Page 1 of Happily Ever After
Epilogue
I dodged another seamstress wielding a measuring tape like a weapon and ducked behind a column. Three months of wedding preparations had turned the palace into a battlefield of fabric swatches, flower arrangements, and endless lists. The Crown Prince’s wedding was, apparently, the event of the decade.
“I swear, if one more person asks me about napkin colors, I might commit treason,” I muttered.
Rosalind appeared beside me, her chestnut hair tucked under a simple cap. “Found her,” she called softly over her shoulder.
Laurel joined us, carrying a bundle of plain clothes. “We have twenty minutes before Lady Felicia realizes you’ve escaped the dress fitting.”
“Twenty minutes?” I grabbed the clothes. “That’s practically an eternity.”
We slipped into an unused chamber where I changed quickly, trading my elaborate gown for a merchant’s daughter’s simple dress. Laurel helped pin my hair under a cap while Rosalind kept watch.
“This feels deliciously scandalous,” Rosalind whispered, eyes bright with excitement.
Laurel snorted. “More scandalous than the future Crown Princess running away from her duties?”
“The palace can survive without me for one afternoon.” I tucked the last strand of hair away. “How do I look?”
“Perfectly ordinary,” Rosalind declared. “No one would suspect you’re about to marry the most eligible bachelor in the kingdom.”
“Thank the gods.” I straightened my plain bodice. “Ready?”
We navigated the servants’ passages—a skill I’d perfected during my nocturnal visits to Anderic’s chambers—and emerged through a kitchen door into the bright spring afternoon. The city spread before us, blissfully unaware that three women on the run from wedding preparations had just infiltrated its streets.
“Freedom!” I threw my arms wide, earning curious glances from passersby.
Laurel tugged my arm down. “Perhaps try to look less like a prisoner escaping execution?”
“You’re one to talk.” I nudged her with my elbow. “Who was it that fainted when Prince Anderic asked for your opinion on which cravat complemented my eyes better?”
Rosalind laughed. “Oh, that was priceless! Poor Anderic thought he’d killed you.”
“It’s not every day the Crown Prince seeks fashion advice from a handmaid,” Laurel defended herself, cheeks flushing. “Besides, he looked so earnest about it.”
“He overthinks everything,” I sighed. “Yesterday he spent an hour debating the symbolism of roses versus lilies in my bridal bouquet.”
“How terrible,” Rosalind teased. “Your betrothed cares about the details of your wedding. Truly, you suffer greatly.”
We wandered through the market district, browsing stalls without the usual entourage of guards and attendants. Ipurchased a bag of candied almonds, and we shared them as we admired a display of colorful fabrics.
“Noah asked about you this morning,” I told Rosalind casually, watching her cheeks turn the exact shade of the pink silk we were examining.
“Did he?” She tried and failed to sound indifferent.
“Mmhmm. He wondered if you’d be joining us for dinner tonight. Said something about missing your insights on the new trade agreements.”
Laurel grinned. “Yes, I’m sure it’s your ‘insights’ he misses.”
“You two are impossible.” Rosalind snatched the bag of almonds. “We’re merely colleagues.”
“Colleagues who spend hours in the library discussing poetry?” I raised an eyebrow. “Colleagues who blush whenever the other enters a room?”
“Speaking of blushing,” Laurel interjected, “remember when Ambassador Caldwell asked Her Highness-to-be if she’d practiced her wedding dance, and she turned redder than the Aetherian flag?”
“I did not!” I protested.
“You did,” both women chorused.
