Page 31 of Framed in Florals (The Emerald Realm 3)

“I know… I heard about that.” Camille bit her lip. “That’s why I need to get out of here right away. Ya weren’t arrested last night, which means that the people who planned this probably see me as a loose end. If I stick around for much longer, they are either gonna send the guard after me or silence me themselves.” She gulped.

“Camille…” My thoughts came out slowly as I pondered her words. “I don’t think they’re going to send any guards after you.”

“Why wouldn’t they? It’s not as if they could recognize ya in that dress. The culprits must still believe it was me last night. As long as ya didn’t tell anybody about yer trip to the king’s unplanned funeral, ya should be free and clear.”

I pressed my hands against my legs, trying to vent my frustrations. “No, Camille, I am not free. My family likely already figured out I was the girl at the ball, and the men recognized that I wasn’t you last night.”

She dropped her bag, her eyes going wide. “What do ya mean? How could they have known? The magic…”

“Doesn’t matter if they talked directly to me,” I finished. “One of the men scolded me for not staying in the ballroom when I went to swap out my application. When I didn’t know what he was talking about, he pulled a dagger on me and nearly killed me.” I shuddered, recalling the terrifying incident.

“Oh no…” Camille murmured to herself. “If they know that I didn’t go, then they are sure to come after me! We gotta run, now!” She picked her bag off the floor, then grabbed me by the arm with her free hand, dragging me behind her.

“Camille, wait!” I halted. “Running won’t solve anything. If they want us dead, then they will find a way to track us down. Plus, they would have killed me last night if they really wanted to. Our best option is to go to the castle and report everything we know to the guard.”

Her expression showed little compliance toward the idea. “Are you kidding me?!” she shouted. “We can’t go to the crown! They’ll throw us in prison to rot for the rest of our lives, or maybe worse!” She shivered and I tried to push the thought away in my mind as well.

“Maybe, but there’s a chance they’ll hear out our story,” I explained hastily. “The prince and I were… acquainted before his father died. I have already left him a message explaining that I can prove my innocence. There’s a chance he’ll look into my claim and perhaps even spare us any sentence. If we surrender ourselves to the guards, we can at least be certain we’ll be out of reach from the men who are after us.” I looked at her pleadingly. “Please, Camille, if you come with me and share your story, then we have a better chance of being free of this nightmare.”

She eyed me down with skepticism, then stuck her chin up in the air. “Not happening,” she stated bleakly. “I’m not risking my life based on yer apparent trust in a pretty-eyed prince. I’ve got enough money to leave this blasted city. I’m heading for the countryside where I can buy a new tavern and start over.” She pulled away from my gaze, then started for the door.

“What about your mother!” I called to her. “Are you going to leave her here to deal with the men alone?”

“She can take care of herself.” Camille stopped with her hand just above the doorknob. “I left her some money and a note. She had no involvement with the deal I made, so I doubt the men will do her any harm. If she wants to run, then she can, but I doubt she’ll want to leave the capital. There are too many rich men here for her to mooch from.” I watched her eyes roll from the side of her face. Apparently appealing to her sympathetic side wasn’t going to work.

“What about me then?” I asked. “You’re just going to leave me to face the judgment of the crown alone? With no witnesses to back up my story?” My eyes pleaded with her. If she leaves, then I have no other evidence toward my innocence. Would the dress be enough to prove I was framed?

She sighed, then turned to face me. “Listen, girlie, yer real sweet and all, but I think it’s time ya grew up.” Her tone was similar to the one I had heard many times from my stepfamily, cold and judgmental. “If ya wanna go be a brave idiot and get yerself arrested, then go ahead, but I’m gonna tell ya now that this ain’t no fairy tale. Your prince isn’t gonna save ya, and those men aren’t likely to let ya frolic home again. If ya want to run, then come with me. Ya can work in my new tavern, just like we talked about. I can promise ya won’t get any better offers.” Her eyes darkened as she spoke, and I felt the weight of her words sink heavily on my heart.

It’s not true. I can still get out of this. I can still be with Jasper. He just has to hear me out…

My throat tightened as I felt a wash of unwanted emotions rise up.But what if she’s right? Would Jasper never believe me? Was I truly better off running away and starting over?I looked over to the tempting invitation of freedom that lingered by the door, then took a deep breath. My toe twitched forward to take a step, but my heart reined it in before I could make the movement.

No, this isn’t over yet. I still have one more card to play.I planted my feet firmly on the ground, then looked up into Camille’s distant glare.

“I’m staying,” I said rigidly. “I will fix this, and I will clear both of our names. I may be foolish, but I’m still going to be brave and stand for what’s right and true. I refuse to let anyone steal my life away from me anymore.”

I looked boldly to Camille, who was now looking to me with a more sympathetic gaze than before. “If that’s how ya want it to be, girlie, then I wish ya luck.” She gave me a half-smile before she turned to open the door.

My heart pounded rapidly as I recognized the situation I had committed myself to.This wasn’t going to be easy, and I could very likely end up spending my life regretting this moment from a prison cell.Yet, I was proud of myself. I was proud that I had stood up for what was mine, and that I had convinced myself that my life was worth fighting for. I almost began to smile at the thought of my self-accomplishment, but any feeling of joy was swept away the moment Camille opened the door.

A scream penetrated the air as Camille fell limply to the ground. I threw my hands over my mouth in terrified horror as blood pooled from her right side. My vision clouded at the sight and I felt nauseated from the sound of her gasping breaths.

When my vision cleared, I finally took notice of the two dark-eyed men who stood in the tavern’s doorway. I recognized them both instantly. One was the older man who had attacked me at the ball, except instead of a cap, he now displayed his brown and silver hair, and the man beside him… My legs shook as I caught sight of the bloodied dagger in the younger man’s grip.

“You…” I could barely mutter the word as I stared into his dark, soulless eyes. “You’re the man who killed the king.” My hand shook violently as I pointed at the villain.

He flashed me a wicked smile. “And you must be the young lady who nearly messed it all up.” He leaned down, picking up Camille by the hair. She cried out in pain and I winced. “Pleasure to meet you, Daisy. Let’s all take a walk, shall we?”

chapter twenty

“Still no official leads, Your Highness,” Captain Orion explained dismally.

I pressed my fingers against my brow, my mind clouded and heavy. “Have we investigated all the claims yet? Even the minor ones, likely to be false?” I looked up at him expectantly.

“Not yet, Your Highness.” He shook his head, his eyelids drooping slightly. “There have been far too many for the guards to keep up with. I understand your reasoning behind putting a bounty on the girl’s capture, but I’m afraid it has not had the effect we were hoping for.”

The captain must be as exhausted as I was. Neither of us had slept a wink since the morning of the ball. The rest of the evening had been filled with the chaos of searching as we tried to find even the smallest clue to the identity of Father’s killers. My blood ran cold at the mental image of the man’s blade in my father’s chest. There was no time for sleep while he was still running loose.

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