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Astor lifted a brow. “Since right now?”
“Liar.” He gave a low laugh. “Now, quickly, tell me everything you know about the pending nuptials before I leave.”
Chapter Three
Aura
The carriage jostled against the rocky ground. Aura held Saffron in her lap and glanced across from her—Hana’s pale face became green tinged as she brought a fist to her mouth. With her other arm, Hana kept a firm grip on Fern while the child slept against her.
“I told you to drink the herbal tea before the journey. You never listen,” their mother said, running a gloved hand down her face.
Aura smiled as Hana shot their mother a glare. To be fair, the last time Hana was given tea during one of their journeys, she’d lost her entire supper on the carriage floor, including the tops of Aura’s shoes, from the constant bouncing.
“I can’t wait to see you in the wedding gown.” Giving a happy sigh, their mother clasped her hands together and bumped her shoulder into Aura’s. By the heavy scent of lavender striking her nose, her mother had spritzed herself one too many times with the perfume. Her mother was dressed in her finest attire—a yellow dress of silk with a fur cloak and sparkling jewelry. Something she’d been saving to wear for this special occasion.
“You already saw her in it,” Hana pointed out.
“Yes, but not at aroyalwedding at the palace.” A dreamy look sparkled in her mother’s deep brown eyes before settling on Liana. She leaned forward, gently pulling the recipe journal from her daughter’s hands and setting it beside her lacy brown gown on the carriage seat. “Our family suffered in the past, but fate has finally seen fit to give us a different path.”
Aura was thankful her family would be taken care of, that her sisters would never have to worry for anything. So many blessings. “With or without a palace, I’m pleased to marry for love. I’m grateful for everything.” She thought about the night before, her lips and tongue on the prince’s length, the sweet kiss he’d given to her hand before leaving.
“All hail, Princess Aura!” Saffron shouted, lifting her straw doll high into the air as Aura drew her little sister closer so she didn’t slip from her lap in her excitement.
“I would choose a baking shop over a stuffy palace any day.” Liana grinned, then gazed longingly at her cracked leather journal beside her. The carriage hit another rock, thrusting them all to the side, her mother practically knocking Aura and Saffron from the seat.
“I can’t wait to get out of here. I would’ve rather walked,” Hana groaned, gently placing Fern between her and Liana, the younger sister not even rousing. She reclined back in her seat and gripped her stomach.
“Stop acting dramatic,” her mother snapped, waving a hand in the air as if she was swatting something away.
“Me?Dramatic?” Hana shot back.
Aura sent a silent prayer up to the gods that they would reach the palace soon so they wouldn’t have to be cooped up in this forsaken carriage together any longer. Traveling with her family always ended in bickering unless their father was there. He could always keep their mother’s attention focused on him and entertain her with his calming words.
Saffron dropped her doll on the floor for the hundredth time, most likely as an excuse to get out of the seat.
Liana bent over and scooped Saffron into her lap with the doll. She then reached into her satchel and fished out a sugar cookie. “Here, Saffy.”
“Oooh,” Saffron said as she plucked the cookie from Liana’s grip with a big smile.
Fern yawned, cracking open her eyes. Her gaze pinned to the cookie, her nose as good as a wolf’s with how she could always sniff out a dessert. “What about me?”
“You already had plenty,” her mother said. “I saw you sneak out a handful earlier from the case meant for the celebration. Besides, I don’t want crumbs on your gowns before the wedding!”
Aura rolled her eyes and leaned forward, breaking the cookie in Saffron’s hand in half, then giving the piece to Fern.
“That’s mine!” Saffron whined, her rosy lips turning into the smallest of pouts.
“Hush, you can share,” Liana said as she cocked her head.
Fern stuck out her tongue at Saffron when she thought no one was looking, then smiled as she bit into the cookie. The younger twins were both dressed in pink velvet gowns with pink jewels on the front of their white shoes, their hair in loose curls.
It was only now that Aura truly realized that she wouldn’t see her sisters every day, wouldn’t get to hear her father tell the little ones stories, or see her mother knit blankets while humming. They would be leaving the temporary cottage and returning to their home past the mountains. The palace would be new territory for her, and the only person she was close to there was Pax. Her dream had always been to be the prince’s bride, but being a princess was more than being his wife. No matter how much her mother had taught her, there would always be more to learn.
Aura stared out the small window at the emerald green foliage drifting by. She tried not to listen as her mother reminded Hana to behave herself as if she were still a babe.
“Oh, Mama, you know Ialwaysbehave,” Hana drawled.
After a few more jostles of the carriage, above the tops of pine trees, a palace with four sky-scraping towers slipped into view. Black flecked the ivory stone where it shone beneath the sun as if it were a night sky in reverse hues.
