Without wasting a moment, I quickly rushed over to the desk and began thumbing through the paperwork. Most of the items on the top related to the ball. Notes for cooks, bakers, stewards, and footmen lay in stacks on top of a larger file. I slid the papers carefully to the side, then began to inspect the stack below it. More and more documents full of meaningless nonsense filled my view as I continued to dig deeper through the stacks. After exhausting the papers on the desk, I turned my attention to a wooden box underneath. When I lowered myself to the floor, I found that the crate was full of letters.Perfect!With one hand, I picked through the letters and with the other, I retrieved my letter from the hidden pocket in my skirt. I scanned over each letter rapidly reading the fine print. They were definitely application letters, but they were for more than just floral designers. There were probably a hundred of them crammed inside the box, and I had yet to come across Sapphira’s handwriting.
I was beginning to fear that I was taking too much time when an unfamiliar noise made my entire body freeze. The distinct sound of the door handle turning alerted me that someone was entering the office.This isn’t good… How am I going to explain this?In a panicked moment, I dropped my real application into the box of letters then bolted upright to my feet. Before I could step out from behind the desk, an older woman with gray hair pulled back in a tight bun stepped through the door. Her eyes fell on me instantly with a startled gasp.
“I beg your pardon,” she said agape. “But may I ask what you’re doing in my office?” She crossed her arms, clearly not ready to appeal to any sympathetic stories about me being lost.
Panic flooded over me as I fought to think of a valid excuse.Maybe I can convince her that I am here for her?
“Miss Prunella, right?” I smiled confidently, then stepped forward, summoning up all the proud social grace I had witnessed from Sapphira over the years. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Daisy. I had heard the palace was hiring floral designers for the prince’s upcoming wedding.” I plastered on a sophisticated smile while I desperately tried to sound authentic—and not like a crazy woman who just broke into a royal office.
“Yes, I’m Prunella. But why are you in my office? Any job requests were meant to be mailed in days ago,” she asked slowly while simultaneously eyeing me down with a suspicious glare.
“Ah yes,” I continued, crafting lies in my head as I went. “You see… I missed the deadline for the application—entirely my fault—but I didn’t want to miss a chance to showcase my talents to you... in case you decided to make an exception.” I lifted my arms and twirled around to showcase my dress. “This is the best example of my work I can offer you. I hope you can appreciate it.” I swallowed back my nerves as the woman grazed her eyes over my dress.
“It’s a lovely piece,” the woman admitted while keeping a skeptical eye on me. “But I’m afraid this is an extremely improper way to go about the situation. I’ll admit that you have exquisite talent but sneaking into my office in the midst of a party is more likely to land you a room in the dungeon, not a job.” As the woman scolded me, I felt my stress build.She wouldn’t send me to the dungeon for this, would she?
“A thousand apologies, madam.” I lowered my lashes, feigning innocence. “It never occurred to me that I might make you uncomfortable. I can see now that I simply should have been diligent enough to send in my application in a timely manner.” I put on a disappointed expression with wide eyes. Maybe she’ll believe I’m just dimwitted. That would be better than thinking I’m a thief, or worse.
“Well, I’ll have to report your presence here to the guards, but you should return to the ballroom at once,” she said sternly, gesturing for the door. “Have a good evening, Miss Daisy.”
“You as well, madam.” I gave a slight respectful curtsey, then hurried out the door before she slammed it behind me, leaving me alone in the corridor.
Well, that could have gone better...I took slow, deep breaths, trying to calm my overworked nerves. The only thing I had accomplished was making matters worse. My real application was now in the mix, but my false one was still there as well. What would she do when she came across both? Would she believe that the false one was someone else’s joke? Or would she throw out the real one as well when she read Sapphira’s?I had thrown Daisy’s name into the mix now, too, so the king and prince would know I had snuck into the offices. Everything was a disaster.
I let out an exasperated breath. Maybe I just needed to tell Jasper the truth. All this scheming and planning to take back my life wasn’t going anywhere, but maybe if Jasper believed me… I considered the likelihood of him believing the tale after Prunella informed the guards of my snooping. It would definitely be difficult to convince him, but he had always listened to me in my letters, so perhaps he would listen now as well.
With my dignity officially shattered, I hiked up my skirt and took the first step toward the ballroom. It wasn’t going to be easy explaining this, but I wasn’t going to accomplish anything by standing around and fretting. I strode past the king’s office door with my eyes focused forward, then was immediately stunned by the door being thrown open into my side.
The heavy wood slammed into me, sending me to the floor. I shrieked from the startle, holding a hand to my freshly bruising hip. When I looked up at my offender, a chill ran down my spine. A dark pair of eyes stared down at me with terrible grimness. It’s the man from the ball who had been staring at me. What was he doing in the king’s office? I remained on the floor for a moment as I watched his face twist into disapproval.
“What in the realms are you doing here?” the man hissed. “You weren’t supposed to leave the ballroom.”
I climbed to my feet, my side still throbbing from the impact. “Stay in the ballroom? Sir, I don’t believe we’ve ever spoken before?” I looked at him skeptically, an eerie feeling forming inside me.
“What do you mean, of course we—” He stopped, his eyes widening. “You’re not her, are you?” He pointed at me, taking a step forward.
I stepped back subconsciously. “I’m not certain what you’re referring to, sir…” The discomfort inside me grew, and I took another step back.Something isn’t right here.
The man cursed under his breath as he reached for something in his jacket pocket. “The blasted wench had one job, and now I’m stuck cleaning up the mess.” He groaned in annoyance, then pulled a polished dagger from his coat. The blade flashed the candlelight in front of my eyes, and I felt my blood run cold.What is he doing? He couldn’t possibly…The man gave me a distant glare as he raised the dagger to his face, inspecting the point.
“It’s a shame, really,” he said coldly. “You could have lived if you had just stayed put.”
My vision went black for a moment as I stumbled backward. The man lunged the dagger at me, and I missed the blade by mere inches as I crumpled to the floor. The man reacted quickly to my dodge and attempted to grab me by the hair. He managed to knock the pink rose free from my hair before I kicked him hard in the shin, sending him to the floor with me. Not wasting the chance, I scrambled to my feet and took off at a run down the hall. Footsteps rang out behind me as I heard him follow in quick pursuit. Terror constricted my throat, preventing me from screaming. I ran as fast as I could, but the speed was causing the flower petals to blow free, leaving an obvious trail for my murderous pursuer.
What is going on!? Why is this man trying to kill me? Does it have something to do with this dress? With Camille?
It was impossible to think through the situation while I was being chased by a man with a dagger. My mind shifted focus to survival.If I can make it back to the ballroom, I can find help.I don’t know what I did to invoke this man’s wrath, but I doubted he would be so willing to stab me in front of an audience. I just had to keep running. The flowers held weight at the bottom of the dress, making it difficult to pick up my feet. I pushed my limbs to move faster as the man’s running grew nearer. Fear ripped through me as I heard his huffing breaths.Go faster, you’re almost there. I could see the doors now, they were the same ones I had entered the first time, but they were no longer attended by footmen.Where did everyone go?Can I pull the doors open before the man catches up to me?
Not certain of the answers, I pushed my feet to move faster, urging them to carry the weight of my gown at uncanny speeds.
“I wouldn’t open those if I were you!” the man huffed viciously, only a few steps away.
I ignored his useless warning and desperately grasped at the giant copper knockers. With all my remaining strength, I heaved the doors open and threw them aside. I ran forward to the top of the steps, too breathless to call out for help. My lungs burned as I gasped in front of the gawking crowd. As I looked into the sea of faces, I noticed Jasper staring at me with deep concern.
I whipped my head around to check for my attacker, and saw him approach at a much more calculated canter. I sucked in a breath to call for help, but before I could make a sound, a hand clamped over my mouth. No one below me noticed, because at the same moment, a pained cry rattled the air.
It was from the king.
Thousands of faces turned white as we all looked up at the royal box seat. A younger, dark-eyed man stood there with a black mask covering the lower part of his face. And in front of him lay King Garrett.