrying their Prince Charming in a fairytale wedding. I had somehow gotten lucky and found myself marrying an actual prince.

Although our initial announcement banquet had gone smoothly (despite the best efforts of my sister and Isabella), I still felt very overwhelmed by the prospect of becoming a royal. Felix kept assuring me that I was a natural, but I certainly didn’t feel like it.

So, seven days before my wedding, I found myself in Queen Rowena’s private chambers, dressed in a floor-length gown, attempting to balance a book on my head.

Although Rowena had been born noble, she had not been born into the royal family. If there was anyone I knew who could help me with this adjustment period, it was her. Luckily for me, she was absolutely, over-the-moon thrilled to help me learn to be a princess.

“Do you remember your rules on curtsying Mila?” she asked from her chair. I was attempting to walk across the room with a straight spine and not drop the book, despite its precarious balance. “The only people you will need to curtsy to after the wedding are kings and queens from other countries, as a sign of respect. Remember, once Felix takes the throne, you will outrank almost everyone in the world–including me.”

It was a scary reminder, that I would soon become one of the highest-ranked nobles in the entire world in a mere month, but that was something I would not allow myself to focus on until after the wedding.

“You’re going to be a wonderful princess,” the queen said softly, as if sensing my distress. I shot her a grateful smile.

“I feel very lucky that you and the king have been so welcoming to me,” I told her. “I know many people with terrifying in-laws, and I’m glad to not have any horror stories.”

Rowena laughed. “I hope our kindness makes up for some of this family’s more difficult attributes.”

I knew she still carried guilt over keeping the Dragon Knight secret, but truly, I did not blame her. I made it to the other end of the room without dropping the book and turned back to face her.

“I met Ignatius,” I offered. “He’s a very sweet dragon.”

Rowena smiled at me. “He is. I’m glad Felix has a creature who is that loyal. They have a very strong bond.”

She put on a waltz for me to practice my steps with. I twirled around the room, trying my best to keep in time with the ¾ beat.

“Your entire family is very close,” I said as I danced past her. “It’s been beautiful to see. I can tell where Felix gets his good humor from.”

“We are very lucky that we all get along so well,” Rowena said, her eyes darkening with a slight sadness. That’s why it was such a hard hit when Charles showed his true colors. It is a hard pill to swallow that your own child has become a monster.”

My heart ached for the queen.

“I understand,” I said, feeling my own chest ache, “what it is to feel betrayed by family. What it is to look at someone who was supposed to love you unconditionally and see only hate in their eyes. It is a pain unlike any other, Your Majesty.”

Rowena looked down at her hands. “I suppose you understand better than most. Felix mentioned that your family is not coming to the wedding. I was sorry to hear that. I know you had hopes for some sort of reconciliation.”

“Adoptive family,” I automatically corrected her. “And while I appreciate your care, I’m not sorry. They lost the privilege of being in my life a long time ago. I don’t think I will particularly miss any of them.”

“That’s right, you were adopted. Do you… know anything about your real family?” Rowena asked. I could tell that her curiosity was currently outweighing her decades of etiquette training.

I shook my head. “Nothing at all. The people I call my parents found me on their doorstep one morning and decided to keep me since they had not yet been able to have a child of their own. But once Nadine was born, I got shoved to the side. And there was no way of returning me, so…”

My voice trailed off. Rowena looked at me, a deep sadness in her eyes. “That is no way to raise a child, to make them feel unwanted.”

I took a deep breath and continued. “I have very little interest in learning about my adoptive family. They were willing to give me up. If they don’t want anything to do with me, then I don’t need anything to do with them. As far as I’m concerned, there were two sets of adults who made terrible choices for a baby, and I am lucky I grew up and escaped their bad decisions.”

Rowena nodded thoughtfully. “That is a mature way of looking at things. Still, I am sorry that you will not have family at the wedding.”

I shook my head, forcefully this time. “Don’t be. I have a new family now.”

Rowena broke into a big smile at that, her eyes glistening.

“That you do, my dear,” she said. “Now, shall we practice your skills with a fan?”

FELIX

Two days before the wedding, I awoke with a strange ache in my muscles that I had never felt before. It was pain and soreness unlike anything I had ever experienced.

A feeling of dread ran through me as I glanced at Mila sleeping peacefully next to me. Even though I had never felt this sort of pain, I knew deep down what it was.

I slipped into the castle in the early hours of the morning. Sure enough, Esmeralda was waiting in her special potions room, as if she knew I was coming.

She took one look at my face and frowned. “The curse has begun to set in.”

I nodded, afraid to speak. She pulled out a chair for me to sink into and got to work examining me. As she scanned me with her magic, I was horrified to see that her own eyes were getting a little watery.

“It is a good thing that you and Mila are getting married soon,” she said eventually. “You are running out of time, Felix. The dark magic is spreading throughout your body. Once it reaches your heart… then it will be too late.”

I hung my head. “I was afraid we were cutting it too close.”

Esmeralda took a step back and surveyed me for a moment. “Your marriage should erase all signs of the curse from your body. You are very lucky to have found Mila, Felix. Otherwise… this would be a painful demise indeed.”

I exhaled shakily. “Promise me you won’t say a word of this to anyone. Not to my parents, and especially not to Mila.”

Esmeralda nodded gravely. “I promise.”

One more secret to keep. It would all be over soon.