Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 96695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
“Hugo…” Everand’s voice trembled on his name and died before he could continue.
“She enlisted your help to test me. If I was innocent, you’d save me by spinning the straw. If I was guilty of some dark scheme, you’d leave me to be executed,” Hugo guessed. His voice was neutral, neither condemning nor forgiving. He stared at the queen and frowned. “I just don’t understand why you felt a need to test me a second time. You knew the truth. Prince Everand would have reported it to you. I even wanted to confess, but Prince Everand blocked my efforts, so it wasn’t about my integrity.”
Queen Lilianna winced and twisted her fingers together. “I was meddling.”
King Hubert snorted, and Queen Lilianna smacked his arm again as she dropped onto her throne beside him. “As if your efforts to get our son married have been any more fruitful.” She turned her attention to Hugo and sighed. “Ever was so excited about you after he returned from that incident in the woods. He gushed about you. Every sentence out of his mouth possessed your name. He was smitten with you after your first meeting in the tower.”
Hugo blinked, his mind racing to catch up after getting stuck on the queen’s pet name for her son.
A low groan rumbled from beside him, and he glanced over to find Everand standing with his hand covering his face, but it wasn’t enough to hide his bright-red flush. “Mother,” he grumbled under his breath.
“After his poor first impression with you at the luncheon, I thought you might need an extra nudge to help draw you to him. Especially since he didn’t seem confident that you were fond of him. A bit of danger to get you to lean on him.” She threw up her hands. “I shouldn’t have meddled.”
Not fond of him? Hadn’t they exchanged some rather heated kisses in those woods?
Or maybe Prince Everand had skipped that part in the storytelling with his mother.
A gentle smile formed on Hugo’s lips as he gazed at Everand. “It’s okay. I was already in love with him by the time we escaped the forest.”
“Hugo, my treasure, I’m sorry. I should have confessed long ago. You must have been so fearful of being in the palace. I was a coward.”
“Never!”
“I was. Fear of losing you made me a coward.”
“I understand. But if we are to build any kind of life together, I don’t want there to be secrets between us. What lies ahead of us is even more complicated because you are the crown prince of Branem. If I cannot be the one person you are honest with, the one person you can depend on to stand beside you through all things, what good am I to you? When the world is filled with manipulators and opportunists, I want our relationship to be the one place there are no doubts. Your haven.”
Everand swallowed hard and nodded once, not speaking for a moment as if he couldn’t force the words out of his tight throat. His dark-blue eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “I…I want that too. More than anything in the world. What can I do to make it up to you?”
Hugo reached into the interior pocket of his jacket and pulled out a piece of straw he’d fashioned into a ring. He dropped to one knee and held up the straw ring. “Marry me, and you’ll never have to worry about losing me. I’ll always be yours.”
A tear streaked down Everand’s cheek, and he vigorously nodded again. “Yes. It’s all I want. You. Only you.”
Everand extended one trembling finger and tapped the straw ring, turning it into shining gold in the blink of an eye. Hugo grasped his fiancé’s hand and slid the gold ring onto his finger.
The prince pulled Hugo to his feet, drawing him close until their mouths crashed together. “Mine,” Everand whispered against his lips.
“Always. Whether we live in a castle or a cottage in the woods—”
“With rabbits,” Everand added.
“We will have our happily ever after, because we have each other.”
Epilogue
“Dorian has always been such a quiet, reserved child. Not nearly as outgoing as his brothers. It makes me worry that he will end up alone his entire life, never marrying. Especially now that Hugo has done so well, ensuring that our family is taken care of. He has nothing pushing him to find a love match.”
Hugo paused in the doorway as his mother’s words washed over him. He closed his eyes and tried to gather his strength. The wedding was mere hours away, and Jessamine Baker had already adjusted her sights to his brother Dorian.
“Has he ever considered a government position? Or maybe a role as a diplomat? If he’s anything like Hugo, I’m sure he would excel at interacting with different ministers and dignitaries at society functions. It would give him a chance to meet many interesting people and possibly meet the perfect match for him.”