In all his years, Cassius had never been so nervous. His palms were sweaty, and his heart raced. Despite the knots twisting and turning in his gut, he forged on, making the trek through the light dusting of snow that was lessening as the weather became a bit less chilly with each passing day.

He’d spent the past few weeks in anticipation of this moment, though he was not sure he’d realized it in those first few days when he’d believed he would never find himself there again, Pinewood Castle grounds beneath his feet.

It had been a fool’s belief.

There had been no possibility that he would not go to his prince again, that he would not lay his heart bare. His prince deserved an explanation, and Cassius needed to give one…even if they went their separate ways in the end.

Even if Merrick no longer wanted him.

News had spread through all of Evergreen by then. Cassius had heard the gossip, the wild stories of Prince Merrick’s desire for men and the valet who had somehow cast a spell on him to make the prince fall in love with him. Every time it was spoken, some piece of it changed, some part of the tale grew until little truth remained to it.

The royal family had presented a united front and publicly vowed to allow Merrick his privacy. Cassius could only hope they truly supported him the way they had announced. Merrick himself had not made a public appearance since the ball.

Cassius paused, took in the gray peaks and solid bricks of Pinewood Castle…and a smile tugged at his lips. He would forever look back at his time here as the best of his life. Regardless of the future, what they shared had been real and true in ways things rarely were.

The door opened, and his heart jumped, hoping it was Merrick, that he could set eyes upon his prince again.

“Cassius?” Princess Marjorie stepped outside, a footman on her heels. He was new, Cassius realized.

“Your Highness.” Cassius bowed as she approached.

“Are you here for your belongings?” she asked, and the question pierced his chest. Did that mean Prince Merrick did not want to see him?

“No, Your Highness. I shall take them, but they are not why I am here. I…I came to speak with Merrick.”

Her cheeks turned rosy. “You call my brother only by his given name?”

He had, hadn’t he? He had not even given it a thought. “It is not proper, and for that I apologize. I mean no offense, Your Highness. I will work not to make the same mistake again, but…he is Merrick to me.” An artist. A man. A supporter of children and those in need. He was Cassius’s heart.

Marjorie smiled. “I quite like that answer, Cassius.”

“It is the truth.” Cas bowed. “Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Marjorie,” she replied. “And I am sorry, but Merrick is not available. He has moved to Winterfrost Manor.”

Cassius’s heart dropped. He knew that was where Merrick was going to go when he took a wife. Did that mean that despite what the Davendalls had announced, Merrick was still to wed a lady?

“I…”

“If he was there, I would say you could see him, but he has been spending most of his days on Ursula. He disappears for hours, and we do not know where he goes.”

There was an unexpected lurch in his chest. “I do, Your Highness.” But it would take him much too long to make it on foot.

“Of course you do.” Marjorie smiled, and before Cassius realized what was happening, the princess grabbed his hand and began tugging him toward the barn. “Come. You can borrow a horse and go to him. I will send word to Winterfrost that if Merrick returns, you have gone to find him.”

“Why?” Cassius stopped and looked at her. “Why would you do all this? I have ruined his reputation. I…”

“Love my brother, that is what you do and that is all that matters to me. You still love him, do you not?” she asked.

“With every ounce of my heart and soul,” Cassius replied.

“Nothing matters more than that.”

No…no it didn’t. They hurried the rest of the way to the stables. Princess Marjorie watched while Cassius prepared Tabby to ride. When he finished, he hiked his bag more securely on his shoulder before using the stirrup to climb into the saddle. “Thank you, Your High—Marjorie,” he told her, and then he was gone, flying through the woods and to their magical place beneath the canopy of dreams where all their stories could come true.

The ride felt both swift and as though it lasted a lifetime. His heart raced faster as he neared. Yes, Marjorie had sent him there, but that didn’t mean Merrick would want him. It did not mean that Cassius wasn’t too late or that he hadn’t hurt Merrick beyond repair.

He pulled the reins to slow Tabby’s gallop. The moment he broke through the trees, Cassius saw Merrick sitting on a rock, notebook in hand, Ursula tied to a tree in the clearing. Merrick’s eyes darted up, and Cassius’s heart soared, just laying eyes on him again.

“Cas.” Merrick scrambled off his perch as Cassius dismounted.

“Merrick,” he replied.

Christ, he was beautiful. Cas yearned to touch his hair, to cup his cheek, to have Merrick’s taste on his lips once more.

They moved toward one another, closer and closer, until they met in the center of the clearing.

“Are you truly here?” Merrick asked.

“I think so,” Cassius replied. It felt like a dream to him as well.

Merrick looked down, his spine curling. “I did not think you would come back.”

Cas’s heart bled for the pain he’d caused his prince. “I did not think I would either,” he answered honestly. Merrick whipped his head up at that. “Not because I didn’t want to. You have much to lose, my prince. More than I could ever give you in return.”

“Should I not be the one who decides how much what I lose or gain means to me?” He shook his head. “You do not get to make that decision for me, Cas, just as I cannot make it for you…and that is what I did by approaching you at the ball. I apologize for that. I should not have done it so publicly, but that doesn’t change what I want. You think you don’t give me much, but your love gives more than any title ever could. It is with you that I am the truest form of myself.”

Cassius’s knees went weak. His heart thudded in his ears, and his vision blurred. “It is with you that I am the truest form of myself as well. I could not separate my love for you from my fear of what you would sacrifice for me. I could not see how the trade was fair to you…to the people of Evergreen.”

Cassius shook his head, trying to release the thoughts so they made sense. “I believe I was afraid…of not being worthy of you. I have spent weeks writing, scribbling my thoughts, reliving every moment we shared, and I saw…the happiness we shared when we were together. The gleam in your dark eyes when you saw me. And I realized…that is what it’s about, is it not? Those pieces of happiness are what matters. Not title or name. I write stories and poems of love and dreams coming true, but I did not allow myself to see it as something that could be real…not for me…but it was true…what we shared, and not only am I better for it, the world could be too.”

“I am a better man because of you, Cas. Imagine what we could do together?”

Cassius gasped…hoped. “Do you still want me, my prince?”

“I have never wanted another the way I want you. There will never be another I love the way I love you.”

Merrick raised his hand, cupped Cassius’s cheek. Cas nuzzled into him, closed his eyes, trembled when he felt Merrick’s lips touch his. They kissed slowly, deeply, reexploring each other.

Cassius swallowed down Merrick’s moans and then fed him his own.

And it was…perfect.

When they pulled apart, Cassius led Merrick back to the rock. The sun kept the chill off as they climbed on together.

Cassius opened his bag. “This is for you…from Emily.” He pulled out a knitted hat, which Merrick immediately tugged onto his head.

“I cannot wait to thank her properly,” he replied.

They spoke about the work Merrick had been doing behind the scenes, and Cassius told Merrick about his new position at a horse farm in Pinewood. He worked long days, but it would help him care for his family, and he would still be close to the castle grounds, so they could see one another often.

“I do not want to be away from you,” Merrick told him. “I want to share a bed with you every night. Winterfrost is plenty big for all of us.”

Cassius frowned. “All of us?”

“Annabelle, Emily, and Elizabeth. I do not want you to be away from your family, but I don’t want to be away from you either.”

Cassius’s chest swelled. “So I would get to come home to my very own prince every night?” he teased.

“Your very own,” Merrick replied.

“I will miss dressing you…my prince. I am afraid you might be in disarray without me.”

Merrick laughed, and Cassius joined him.

“I am a mess without you. I still cannot get my cuff links correct. I think we should spend our days dressing and undressing one another, though.”

Cassius loved the sound of that.

They continued to talk, to kiss. Merrick returned Cassius’s journal, which he said he carried with him always but had not read. Nothing except the final entry by mistake.

“Keep it,” Cassius told him.

“And you this,” Merrick gave Cassius his artwork.

When nightfall was too close to stall any longer, they mounted their horses and rode back, free and in love.

There was much to figure out. They knew it would not be easy, but as long as they were together, it would be worth it.