Page 101 of Legacy of Glass
“Honestly, it’s mostly my father’s fault,” she said with a scowl. “He’s furiously angry at Lord Strathmore and talking like he’s ready to burn the kingdom down over it. I think he’ll be more sensible once he’s calmed down. He isn’t truly a heartless person, and he won’t want to see all of Sovar suffer. But King Robert isn’t willing to take the chance. Arresting Lord Strathmore has unleashed all sorts of chaos on the court—his wealth and support networks run deep. So the king wants to make sure there’s a solid alliance between the crown and my family. So here I am, all dressed up and ready to be the sacrifice.”
“And Julius agreed to this?” Olivia asked, struggling to breathe. “I know he takes his duty to Sovar seriously. I just thought…”
“Of course he didn’t agree,” Marigold said promptly, and Olivia’s throat loosened.
“But I haven’t seen him since he raced out of the room to find you,” she added, “so they may have found a way to bully him as well. For me, my father is threatening to make sure Cade takes the fall along with Lord Strathmore. But for Julius, they were trying to spin some sort of tale about you being better off free from the palace.” She shook her head. “The king and queen must be blind if they can’t see that you’ll make a far better queen than me.”
“Did Julius believe her?” Olivia asked. “Does he think I’d be better off without him?” She tried to hold onto their kiss, but what if she’d read it wrong? What if it had been a farewell kiss?
Marigold hesitated, sending ice through Olivia’s veins.
“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “I wasn’t supposed to hear any of it, but I have excellent hearing.” She grimaced. “I couldn’t catch every word, though.”
“Then we’d better hurry and get you dressed for a ball, Olivia,” Daphne said from the bedchamber door. “It’s past time you told Julius how you feel about him for yourself.” She gave her cousin a knowing look. “You do think he’s worth the sacrifice of being royal, don’t you?”
Olivia gaped at her.
“Well?” Daphne asked.
“Of course I do,” Olivia gasped. “But where did you come from? Were you in there the whole time?”
“Of course.” Daphne stretched and yawned. “When I came back into the palace, I came straight to check on Mildred. She was fine, so I thought I’d have a little nap while I waited for you.” She grinned. “I thought you might be a while.”
Olivia flushed, thinking of that alcove and the stolen moment with Julius that had delayed her. Julius’s kiss had opened a beautiful future for her, and she refused to believe it had been meant as a goodbye. She had to trust in Julius and his kiss. She would find him and tell him how she felt just like Daphne said.
Then she remembered the flaw in Daphne’s plan. “Unfortunately, I can’t go to the ball. They’ve locked me in.” She glanced at the window doubtfully. “I don’t think I’m as brave as you, Marigold. I can’t climb down to the ground on unstable vines.”
Marigold grinned wickedly and pulled several long hairpins from the elaborate arrangement on her head. “Fortunately, one of the Emerson servants didn’t always lead such an upright life. He knows how to pick locks, and I convinced him to teach me when I was thirteen. I like to practice now and then to keep my skills fresh. You get dressed, and I’ll get us out of here.”
Daphne smiled. “I wasn’t sure I liked you at first, but you’ve won me over.”
Marigold grinned back, unoffended. “Same.”
“I just hope I have a dress to wear,” Olivia wailed. “Zane had just started pulling apart my wardrobe when I found him.”
“Wait, Zane?” Marigold paused halfway to the sitting room door and looked back over her shoulder. “He did what?”
Olivia quickly told the other girls what had happened between her and Zane in her suite, and about being forced into the tunnel and out of the palace.
“It wasn’t Lord Strathmore?” Marigold asked, incredulous. “It was Zane the whole time?” She shook her head. “If Lord Strathmore gets released, my father will be livid.” She grinned slowly at the idea before quirking an eyebrow. “You know, I never did like Zane, even though he is Cade’s brother. Something about him always made me uncomfortable.”
“Always trust your intuition,” Daphne murmured.
Both of her friends trailed Olivia into her bedchamber and to her wardrobe. To her relief, most of her gowns were still untouched.
Daphne drew out a magnificent creation from the back, an elaborate, formal gown whose embroidery and layers of blue paid homage to the dress Olivia had worn for her betrothal announcement. “This is perfect,” she announced. “You should definitely wear this one.”
She helped Olivia into the gown, and all three girls nodded in approval. Daphne ushered Olivia to a seat in front of her dressing table and began quickly pinning up her hair.
“You’ll have to wear my slippers, of course.” Marigold kicked off her glass slippers. “I just hope you can walk in them since your feet are smaller.”
Olivia met Marigold’s eyes in the mirror on her dressing table. “No,” she said. “Julius approached me at the Midsummer Ball because he thought I was his parents’ choice. And then his parents accepted me to appease the Legacy. This time, I want him to choose me himself, freely. If he chooses his duty over me, I can’t stop that. I won’t trap him. Neither am I willing to allow such an important decision to be dictated by the Legacy. We both go in glass slippers, and Julius chooses between us himself.”
Marigold wrinkled her nose. “That’s very noble of you—but know I’m only agreeing because I’m confident in his choice. I have no interest in becoming queen.”
“But where are you going to find a second pair of glass slippers?” Daphne asked, ever practical. “I can see they’ve put one on display in your sitting room, but you can’t wear one slipper.”
Olivia bit her lip. She hadn’t even thought about what had happened to her other slipper. But in some things, Aunt Helen was extremely reliable.
