It was all more than Evangeline could have dreamed of or wished for. The last few days had been a whirlwind of wonderful. Her royal suite was covered in colorful gowns and flowers and gifts. Even Empress Scarlett had sent her something, though how the small package had been delivered so quickly, Evangeline had no clue.
Evangeline should have felt flutters. She should have felt excited and romanced and loved. Apollo was generous and attentive and terribly kind to her. And she definitely felt something whenever she thought about him, but it was sadly not butterflies. It was closer to the unsettled feeling sheâd had after making a deal with Jacks, or the wrongness sheâd felt when sheâd learned that Luc had proposed to Marisol.
Something was not as it should have been.
Evangeline sat on the wide hearth in front of her fire, set down the little red box that Empress Scarlett had sent, and then picked up that morningâs gossip sheet.
The Daily Rumor
THREE DAYS LEFT!
By Kristof Knightlinger
Evangeline Fox and Prince Apollo Acadian have been engaged less than one week, and already people are writing songs about them and saying that theirs is the greatest love story the Magnificent North has ever seen. The rumors floating around are extravagantâespecially for a prince who once said he wouldnât choose a bride at allâand Iâm thrilled to report that I was able to acquire a rare interview with the crown prince to find out which tales about him are true.
Prince Apollo wouldnât tell me if Prince Tiberius will be at the wedding, but our interview did confirm the rumors that the crown prince has been completely bewitched by his bride-to-be. Iâve never seen anyone as in love as Prince Apollo.
If only Evangeline could believe that Apollo was truly in love. But sadly, she feared that Kristof was right when he called her betrothed bewitched.
Evangeline believed in love at first sight, she believed in love like her parentsâ, love like a story. It was the love sheâd come to the North hoping to find. But Apolloâs actions and feelings were so extreme, they didnât feel like love. They felt more like an obsessionâhungry and outrageous, and if she were being entirely honest, a little unsettling. Like the work of a spell or a curseâor a Fate.
Like Jacks.
When Apollo had proposed, Evangeline had been so quick to think that Jacks wouldnât want this marriage. But now she couldnât help but wonder: Was Jacks the reason for this engagement? What if the blood Jacks had painted on her lips had infused her kiss with magic that made Apollo fall in love with her?
She didnât want to think it. She didnât want to think about Jacks at all. But if Jacks had done something to Apollo, it would explain Apolloâs over-the-top behavior.
Why, though?
Evangeline couldnât figure out any reason why Jacks would want her and Apollo to wed, which gave her hope that her theory was wrong and that Apollo really was experiencing a dramatic love at first sight.
She wanted so badly to believe that they were going to have a fairytale love story. She wanted it all to be real. She didnât want to go back to Agnesâs house or return to Valenda, where the best part of her day was when a bell rang outside of a bookstore door.
And then there was Marisol. Her stepsister might have started here on rocky footing, but Apollo had made it so the papers wouldnât say another bad word about her, and if Evangeline married Apollo, sheâd be able to do even more for Marisol.
But if Apollo was under a spell from Jacks, none of that mattered, and none of this was real.
Evangeline slowly rolled up the gossip sheet, knowing what she had to do, but dreading it all the same.
She didnât want to see Jacks again. But if he had done this to Apollo, then she needed to convince him to undo it.
Evangeline doubted that the Prince of Hearts would lift a curse from Apollo out of the goodness of his heart, since all the stories said Jacksâs heart didnât even beat. But Evangeline didnât need to rely on Jacksâs goodness. If Jacks wanted her to marry the prince, that gave her leverage, and she planned to use it to get Jacks to fix Prince Apollo, and then to find out exactly what Jacks wanted.
Dear Jacks,
I was hoping you and I might have a chance to speak about an important matter that requires your immediate assistance. If you are not otherwise engaged, I would be very happy to run into you while I take my morning walk in the wood just outside Wolf Hall tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Evangeline Fox