Page 99 of Legacy of Glass
“I know,” she murmured. “Go. I understand.”
Gratitude filled his chest. He didn’t deserve her.
“I’ll come and find you as soon as I can,” he promised.
The guards made no comment as he stepped away and revealed Olivia behind him, although several cast surreptitious glances at her. It reminded him of all the people who had gawked at Marigold and Cade in the city. Even if he’d been willing to go along with his father’s concocted story, there were too many witnesses to the truth for it to go down smoothly.
Julius strode through the palace toward his parents’ receiving room, the guards struggling to keep up. All he wanted was to finish talking to his parents and get back to Olivia.
When he reached the room, they remained outside, leaving him to step in alone.
“Mother, Father,” he said, “we need to release Lord Strathmore. It wasn’t him. It was Zane.”
But his mother was gone. Only his father remained there, a suit laid out on the chair beside him.
“I’ve heard,” the king said. “But it changes nothing. It’s time you got ready for the ball, son.” He gestured at the waiting clothes.
Julius squared his shoulders, preparing for a fight. “I’m not going to the ball. Not unless you give up on the whole idea of breaking my current betrothal.”
“And what of your mother’s words?” His father watched him with an inscrutable expression. “Do you truly care so little for Lady Olivia’s well-being?”
One side of Julius’s lips curved upward as he remembered Olivia’s enthusiastic kiss. Only a short time before, he had still been questioning if she could be happy with him, but she was the one to judge that, and she had already given him her answer.
“I believe in Olivia and her ability to choose for herself. It’s not for me to decide what will make her happy.”
“Very well, then,” his father said. “We will allow the ladies to choose.”
“Just like that?” Julius watched his father through narrowed eyes. It couldn’t possibly be that easy.
“In exchange, I ask only that you do your duty. Get dressed, attend the ball, and play your role. We have roused the court from their homes to attend, and they expect their prince to be among them. So attend the ball, and we will see which girl turns up in glass slippers this time.”
“And if they both come?” Julius asked, thinking of the threats made to Marigold by her father.
“Then you will choose,” his father said.
“And does Olivia even know of this ball?” Julius asked suspiciously.
“Of course.” His father regarded him coldly. “She was informed of it in your mother’s note. If she truly wishes to remain here at your side—and has the strength of character and determination necessary for the role—she will fight for you, will she not? She knows of this ball, so if she wants you, she will surely come.”
Julius hesitated. He and Olivia hadn’t had time to discuss anything. But he trusted her. She would come. And if she didn’t…
His heart turned away from that possibility. She would come.
“I want to speak to her myself,” he said.
The king shook his head. “There’s no time. Wild rumors of all kinds are already flying through the kingdom and capital—including that you have been killed in the fighting. The three of us must be there to open the ball. The kingdom needs our strong, steady leadership today. One day you will be king after me, son, and this is what it means to be king. You must put aside your personal feelings and arrive at the ball with your mother and me.”
Julius hesitated, but his father was right—the events of the day had been pivotal for him personally but also for the kingdom. It was his duty to do what he could to prevent harmful turmoil, and he was still committed to his duty. Marrying Olivia had never been a rejection of that—rather, it would be a deepening.
“How do I know you won’t order the guards to arrest Olivia the moment I go into the ball?” Julius said, still suspicious. “You would only need to hold her for one night to achieve your purpose.”
“A palace-wide order will be given,” the king said. “No guard is to lay hands on Olivia, and neither should they bar the ballroom to her. There are guards waiting outside, and I will give the order in your presence and have them spread it immediately.”
“So if I open the ball with you and Mother,” Julius said warily, “you swear not to bar the ballroom doors against Olivia? And if she comes, you’ll allow me free choice.”
“I give you my word,” his father said.
Julius reached for the outfit laid out for him. “In that case, just give me a minute to change.”
