Calina
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Lying in the hyacinth garden, I stared up at the clear blue morning sky. This was officially my favorite spot on the palace grounds. The delicate scent of the flowers my mother created mixed with the salty breeze drifting in from the ocean was so soothing and calming to my soul. Today marked my last jog as a "nobody," so to speak. By tonight, the rest of the world would know that the Greecian princess was no longer missing. The thought made my stomach twist with anxiety.

I wished the queen had waited at least another year for the announcement. I needed much more time for etiquette lessons and queen training. Despite my efforts to catch up, the years of preparation I had missed weighed heavily on my mind. I didn't want to be an embarrassment or a disappointment to the queen.

The soft crunch of footsteps on the pathway broke through my thoughts. I sat up to see Henry approaching. Oddly enough, I was glad to see it was him and not Alice coming to retrieve me for preparations. It meant I still had some time to get my nerves under control.

"Good morning, Callie," he greeted, a warm smile on his face as he took a seat on the grass beside me.

"Hey," I replied, returning his smile. Henry reached over grasping my wrist and inhaling the scent of the loose petals in my fingers.

"What does it smell like to you?" I asked, pulling my hand back into my lap.
His gaze swept over the garden before settling on the ocean in the distance. "Like fruity cereal."

I snorted a small laugh. "Really?"

Knox had thought they smelled like the summer air just as the first drops of rain hit the pavement and chocolate cupcakes. I smiled at the memory.

"I think all flowers smell the same if I'm being honest," Henry continued.

"They do not!" I argued with a grin. "What are doing up so early?" I asked changing the subject.

He let out a heavy sigh, his fingers idly playing with blades of grass. "I was just trying to gather my thoughts before the big announcement. The queen wants me to make a speech tonight about our ended engagement which means
my tatăl finds out about us as well. Doesn't matter. Today is a significant day for you. How are you feeling about it?"

I didn't hold a modicum of regret that our engagement had ended. I'd never met Henry's father, but I knew I hated the man with my whole heart. "Nervous, to be honest. I wish I had more time to prepare," I answered simply.

Henry reached out, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "You've done incredibly well, Calina. Everyone can see the effort you've put in. Remember, you have a natural grace and strength that no amount of training can teach. You'll do great."

"I hope you're right."

Henry gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze before letting his hand drop. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead?"

"That night we met outside your college dorm, if I would have had the nerve to ask you out, would you have said yes?"

I released the petals in my hand, watching them slowly fall and catch in the breeze as I considered my answer. "No, because the girl I was with that night was my best friend, and she had a massive crush on you. So you were never an option in my mind."

He nodded, his expression thoughtful. "It's funny how life has a way of leading us down unexpected paths."

A brittle smile tipped my lips. "Yeah, no kidding. And now we're here, about to face a whole new chapter."
Henry's eyes softened with understanding. "Speaking of new chapters, have you heard from the king? Are you guys still an item?"

I took a deep breath, trying to steady the fluttering in my stomach. Tonight was going to be overwhelming enough; I didn't want to think about the abrupt way things had ended between Knox and me. "No, I haven't heard from him. He ended things when he walked away three nights ago." I shrugged, trying to mask the searing agony that fact left inside my empty chest.

Knox had ripped my still-beating heart out from behind my ribcage, claimed it as his own, and walked right out of my life.

"I don't want to talk about him," I said, standing and dusting myself off. "How about we take a stroll around the gardens. It might help clear our minds. Maybe I can even teach you how to pick up on the different fragrances in flowers."

Henry stood, offering me his arm with a playful smile. "Lead the way. And who knows? Maybe today is just the beginning of something even more extraordinary."

His optimism was contagious. I nodded in agreement, trying to manifest a renewed sense of purpose.

»»----------««

"Alright Callie, you are all set," Alice exclaimed, her eyes scanning the beautiful dress she had meticulously created. "Oh, and a heads up," she continued with excitement, "Emilio texted me this morning. The Elysanos King will be attending your announcement party."

Three days had passed with no word from Knox. The anger at this point had fermented in my stomach. No, I hadn't reached out to him, but he didn't try to contact me either. He was the one who left, after all.

With a mental shrug, I straightened my spine and met my own gaze in the mirror. I refused to let his presence add to my stress. He might have claimed my heart, but that didn't mean I was in love with him. Right?

I had no name for the feelings that I had for him. No experience to compare them to, but surely it wasn't love.
"Thank you. You really are talented," I expressed, a genuine smile forming as I caught Alice's eyes through the reflection.

Alice had truly outdone herself with the dress - a floor-length, off-the-shoulder gown in a sapphire hue.
The fitted bodice elegantly traced my curves before flowing into a tulle ballgown skirt with a tasteful high slit. A pleated waistband adorned with glistening crystal embellishments cinched the ensemble together.

My hair was piled high on my head with a bunch of intricate twist and braids, shimmering silver jewels pinned throughout my dark hair. The makeup was flawless, shimmering smoky eyeshadow that drew all the focus to my violet eyes. In that moment, I felt undeniably beautiful.

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As the lilting music drifted through the wooden doors, my eyes fluttered closed for a moment. Beyond those doors, the room was brimming with important guests and royals from all over the world. The fact that the night was being livestreamed was an added bonus because apparently the night wasn't stressful enough. Now, I had to make sure I didn't make a fool of myself on a global scale. Suddenly, the soft chiffon fabric of my dress felt itchy, and I fidgeted with it for a moment. I could do this. I was ready. Everything would be fine.

I gave a determined nod to the vigilant guard stationed nearby, signaling my readiness to enter the ballroom. The double doors swung open, and as I stepped through, the hushed whispers in the room fell silent. It was as if time itself had paused, leaving only the soft strains of the orchestra playing from the obscured mezzanine.

My own breath paused in my lungs because I knew what they were thinking: I was her. Ariadne.

I walked along the carpeted path to the dais, replaying the queen's explicit instructions in my mind: head straight, chin high, and eyes focused solely on her. This mantra had been etched into my thoughts to quell the fluttering nerves within me. And so, my gaze was unwaveringly directed at the resplendent diamond and ruby necklace adorning the queen's regal neck.

As I approached, the queen rose gracefully from her throne, signaling it was time for me to execute the deep curtsy I had practiced so meticulously. With ethereal grace and practiced poise, I descended into a seamless curtsy, a perfect demonstration of respect befitting the grandeur of the occasion.

Every moment after that sort of happened in a jolting blur. The attention focused on me was thick and weighted in the air. The interactions with the guest blended from one moment to the next.

Most topics were about who I resembled. No real surprise there.

"So how traumatizing was it when you met my parents?"

A voice disrupted my somewhat detached state, pulling my unfocused gaze away from the crowd to see who the voice belonged to.

"Umm... Ione, right?" I took a guess at my cousin's name. Each one named after a flower. Her raven black hair flowed down to her waist in straight tresses and stunning electric blue eyes. The only similarities we shared were the freckles splattered along her face.

"Magnolia. Ione is the second oldest. Everyone calls me Maggie." She corrected with a warm smile.

"Ah, Maggie. My apologies." I couldn't help but let my curiosity take the reins. "So, where do you fall in the line of siblings?"

Maggie's laughter was as gentle as a breeze, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she replied, "I'm number eight. Does that make you wonder why there are so many of us?"

I nodded, my eyebrows furrowing in curiosity.

"Because my parents wanted to be the one to birth the cardinal heir. They thought they were close because my eyes almost give off that violet hue. Then number nine, Indigo, came out with eyes so brown they were almost black. Finally, my overly fertile parents called it quits."

We dissolved into a fit of giggles, the sound ringing through the air so loudly that people openly stared.

"No wonder your parents weren't too pleased to see me."

"Well, I am happy to finally meet you. Grandaunt Ekko has talked about you for an hour straight. She is quite proud of you," Maggie chimed in, her voice laced with affectionate amusement. "Oh, I wish I could have caught the look on my parents' faces when you not only had the violet eyes but the complete face of the late Queen Ariadne." Maggie giggled. Her fingers clasped over her lips to contain the sound.

"For years, my parents have been advocating to let me take the throne in Greecia when Queen Ekko's ruling ended. I want to be a fashion designer. I've wanted nothing to do with royalty and being eighth in line was supposed to grant me that privilege to choose what I want in life, but my eye color sort of stripped me of that right. Anyway, my next question for you is who designed your dress? It's breathtaking."

The Duchess was a veritable fountain of gossiping knowledge. Our conversations became a refuge from the formality of the occasion, a delightful escape into the world of scandal and intrigue that the Duchess wove with such finesse.

"Umm... he is looking right at you." I didn't even need to look behind me to know which 'he' Magnolia was referring to. It was obvious in the way her voice dropped a few octaves.

Dragging my attention away from the colorful array of tiny pastries decorating the long table, my gaze slowly swept across the room. Knox stood beside the Queen's throne.

Every time I locked eyes with Knox De La Rosa, it was like plunging into the Arctic Tundra-an instant shock to my system.

It was that moment when you leap into frigid waters, that startling instant when your breath is stolen from your lungs, hitting you like a kick to the stomach. You tell yourself the shock will wear off, that your body will eventually go numb and you won't feel the bone-chilling water lapping at every inch of you. But there was no way to numb the effects his influence had on my body.

He looked so damn sinful in his tailor-made black suit. The pristine white shirt seemed almost ethereal against his dark attire, but it was his tie that caused the faintest of smiles to grace my lips. His violet tie matched the exact shade of my irises.

He seemed to be ensnared in some sort of trance as his eyes roamed over my body like a caress. Even from this distance, I could see his grip tighten on the back of the Queen's chair, and the muscles in his jaw clench and unclench.

Finally, his gaze met mine, and he seemed to snap out of his daze with a deep inhale. My own breathing had quickened, the tension in the air palpable. As much as I felt the pull of his forceful gaze, I knew I couldn't allow myself to succumb to it again. The desire to wrap my arms around him, to feel the luscious heat of his mouth on mine, was overwhelming, but I had to resist. We couldn't go down that road again.

I glanced back at the array of appetizers on the table, but nothing seemed appealing anymore. My body craved something else entirely.

With a trembling hand, I reached for a glass of water, lifting it to my lips to take measured sips. The cool liquid trickled down my throat, serving as a soothing balm for the storm of emotions that threatened to consume me.

"Trouble, you look incredible. Stunning," Knox whispered, his lips brushed against the shell of my ear. My heart ached with confusion. I wanted to simultaneously kick and kiss him.

"Can we go somewhere private to talk, Calina?" His voice was low, pleading.

I really missed the way his lips claimed my name.
I glanced over my shoulder at him. His face was so close to mine. It wouldn't take much effort to lean into a kiss. I could feel the heat coming from his body. Our eyes locked, and held. In those few seconds, I allowed myself to be swept away by a tide of memories. His scent. That smirk. His touch. That spark between us-it all resurfaced with vivid clarity.

But before I could let the undertow of nostalgia consume me, I locked those memories away, resolute in my decision. We were done. Giving him one cold, hard glare, before I turned back toward the table. Knox and I were over. I meant it, giving myself a firm mental nod.

"I've given you three days to talk and you choose now to speak? I'm not interested in your excuses," I snapped. The irritation that had been brewing within me surfaced as I turned toward him, my glare cutting through the charged air.

Duchess Magnolia gasped. I squeezed my eyes closed briefly, realizing that my frustration had allowed her to witness a scene that should have remained private. I had forgotten she was even standing beside me.

Gathering my composure, I walked away from Knox, putting as much physical distance as possible between us.