AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Well, I was nervous for nothing. Because that kiss—if it can even be called that—wasn’t at all what I expected.
What did I expect? Romance and butterflies? I married a stranger.
Still, as Prince Stellan holds my hand as we make our way down the aisle, which is just another way that our customs are different, I wonder what to expect next. A fae wouldneverhold hands with their significant other, at least not in public. Ironically, the moment we’re away from prying eyes, Stellan drops my hand, putting at least three feet of space between us.
We go to a private room a little ways from where the ceremony took place. I’m pretty sure we’re supposed to get ready for some kind of celebration.
“Sorry about that.” Prince Stellan stuffs his hands into the pockets of his pants. “About the kiss.”
“It’s fine,” I say.
“I didn’t know that fae don’t kiss at their weddings.” His eyebrows scrunch together as he looks at me.
“Fae aren’t big on public displays of affection,” I admit. “But it’s okay. It was too short to be a proper kiss, so it’s fine. Besides, we had to follow both of our traditions for the marriage to be legal.”
His lip turns up in one corner slightly, like he’s amused by something I said. I want to question him, but a knockon the door has us both turning. Stellan’s older sister, Natalia, pokes her head through.
Great.
The girlloathesme. She’s probably trying to make sure I’m not seducing my husband.
My husband—so weird. Prince Stellan are I aremarried.
“Sorry to interrupt, but I figured Wisteria could use help getting out of her dress,” Natalia offers.
Wow. She’s actually being nice.
I let out a breath. “That would be great. This dress is…” I move my hands around the fluffy skirt, “a lot.”
She grins, stepping further inside.
Stellan clears his throat, rubbing a hand at the back of his neck. “I’ll give you some privacy and meet you out there.”
“Thanks.” I chew on my bottom lip as I watch him leave the room.
It’s strange to think that I know hardly anything about my husband. At least he seems like a nice guy. I don’t think he’d do anything to purposefully hurt me.
Natalia steps closer and pushes my hair to the side. She begins unbuttoning the endless buttons at the back of my dress.
“You look really beautiful in your dress,” Natalia says, once again using a kind tone. After our conversation before the wedding, I’m surprised she’s being so nice.
“Thank you,” I mumble, not sure what to make of her attitude. It makes me wonder how Cypress is acting toward Prince Stellan. Have they even met one another yet? Knowing Cypress, he’s avoiding everybody that he possibly can.
Natalia stays quiet behind me as she unbuttons the back of my dress. It’s not until the dress falls to the ground that I realize how heavy the thing was. As I slip on thepurple dress I picked out for the celebrations, I breathe a sigh of relief at how light and airy it is.
I turn to face Natalia. “Do you know where we’re going next?”
She nods and leads me from the room.
Okay… maybe she hasn’t changed her mind about hating me, but she’s trying. It’s all I can ask—it’s not like any of us chose this path. It was decided by our long dead ancestors and they’re not around to deal with the consequences.
The celebration is full of people. It makes sense—everybody wants to see their crown prince and his new bride. But as I walk into the room, every single person turns to look at me. Natalia, of course, runs off. I stand there awkwardly, not knowing what to do or what is expected of me.
“You look scared,” somebody whispers to me.
I jump slightly, turning to face Prince Stellan.
He grins, his eyes going from my dress to my face. “Your dress is the exact same shade as your eyes.”
