Page 162 of Rags to Royals

She grips my arms, panting, trying to catch her breath. “Oh God, Cian.” She breathes in and out. “Please don’t get married. Not to someone else anyway.”

She looks past me.

“OhGod!” Her eyes come back to mine, filled with panic. “Did you already? Did you do it? Am I too late?”

I pull her in and crush her to my chest.

She’s here.Here.She flew here, she came after me.

To stop my wedding.

I cup the back of her head and just hold her as I start laughing.

Ruby and Mariah burst into the room just then.

“Scarlett!” Ruby sees her in my arms and rushes forward. “Shit, she got away from us,” she tells me. She looks around, her gaze hanging on Henry for a second, before continuing around the room. “Oh, no, are we too late?”

Mariah has stopped at the back of the room. She seems frozen in place. But her eyes are huge and she’s taking in every detail.

“No, you’re not too late. It’s not happening.” I pull back and look down at Scarlett. “You’re the only one I want.”

“But,” she says, peeking past me again. “It’sAstrid Olsen.”

I growl. “Witch…”

“I mean rightthere,” she says. “At the end of the aisle. In a really pretty dress. Looking very much like abride.”

I turn with her in my arms. “Yes, it is. And she’s about to marry my brother.”

Astrid lifts a hand. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Scarlett says timidly.

Astrid looks up at Declan. “We’d better get going before I find whatever part of my mind I’ve lost to agree to this.”

“Declan, do you take Astrid to be your wife?” Diarmuid asks.

“Oh my God, that’s the king,” Scarlett whispers against my chest.

I kiss the top of her head. “Yes,” I whisper back. “I’ll introduce you after the wedding.”

“I do,” Declan says.

“Astrid, do you take Declan to be your husband?”

“I guess I do,” she mutters.

“I declare you wed. Go forth with my blessing.” Diarmuid waves his hand.

“That’s it?” Scarlett asks, tipping her head back to look up at me.

“Not usually. But he’s the king so he can do it however he wants to. This is all formality. The license is what makes it official anyway.”

She nods, then looks back at Astrid and Declan. “They’re not going to kiss?”

Astrid has already gone over to where her mother, grandmother, sister, and brother are gathered. Declan is talking to Iris and Torin.

“I don’t think so.”

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