Chapter 1: I’ll Fall For You as Many Times as It Takes
THE royal family was generous enough to send us a polite letter informing us of how the wedding preparations were proceeding, and Father and Mother seemed relieved by the news. Nearly ten years had passed since my engagement to Prince Vincent was made official, and while I once felt I would never be anything more than his fiancée, the time had finally come to begin living together in the palace proper. My household was abuzz with preparations.
Though everyone was happy for me, a sense of loneliness left me feeling conflicted about the affair. Mother could not prepare any of my dresses without breaking down in tears, and while I had tried to smile throughout the proceedings, my mood had soured somewhat by the end of it.
We were preparing my wedding dress that day, and Mother was inconsolable. It was pure white and would be the dress in which I would officially become the future queen of the realm, and as such, it was masterfully crafted with delicate silver and gold thread embroidery and the finest lace I’d ever laid eyes on. His Majesty had it sent specially from a distant country, as no seamstress in the kingdom could utilize such refined techniques as the article required, and the generosity of his gift deeply touched me. He was rather fond of me, no doubt.
“Oh, Mother, you don’t need to fawn over me any more than you already have,” I said.
“Oh my… I must’ve gotten carried away. His Royal Highness promised to make you happy, after all.”
Following our return from the Kingdom of Orion, Prince Vincent escorted me to the palace to formally introduce me to his parents as his future wife. Mother couldn’t stop crying the entire time I was getting ready, and I could scarcely imagine the state she’d be in on the day of the ceremony itself.
I nodded firmly. “He has. Besides, His Majesty wrote to inform me that you’re both welcome to visit me in the palace whenever you’d like. Try not to feel so lonely.”
As I said so, my eyes slid to the nearby mirror, and I saw the opulent dress I wore in the reflection. The queen was a tall and slender woman, so the dress was a tad long on me without tailoring, but it gave me an air of elegance and composure I could never muster in my everyday life.
I wonder if Prince Vincent would agree?
The thought of his gentle smile rose to my mind, and I let out a dreamy sigh. After nine long years of engagement, we were finally lovers. There had always been something between us, but looking back, knowing what I did, it felt bittersweet—to the point that I attempted to avoid him for a time. Aside from one small issue, our relationship was proceeding smoothly…more or less…I hoped.
The issue is whether or not, at the height of the ceremony, with Vincent in his finely tailored suit before me, I could…k-kiss him. My cheeks flushed hot red at the thought. There was little I had to do aside from stand at the ready and let him kiss me however he pleased. Now that I knew he loved me, however, the wedding kiss went from a mere formality to an insurmountable barrier.
With the fitting at an end, I hurriedly returned to my room, where Prince Vincent awaited—or rather, a portrait of him. Since he confessed his love to me and I realized my feelings in return, I couldn’t look him in the eyes. That couldn’t stand, so I requisitioned a life-size portrait of him. In the steward’s words, the artist had rendered the prince’s smile as strained as if he had overeaten dessert and was experiencing a severe case of heartburn, but it would have to do.
When the painting arrived several months later, I was thrilled by the results. I felt awkward putting it in my bedchambers, so I enshrined it in the adjoining room I usually studied in—it deserved to be somewhere I could appreciate him day and night alike. Lord Lars loathed it and avoided my bedroom altogether, but as I occasionally wanted to be alone with my thoughts of the prince, that was a welcome development.
And soon, we’ll be wed…
Becoming crown princess was a great responsibility, and knowing I had to act appropriately always made my back straighten. Despite the pressure, the opportunity to live in such close proximity to Prince Vincent made my heart flutter with delight.
“Oh, but wait…”
I was beside myself with glee at the thought of our life to come, gazing dreamily up at my prince as he reached out to me with his divine smile when I made a horrible realization.
“Should I really be taking this painting to the palace with me…?”
It felt wrong to leave it behind, what with all the work the artist had put into it, but I had Prince Vincent in the flesh. Would he think it weird if I arrived with his life-sized likeness?
I thought of how he had an image of me inside his pocket watch and moaned. There was no need for me to use such a large painting to grow used to his face when there were smaller and more portable solutions aplenty. I’d assumed that bigger was better, to my embarrassment, and now I was in quite an embarrassing situation.
Would he mind? How can I be sure?
I heard a knock at my door.
“Elizabeth? There’s a messenger from the castle for you.” The voice was Father’s, and he sounded uncharacteristically panicked. My chest tightened with worry. “Something happened to Prince Vincent,” he continued. “They request your presence immediately.”
“His Royal Highness…?”
My brain shut down, but only for a moment. The adrenaline was already kicking in. I took a deep breath and straightened my posture.
“Understood. I’ll leave immediately.”
After checking briefly to ensure my dress and hair were in order, I left to retrieve Lord Lars from his sleeping quarters.