Page 28 of Framed in Florals (The Emerald Realm 3)

“You listen here, missy. Your horse should be somewhere along the edge of the road here. Take him and go home, forget any of this ever happened, and no one will come slit your throat in the night, got it?”

I ran frantically down the road, the memory sending tears down my cheeks. Whathad I gotten involved with? Those men had just murdered the king, and somehow, some way, I was meant to be involved in it, but why? What was my purpose in this, and why let me live if they were vicious enough to kill in cold blood?Pain followed my every step as I wandered aimlessly in the dark. The man must have been mistaken about where he left Pumpkin, because it took me hours of wandering to find her. It felt like I ran for miles before I finally heard the familiar whinny of my beloved mare.

The moment I approached the horse, I wrapped my arms around her snout, crying into her bristly hair.Poor Jasper, I can’t imagine what he’s going through right now.If only I could have stayed and consoled him, or explained what I had witnessed. Maybe I could have helped.With wobbling feet, I climbed onto Pumpkin’s back and sent her running for home. Since I didn’t have my cloak to cover me anymore, petals flew wildly off my dress, leaving a colorful trail for the wind to sweep up behind me. By the time we slowed in front of the estate, the dress looked almost as pitiful as it did the day I brought it home. Only about half of the petals remained, and those that stayed were beginning to wilt from the lack of water.

I pulled Pumpkin into the stable and clumsily dismounted. I barely managed to remove the horse’s saddle and bridle before I found myself collapsing into a helpless pile on the stable floor. I cried for hours as the weight of the evening fell upon me. So much had happened in so little time. I had found my companion, and he was the prince. I had submitted my application, but I couldn’t find the original. I had befriended the king, but he died before my eyes.

My tears lulled me to sleep, and before I knew it, the sun was peering at me through the stable window. When I roused to my senses, I remembered that I was still wearing the enchanted dress. Without wasting any more time, I leapt from the straw I was nestled in and ran around the back of the stable to where my clothes from the previous day had been stashed. It was a little difficult to unlace the dress myself, but after a few attempts, I managed to pull it off. Once I was fully dressed, I looked down at the gown that now sat pitifully in a lumpy pile. The flowers were definitely wilted, essentially symbolizing how the entire evening had played out. It had started off so bright and lively, but now all that remained had withered.

I wrapped the gown up in my arms and carried it to the trees behind the stable. One of the trees had a hollow opening at the base, so I stashed the dress inside for the meantime. I couldn’t risk Sapphira finding it, especially now that she’d seen me dance with the prince in it. My heart lurched at the thought of the prince, and I felt my swollen eyes sting once more. I brushed the oncoming tears away as I searched the grounds for some familiar faces.

It didn’t take long to locate the trio of gardeners. They were clustered around the remains of my garden, each keeping their head low. I ran up to them, watching their faces grow in surprise after seeing me.

“Beatrice, Yvette, Chester!” I threw myself onto the group, hugging them tightly. They squeezed me back but remained silent. I pulled back from the embrace and wiped at my eyes. “So much happened last night, I don’t even know if I can explain it all.”

Yvette looked at me with broken eyes. “Kalina, we heard about the king.” Her eyes misted over as Beatrice placed a consoling hand on her arm.

“I-I—” my words failed me as tears fell once more. “I saw him die.”

“Oh, Kali…” Chester wrapped me in a hug, and the ladies followed suit.

The three of us sat together in the grass as I quickly told them as much as I could. When I reached the part about the dark-eyed men, the group looked to each other with fearful expressions.

Beatrice grabbed my hands. “Kalina, are you certain you didn’t enter the king’s office?” Her eyes held me with severity, and I furrowed my brows.

“Yes, of course,” I confirmed. “I watched the man walk out of the office. He even hit me in the side with the door. I only entered the housekeeper’s office.” My confusion grew as the group’s faces grew more worried.

“Kalina,” Yvette spoke slowly, “reports have already been circling that a young girl named Daisy was involved in the attack on the crown and even confirmed to have broken into the king’s office.” Her eyes went wide as she explained.

“What? No...” I shook my head. “I never went into the king’s office, nor was I spotted there. Why would they confirm such a thing? There’s no evidence of it.” My disbelief fanned into panic as my friends looked around with fretful eyes.

“It’s because they did find evidence,” Chester said grimly, his gaze darting around now. “They found a scrap of fabric torn off on the corner of the king’s desk... lavender silk.”

I gasped, my face stripped of all color. The dress had a tear in it when I received it… I had patched it up myself before Sapphira tossed it into the fire. Was that why the man was in the king’s office? He had told me I was meant to stay in the ballroom…

“Kalina,” Beatrice said coldly, “you’re being framed.”

chapter eighteen

“What was that?” Prince Conan seethed at his underling, gripping him tightly around the throat. “You said we could count on the girl, sowhydidn’t she stay in the ballroom?” The prince eased his grip on the man’s throat just long enough for the man to inhale a shaky breath.

“Forgive me, Your Highness,” the older mage wheezed. “The girl I initially gave my enchantment to must have pawned off the job. The girl at the ball knew nothing about the plans, or even who I was. It couldn’t have been her—”

The prince tightened his grip once more, cutting off the man’s words. “Well that certainly is unfortunate for you, isn’t it?” he growled. “The girl was meant to be arrested at the palace after they found the dress scrap and our planted guards accused her. But for some reason, you decided to let her run off into the city. Now, before I kill you, do you have any explanation for why you made such a foolish error?”

The prince released the man, who fell to the ground gasping. “I did it to aide you, Your Highness,” the man said hastily between coughs. “Did you not see how the prince interacted with the girl? He cares for her, enough so that he nearly followed us through the fire. Once he believes that his love was involved with his father’s murder, he will spare no effort to hunt her down for answers. If she had been arrested at the ball, he likely would have listened to her story, but with the influence of the nobility and the time it takes for the search to proceed, he’ll be more likely to distrust her.” The man moved to his knees, kneeling before his prince. “Your plan has not been thwarted, Your Highness... merely rearranged. The girl will still be blamed for the attack, and her lack of knowledge about our identities shall serve as protection. With no one to back up her claims and a true witness from the palace staff, the conviction should be swift and simple. We should still be able to cross the border during the commotion.”

The prince tapped the tip of his sword against his chin, pondering the man’s words. “It would seem you’re neglecting a small problem,” the prince stated coldly. “We don’t know anything about the girl who was at the ball last night. Your enchantment has succeeded a little too well. It was intended to sway our selected victim to attend the ball without fear, but instead it allowed this newcomer to disappear seamlessly. Now we don’t know if the prince will even be able to find her. If he can’t locate the girl, then he’ll likely look forusinstead.” He lowered his sword, pressing it to the man’s cheek. “What shall we do about that, hmm?”

The man looked up at the prince, no concern reflecting in his eyes against the blade. “That’s simple, Your Highness,” he said coolly. “We go back to the wench I initially instructed the task to. She should know who received the dress.”

The man remained stiff as the prince paused for an elongated moment, then finally pulled his blade away. “Very well then, let’s test the validity of your plan,” Prince Conan said starkly, sheathing his sword. “Looks like you and I have a little side trip to attend to.”

I mounted Pumpkin in a flash, securing my bag around my shoulder. If the rumors were true, then the entire royal army would be searching for me, and I wasn’t keen on letting Sapphira do the explaining. Somehow, some way, I had ended up being the fall girl for a murder plot against the king. If I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life in the Drancos prison, I needed answers and allies.

Rearing Pumpkin’s head, I spun the mare toward the entrance. Sapphira and the girls had pulled into the estate a few hours past dawn, likely having been held up by the guard most of the night. Corliss was currently attempting to stall them for me long enough that I could escape. If news had spread to Sapphira about Daisy, then she would likely put the pieces together about where her living dress had come from. I tossed a ratty cloak over my shoulders, then turned to the three gardeners who were waiting to see me off.

“Deny any involvement you had,” I told them sternly. “If they ask about the flowers, just say I made the dress on my own. I don’t want to risk any of you getting dragged down with me.”

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