Page 75 of Legacy of Glass
Olivia bit her lip, her eyes sliding away from her cousin’s. “I may have been a tad emotional when I wrote that first letter from the palace,” she said. “But I’m still delighted to have you here.”
Daphne looked away, a small smile on her face. “So the handsome face has worked its magic. I did suspect as much. Not that I wouldn’t have come sooner if I could, mind. But there were things I couldn’t miss back home.”
“Have you really left Glandore for good?” Olivia asked. “You’ll return to Oakden after this?”
Daphne hesitated before shrugging. “That’s the plan for now. But Glandore feels like home, whatever the Oakden Legacy thinks, so I haven’t quite made up my mind to stay in Oakden forever. We shall see.”
“Well, you’ll always be welcome here if I have anything to say about it,” Olivia declared.
“Your letter didn’t exactly reassure me on that head.” Daphne followed Olivia around a corner. “So I think I should meet this prince of yours to be sure I really am welcome to stay as long as I like—or rather as long as you like.”
“Do you really want to meet him immediately?” Olivia asked. “You don’t want to freshen up first? Or have a rest?” As soon as she said the word rest, she knew it was a silly suggestion, given Daphne had napped the whole way there. But Daphne responded immediately.
“Of course I’d far rather rest. In truth, your prince is only third on my list behind both rest and the famed and enormous Mildred.” She turned curious eyes on Olivia. “Is she really as big as a small horse? Have you tried riding her?”
Olivia giggled. “Yes, she is that big, but no, of course I haven’t tried riding her!”
Daphne nodded. “Very wise. It sounds far too fatiguing to ride without a saddle.” She heaved a sigh. “But I wouldn’t want to offend royal sensibilities by allowing your prince to find out he rates below a giant rodent.”
“And a nap,” Olivia interjected, but Daphne ignored her.
“So you might as well take me to your prince now and get it over with.”
“You don’t have to keep calling him that,” Olivia said with a laugh that didn’t sound quite natural.
Of course, it was true in a technical sense, given their betrothal. But Daphne said it in a tone that made it sound real, and the vulnerability of that made Olivia uncomfortable.
Because she did want Julius to be hers—not just in name but in reality. And if Daphne had been able to read Olivia’s heart from only a letter, how many other people—including Julius himself—could plainly read it on her face?
“I don’t mind if she calls me that,” said a deep voice, bringing a flush to Olivia’s cheeks.
She spun to see Julius striding toward them. He smiled first at her and then at Daphne.
“Welcome to the palace, Daphne. As Olivia’s cousin, you’re basically family. You can call me whatever you like—at least in private.”
Olivia’s flush faded. It had been a mere politeness? She tried to ignore her disappointment.
“However, I’m not so sure how I feel about being ranked below a rodent.” He flashed Daphne a grin. “Even if Mildred is a…magnificentcreature.”
Olivia leaned toward Daphne and spoke in a clearly audible whisper. “Julius is afraid of her.”
He straightened, assuming a look of offense, although his eyes were still laughing.
“I’ll have you know that if it came to her or me in a dark corridor, I’m confident in my ability to send her running.”
Olivia snorted. “That’s not hard. Mildred runs away from everyone except me.” She looked at Daphne. “Mildred is even more wary of people than Julius is of her. I don’t think she’s left my suite once since she arrived.”
“Very sensible,” Daphne said. “Suites are comfortable places full of beds and armchairs. I highly approve of them myself.”
“You would.” Olivia shook her head. “Since Julius is here, why don’t we give you a tour of the palace? Not that you need to remember your way around. I’ll stick to your side like glue until you have it all straight. It’s a big place. When I first arrived, I needed a guide, too.”
Olivia paused, startled to realize that it had been a long time since she had gotten herself turned around in the palace corridors. Until Daphne arrived, she’d almost forgotten how overwhelming the palace had been at the beginning. In just a couple of months she had grown so used to it that it felt like home. So how would it feel to leave it and never return?
She shook off the momentary melancholy, determined not to ruin her reunion with Daphne.
“Come on!” she said. “It’s an incredible building. You’re going to love all the courtyards.”
She propelled Daphne along the corridor. “And don’t tell me it sounds too fatiguing,” she said, cutting off her cousin’s complaint before she could make it. “You just slept all the way here. You can manage a little exertion.”
