Page 41 of Return of the Nutcracker Prince

“If you really want to...marry your fiancé, I’ll make sure you get home.I won’t come between you.But —”

“No!”

Klaus’s face fell.“N-no?”

Oh no, he’d misunderstood.Clara shook her head.“Klaus, I can’tstandBerengar.He’s my brother’s best friend, and the two have lived to torment me my whole life.I plan to tell my parents I can’t go through with it as soon as I get home.”

He smiled and slid closer, wrapping an arm around her and pressing their foreheads together.“It’s your life and your future, not theirs.Don’t do what your family demands, do whatyouwant.”

But she wasn’t finished.“Besides, how can I marry someone else when I’m in love with you?”

Klaus pulled back to look at her face then.“Praise Asteria…” he murmured, then pressed his lips to hers.She melted into him under the heat of the sun, bringing the fires only he inspired to life under her breast.Any feelings of guilt she had left burned away.All too soon, he released her, but before the fires could cool, he slipped off the bench and laid one knee in the grass.

“Clara, my love, you’ve saved my life multiple times now.It’s yours.In fact, I’ve been yours since that first battle ten years ago.”Klaus dug in his pocket, then held out a gold ring set with a ruby-colored gem in a shaky hand.“Will you make me the happiest man in both realms, my love?Will you marry me?”

“Yes!”Her breath came in quick gasps, tears of joy falling down her cheeks as he slid the ring on her finger.This.This is what she wanted, more than anything, she thought to herself as Klaus picked her up and spun her around.

She’d gotten everything she’d ever dreamed of — magic, freedom, and the love of her Nutcracker Prince.

Klaus held her fast and spoke in her ear.“How do you feel about a really brief engagement?”

“How brief?”Clara pressed her damp cheeks against his shirt.

“Mother says your magic will get even stronger when we wed.It’s part of the ceremony.”

She could hardly believe she was considering it.“But the mouse army…”

“It’s up to you.Mother can arrange for the ceremony to happen tomorrow here at the palace.”Klaus looked down into her eyes.“In our Realm, a woman’s parents have no say in who she marries.She decides for herself.”He hesitated, then continued, “I’m loathe to take you back without tying you to me.Part of me is worried that swine will come for you.”

Clara shuddered.He had a good point.The best way to ensure she didn’t have to marry Berengar was to marry someone else.She wanted to stay here, anyway.As Klaus’s bride, she could have everything she wanted.

“I don’t know if I’m worthy to be the next Sugar Plum Fairy.”

“Mother will train you, and I can help you when we get to that point.Provided the Mouse King doesn’t have his way.”

She clung to him then.“We won’t let that happen.”

“See?”Clara heard the smile in his voice.“You’re already talking like a queen.”

“Don’t weddings take time?And what will the people say about us getting married at a time like this?”

“It will thrill the people to have something to celebrate.And with magic, it takes no time at all.”He released her.“Unless you’re not sure.I don’t want you to feel pressured.”

“I’m sure.”She loved him.In fact, she was pretty sure she’d fallen for him at thirteen.No wonder she’d been drawn to her books.No human man could ever compare.

“Can we visit my parents, like Godfather Drosselmeyer?”

“Of course.”He kissed her palm, and her pulse jumped.“I won’t ever keep you from them.”

She bit her lip.Were they worried about her?What would they think if they knew the truth of what happened, instead of the tale her godfather told them?

It wasn’t unusual for a relative to take a young adult traveling with them.For companionship and help.But to do so without warning was odd.

Her grandmother, Marie, had been in the same position all those years ago.And she found the strength to disappear from her realm so completely they thought her dead.All for the love of her grandfather.

Clara’s heart swelled with light.Staying in the Realm of Dreams would bring her grandmother’s legacy full-circle.

“Tomorrow, you said?”

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