He looked over at Cassian again. “Despite the secrecy of their marriage, official records remain.” His brother nodded approvingly, and he looked back at me. “The midwife who attended at your birth has agreed to write up a birth certificate, although she is late by eighteen years. She knew your mother, and it was part of what fueled her fear since your grandparents were well-respected in Largo. She had a girl assisting who she swore to secrecy. She is still quite a young woman, and I managed to track her down also. The details of her story matched.”
“And what of her grandparents’ estate?” asked Tillie, her words reminding me that she had been raised among traders with their focus on wealth.
“They died without living relatives, so the crown has been holding their wealth in case a claimant comes forward. The allowed five years before the crown absorbs the unclaimed estate has not yet passed. So it seems you are actually an heiress of sorts, Evie, although not perhaps an extravagant one.”
I stood and strode to the window before returning and plopping back into my seat. It was a lot to take in. I had already guessed the mixed nature of my ancestry—my face had told that story—but of the rest, I could never have imagined such a fantastical story. What bitter irony that my grandparents had feared their daughter and future grandchildren might grow up as misfits and outcasts. It was exactly what had happened, but only because they had rejected their daughter’s choice and caused her to flee.
“Being an heiress is nice indeed,” said Celine, her eyes fixed on Frederic. “And it’s very kind of you to track all that down for Evie. But what in the world made you choose such an inconvenient moment to disappear?”
Frederic actually flushed slightly, his eyes straying back to me. “I’m afraid I could not wait. Do you not remember, Celine, the conditions required for the crown prince of Lanover to formalize a betrothal?”
“No, of course not,” said Celine. “What interest is that to me?”
Tillie snorted at her cheeky response, but Frederic continued to watch me, once more taking my hand in his. “The Earl of Serida mentioned that Lanover has some ancient and convoluted traditions on the matter of succession, and he is right. For a crown prince or princess of Lanover to become betrothed, they must present the name of their intended, along with those of her parents and grandparents, to the royal council for approval.”
“A mere formality,” murmured Cassian, “but still a legal requirement.”
I gasped as the full import of his words crashed through me. But before I could speak, Frederic slid off the sofa and onto one knee. Still holding my hand, he looked up into my eyes. “Now that you know who you are, Evie, would you consider becoming my wife and future queen? I cannot think of someone more suited to one day rule Lanover than you—who know all parts of it. You have suffered over and over, and yet you have risen from your suffering as one of the strongest women I have ever met. You have shown courage in the face of danger and compassion in the face of suffering. And instead of using your hard-won knowledge, skills, and connections for your own advantage, you share them freely with others. Despite everything you have faced, you have grown into someone whose beautiful outside only matches your inside.”
Tears welled in my eyes. Never had I imagined that someone might view my bumpy history in such a way—that they might desire the whole me, seeing value in every part. Let alone a prince and future king. It did not seem as if it could be true.
And yet, when I looked into Frederic’s eyes, I knew that my days of mistrust were behind me. He had taught me how to trust, and I would trust now that he truly loved me—as I truly loved him.
“Yes, yes, I will marry you.”
He laughed, rising to his feet and sweeping me up with him. When he pressed his lips to mine, Celine protested, and he pulled back, still laughing. His eyes promised me that he would finish the kiss when we no longer had an audience. But for now, we had a great many congratulations to endure.
And, sure enough, when we were alone later—in the public garden near the marketplace, Celine, Cassian, and Tillie having conveniently wandered off—he completed it with all the will in the kingdoms. And he apologized over and over again for leaving me in doubt while he searched.
“I didn’t even think how you might interpret my absence,” he said ruefully. “Which is reprehensible of me. I just knew I could never wish to bring anyone else before the council as my betrothed. And, of course, I only knew it in the instant you told me I could never bring you. An almost madness seized me, and I forgot about my duty and about the rebellion, and I just knew that I must find the names of your parents at any cost.”
After another interlude of our previously interrupted activity, he apologized again. “I’m so sorry for my confusion, Evie. I was drawn to you from the start, and the longer we traveled together, the harder I found it to hold back. And yet, I was plagued by doubt. As I told you in the jungle, my blindness in the past had led me to doubt my own judgment. So although I knew my responsibility was to marry my true love, I tormented myself wondering how I would recognize true love when it came. I kept asking myself if I was certain. How could I be sure it was true—the one the godmothers would bless?”
He shook his head. “It seems foolish beyond belief now that I could have ever doubted my feelings for you. But my duty weighed so heavily upon me that it blinded me. You are fun and lively and talented and beautiful and brave—it seemed almost incredible that I could be permitted to love you. Surely my duty could not call for something I so desperately wanted.”
He pulled me close. “It was only when I forgot all about my duty that I stopped questioning my feelings for you. Only true love could so effectively lift the burden that always weighs upon me. And now I cannot believe how light it feels to know that I will one day rule Lanover with you by my side. But I hate that I caused you pain for so long. And I hate that despite all my promises, I could not prevent Marcus from hurting you again.”
Another enjoyable interlude was required to assure him that I harbored no ill feelings. Even the direct involvement of a godmother could not have brought about a more perfect fairy tale ending for me. The misery that had gripped me at his disappearance was nothing to the joy I felt now. And the joy I intended to continue feeling no matter what the years ahead might bring. Because I had finally learned not only how to love another, but how to accept my past and every part of myself, and it was not a lesson I intended to ever forget.
Epilogue
I paced back and forth while the queen watched me placidly.
“My dear Evie, you will exhaust yourself,” she said.
“But how can she not be nervous, Mother?” Celine asked, coming to my defense. “It is quite ridiculous that the proposed betrothed is not permitted to be present at the council meeting when her ancestors’ names are announced.”
“It’s not at all ridiculous,” said her mother, calmly. “Imagine how awkward it would be for everyone if the council members wished to make objections on the basis of her family, and the lady herself were present.”
I stopped. “Could…could that happen, Your Majesty?”
“Please, Evie.” She smiled at me. “You must call me Viktoria. And, no, of course it won’t happen, it is merely a formality as I have assured you.”
At her daughter’s strangled yelp of outrage at her mother’s contradiction, she smiled. “But that is the thing about formalities, of course. They are so very formal.”
She eyed her daughter. “So you might as well cease fretting, Celine. The boys will return soon enough.”