Page 168 of Her Dark Promise

I stood up, stripped my robe off, and went over to my dress. The gown was an off-the-shoulder, floor-length dress that dipped low in the front, exposing my breasts just enough to see the tops of them. In the light, the crystals I added made the dress sparkle in a way that I had only ever seen snow glitter in the sun.

Emilia helped me put it on, and I had never felt so beautiful. I looked at myself in the mirror and couldn’t stop staring. I looked at her when she came up behind me through the mirror.

I signed,You are stunning. We will be the talk of the ball.

She laughed and signed,There are only three men.

Am I wrong?I asked, smirking at her.

Never, your majesty.

There was a knock at the door, and Emilia went to answer it.

“Miss Emilia, you look stunning.”

She blushed and turned away from him as Callum’s eyes slid over to me. I could see him reflected in the mirror as he placed a hand over his heart and whispered, “You…You are a vision.”

I smiled and turned to him as he strode into the room, stopping a couple of inches from me. His chest was heaving, and his lips parted as if he wished to say something. We stood there as I looked him over. He was so handsome that it took the breath from my lungs. He had on a dark gray, tailored coat with matching trousers and the same colored undershirt. The coat had thousands of sewn-in beads of white, gray, and black to give it more dimension, as was the style from my time.

He looked away and blushed. “Your grace, if you keep looking at me like that, we won’t ever make it to the ball.”

“If you keep wearing things like that, then I won’t complain about never leaving my chambers ever again.”

I pulled my attention away from him as I saw Emilia quietly attempting to escape to give us some privacy. I hurried over to her, clasped her hand, and pulled her back toward us. I had been wanting to do that for a while now. Everything started with them and no matter what happened with my curse they needed to know.

“Is everything alright, your majesty?” Emilia asked, suddenly worried.

I kept holding one of her hands as I clasped one of Callum’s, squeezing tightly. There was so much that I wished to say, but the words kept getting stuck in my throat.

As always, I deflected. “Who knew we three would be standing here today and all because of two brothers?”

Callum dropped his head, blushing. “Life before them was perfect, but I am forever grateful for how they have changed all of us just with their presence.”

Emilia squeezed my hand back, garnering my attention. “Without them, I wouldn’t have gotten the closure I craved. I am forever indebted to them.”

“Don’t forget Bast’s games.”

We all laughed because Bastian’s idea of fun vastly differed from the rest of us. But if it wasn’t for his truth or drink game, then I would have never been inclined to know more about Soren and his sexual inexperience.

They were right. Everything changed the moment Bastian struck me with his blade.

I let go of their hands, excitement flowed through me as I hadn’t attended a ball in so long. It felt almost normal.

I lifted a finger in the air and quipped, “We must not inform them of this conversation. We wouldn’t want their egos to get any larger.”

Callum took a step back, bowed, and raised his arm. “May I escort you both to the ball?”

I placed my hand in the crook of his arm, Emilia on his other side, and replied, “You may, little bird.”

We reached the doors, and Emilia asked, “Are you ready to see your surprise?”

“Is it a surprise if I already know what it is?”

They laughed, and Callum opened the doors. I started to walk in when my hands flew to my mouth, utterly speechless.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of candles were scattered around the room, casting a soft glow on the walls. Off to the side was the dining table that had an assortment of my favorite foods; soup du jour, hot hor d’oeuvres, beef ragout, cheese souffle,tarte bourdaloue, pudding en flambé, and gray stuff that I had forgotten the name of, to name a few.

My eyes swept over the space and landed on Bastian and Soren standing on the other side of the room. They were so dashing in their suits. Bastian and Soren wore colors that matched the emerald and cerulean brilliance of their eyes. Bastian donned a moss-green colored, printed-patterned waistcoat with a cream-colored undershirt. Meanwhile, Soren’s waistcoat was damask-patterned with bright blue and gold thread.

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