Page 24 of Alpha's Impostor Bride

Cedric nods his head, and Harriet opens the door wider, allowing a young girl to walk through. She looks to be in her late teens. “Your Majesty.”

She seems far too young to be a designer, but as soon as she gets to work, I realize she’s incredibly talented. She opens the bag that she’s carrying, retrieves a large book, and brings it to me. “These are all my latest creations. Please tell me which ones you like. The swatches for the fabrics are next to each dress. If you want something different, I can have more fabrics brought to the castle, and you can choose.”

I want to get this over with as soon as possible. I sit at the table and flip through the designs, my trained eye picking up on the ones that appear simple yet elegant. I point out a few, and that is when Cedric gets to his feet and approaches me. His large body looms over mine, his familiar scent tickling my nose and rousing my wolf. “Let me see.”

I go still, wishing my heart didn’t beat so fast at his proximity, but he doesn’t seem to notice as he hovers over my shoulder.

Finally, he nods. “These are acceptable.”

I feel a surge of unbidden irritation. I may not be an actual princess, but I told him that I was raised alongside Vivian. I was taught how to dress and how to behave. Did he really think I would choose something that wasn’t worthy of a queen?

He must have seen the flash of anger on my face because he gives me a long look. “Do you have something to say to me?”

I’ve always managed to keep my emotions in check, no matter how Vivian treated me. But at the end of the day, I was still a person, and nobody can bear to be humiliated to such an extent. I knew, though, that if I ever let her see how I truly felt, she would use it against me. So, I kept my mouth shut and my head low. No matter what she said or did to me, I never let her see my feelings.

However, the more time Cedric spends around me, the harder I find it to maintain that same façade. Is it because he’s my fated mate? Or is it because my soul feels so weary now? But I have to try. I have to keep protecting myself the only way I know how.

I turn my gaze away from him. “No.”

“Do you have these dresses ready?” He looks at the designer, who nods.

“I created samples, which I brought along. Miss Harriet, if you will?”

Harriet opens the door of the sitting room, and several maids I have never met begin to bring in the dresses. Melody picks out the ones I chose from the book. “You can try them on, Your Majesty. They will be a close fit for you.”

I glance nervously at Harriet, who gives me a small nod. “Let me assist you.”

We retreat to my bedchamber. She remains silent as she helps me into the first dress. When she zips me up, she meets my gaze in the mirror, her voice grateful. “Thank you.”

I glance at her, confused. “For what?”

“The king was angry. I know those girls crossed the line, but they’re young and foolish, easily led astray by others. I wanted to thank you for your kindness in sparing them. You didn’t have to do it, Your Majesty. After what they did, nobody else would’ve forgiven them.”

“I didn’t forgive them,” I remind her. “They will still be punished. I just didn’t want them and their families to die.”

“And they will remember that,” Harriet says quietly. “They understand the gravity of what they did, as does everybody else in the castle. Today, the entire staff has seen that you are not to be slighted, that King Cedric will protect you. And they will remember that you let those girls off with an easy punishment and stood up for them in front of him.”

I feel uncomfortable. “I didn’t do it so they would feel grateful toward me.”

A smile blooms on the older woman’s lips, and she says nothing further. I see her glance over her shoulder momentarily, and then she turns her attention back to me. “Green is really your color. If you have a favorite, though, I can ask the designer to make a dress in that color.”

I stare at my image, remembering. “Princess Vivian liked the color purple.”

Harriet’s expression changes. “I’m not asking about the Princess, Miss Leanna. I want to know what you like.”

I meet her gaze in the mirror. “I’m supposed to like what the princess likes.”

I see the strain in her eyes, and I expect her to give up the topic, but she presses. “There must be some color that you have a preference for.”

I feel a strange emptiness inside me, and my voice becomes quiet. “I don’t know what I like. Nobody’s ever asked me before.”

Harriet sighs, putting her hands on my shoulders. “Then maybe you should try to figure that out.”

When I turn around to go show Melody the dress, I see Cedric leaning against the doorframe. Startled, I immediately step backward, right into my maid. “When did you come in?”

He doesn’t answer my question. “Let’s go,” he say shortly.

I look at Harriet, who doesn’t meet my gaze. Did she know that he had entered the room? Why not warn me so I wouldn’t go running my mouth?

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