I cried myself to sleep and when I woke, dry-mouthed and sticky-eyed, I put Dom and the memories of last night firmly in a vault in my mind and closed and locked the door. Today was Alyssa’s wedding day and I was not going to let anything interfere with it. I would have the rest of my life to dwell on what Dom did, but I refused to let it ruin today, so with that in mind I got out of bed with determination, washed my face and prepared to face the day as if nothing had happened.

The first event of the day was a champagne breakfast in Alyssa’s suite. I completed my toilette and dressed in a simple summer dress and sandals. We would all be dressing for the wedding in her suite and the hair and makeup artists would all be attending to us there, so I grabbed everything I needed for the day and left my room to cross over to the Royal wing. I was the first to arrive and I found Alyssa pacing the living area. She glanced up at me when I walked in and I saw panic in her eyes.

I rushed over to her. “What’s the matter?” I asked, putting an arm around her.

“What if he has second thoughts and stands me up?”

“Who? Will?”

“Of course Will. You don’t think he will jilt me do you?”

I suppressed my chuckle and drew her into a hug. “Of course not. Will loves you and he would do anything for you. He wants to spend the rest of his life with you, there is no way that man is going to stand you up.”

“But he has had to give up so much to marry me; his title, his business, his cows—”

“And I think you know that none of those things mean anything close to what you mean to him. Besides, Georgie has taken over the running of his Estate, and she will get his title, and his cows are right next door if he ever misses them so badly that he needs to see them.”

She smiled at me and the gave me a quick hug. “Thanks Priscilla. You always know just what to say to calm me down.”

She withdrew with a deep breath and shook herself before squaring her shoulders. “Okay, let’s do this.”

I walked over to the bell pull. “Should I ring for the servers to bring breakfast?”

“Yes,” she said, “I’m suddenly starving.”

I pulled the velvet rope, which was really just an affectation. It did summon the kitchens, but not the way it would have when it was originally installed. Château de Conte de Fées had been modernised throughout the years with each ruling monarch adding to it. Although it looked like a fairytale castle and had been built in medieval times, behind the stone walls was miles and miles of data cabling and other modern conveniences, not to mention the elevators and satellite dishes and it’s own mobile phone relay tower.

Meredith was the next to arrive wearing yoga pants and a t-shirt and looking like she’d come straight from the shower at the training facility that the body guards used. Knowing her, she probably had. As much as Alyssa had tried to turn her into a Personal Assistant, Meredith was and always would be a bodyguard. She had fought hard to be allowed the position and over the last six months had proved how hard it would be for her to give it up. I didn’t know about any private conversations between her and the Queen, but I suspected that they’d had a few heart to hearts over the months. They had been friends for a long time, since they were children and I knew that despite Alyssa wanting Meredith to fit as her assistant, she would do whatever the other woman wanted. Besides, Meredith had been appalling at the new job, whether on purpose or not, and there was no help for it but to find someone who better fit the bill. I was happy to say that I looked forward to filling the vacancy.

Alex arrived just as the servers began to set up the breakfast in Alyssa’s private dining room. The Queen’s suite was bigger than most two bedroom apartments and even had it’s own kitchenette, something Alyssa had had installed when she remodelled the room. I don’t know how often she used it, but it was there none the less. “How is she this morning?” Alex asked as she sidled over to me.

“She was having a moment when I arrived, imagining that Will was going to jilt her, but I talked her down from the ledge.”

Alex rolled her eyes. “As if that man will ever let her leave his sight after today. I’ve never seen two people so right for each other.”

I huffed out a laugh, “Maybe you need to look in the mirror, Alex. You and Freddie are just like them.”

Alex blushed prettily. “And what about you and Dom? The two of you look pretty good together.”

It was like a punch to the gut without warning. Hearing his name, hearing that we looked good together. I didn’t want to think about what I had lost last night when I overheard his conversation with Louis, I didn’t want to think that the last few weeks had all been a lie. I swallowed down the pain and forced a smile to my face, nodding, because I couldn’t trust myself to speak. Just then, Jeanette arrived and Alex walked over to greet her, freeing me from having to continue the conversation.

I busied myself directing the servers setting up the breakfast and by the time everyone had arrived, I had forced the turmoil of my own life back into the vault and firmly shut the door. Today wasn’t about me, today was about our country’s Queen marrying the love of her life. That was what I would focus on, that’s what would keep me together today.

After breakfast and tears as we each shared our favourite moment with Alyssa, the long and arduous task of dressing began. None of us, bar Alyssa and Savannah had seen the wedding dress, and when she was first revealed there was a round of sniffs and silent tears. Queen Alyssa was a classic beauty, petite with dark hair and big eyes. The dress she wore was understated and elegant. A sweet-heart neckline and fitted bodice that gave way to a full skirt that was held out in a delicate bell by tulle petticoats. The bodice was overlaid with lace that formed a boat neckline and three-quarter sleeves with the lace being repeated at the top of the skirt and fading out to leave the rest of the chiffon elegantly unadorned. Her hair was pulled up in a graceful chignon and her fine tiara glinting with diamonds nestled amongst her dark locks. She looked every inch the fairytale princess and I knew that Will would be swept away by her as she walked down the aisle towards him.

The bridesmaids dresses echoed the wedding dress in that they also had a lace overlay on the bodice and long sleeves. Their colour was champagne and the long chiffon skirt fell to the floor without the enhancement of petticoats. Our hair had all been styled in low chignons secured at the nape of our necks and we each wore our own tiara of our stations. The guests would also be wearing their full formal attire with coronets and tiaras and sashes and stars. Even Will would wear his coronet although he would no longer be the Duke of Camphrey. After today he would be Prince Will, Duke of Vale.

“How are you holding up?” Jeanette said to me while everyone else was preoccupied with something or other.

“I don’t know what you mean,” I said, mentally leaning against the door of the vault to keep my heartbreak firmly inside.

She sighed and shook her head slightly. “I was there, remember and I know you.”

“I’m fine,” I said, “Besides, it’s better to find out now before it went any further.”

“Find out what, exactly?” she challenged me with her stare.

“Well, that it was all a ruse, that none of it was real.”

“That’s a whole lot of garbage,” Jeanette said with a huff, “It may have started as a ruse, but you cannot deny the way he looks at you or the way his face lights up whenever you walk into a room. It may have started under false pretences, but the guy is desperately in love with you.”

“Rubbish,” I replied, not even willing to entertain the idea. “He was only going out with me to keep his brother in line.”

“Oh? And then he only jumped into the freezing waters of Lac Merveilleux to save your life so his brother would work extra hard then? Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I hardly think this is the time to be discussing this,” I said haughtily, annoyed that she wasn’t on my side.

“Perhaps not,” she said with a sniff, “But we will talk about it. I refuse to let you throw this away because of a misunderstanding.”

“There was no misunderstanding, I heard him correctly.”

“You overheard part of a conversation. You can hardly make an informed decision without knowing all the facts.”

“I do not want to talk about this right now,” I said through gritted teeth.

“Fine,” she replied, “But after the wedding, you and me, we’ll be talking about this.”

She walked away before I could answer and I wanted to stamp my foot in frustration. Jeanette didn’t understand, could never understand. I couldn’t trust anything that had occurred between Dom and I, not now, not after hearing what I did. I pushed all thoughts of that infuriating man to the side and focussed on the task at hand. It was time to leave.

We would travel by horse drawn carriages through the streets of the city to the Cathédrale Saint-Etienne de Calanais. It would be a winding, circuitous route in order for the people of Merveille to look upon their Queen as she headed to her wedding.

With no small amount of effort, I herded the wedding party down to the front entrance of the Palace where the carriages awaited us. The Palace staff, those that were not already in position at the church, lined the hallways and stairs as an honour guard for the Queen. Eyes were suspiciously wet and smiles beamed at the wedding party as we passed. These people loved their Queen and had also come to love her consort. This was a wedding that was looked forward to by even the lowliest of Merveillian subjects.

The Duke of Monterey, Lord Bingham senior, father of both Freddie and Meredith, stood by the lead carriage waiting for Alyssa. He was the current Prime Minister and also her godfather and would walk her down the aisle in place of the King. Lord Bingham and the King had been close friends from boyhood and Alyssa loved the man like a favoured uncle. He wiped away a tear as she approached him and I had to swallow down a lump in my own throat. For all intents and purposes, I was now an orphan. My father would never walk me down the aisle and I didn’t have anyone in my life like Lord Bingham to take his place. It was just another reminder that my life would never be a fairytale.

We climbed into our assigned carriages and our procession lurched forward. The carriages were pulled by magnificent white horses decked out in plumage which waved in the breeze. I may never get my fairytale, but I could be part of Alyssa’s.

I watched her walk into the church, my eyes drinking her in greedily as she walked sedately down the long, hallowed aisle of the cathedral. She looked beautiful, but then she always did and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her. She didn’t look at me, although I knew she knew exactly where I would be sitting. Her steadfast forward gaze convinced me that she was intentionally not looking at me and it gave me hope. If she had to work so hard at forgetting me, then it was obvious that I meant something to her and I intended to exploit that.

I had spent the night thinking about what Jeanette had said to me after Priscilla had run from me and I decided I disagreed with her. I didn’t think Priscilla needed time to process, she needed me to prove to her that what we had was real, regardless of how we got there. I may have only met her at the movies because Louis had made a deal with me, but everything else from that moment forward had been without artifice. I needed to tell her that, I needed her to know that what I felt for her was real and would not be brushed off so easily.

My eyes tracked her throughout the ceremony. As my Queen pledged her love to the new Prince, I traced the delicate curve of Priscilla’s cheek and the graceful line of her throat. And she knew I watched her, I could tell in the stiff way she held her shoulders and her determined gaze that fell everywhere but on me. I couldn’t help the small smile that raised the corners of my lips. She was not indifferent to me even though she tried to portray as much and I would not let her hide from me any longer. So I stared at her, daring her to look at me, and then she took a quick glimpse, so quick that if I hadn’t been watching I would’ve missed it, but she definitely looked towards me and my face broke into a grin.

The congregation stood and clapped as the Queen and Prince were announced husband and wife. They kissed and there were suspiciously glassy eyes among the women seated in the cathedral. A local songstress entertained the crowd while the Queen and Prince and their attendants left to sign the register and the marriage certificate, and the cavernous sanctuary felt a little dimmer for not having Priscilla in it. My gaze, now with nothing to hold it’s attention, wandered around the church picking out little details and various guests.

The official wedding planner had taken over the main duties today leaving myself and Priscilla free to enjoy the wedding and for that I was grateful. I planned to get Priscilla alone and tell her how I felt about her, and if all went well, this cold war between us would, for once and for all, come to an end. I had procured Louis and Bianca’s help, since they were the ones who started the whole debacle and I could only hope that they had everything ready as I had requested.

My breath caught as the wedding party returned to the nave. We all stood as the minister introduced them to the congregation, but I only had eyes for Priscilla. Still studiously avoiding my gaze, she stood in line with the other attendants and looked like a goddess in her champagne coloured dress and delicate circlet of silver in her hair. My hands clenched as she took the elbow of her partner and smiled at him. I didn’t care who he was, I wanted his hands off the woman I loved. But I bit down on my jealousy and kept my eyes riveted on her as they walked passed on their way down the aisle.

I followed with the rest of the crowd. Outside the church the covered carriages had been replaced with open ones and Priscilla sat far too close to her partner in the second to last carriage. While the crowd oohed and ahhed over the release of the doves as the carriages began their journey back to the Palace and the assembled crowd of paparazzi and commoner alike tried to capture the moment with whatever digital device they had, I kept my mind focussed on what would happen next and I counted down the minutes until I could pull Priscilla aside and tell her what was in my heart.

One of the Palace aides touched my elbow, indicating that my car was ready and I followed him to where it waited. I slid inside and closed my eyes willing my nerves to calm. It was imperative that Priscilla listen to me and give me a chance to explain and I refused to let the day end without it happening. I just hoped that when all was said and done I would feel her lips on mine and her arms around me.