Page 36 of Fit for a Prince (Fit For A Crown #1)

Chapter thirty-three

I t wasn’t until the next day that the knock finally came.

For the first time since I’d been at the castle, Mara hesitated to open the door. Instead of rushing to open it, she froze up, her face still ashen after yesterday when I had explained all the horrors that had been in store for her.

The knock came again.

Mara shook herself out of her paralysis and sprinted to the door at full speed. She pulled it open and muttered at least three apologies between trying to catch her breath. I hated seeing her so on edge, but she deserved to know what was at stake and why I had to accept Lochlan’s marriage proposal.

“Yes, right away.” I caught the tail end of Mara’s conversation right before she pressed the door closed. Her cheeks were full of color again, flushed redder than a rose. “You’ve been summoned, my lady. ”

It was my turn to go pale. I caught my reflection in the vanity mirror, my lips looking twice as red against my blood-drained face.

I hadn’t thought he’d call me so soon.

“Lochlan?” I swallowed, my finger itching badly enough that I was tempted to cleave it from my hand.

“Cedric,” she said.

“Oh...” I bit my lip. Did he know about Lochlan’s proposal? “Why do I never guess that right?”

“They don’t make it easy,” Mara admitted, then went to work making me presentable.

A few minutes later, I was back out in the castle halls and being escorted to Cedric’s study.

I had been so caught up with Lochlan’s and Atlas’s confrontation that I’d failed to realize that this was Cedric’s regular time to call for me.

Amidst the chaos, he was still the most normal thing in my life right now.

We came upon the hall that led to our usual meeting spot, but instead of turning right, my escort kept moving forward, walking straight past his study.

Maybe I was wrong about today being normal.

The escort took me to the far side of the palace, where there were twice as many windows and three times as many cold drafts.

I shivered as we passed through a narrow hallway with thin walls and stepped through a set of thick double doors.

The cold dissipated entirely when we stepped inside, and the fresh scent of clean air, grass, and flowers permeated my senses.

The room was warm and toasty, with glass walls and ceilings that made up a magnificent greenhouse with enough plants to make a botanist swoon. I could hardly take in the kaleidoscope of colors and flowers that burst from every corner and crevice.

“Ah, there you are, Lady Diaspro.” Cedric morphed out of a wall of bushes. “I’m delighted that you made it.” He waved off the escort, sending him back through the frosty hallway with a burst of cold air from the door.

“Delighted to be invited,” I said as I continued to look around in awe. “This place is beautiful.”

“I was hoping you would think so.” Cedric beamed, his cheeks warming to the shade of the peonies behind him.

“It seemed to be long past time that you should get a change of scenery from all the boring old study rooms. Would you like to have a look around?” He held out his arm to me, and I felt my heart hesitate.

What is he doing?

“Of course.” My curiosity outweighed my hesitation, and I accepted the prince’s arm. His long cotton sleeves were soft to the touch. Everything about him was soft compared to his brothers.