Cinderella and the Colonel (27 page)

“I want to marry you not because you
have the strength of will to save my desperate country, but because you have stolen my heart for some months now, and I want to spend every second I can in your presence. If you choose to marry me, I will treasure your love and loyalty more than the Crown jewels, and I will do my best to make you happy and to make you smile and laugh for the rest of your life. I am from Erlauf, not Trieux, and most of my worth is based on my military position rather than my royal title. It’s not what you deserve, but I ask that you would consider it, consider me. Cinderella, will you marry me?”

Friedrich’s eye shone with love
, and perhaps a little fear. He was a man nearly impossible to read. The display of trust twisted Cinderella’s heart.

Cinderella smiled through the tears in her eyes. “Cristoph Friedrich
, before I answer, there are some things that must be stated,” she said, smiling. “Yesterday I officially refused Julien’s suit because I realized I was in love with another man—you—and I didn’t want to marry anyone else. Also, your country ceased to bother me months ago as you have taught me to look past heritage and study a person’s heart. As for your profession, I would be
proud
to call a soldier—a calling of bravery and courage that I am ashamed to say I previously did not value—my husband. Finally, I will gladly make personal sacrifices if it means I can marry you.”

“So
, your answer…?” Friedrich asked.

“Yes!” Cinderella laughed before throw
ing her arms around him.

Friedrich released the deep breath he’d been hold
ing. “I am so glad,” he said. “I didn’t even have to use my bribe.”

Cinderella laughed.

“Mother and Johann cannot wait to meet you. I think you will get on with mother—I hope you hate Johann. He’s a brat,” Friedrich savagely said, running his fingers through Cinderella’s hair.

“And
your Father?”

“Y
ou already met him. You must have impressed him considerably. He said if I bungled this, he was going to demote me.”

“When did I meet your Father?” Cinderella frowned
, pulling back from the hug.

“Dur
ing the ball. He was the third man to dance with you. The middle-aged military chap,” Friedrich said.

Cinderella’s eyes widened.

“How rude of me. I almost forgot,” Friedrich said before presenting Cinderella with the basket.

Inside the basket sat a glass slipper
, and nestled in the shoe’s toe, a sparkling ring. “I made the basket myself,” Friedrich added, removing the ring from the shoe before sliding it over Cinderella’s finger.

On closer inspection
, Cinderella gulped. The ring was a large ruby with the Erlauf insignia etched into the surface. It seemed very likely that it was a Crown Jewel.

When Cinderella looked up
, Friedrich wore the same smug, smarmy smile he occasionally wore when he first started visiting her stand.

“You
have been planning this for a long time, haven’t you?” she asked.

“You
have no idea,” Friedrich said with his roguish grin. “About half of the concerns your market friends had for you were quite valid.”

“Come now
, you are more honorable than they said you were.”

“On
ly just so,” Friedrich said, sliding his hand down Cinderella’s ankle before he slipped the glass slipper on her foot. “But it doesn’t matter. I have found my queen. Although… it does raise an important question.”

“Yes?
”

“
We have both admitted we love each other.”

“Yes?”

“And we’re
engaged
.”

“Yes?”

“May I
finally
kiss you?” Friedrich said in a tone of long suffering.

Cinderella laughed so hard Friedrich final
ly stood up rather than remain crouching on the ground.

“Are you done?”
he asked.

“Yes.”

“Then why are you still laughing?”

“No
,
yes
!”

F
riedrich blinked before he grasped what she meant. With a swoop he picked up Cinderella and set her on her feet. He slid one hand up her jawline and the other around her waist, pulling her close before he leaned over and kissed her.

Kiss
ing Friedrich was like getting caught in a summer storm. It was beautiful and perhaps a little terrifying and overwhelming. She didn’t think she could have felt more shocked and alive if the skies opened up and dumped buckets of torrential rains on her. Cinderella felt treasured in Friedrich’s arms, pulled so tight against his chest she could feel the beat of his heart. The hair on the back of her neck prickled—as it did whenever a lightning strike was within a mile from Aveyron—and, oddly enough, she felt peace.

“Definite
ly worth the wait,” Cinderella pronounced, a little breathlessly, when they were finished.

“Yes
,” Friedrich said, sliding an arm across Cinderella’s back. “Steel yourself; the audience will demand to know how it went.”

“How on earth did you get your soldiers to help so much with this whole th
ing, anyway?”

“Truthfully it was more difficult persuading them to leave
you alone. My men know who I am. Naturally they were curious about you. You won them over without any help on my end—which is a good thing. It would not bode well if the Army didn’t accept you.”

“How can they accept me if they do not even know me?
I have only met soldiers from your regiment.”

“Word travels fast in the Army, and no one keeps any news to themselves,” Friedrich said as he guided Cinderella out of the gardens and straight into a scene from a tavern.

The soldiers
had uncovered the cargo of a second wagon—which was composed entirely of beer and mead.

“Kurt! You’re on duty!” Friedrich shouted over the happy cheers when the soldiers caught sight of Friedrich and Cinderella.

“That’s the thing, sir,” Gustav, who was standing with Kurt and a freshly poured pint. “
None
of us are. We’re all here off duty—we wanted to see how this would turn out.”

Friedrich blinked. “Kurt! You said General Harbach sent you—
,”

“We lied
,” Kurt said.

“Cheers,” Tobias, the soldier who shot the dark mage, said as he raised a tankard in the air.

Friedrich groaned. “This is some way to convince you of my administrative capabilities,” he said.

“Friedrich?”

“What?”

Cinderella giggled and leaned in. “I love you
,” she said before kissing him soundly.

The soldiers roared even loud
er, hooting at their commanding officer and his lady love.

“What is this?” Cinderella asked, staring at the beautiful, elaborate dress hanging in her armoire. Cinderella felt a moment of panic. “Jeanne, I didn’t order any dresses
to be made!” She might be engaged to a prince of Erlauf, but that did nothing to change her monetary state until they were married. She couldn’t afford such a lavish clothing item.

“It is
from Colonel Friedrich, Mademoiselle,” Jeanne said, securing the drapes in Cinderella’s bedroom.

Cinderella frowned and caressed the fabric, grimacing when the tough skin of her fingers scraped the soft fabric.
“What for?”

“I would assume it is for your presentation to Queen Freja this evening,” Jeanne said.

“…What?”

“The presentation?”

“No, not that. It’s…nothing,” Cinderella said, looking at the dress.

“He sent a matching jewelry set as well,” Jeanne said, indicating to a velvet box that rested on Cinderella’s bed.

Cinderella looked from the box to the dress. She caught sight of herself in the cracked mirror positioned across the room—one of the few mirrors retained in Aveyron because the fissure reduced its worth to copper pennies.

Cinderella’s reflection stared back at her. She wore Friedrich’s dragon necklace openly, sitting on the drab cloth of her servant clothes.

“Do you think he is ashamed of me?” Cinderella asked.

“It
is not my place to say, Mademoiselle.”

“Jeanne, please.”

Jeanne pursed her lips. “I would find it hard to believe so, Mademoiselle. Particularly when one considers how he carries on.”

Cinderella nodded. “Thank you. Perhaps he means to protect me from his mother.”

Jeanne’s silence was heavy with dislike, and Cinderella cocked her head as she studied the dress.

“No,” Cinderella said, closing the door to her armoire.

“No, Mademoiselle?”

“No, I will not wear the dress. Queen Freja had best know who she’s letting into the family. I don’t care if I’m as out of place as a black sheep. I go in
this
,” Cinderella savagely said, jabbing a finger at her fractured reflection.

“As you wish,
Mademoiselle,” Jeanne said. Her words were placid, but Cinderella thought she detected just a hint of pride in them.

Cinderella arrived at the palace
, late, in a carriage Friedrich sent to pick her up. The footman nor the driver gave her choice of clothing so much a second glance, but the closer they drew to the Palace, the more aware Cinderella was of the declaration her plain clothes made.

She was about to meet Queen Freja, Friedrich’s
mother
and the ruler of the country
. I don’t want to antagonize her…but I will not be made into a pretty Trieux doll that stands at Friedrich’s side. She was wrong to tax Aveyron, to tax Trieux so much. I will not pretend otherwise
, Cinderella thought before she popped out of the carriage.

A butler escorted Cinderella through the palace. Cinderella’s heart pounded in her throat when the butler stopped in front of a set of doors and threw them open.

“Duchess Lacreux,” he announced, stepping aside and bowing.

The room—a parlor—was
filled with low-pitched murmurings. The whispers fell silent when Cinderella stepped forward, entering the light of the fire.

Queen Freja
stood, her face cold and unmoving as granite. Prince Johann was with her, covering his mouth with his jacket sleeve to hide his grin and muffle his laugh. The consort—Commander Lehn—froze in the middle of standing up.

Only Friedrich reacted as if nothing was wrong. “Cinderella, I’m glad you are finally here. I was almost ready to dispatch
a squad to track you down,” he said, strolling up to her side.

“I was detained,” Cinderella said.

“What, was a cow about to calf?” Prince Johann asked.

“Johann,” Queen Freja
said, her voice sharp.

Cinderella gave the
younger prince her most brilliant smile. “I would be the last person my servants would call upon for such a situation, for I am rather ignorant in that area,” she said, taking Friedrich’s arm. “It seems, though, you have some knowledge of the act?”