Page 25 of Framed in Florals (The Emerald Realm 3)

“It’s an honor to meet you, Daisy,” he said kindly. “It would appear as if this isn’t the first time you and my son have met.” He gave me a knowing look and I felt my eyes grow wide. I looked over to Jasper to see if he bore the same surprise, but he only ran a hand through his blonde locks.

“He may have found out about the letters… It’s hard to get things past him,” he explained, shrugging it off with an innocent grin.

“Well, I do hope he told you whose fault the mud incident was.” I laughed, watching a guilty expression creep onto the prince’s face.

“Oh, he didn’t have to.” The king chuckled. “Only my son would be a big enough imbecile to toss an innocent maiden into the dirt.” He crossed his arms and gave his son a pointed glare.

“Hey, I apologized!” the prince retaliated with an offended look. “And I offered her my handkerchief.”

“You did,” I confirmed. “Although... I did have to request it first.”

The king looked back at his son with a shaking head. “Tsk-tsk, my boy. I thought I taught you better than that.”

Jasper threw up his arms in defeat as the king and I shared a laugh.

“I would like to personally thank you for joining us this evening, Daisy.” The king beamed, turning his attention back to me. “I won’t keep you from my son for much longer, but I simply had to meet you. He’s been moping around like a lost kitten ever since you rejected his invitation.”

I turned to look at Jasper, who was now officially redder than a summer strawberry. “I was not,” he protested before turning to me. “Though, I do admit to being disappointed. May I ask, what made you change your mind about attending?” Both the prince and his father looked at me expectantly, a curious glint in their identical blue eyes.

I paused. I couldn’t exactly tell him that I was here to sneak into the housekeeper’s office in order to swap out a fake application and spare my reputation from endless years of besmirching. Or that I had only decided to attend when an indebted barmaid offered me a magical dress that allowed me to bypass my evil stepmother and stepsisters.My thoughts swirled as the royals looked at me with rapt attention.

“I had an opportunity present itself,” I said vaguely, “and I took it. I’m glad that I did so; it has been a most wonderful evening so far. Your son is truly a gentleman. I dare say that you’ve raised him rather well.” I smiled brightly, hoping my redirection of the conversation would prevent them from questioning me any further. “Although, I must admit, I have grown rather hot while dancing. If you’ll pardon me, I think I need to step out for some air.” I dropped into another short curtsey before attempting to turn away.

The prince placed a gentle hand on my arm, stopping me before I could dismiss myself. “Please, allow me to escort you.”

I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to think of a way to separate him from me, only for a bit. “Don’t be silly.” I smiled. “Surely you’ll have to dance with some of the other ladies. I’ll only be a few minutes. Why don’t you entertain the others while I step away?” I looked between him and the king.

“I suppose you’re right.” He sighed, a little disheartened. “It would be rude of me to ignore the other guests.” He pulled my arm a little closer to whisper in my ear. “But you must promise to save me another dance.”

My heart fluttered at his touch and I nodded. “It would be my pleasure.” Once my letter was switched, I would have nothing else to concern myself with. Perhaps then I could enjoy the evening a little more. After all, dancing with him had been so lovely.

“Have fun, you two.” The king laughed. “This ugly old king is going to return to his box seat. I’ll enjoy watching my boy trip on the dance floor from up there.” He shot a wink at his son, who merely rolled his eyes.

“Love you too, Father.” The prince jested back.

With a temporary farewell, I managed to slip away from the prince’s view and wander around the back of the ballroom. A few of the guests had occupied the outer balconies already, but I wasn’t actually interested in going outside. Just before the windows lined the walls, a small servants’ door sank into the wall behind the serving counter.

There.

Looking around the ornate ballroom, I noticed that all eyes had refocused on the prince, who was now selecting his next dance partner. As a bright-eyed young girl joined him on the dance floor, I took the opportunity to pry open the door. With one final check over my shoulder, I listened to the music fade behind me as I disappeared down the dim hall.

chapter sixteen

Scurrying through an unknown palace in a massive ball gown wasn’t the best plan I had ever concocted. I wasn’t exactly discreet, but I figured I didn’t need to be. If someone spotted me, I could just ask for directions and claim I had gotten lost looking for the ballroom after speaking with my coachman. And if that failed, I could always run. The dress concealed my identity, so as long as I could make it back to Pumpkin, I shouldn’t have to face any serious consequences for being caught.

It wasn’t agoodplan, but it was all I had. This was my last chance to take back what Sapphira had stolen from me, and I didn’t plan to waste the opportunity. So many people had helped me get here—the gardeners, Corliss, Camille, and even the prince himself had all made this moment possible—and I couldn’t let all their efforts go to waste. Not to mention that now there was Jasper to consider… If I wanted to remain in his life, then I was going to need to be presentable to polite society.

I dashed through the halls, catching the attention of the occasional servant. Most of them remained too focused on their tasks to approach me, but a few stopped to question me. Each time I simply explained my invented story, and they kindly offered me directions to the ballroom. After each set of directions, I learned a little more about the palace’s layout. The chamber maids were coming from the northern end of the palace, so that must be where the bedrooms were located. The kitchen staff and scullery maids were coming from the southern end, near the ball room. The fifth servant I’d encountered was dressed more formally, like she may have been a type of secretary or advisor.

She smiled sweetly at me as she offered directions. “My goodness, you’re a long way from the ballroom. Just head down this passage and turn left when you see the offices. Then just follow the lanterns to the ball’s entrance.” She bowed kindly to me then, returned to her duties.

A relieved smile spread across my lips.I was almost there. In a few more minutes, this would all be over and I could go back to the ball.With hastened steps, I hurried through the hall the maid had claimed held the offices. Soon enough, a row of oak office doors with names etched in bronze plaques lined the wall. I browsed the inscriptions one at a time, trying to determine which belonged to the housekeeper.

The largest door was at the center of the hall withKing Garrettprominently displayed in bronze. I stepped past his door, certain he wouldn’t be the one dealing with meager hiring procedures. As I walked past his door, a small scuffling noise sounded from inside.That was strange. Why would someone be in the king’s office at a time like this?For a moment I considered investigating, but I didn’t have the luxury of time. It was likely that the prince would look for me after a few dances, and I didn’t want to risk him getting suspicious. Instead, my eyes landed on the door of the neighboring office.

Prunella Frank, Housekeeper

My heart rate increased as I opened the door and swiftly stepped inside. When the door clicked shut behind me, I darted my eyes around the spacious office. There was a simple mahogany desk, filled to the brim with paperwork and journals. Calendars lined the walls, along with staff schedules, and various other papers. My stomach twisted at the sight of the clutter.How was I going to find Sapphira’s letter in all this?

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