Page 11 of Legacy of Glass
“I suppose so.” Cade sighed. “But honestly, if you’re looking for official permission to let this go, I’m giving it to you. We’ve all of us had moments we’re less than proud of. I’ve never seen you do less than an excellent job as crown prince, and a single awkward conversation doesn’t change that. Honestly, I wish you had more opportunities to freely be yourself.”
Julius shook his head. Cade was a good friend, but he didn’t understand. Julius’s parents—and the entire kingdom—relied on him to do his job properly and ensure the well-being of all of Sovar. With everything he had already sacrificed—and would be called upon to sacrifice after the ball—he couldn’t afford to falter.
But he still appreciated Cade’s efforts. Having one person he could confide in had always helped to lift Julius’s spirits when he felt overwhelmed.
“Thanks, Cade,” he said quietly, keeping silent about his ongoing doubts.
Cade grinned. “What else are friends here for? It’s your job to be prince and mine to make sure you don’t drown in all the duty. If you like, I can solemnly pledge to remind you of the incident any time you start to think there’s nothing to you but your crown prince role. I could even enlist the others to help in that noble task.”
“No, thank you,” Julius said firmly. “Telling you was bad enough. I just want to forget the whole incident ever happened. Didn’t you say I have official permission to do that now?”
“Absolutely.” Cade sprang to his feet. “Now I just need to go wandering those hills behind Manor Row so that I, too, can meet avery beautifulgirl.”
Julius also stood, his insides tightening at the thought. The last thing he needed was for Cade to end up meeting the girl with the flowers. He would no doubt end up revealing Julius’s identity if that ever happened.
“The ball is tomorrow, so I think we both have more important things to do,” he said.
“As you command, Your Highness,” Cade said, with a knowing grin.
Julius ignored it. “I, for one, am going to wash up.”
He had ridden hard, making the most of the opportunity to escape all the preparations for the ball. He just hoped the ride and the talk with Cade would be enough to prevent him dreaming of the girl again that night.
Chapter5
Olivia
Olivia felt as if she’d strayed into a dream over the next few days. Marigold’s frenetic energy was poured into planning Olivia’s outfit for the ball, and she was constantly popping up to discuss this or that detail.
Olivia had assumed her friend would select one of her old gowns and give it to Olivia in advance so Olivia could adjust it to her much smaller stature and frame. But it quickly became apparent that Marigold was having a dress made specially.
Whenever Olivia tried to protest, Marigold brushed her words aside.
“I’ve always wanted to design a dress for a petite, golden beauty like you,” Marigold assured her. “My own height and wild curls can be useful for certain dramatic styles, but there are other styles that are off the cards completely. Not unless I want to look ridiculous.”
Olivia frowned. “But surely your mother doesn’t want to pay your seamstress to make a dress forme.”
Marigold cackled, and Olivia realized with a sinking heart that Marigold hadn’t told her mother the dress was for Olivia.
“Before you start protesting again,” Marigold said quickly at the look on her friend’s face, “remember my overflowing closet. I don’t need another dress, and I wouldn’t have agreed to a new one for the ball if I didn’t want it for you.” She smiled reminiscently. “It’s actually been surprising fun watching the seamstress’s face as I demand feature after feature that would look terrible on me.”
“Is your mother just letting you have whatever you want?” Olivia asked dubiously.
Marigold snorted. “She thinks it’s my attempt at defiance, and she’s placating me by letting me have my way. She seems convinced it will somehow all come together to look presentable. At least that’s what she keeps telling the dismayed seamstress. I suppose she’s relying on the Legacy.” Marigold wrinkled her nose, but Olivia nodded.
Having worked on her cousins’ dresses, she was inclined to think Lady Emerson might even be right. The Legacy seemed to surround anything related to the ball with extra potency. It made sense since the Legacy was the whole reason for the ball in the first place.
Holding the event was a way of both respecting the Legacy’s role in the kingdom and also seizing control of it. As long as everyone was wearing glass slippers, the Legacy’s power couldn’t focus on any one girl too strongly. The royal family might revere the Legacy, but they didn’t want to be controlled by it.
In the end, Marigold smuggled the dress to Olivia the day before the ball. Olivia wasn’t concerned about completing it on time—the Legacy would help with that. But she felt a final pang of uncertainty as she accepted the stunning creation of pink and gold silk from her friend.
“Will it really be all right for me to wear this?” she asked Marigold. “I know your mother won’t be at the ball, but if she finds out…”
“Don’t worry,” Marigold said hurriedly. “I intend to confess everything to them afterward. I’ll take all the blame. I won’t even tell them your name!” She grinned at her friend. “They won’t have any trouble believing this was all my doing.”
Olivia smiled reluctantly back. After eighteen years, Marigold’s parents must have become used to their daughter’s outrageous stunts.
“I’ll pick you up from your aunt and uncle’s door,” Marigold promised, clearly seeing no impediment to carrying out her plan.
