Page 38 of Not Another Happily Ever After

Already it feels like old times.

“Right. You two!” He yells from the door for Merrek and Myrrdin, beckoning them closer.

I spot the tops of their heads before they’re off, fetching the pail of water and clean rags Rhidland requested on my behalf.

They return promptly, and Rhidland gets to work scrubbing the floors after handing me one of the damp rags to clean myself with. I take it with rapt enthusiasm, eagerly scrubbing the noisome scum away.

I’m just about finished when Rhidland nods toward the bag on the bench. “Once I’m done here, I think you ought to change into something a bit cleaner.”

That’s assuming the only other two pieces of clothing I own have even been washed since last I wore them. Considering it’s been days since my last bath, I’d say the odds are slim to none.

“It’s alright. I’m happy to make do with this. Just needs a little extra scrubbing. Perhaps I could get another wet rag?”

“Perhaps not,” the old guard huffs, scrubbing away the last of my stomach’s sordid evidence.

Now it’s my turn to frown. “There isn’t any point in that. Not when everything else I have to wear is just as worse off as what I have on.”

“Everything? Are you certain?”

“Fairly. It was I that handed the garments to Peony to be packed. I think I’d notice if I had any other options.” I cast Rhidland a wary glance. It’s unlike the old man to be fixated on such matters.

He remains unmoved, the crooks in his cheeks only getting wider, revealing the whites of his teeth.

“Rhidland? What are you…” My words trail off when he stands, shifting so that the clearing beyond his shoulders becomes visible.

I step closer to the world expanding just past the mouth of the mountain. It’s unlike anything I ever could have imagined. Rich with heavy notes of old wood and dried leaves. And the breeze down here—it’s cold, but not biting.

“We are ready whenever the princess is, sir.” Someone, I think Wolfe perhaps, calls out from the front of the carriage.

Ready? But we’ve only just stopped. “Can’t we stay for a little while longer? Eat a little something while we enjoy the view, perhaps?” My empty stomach growls in agreement.

Rhidland sighs, shaking his head. Not annoyed, but amused. “You just go on and get properly ready, my lady.”

“Ready? Ready for what?” I ask, following on his heels as he makes to exit the carriage.

He turns, a small smile tugging on his lips. “To meet your people, my lady.”

Chapter

15

It is an odd sort of privilege to know

I brought her happiness without becoming part of it.

My people. It would be a lie to say I don’t think of them often. Every ounce of their suffering is my burden after all.

The small bag slips from my fingers, hitting the carriage floor.

I stare down at its opening, a tuft of lilac chiffon poking through, and nearly keel over as I pull the gown free. Beautiful is too dull a word to describe the weightless material flowing freely over my hands.

I hold it up to find the bodice gently fitted with a floor-length skirt that trails into a soft train at the back. A tasteful slit upthe one side, just high enough to allow for a night of dancing. A sight I’m sure would leave many breathless, myself included. Its long open bell sleeves shimmer and sparkle beneath the pale moonlight, the subtle lilac accentuated by beams peeking through the windows.

All I dreamed about as a young girl was having a dress like this. It’s everything I was told I could never have, and now I am to meet my people in it.

Oh, Rhidland.

A smile lights my face at the most enchanting thought. By wearing this, by presenting myself as more than I feel, I might inspire others to embrace the beauty we so often believe ourselves unworthy of.