Page 25 of A Royal Arrangement
But now that Rosalie was the queen of Edgemont, she had a unique opportunity to rewrite her story. She was no longer the forgotten middle child; she was the queen of a country. She was a wife. She was a stepmother. She was a friend. And maybe in these roles, she would finally find the acknowledgement and love she had desired for so long.
“Your Majesty, are you almost ready?” a voice called from outside her door.
She hissed under her breath. “Just a minute.” Rosalie hurried to her closet and pulled on the pale-blue dress a royal stylist had set out for her.
The short, lacy sleeves fluttered on her arms, and goosebumps covered her bare back, exposed by the deep-V design. The bodice was embroidered and embellished with beautiful jewels, perfectly matched to a full tulle skirt with a short train that would flow behind her as she walked or danced.
Once she secured the dress, she placed the tiara, set out for her on the vanity, onto her head, tucking the sides into her loose updo. The stunning tiara was twining vines with silver leaves, the perfect complement to her dress. Rosalie slipped on some silver heels and finally looked at herself in the mirror, bringing a smile to her face. She absolutely looked the part.
She was escorted to the ballroom by a palace staff member, and before she knew it, the grand oak doors were opening, and an attendant was saying her name.
“Introducing Her Royal Majesty, Rosalie Amelia Louise Ashworth, Queen of Edgemont.”
When her eyes adjusted from the dim light of the room, she took in the large number of guests. The crowd outnumbered any she’d seen at balls in Findorra over the years. They were probably all there wanting to see her and Colin together with their own eyes. She couldn’t necessarily blame them. She still couldn’t believe it herself.
There wasn’t so much as a whisper in the entire ballroom as she walked down the stairs to join Colin.
She tried to focus on the room around her, avoiding the invasive gazes of the crowd. It was her first time seeing the Edgemont ballroom, and it was magnificent. Gold sconces and swirling gilt designs decorated bright-white walls. Opposite the stairs, three arched doors led out to a balcony spanning the whole length of the room. The white vaultedceiling made the room feel even larger than it was, and multiple gold chandeliers hung from it, providing the room with a soft glow.
When Rosalie reached Colin’s side, she rose onto her toes to whisper in his ear, “You look nice.” The smell of his aftershave hit her, and it took everything within her not to stand there and inhale deeply.
Colin grunted a half-hearted thank you.
She waited for him to say something nice in response, but his mouth remained firmly shut.
Rosalie gently laid her hand on his forearm. “Now you’re supposed to tell me how beautiful I look.”
His eyes darted to hers, and his brows furrowed. “What?”
“That’s how it works. If someone compliments you, you compliment them back.”
Colin’s eyes slowly raked up and down her body, heat following the trail of his eyes.
Finally, he said, “Nice tiara.”
She shook her head, though a smile remained on her face. “Of course you would choose to compliment Edgemont’s royal jewels.”
“There aren’t any jewels in that particular crown,” he responded matter-of-factly.
“You are an exasperating man, you know that?”
Wes sauntered over, slinging his arm around Colin’s shoulder. “That’s what I tell him every single day.” He smiled at Rosalie. “You look absolutely stunning in that dress. It’s like it was made for you.”
She watched as Colin glared at him.
“What?” Wes shrugged his shoulders. “Aren’t we all just stating the obvious here?” He pointed at Colin. “You’reexasperating.” Then he pointed at her. “You’re stunning. It’s quite simple.”
Rosalie could see the tension in Colin’s jaw from how tightly he clamped his teeth together. Maybe jealousy was the thing that would make him start to see her in a new light.
She smiled at Wes. “Thank you. You look quite dapper yourself.” Turning toward Colin, she added, “You could learn a thing or two about compliments from your friend.” Colin continued glaring at Wes, so she slowly started backing away. “Well, I’ll just leave you two to it.”
Rosalie walked over to a refreshment table, quickly downing a cup of punch a server handed her. As she perused the table of sweet treats, she couldn’t help but overanalyze the whole interaction she’d just had with Colin.
The clenching of his jaw and the look in his eyes completely came across as jealousy, but maybe she was reading into things. Maybe he was annoyed with Wes, or maybe he simply wanted the evening to be over already. Colin didn’t seem like the kind of man who lived for royal balls. But maybe she wasn’t reading into anything at all, and maybe—just maybe—her husband might’ve been jealous of another man complimenting her.
She finished off a cheesecake bite and then turned back toward the crowd, knowing she should be a good hostess and greet some of the guests.
“Ro,” a familiar voice called out.
