Page 49 of The Prince from a Cruel Summer
I spin around to greet Heather, and my lips part in surprise. She’s tall, even taller than me, with tanned legs that never end and a perfect hourglass silhouette. Absolutely stunning.
I expected nothing less from a Spring princess, of course, but the warmth of her genuine smile fills me with dread. Luscious waves curl on both sides of her face, her brown skin almost golden in the twilight.
Heather Heart, the next Summer Queen, introduces herself with starstruck eyes, an excited smile, and a blatant disregard for personal space. “Elizabeth Snow! Oh my goodness, I’m so elated that you accepted my invitation.” She pecks my cheeks with a nervous laugh and hugs me so hard, she knocks the breath out of me.
A heavy boulder settles in my chest. I’m not quite sure why I came at all—aside from the twinge at the pit of my stomach that begged me to. But this is self-imposedtorture…
Dark thoughts flood my brain, filling me with a dreary sense of emptiness. I sink into a graveyard of past regrets, a mud pit crawling with the corpses of my festering hopes.
The should-haves, the would-haves, and the what-might-have-beens are all gathered to punish me for my folly.
“Congratulations on the wedding,” I breathe, feeling outside myself.
“Thank you. I’m glad you could come. I wanted to discuss the ceremony and reception and see if you were open to sing—” Her face lights up, and she motions to someone behind me. “Aidan, come here!”
I black out for a moment as Aidan joins his fiancée’s side.
“Elizabeth, This is my soon-to-be husband, Aidan Summers.”
He’s the same, and yet not. His face doesn’t show much wear, his handsome jaw still as clean-shaven as ever. The vines of his family’s embroideries snake along the collar of his crisp, white shirt and along his cufflinks. I remember tracing those lines back and forth between kisses, and how impatient he was for me to peel the fabric away…
His hair is slightly darker and shorter, but only his eyes are truly different. They betray the century that has passed since our last meeting, and my entire being quakes as our gazes cross.
Holy fuck.
I expect him to pause, or stop, or show any sign of recognition at all, but he grins at me with his arm slung around another woman’s waist like he’s…eager to meet me.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Miss Elizabeth.”
I blink at him, unable to say a word.
His smile widens, and his gaze darts to his fiancée. “Honestly, I think my lovely bride is more ecstatic for your performance than for the wedding at this point.”
“Shush.” Heather elbows his side, and his genuine laughter wrecks me.
How dare he laugh like that for someone else in front of me?my heart cries out.
I worked through a thousand scenarios when I envisioned this meeting, and Aidan’s array of possible reactions ranged from quiet shock to effusive embarrassment to blinding rage.
I considered the possibility of a very public, explosive fight, cold words exchanged as he threw me out of his kingdom forever. Daydreamed about heated arguments that escalated to more intimate debates, the both of us entwined in royal sheets. Cherished silly fantasies that he would somehow call off the wedding.
I imagined it all, and then some.
A few scenarios even included his denial that we’d ever met, but I could never have conceived that he would introduce himself with that blank-slate look on his face. Like he has no idea who I am.
Chapter 16
Wedding Singer
AIDAN
The scents of aged paper and fresh lilacs hit my nose as I enter the bibliotheca, and I pause in the doorway, taken aback by the eerie bite of power vibrating through the air. Goosebumps raise along my arms, and my eyes narrow, searching for the source of the magic.
Elio and his new queen have arrived, which might explain the strange undercurrent of energy in the room, but the Winter King quickly fades from my mind. A darkling is standing with her back to me, her silhouette framed by the stained glass of the windows.
“Aidan, come here!” Heather motions me forward.
I watch my fiancée’s lips move, her smile wide and unrestrained, but I can’t hear anything.
