Page 2 of Happily Ever After
“The Prince had to fan you with a dinner menu,” Rosalind added gleefully.
I groaned. “In my defense, Anderic had just whispered something highly inappropriate in my ear.”
“Do tell,” Laurel leaned in, eyes sparkling with mischief.
“Absolutely not.” I steered them toward a jeweler’s stall. “Look, earrings!”
We spent the next hour trying on trinkets, laughing at each other’s increasingly outlandish selections. Laurel modeled a pair of chandelier earrings that nearly touched her shoulders, while Rosalind donned a headdress more suitable for a peacock than a lady.
In a quiet moment, watching my friends debate the merits of silver versus gold, I felt a wave of contentment wash over me. In my previous life, I’d never known friendship like this—honest, supportive, without calculation or agenda.
“She’s doing it again,” Laurel stage-whispered to Rosalind.
“Getting sentimental?” Rosalind asked.
“Definitely. Look at those misty eyes.”
I flicked water from a nearby fountain at them both. “I’m simply contemplating how I ended up with such insufferable friends.”
“Your impeccable taste,” Rosalind suggested.
“Divine punishment for past sins,” Laurel offered with a newly confident smile. In the past few months I had ended up telling Laurel everything about my past ‘life’. Surprisingly, Laurel believed me without question.
“Both equally plausible.” I linked arms with them. “Now, who’s hungry? I know a tavern that serves meat pies that would make even Queen Felicia abandon her royal dignity.”
The meat pies lived up to my promise—flaky crust giving way to savory filling that made even Laurel, usually so delicate in her eating habits, lick her fingers with abandon.
“I’m not ready to go back,” I declared, wiping crumbs from my mouth. “Queen Felicia probably has an army of seamstresses waiting to pounce.”
Rosalind raised an eyebrow. “What did you have in mind?”
“Something fun.” I grinned, the kind of grin that had once made my ladies-in-waiting scatter like startled birds.
“Why does that smile terrify me?” Laurel sighed.
Twenty minutes later, we stood before the weathered facade of Meadows Inn, a three-story wooden structure that looked respectable only if you squinted and had consumed several strong drinks beforehand.
Rosalind stared at the building, then at me. “This is your idea of a fun activity,” she said, deadpan.
“Remember the last time you were here?” Laurel whispered. “You got kidnapped by the Red Cross gang.”
“How could I forget?” My hand instinctively touched my side where a scar would have been if not for the excellent healers in the palace. “But after the royal guards’ raid last month, it’s practically a church now.”
Rosalind snorted. “A church of gambling, smuggling, and other assorted illegalities.”
“You’re breaking the law,” Laurel said, but her eyes sparkled with excitement.
I shrugged. “Consider it my last act of rebellion before I’m imprisoned in royal propriety for life. Besides, no one will recognize us in these clothes.”
“So we’re here to gamble away our pocket money?” Rosalind asked as we slipped inside, the sounds of laughter, clinking glasses, and profanity washing over us.
“Not a chance.” I flashed her a mischievous smile.
The main room buzzed with activity—merchants, laborers, and nobles in disguise crowded around tables of cards and dice. I led my companions to a shadowy corner and outlined my plan.
“You want us to do what?” Laurel’s eyes widened.
“Cause a bit of harmless chaos,” I whispered. “Watch.”
