I stepped backwards, unsure of how to respond.

“Arwyn Magnolia Kingston,” my mother said rather calmly. “Answer my question. How long have you—”

“Mother, why must you ruin everything?” I ignored how childish I sounded. “Why does it matter to you if Ray and I are—” I wanted to choose my next words carefully “—hanging out so much? You had no issue with it when we were young. What changed?”

“Darling, you know very well what changed.” She narrowed her eyes, clasping and unclasping her hands in front of her.

“Don’t you dare say the feud. You can’t blame everything on the feud! Raydir has been my best friend since I was nine years old, and you know that. But unlike you and Father, I cannot let the feud come between us.” I stormed past her and ran up the stairs to my room where I promptly slammed the door and flopped down onto my bed.

Why did this have to be so hard? Why did every little thing have to be about the feud?

A knock sounded at my door, and Ginny poked her head in the room, carrying a tray.

“Lady Arwyn, please pardon the intrusion. I thought you might want some tea and biscuits after the conversation with your mother.”

That piqued my interest. I sat up. “Did you bring those peanut butter biscuits from when I was a kid?”

Ginny smiled. “It wouldn’t be tea without them. Shall I serve?”

I gestured to the table in the corner of my room. “I still can’t believe after all this time, you remembered the biscuits.”

“Well, I’ve been caring for you since you were a baby, Arwyn. And I cared for your sister before you. She, too, loved these peanut butter biscuits.”

I hugged my knees to my chest at the mention of my sister. Arabella had been killed three years ago in an accident that promptly started the feud between Gwyniar and Alvenora. “Yeah, I remember that.” My mind trailed off to a faint memory of rainy days when Arabella and I would run around the kitchen while Ginny prepped the biscuits then sat in front of the oven, waiting for them to bake. When the timer would go off, we would squeal with happiness as Ginny took them out of the oven to cool. “Bella was also always so supportive of me and Ray.”

Ginny brought over a small plate and cup of tea, handing them to me. “You must miss her terribly. The two of you were so close.”

“She protected me. And that’s all I could ever ask for in a big sister. Three years without her has been too long. Every day since, I suspected that Mother knew about my relationship with Raydir. And every time I think about that, I feel guilty.”

“Guilty for following your heart?”

I shook my head. “Guilty because I’m doing the exact same thing Bella was doing before she died: sneaking around with someone from Alvenora.”

“No one could’ve predicted the accident.” Ginny sipped at her tea.

“That’s true. But Father just had to blame Lord Alexander for what happened to the carriage. He knows…” I trailed off with a heavy sigh. “He knows it was an accident. No one could’ve predicted the wheels popping off the track or the carriage turning over on that windy road.”

Ginny reached out to brush her thumb over my face. I hadn’t even noticed the tears that had trickled from my eyes. “She would be so proud of you today, Arwyn, to see the young woman you have become.”

I sniffled, this time swiping my own hand across my face. “Yeah. I just wish she was still here.”

A knock sounded at the door, and Ginny jumped up, running to clear away the empty tray.

“Come in,” I called.

My mother appeared in the doorway, her hands clasped in front of her elegant blue gown. “Arwyn, darling, your father and I would like you to join us in the Great Hall for dinner. There is much we need to discuss.” Her voice had softened from her disapproval earlier.

“I’m not hungry.” I refused to meet her gaze, staring instead across the room where Ginny stood wringing her hands nervously.

“Ginny, would you give us a minute?” my mother asked.

Ginny dipped her head in acknowledgement, picked up the tray, then promptly left the room.

“Mother—” I started to say but she cut me off with a flick of her wrist.

“Arwyn, I know this time must be difficult on you. With your twenty-fifth birthday approaching, there have to be a lot of feelings coming up for you. Regarding Lord Raydir, I know how you care for him. I understand those feelings can’t just go away overnight,”

“He’s my best friend,” I muttered.

Her face softened, and she reached a hand out toward me. Hesitantly, I took it. I still wasn’t sure if this was an emotional trap. “Sweetheart, please join us for dinner. It would mean a lot to your father and me to spend this time with you before your Fate Ceremony.”

There it was: the catch. This was all about the Fate Ceremony. It wasn’t about—never was about—spending quality time together as a family because they wanted to. It was only because they had to before I signed my life away to be with someone whose name I picked out of a hat.

“Arwyn?”

“Fine.” I wretched my hand out of her grasp. “I’ll see you downstairs.”

A crease appeared between her eyebrows as she addressed me with a nod before leaving my room and closing the door.

Locking it firmly behind me, I walked over to my wardrobe and pulled out a long-sleeved, simple blue slim-fitting dress from my wardrobe, holding it up in the floor-length mirror. Simple yet elegant.

Looking in the mirror, I glanced at my appearance: the way my hair fell in ringlets after tumbling out of its braid; how the necklace from Raydir caught the fading evening light. It was more elegant than I ever expected, and by wearing it, I hoped…well, I don’t really know what I felt would be accomplished by flaunting the present in my parents’ faces.

With one last deep breath, it was time to face the music.

Except…what did I have to lose? Checking to make sure the door to my room was still locked, I made my way over to the window to make an escape.

I hailed a carriage and instructed the driver to bring me into town. The day was still young; I had always found the Flower Gardens a wonderful place to clear my head. And with my Fate Ceremony mere days away, a million possibilities and questions weighed down my shoulders.

“Here we are, Lady Arwyn.” The carriage came to a stop.

“Thank you, sir. I will be back within the hour.” I hurried away to the town square which was bustling with people—not unusual for this time of day.

As I walked in the direction of the Flower Gardens, my gaze traveled over the other villagers. Unfortunately, it strayed too far from the sights in front of me that I barely had time to react when someone called out, “Watch out!”

I shrieked as my body collided with someone else, and we tumbled to the ground.

“My sincere apologies,” a male voice said.

I pushed him off of me, brushing off my skirts as he helped me to my feet. “It’s…not your fault. I should’ve been looking where I was going.” Looking up into his steel blue eyes, my cheeks heated in a warm flush.

The stranger smirked. “I will say I do enjoy people-watching myself. Although, it seems it can be quite a dangerous pastime. He brushed off his blazer.

“I wasn’t people-watching,” I protested, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Then where are you headed?”

I hesitated, unsure if I should tell a stranger where I was going. Although, something about him was quite familiar. “The Flower Gardens. And you?”

“Coincidentally, the same.” He held out his arm. “Shall we?”

“Fine.” I let him lead me toward the gardens. It wasn’t a very far walk, but I was grateful for the exercise. As we approached, the sweet smell of honeysuckle and fruitiness wafted to my nose, instantly making me calmer. The gardens had always been a safe haven for me, and today would be no different despite my newfound company.

“So tell me, what is a young maiden such as yourself doing out here alone today?”

“Arwyn Kingston,” I offered. “Lady Arwyn Kingston. And do I really owe an explanation to you…I didn’t actually catch your name either.”

He smiled. “Darius. Just Darius.”

I raised my eyebrows. “No last name?”

“None of relevance to speak of.”

“Hmm. So, Darius, you think you have me all figured out?”

Darius shoved his hands in his pockets as we sat down on one of the wooden benches of the Flower Gardens. “I tend to be able to…read people…quite well.”

“Oh? Well, tell me my story then, hm?”

Darius leaned back, nodding to another passer-by before saying anything else. “You, Lady Arwyn, are anxiously awaiting your Fate Ceremony where you will choose a man you don’t love—cannot love—because your heart belongs to someone else and has belonged to him for quite some time. Your love cannot be with you because he is promised to another woman. However, their relationship is purely for show because she, too, is in love with another man. Yet despite it all, you are afraid of choosing the one you want because of what is to be if you do. Your heart is competing with your mind over your reality.”

I cleared my throat, trying not to let my shock show through. “You forgot one thing.”

“Oh, yes. You and the girl your love is promised to just happens to be a close friend. Did I get it all now?”

I did not dignify that with a response, but Darius grunted with satisfaction at my silence. As the sky started to turn orange, I knew I had to get back. Darius, like the gentleman he was proving to be, walked me to the carriage to make sure I arrived safely.

“Will I see you again?” he asked.

The question surprised me, my heart fluttering at the idea that he wanted to see me again. A wave of guilt washed over me—what was it about this guy that made me feel so…vulnerable? Nevertheless, I leaned forward. “You read people, right? So you tell me.”

He gave me a smirk as the carriage started to pull away. We arrived back at the palace as the sun started to go down—meaning we were just in time for the dinner I was trying desperately to avoid.

“...our daughter. You know how—Ah, Arwyn. Glad you could join us.” My father’s booming voice shifted as he noticed me lurking in the shadows. He held out a hand toward me, and I slowly made my way over to him and my mother and…Lord Alexander? What was he doing here?

“Good evening, Lady Arwyn,” he greeted me.

“Lord Alexander, how nice to see you,” I replied, trying to hide the shock in my voice as my eyes scanned the room for Raydir. If his father was here, then surely he wasn’t far behind.

“Arwyn, darling, come join me in the dining room. Let’s leave these two to discuss…things.” The emotion on my mother’s face told me this wasn’t a suggestion.

Reluctantly, I followed her into the adjoining room where a flurry of waiters prepared our plates. Despite this dinner party only consisting of the four of us, my mother had certainly gone all out with the fancy silverware and the golden tablecloth she only brought out on special occasions.

“Ok, Mother. I’ll bite.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “What is this dinner about? Really?”

“Let’s just try to act civil with each other tonight,” she replied, completely ignoring my question, which of course made me even more suspicious.

“Mother, please. At least tell me why Lord Alexander is here.”

My mother sighed. “He is here for business and actually was just leaving. Your father should be joining us shortly.”

I sat down in my usual spot at the table, twirling a fork between my fingers. So he wouldn’t be joining us for dinner. That meant Raydir wasn’t with him, and it must mean that he didn’t know about our relationship. Or if he did, he was taking it a lot better than my mother.

“So if Lord Alexander is here, does that mean he and Father are on speaking terms again? I’m surprised you would even let him into the palace.”

“Darling, I would appreciate it if you kept your voice down and the bitterness to a minimum.” Her voice hinted at disapproval and exhaustion.

“I’m not bitter,” I lied. “It was merely a question of curiosity since you and Father have made a huge deal these last few years about your disapproval and disagreements with Alvenora.

My mother pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers, drawing in a sharp breath. “Arwyn, please.”

“Shall we eat?”

I grinned at the sound of my father’s voice as he entered the dining room and my mother muttered something under her breath to the effect of “perfect timing.”

“Hello, Father. Care to explain why you and Mother have brought me here? She said you have things to discuss to me.” Raising my eyebrows in his direction, I tried to catch the meaning behind the glance he shared with my mother.

My father laughed. “You have always been so direct, my dear.” He sat down, laying the folded cloth napkin in his lap as our palace servers placed our starting appetizer in front of us. Tonight, it was tomato soup in bread bowls.

“So, Father, what did you want to talk about?” I asked, staring daggers at my mother who refused to meet my gaze.

“Ah yes. The reason we called you to dinner.” My father clinked his spoon lightly against the side of his bowl. “Your twenty-fifth birthday is fast approaching, and we wanted to give you a gift. It is something that has been in our family for generations, and we want to pass it on to you for when you start a family with your chosen after the ceremony.”

I swallowed, the soup turning to paste in my mouth. “A gift? That’s what this is about?” I hated how ungrateful I sounded, but I couldn’t help but let the disappointment show.

“Arwyn, you have grown into a beautiful young woman. And we want to honor that and our legacy by giving you this gift,” my father continued. He signaled to someone across the room who promptly brought over a box wrapped in foil paper, handing it to me.

I looked up at my parents, hesitant.

“Open it, darling.”

Shrugging, I tore at the paper and opened the box, revealing an intricately-designed thin, silver tiara with a ruby gem at the center. “A tiara?”

“It was mine when I turned twenty-five, gifted to me by your grandmother,” my mother told me.

“Let me guess. It was supposed to go to Bella?” I asked.

My father cleared his throat. “Your sister received a different gift. Ruby earrings. We have always wanted you to receive the tiara.” He glanced at my mother. “Now, we understand how difficult this time is for you, especially given the circumstances with Lord Raydir.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up a hand. “I know what your mother relayed to me. Given the…tensions…with Lord Alexander, we believe it is best that you no longer have any contact with Lord Raydir for the sake of your ceremony.”

The waiters returned to serve our main course, roast beef, but I was too focused on what I’d just been told to enjoy any of it. I figured there was only one way to handle this.

“No contact?” My gaze dropped to my water glass, watching the condensation on the outside drip precariously onto the cream tablecloth.

“Darling, we know you love him. All we want is to protect you, truly. After everything that happened with Arabella—”

“You can’t possibly still be blaming Lord Alexander for the carriage accident!”

“We don’t blame him, per say,” my father tried to reason. “But Alvenora is responsible for your sister’s death. It was their carriage, after all. And Earl Bennett—”

“You hated that she was in love with someone of lower status.” My voice now came out as a growl. “Just as you hate that I am in love with the son of your enemy.”

“Arwyn, please know that Lord Alexander and I are not enemies. There is much we disagree on, and it was his carelessness as a leader that led to the poor mechanics on the carriage that your sister was in.”

“Then blame the engineers! And leave Ray out of it. He’s done nothing wrong except be from Alvenora.” My words were fire, spewing out of control. “This isn’t Romeo and Juliet, and I will always choose him over family.”

Silence fell over the room as I realized I had gone too far.

“I—I’m sorry.”

My mother was practically in tears at this time, but somehow my father remained calm during my outburst.

“Surely you don’t believe we are doing this to harm you?” Her body visibly shook, voice barely above a whisper.

“No, I don’t believe you are trying to hurt me. But you must understand that Raydir means the world to me. And your disapproval over a man who you’ve loved as a son since I was a child…well, it makes it all quite confusing.”

“It is in your best interest to listen to us,” my Father said. “We know this is difficult to absorb, but it really is for the best.” There was a look of desperation in his eyes, pleading with me to drop the conversation.

“Fine.” I picked up my knife and fork, casually slicing the meat into pieces. “Is there anything else?”

“We must go into town tomorrow for your ceremony dress,” my mother offered, her voice steady once again. “And I have arranged for you to have tea here at the palace in preparation for you starting a new life with your Chosen. There are quite a few others who are about to go through the ceremony, and you might as well set an example for them, yes?”

At least I will get some interactions with my friends before I leave.

“Sounds fine. Can you have Ginny make those peanut butter biscuits for tea?”

She nodded. “Of course.”

“I know this is not how you wanted to spend these last few nights before your ceremony, my dear. And I know it must be hard for you to accept our plea since you and Lord Raydir have always had such a close bond,” my father said. “We are so proud of the young woman you have become, wise in making her own decisions.”

I nodded, lifting my head slightly and sending a slight smile in his direction. “It’s understandable, Father.” My heart lurched as the next words left my mouth. “Mother, I know you have always disapproved of my choices. You wanted your daughters to grow up and become powerful, each marrying a man from our ceremonies who would bring us into a life of true royalty, rather than just staying in the background of politics. But as it is my life and I am, as you say, a young woman, I am free to make my own choices. Just like Bella.”

My parents shared an all-too-familiar look. The same one they shared when my sister uttered those exact words two nights before her 25th birthday.

I raised my glass of red wine in a toast. “Ad haec cor tuum.” To following your heart.