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Forrest

I took the box over to my bed and opened the top. Inside was a thin layer of tissue paper. I parted it, revealing a petal pink gown. It was sleeveless, and the bodice was shaped like flower petals in iridescent lavender and pale greens. The neckline was a sweetheart. I pulled the gown out of its box and held it up to myself in the mirror. It was beautiful.

The next box arrived not twenty minutes later. This time, I caught a messenger at the door and nodded my thanks.

Another gown. This one was aquamarine with crystal and pearls beaded into every inch of the bodice.

I couldn’t resist. I grinned and pulled on the gown to twirl in the mirror. This one had a mermaid silhouette. The selkies would be beside themselves if they saw it. I giggled out loud at the thought.

"I’m glad to see Miss is having a nice time," squeaked a familiar voice.

I swirled around, nearly tripping, and looked down at my lady’s maid. "Rosie, when did you get here?" I gasped.

She smiled, and her whiskers perked up. "Not long, miss. Would you like to try on the pink gown, too? I could unfold it for you."

I bit my lip. I had certainly been about to try it on, but I didn’t want Forrest to know how delighted I was with the gowns. It would undercut yesterday’s talk. "Promise not to tell Forrest?" I asked.

"Tell him what?" she asked.

"How much I like the gowns."

She cocked her head to the side. "Why wouldn’t mistress want the king to know? It would make him very happy."

"Exactly," I said.

"You two are a funny pair. Doing nice things for each other, then acting so cold. You know your betrothal bond gives you direct access to his chambers."

"Is that so?" I replied, only half listening, as I tried to reach the hook to remove the gown.

"You could just slide right into his bed and show him how grateful you are."

I held up a hand, my face coloring, "Rosie!" I cried.

"Just a thought."

There was another knock at the door. Rosie squeaked and hurried to open it. "Another dress," she announced.

"Another?" I asked.

"Of course," she replied.

"Why would I need three dresses for an engagement party?"

"Surely, you don’t want to wear the same dress multiple nights?"

"Multiple nights?"

"Oh, yes! Your engagement party will be a full moon revel, miss. It won’t just last one evening. It will last as long as the moon is full in the sky. Three nights for a dull event. Five for a really smashing one! Of course, miss’s will be five."

"Fantastic," I mumbled. What in the world had I gotten myself into? I could barely make it through the stuffy balls back home. Now, I had to do five consecutive nights with the fae. I had heard stories of humans who entered their circles and danced until they died.

I hoped Forrest was going to send some comfortable shoes too.

CHAPTER 21

The Fae King

Isat on my bed in frog form. Usually, I tried to stay up as late into the night as possible, so that I could sleep through this wretched part of the day.