Henry didn’t wait a moment to announce that he was off the market. He brought a blushing Ella into the ballroom, dancing with his one and only choice in front of the entire guestlist, most of whom were appalled that the prince had chosen a girl brazen enough to wear jeans and a flannel to a royal ball.
Rory, Cordray, Remus, Adam and Belle were the few who watched with rapture as Henry and Ella shared their first public dance and their first on-camera kiss. In true Henry fashion, the prince could only restrain himself for so long. After one song, he dropped down onto one knee, pulling out his mother’s ring that had been burning a hole in his pocket for two weeks. “Always and only me?” he begged, hope and adoration shining in his eyes.
Ella’s vision clouded over with tears, but she made sure to keep the sight of him before her clear as she nodded. “Yes, Henry. Always and only you.”
“What? No!” Drizella screamed, and launched herself with venom toward Ella, furious at the scene. The music screeched to a stop. “Do you even know who she is? She’s no one! She’s our servant!”
With a click of Henry’s fingers, Drizella was whisked away and put outside for the duration of the royal ball, which was quickly becoming Prince Henry’s impromptu engagement party.
When Drizella let loose that Ella had been their servant, the jealous stares melted into looks of compassion. Softened eyes were painted with the whimsy of a bedtime story as they all witnessed the rapture in Prince Henry’s gaze. That the prince had chosen a servant for his bride won over the hearts of many. It made his charm a thing that transcended harsh opinion, as was his way.
Lady Tremaine wasted no time at all pulling aside one of the reporters and letting loose all of Ella’s secrets to the press, putting the spin on it that Ella was dangerous, since she could send out her Pulse. “She can hear government secrets, you know, with her being able to hear through walls. She’s a danger to the throne, which is probably why the king is sanctioning this union. Best keep the enemy close, if you know what I mean.”
It was Rory who raised her voice, her face pink with anger as she took the focus of the camera from Lady Tremaine. “This woman is horrible! She gave her own daughter a black eye. She locked the soon-to-be-princess in a broom closet. Even on the day her daughter gets engaged, she can’t say a kind word.” Rory squared her shoulders to the camera. “Embrace your new princess as I have, as the king has.”
Lady Tremaine would not be overshadowed, not even by the Chancellor’s daughter. “As Remus Johnstone has? She’s thrown herself at any number of powerful men. Why, she even tempted the Baron to try and get ahead. Unfortunately for her, the Baron only has eyes for me. So sad that she would stoop to seducing her stepmother’s boyfriend. Can you imagine?” Lady Tremaine countered with a simpering smile. “That’ll be all.” Then she turned on her heel and snapped her fingers at Anastasia, who was still gaping at Ella with no words, only incoherent stammering.
Henry encouraged the string quartet to play, drowning out Lady Tremaine as she moved on to the next reporter, and the next, spreading her tales of controversy. He turned and cupped Ella’s face, making sure to draw her eyes from the growing whispers. “This means nothing. There’s only you and only me here tonight. Lady Tremaine isn’t part of this moment.”
Ella swallowed hard and finally nodded. “Always and only you,” she promised.
When the double doors opened, it was the king himself whose presence made the ballroom fall still with silence. Then everyone bowed in reverence to the crown. King Hubert stretched his hand out, not toward Ella, but with a menace to a person behind her. “Guards, arrest the Baron!”
With wide eyes and a wet nose, the Baron took a step back from the crowd, his arms raised in surrender. “Your majesty, I can’t imagine what problem there might be.”
“It took me all of five whole minutes to extract the tracker your company injected in the Lupine.”
“Tracker?” The Baron’s bony hand flew up over his heart as he scrambled to assemble a viable excuse. “Surely you can’t think I would do such a thing. I’ve served the council faithfully for years. And even if I had, there’s no law against it. They’re merely animals.” He snapped his fingers at the nearest accomplice. “Herchon, grab my things. I’ll discuss this with you in private, your majesty, once you’ve calmed enough to see reason.”
The king’s arm raised, and the guards lining the walls closed in. They didn’t require an explanation, only their king’s command. “I would never approve of something so inhumane. How we treat the least of us proves our true character, and now I know the depths of yours. There may not be a law against it, but I will see that there is.” He held up a tiny silver object for all to see. “The serial number matches tracking devices that were registered to your company. The Lupine were once our kinsmen but you’ve treated them like cattle. This crime rests on your head, and I’ll make sure the work of your bloody hands is exposed for the entire kingdom to see.”
When the Baron began to argue, Henry piped in with a booming voice that commanded everyone’s attention. “The Baron tried to purchase my future bride for unseemly purposes. He put his hands on her, and her stepmother entertained the offer just to make a few bucks. If he can’t be charged for his crimes against the Lupine, I’ll see he’s tried for molesting my future wife.”
Henry’s arm was tight around Ella, ensuring that she witnessed justice being played out for her.
The king stiffened, his nostrils flaring as he turned to Ella. “Is this true?”
She clung to Henry and nodded, cringing that her worst moments were being laid bare for the kingdom to dissect, but grateful for the vindication all the same. Cameras flashed, capturing her cheek buried in the meat of Henry’s shoulder, and the fiercely protective look on the prince’s face.
The king’s voice boomed through the ballroom. “Take the Baron away! No woman in my kingdom will fear for her safety from a councilmember.”
Not a minute later, the Baron was cuffed and led out of the ballroom, leaving Lady Tremaine with her mouth wide open as she was escorted out of the palace.
The ballroom was silent until Adam spoke up. “And I thought my parties were controversial. Well done, Henry.”
Slowly, Henry’s grip on Ella loosened, and a tired smile soothed the worry that wrinkled the corners of his eyes. “You know how I love a good spectacle.” Then he rubbed Ella’s back, leaning his chin to her forehead so he could inhale the scent of her hair to center himself. “Are you alright, blue eyes?”
Ella cuddled into his warmth, which had always done its best to shield her from life’s cold cruelties. “After tonight? Yes, Henry. I think I just might be.”
The subjects slowly began to rise. Murmurs splintered out as the king broke his anger to greet his guests with polite handshakes and nods, keeping Guadalupe close at his heels. The music picked back up, and a few couples began dancing.
Rory rubbed her temples. “At what point do we pull the fire alarm so Henry and Ella can have a moment alone? This is far too much controversy in their first hour of being publicly together.”
Cordray glanced at the two, who were holding each other, ignoring the questions the reporters shouted at them. “She looks too happy to be bothered by scandal. Smart girl.”
Adam and Belle moved to stand beside them. “They look so sweet together,” Belle mused with a wistful smile on her face.
Adam shook his head, narrowing his eyes. “Why can’t we get married yet? I swear, if Henry gets married before me…”
“We’ll get married soon enough. I’m just glad I got to see it all. Look how much they love each other. It’s like no one else in the world exists.” When a few cameras turned to snap photos of Adam and Belle, she buried her face into his sternum, hiding in the shelter his body provided.
Adam smirked at her shyness and tucked his finger under her chin, drawing up her face so he could brush a light kiss to her lips, giving them yet another picture-perfect pose. “Can’t let Henry upstage us.”
Belle squeezed Adam’s side, relishing in his slight squirm at her tickle.
Rory watched her two best friends fawn over the women who’d captured their hearts. “You and Henry are such saps now. I love it.”
Ella and Henry gazed at each other, reveling in the freedom that came with some serious limitations. Every moment would be photographed and scrutinized. Each brush of their hands would be gossiped about. Still, even in the throng of party-goers, Ella and Henry saw only each other.
“Tell me a story, Henry,” she said quietly, her arms looping over his shoulders so she could tease the hair at the nape of his neck.
Henry led them in a slow sway to the violins that encouraged romance and happily-ever-afters. His lips brushed against her ear, sending the thrill of a shiver through her body. “Once upon a time…”
The End.
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Keep reading for a free preview of Ugly Girl,
book one in a 14-part fantasy romance series written by USA Today bestselling author Mary E. Twomey.