Page 23 of Framed in Florals (The Emerald Realm 3)

“It’s Daisy…” I reminded myself to breathe. “She’s here.”

chapter fourteen

I think I stopped breathing when every eye in the ballroom turned to me. My first instinct was to turn around and run, but my legs were too petrified to obey my wishes. I risked a glance down at my dress, wondering if it had come apart on my ride. I cast a quick look downward, but everything looked the same as it had before I left.

It may not have been as flashy as the glittering, jeweled dresses below me, but it was far better than it had been earlier today. The strapless bodice had been completely burned and ruined in the fire, so we had ripped off all the remaining lace. The edge of the skirt had been stained and burned as well, and since there was no time to replace that much material, I had to get creative. The only solution I could come up with in such a short amount of time was to cover up the damages with something else. So that was what we had spent the day doing.

The entire bodice and edging of the gown were now completely covered in live flowers.

From the waist up, vibrant blooms circled my torso and shaped my neckline. The edge of the skirt was lined with fresh, stitched-on flowers. Roses, carnations, lilies, lavender, and more trailed the hem of my gown, showcasing their vivid colors against the pastel silk. In some areas, the flowers spread slightly up the skirt, creating a sort of “over-grown” effect. The lavender silk was now only visible on the upper part of the skirt, where none of the fire or previous damages had reached. I had thought it was beautiful, but I had always loved my garden, and now I was practically wearing it.But was it too odd for the nobility? It wasn’t made up of the same jewels and lace that the other ladies wore…

Their silence terrified me. No one else even attempted to wear more than a single bloom in their hair or pinned to a jacket. This was far bolder than that, and I feared that it was drawing more attention than the original singed-gown would have. I took a deep breath.I can’t back out now…

With a shaking hand, I reached out for the banister, steadying myself for the first step.Just be brave. No one can tell who you are. You can do this.I took slow, calming breaths as I gracefully lowered myself into the ballroom. I felt as if I descended the stairs in slow motion. The eyes never left me as I finally touched my toes to the cool marble floor. I knew that somewhere above me the royal family was watching… but I didn’t dare look up. I could hardly handle the scathing looks from the guests, and I couldn’t bear the shame of being judged by our rulers as well.

As the next family entered through the doors, the crowd turned their attention back to each other, returning to their murmuring. I carefully weaved my way through the crowd, keeping my head high and eyes low. Every few steps I would notice an older woman side-eye me, or a younger girl graze her eyes down my gown. It seemed that everywhere I walked, people stepped away from me to gawk. I took in a subtle breath, testing to see if the smell of smoke still lingered on the gown, but the only scent that filled my lungs was that of fresh flowers. In fact, the smell was incredible. Not a single perfume that I had ever whiffed from my family came close to the fragrance of the collaged blooms.

Feeling a little relief at my fresh scent, I decided to deposit myself in a corner of the exquisite room. Eyes were still following me, along with the occasional whispers, but the last of the guests had entered and the dancing would begin soon. Hopefully, the movement of people and the addition of the prince would cause enough distraction for people to stop staring at me. That would be the best chance for me to sneak away.

My gaze darted around the room, trying to take in all the sights and sounds at once. At one point, a smiling serving maid offered me a small glass of wine. I accepted it gratefully and sipped the tart drink. I would have preferred a glass of water over wine but having something to sip on eased my churning stomach. After polishing off the short glass, I turned my attention toward the spread of hors d’oeuvres and desserts. My eyes landed on a fluffy pastry that had fresh cream spilling out its sides. I smoothly collected a plate and adorned it with three of the tantalizing sweets, along with an apple turnover and something covered in chocolate. The first bite of cream puff melted nearly all my nerves as I relished in the confectionary treat. I gulped down the pastries as gracefully as I could while existing in pure bliss, then nibbled on the turnover and chocolate mystery. After I cleared my plate, I skirted off to a desolate corner of the ballroom to watch the rest of the guests enter and secretly licked my fingers clean. If nothing else happened tonight, then at least the desserts made the trip worth it.

As more families cascaded down the stairs, I took a moment to appreciate the beauty of the ballroom. Dazzling chandeliers sparkled above our heads, each lit with hundreds of individual candles. Tall windows lined the wall that opposed the staircase, and even seemed to open up to a few balconies. The windows were framed by heavy, velvet curtains that stretched from the floor to the ceiling, embroidered along the top with the Drancos crest. Ornate decorations of flowers and jewels adorned the various serving tables and walls, and I once again found myself imagining how I would improve their arrangements had it been my job. My eyes followed the walls, appreciating the glorious displays of artwork and ageless tapestries that adorned the open room. Light danced across the entire room, illuminating the floors, windows, and people. It was all so mesmerizing… it was like a dream from a fairy tale.

While taking in the sights, I continued to direct my gaze away from the people who I caught staring at me. The feeling of their eyes made me entirely uncomfortable, and I felt it best to avoid eye contact. As I continued to linger in the corner, I noticed a rather peculiar set of eyes cut into me.

A man, no more than thirty, was staring me down intently—he wasn’t even trying to be subtle about it as he looked directly at the skirt of my gown. He was dressed in a black tailcoat and gray trousers, with a glass of wine resting delicately in his hand. He had brown hair, but it was slicked back with a dark tweed cap covering most of it. After a moment of us staring at each other’s appearances, we caught each other’s eyes and I nearly jumped. His eyes were so dark, they were nearly black—a very uncommon trait for Draconians.Maybe he was a foreign ambassador?I brushed my fingers cautiously around my face and lips, making certain he wasn’t staring at any cream or chocolate that had been left behind by my treats. After he caught my gaze, he still didn’t stop his stares until a similarly dressed gentleman pulled him into a conversation. The second man was much younger, maybe in his early twenties, but he too had dark eyes. He had darker hair than the older man, and didn’t wear a hat. I watched them curiously for a moment before the younger man pulled the older one away. With the strange stare-down complete, I returned my attention to the bustling crowd.

The entire ballroom seemed to glitter with all the shining dresses and jewelry that glistened off the guests. There was no doubt this was a betrothal ball, because every woman under the age of thirty appeared as richly dressed as a queen. I wondered what the prince was actually like or if he’s even worth all the efforts. From what I’d heard from the girls, Prince Jasper wasn’t very sociable and often spent his time shut in a library instead of fraternizing with the ladies of court. The girls always presented the information as if it were unattractive, yet they were here somewhere too, attempting to catch his eye just like the rest. I continued to admire the array of gowns around me when a familiar purple skirt caught my eye.

Sapphira stood maybe twenty feet away from me, eyeing me down intently. Her glare was a little less subtle than the others who had stared, and I instantly tensed under her eyes.

She doesn’t recognize me, right?

I casually looked in another direction, hoping she would lose interest, but her striking blue eyes remained trained on me. My heart rate increased as a realization dawned on me.What if she recognized the flowers?I instinctively wrapped my arms around the front of my dress, brushing the soft petals against my skin. She had looked upon these flowers almost every day, how could she not recognize they were from her property? I cursed myself for neglecting to consider such a thought, then slowly moved toward the opposite side of the ballroom. Her eyes dug into the back of my head as I caught a glimpse of her purple gown trailing behind me. I risked a quick look back at her, hoping to see that she was aiming for someone else, but she was still staring at me. Her expression, however, was not the stern-faced stepmother expression I had expected to see. Instead, she looked extremely confused, as if she was certain about the origin of my dress, but entirely lost about how this unknown girl had come to wear it. She likely just wanted answers on how a random girl came to wear her disgraced stepdaughter’s flower patch.

I didn’t want to take the time to concoct a story for her, so I continued to push through the crowds unapologetically. As I did so, I noticed that the faces had all turned back to the stairway and the chatter had quieted once again. My eyes flicked upward for a moment, just in time to see the grand stairway doors begin to swing open. The crowd in front of me had stopped moving, so I was forced to halt behind them. Fortunately, Sapphira now seemed more interested in the doors than me. I breathed a sigh of relief as I looked up the stairwell with the rest of the crowd.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the squire pronounced, “may I please welcome to you, his Royal Highness, Prince Jasper Garrett Cyprus of Drancos.”

Applause filled the ballroom as the overly-embellished man stepped forward. Dozens of young ladies giggled and swooned as his attractive features came into view. The tall, young heir smiled politely at the clustered crowd below, earning another round of swoons from the nobility’s daughters. I had to admit, he was good-looking. His blonde hair and tall physique made him the perfect, picturesque prince. No wonder all the girls wanted him… As he stepped grandly down the stairs, I noticed something peculiar… His eyes… They were blue for starters, but not like Sapphira and the girls’ eyes; they were deeper than that, and they were hunting for something, or someone.

The prince’s head remained entirely even with the stairs during his descent, but his eyes darted around as if they were involved in a desperate search. I watched with new interest as he slowly combed the crowd from his higher vantage point. It wasn’t until he had nearly touched the ground that his eyes fell on me. I felt my body stiffen under his gaze, wondering if he took the same offense to my odd gown as the rest of the nobility had, but he didn’t look at me scornfully…

As a matter of fact, his eyes softened as they remained fixated on me. Then the strangest thing happened, he started moving toward me. I felt my breaths grow shallow and rapid as the crowd parted in front of me. The prince’s expression brightened the closer he got to me, and I felt my panic swirl into desperate confusion.Did he have me mistaken for someone else?I cast a quick glance around the room, looking to see if I was standing in anyone’s way, but no one was behind me. I pressed my hands to my side, feeling the pressure of the flowers graze my skin. Their sweet aroma was almost dizzying as my mind continued to swim. I glanced back at the prince, who was now almost in front of me, and that was when I saw it…

A magenta zinnia.

I gasped as I noticed the flower pinned to his lapel. I blinked a few times, trying to confirm that I really saw what I thought I was. This isn’t a dream, right?The vibrant pink flower was unmistakable, and I found myself staring at it until it was only inches away from me. I looked up, my breathing entirely frozen.It can’t be…

My garden friend, the man who tossed me into the mud so many weeks ago, was right in front of me… And he was the prince.

My gaze moved from the flower to the eyes of the man before me. They were his, identical to the eyes I had first seen covered in filth, the eyes I had imagined so many times as I wrote to him. I opened my mouth as if to say something, anything—an apology, a thank you, an outburst about how I never knew he was royalty—but nothing came out. All I could do was stare at him in disbelief as he smiled at me like I was the only person in the entire room.

“Hello, Daisy,” he said quietly, bowing before me. I touched my hand nervously to my mouth. He knew who I was, or at least, who I told him I was.Was it the dress that gave me away?It certainly wasn’t a lack of magic, since Sapphira hadn’t fully recognized me. Also, the mystery ma—I mean, the prince, had only seen me slathered in mud.

He raised slowly, his eyes drawn to mine. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” He took my hand and placed a delicate kiss upon the top. My heart twitched at the touch, his dazzling blue eyes never looked away from me. “I’m so honored that you came, my dear Daisy. Since you’re here, I believe I should fulfill the promise I made to you… Would you care to learn the true meaning of a magenta zinnia?” He smiled at me, a charming twinkle in his eye.

I forced my lungs to start rising again, so I could answer his question. “I would be honored… Your Highness.” I added his title a little breathlessly, still in shock from his identity.He’s really my garden friend… and the prince.

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