Chapter 23 – Never Too Late (1)

“How does this dress look?”

Alexcent glanced up lazily and said, “Hmm… It’s not bad.”

“It’s no good, then. I’ll have to try on the next one.”

“How many are you going to try on? All of them have been fine!”

“All you’ve said is ‘fine and ‘not bad’!” said Amethyst. “That means there’s nothing special about them.”

“It’s not the dresses that are the problem-”

Amethyst cut Alexcent off, shouting to the madam. “Next! I’ll try on the next one!”

This was Alexcent’s own personal version of hell. He’d never realized what a tedious business it was, picking out clothing. Every dress was practically the same! The cut, colour, and trimmings all blurred into one. He couldn’t understand why she wanted him to choose or what he was supposed to say. ‘I’ll just say the next one is pretty, no matter what it looks like.’ Then he could escape all this…frippery.

That seemed like the perfect idea until Amethyst emerged wearing what was exactly the 27th dress he’d seen that day. He prepared himself to compliment her, tell her it was pretty, but something different came blurting out.

“It’s…beautiful,” he said reverently.

He gave an awkward cough, surprised at his own effusive praise. Amethyst practically glowed with pleasure at the compliment.

“Isn’t it? This one is my favorite too. I knew you’d like it.”

The madam, who had been listening to every word between the two, launched into a description of the gown’s virtues.

“As expected, the young lady has exceptional taste! This is the newest dress. It arrived less than an hour ago while the young lady was going through the collection. Remember I ordered them to bring one more quickly since His Highness is here, hm? Look at these stars! See how they shine? They were embroidered and enchanted into the fabric with the assistance of magicians. The best artisans in the empire created it bead by bead. This isn’t just a dress, it’s a masterpiece!”

“Well, when you put it like that,” said Amethyst. “We’ll take it!”

“As you please. If you could set a date for the alterations, I will wait on you at the duke’s mansion.”

Alexcent had all but stopped listening to the conversation, relieved he was free from the endless parade of gowns. He wore a pleased expression as he got up off his seat and prepared to leave. Amethyst grinned at him, gliding over to him and hugging his arm gently to her chest.

“Now it’s time to go and look at shoes.”

“What!?”

Amethyst’s laughter echoed off the walls of the luxurious boutique

*

“Did you have a good trip, sir?” asked Pon, the butler.

The duke was sprawled across the sofa with his eyes closed. “It was hell,” he groaned. “Choosing the damned dress alone took eight hours! Then after that… Why on Earth am I…”

Pon listened to the duke’s tirade in patient, polite silence.

“This is why I hate my marriage.”

“Pardon the interruption, My Lord, but the wedding rings haven’t been forged yet.”

“What?” Alexcent lifted his head, then let it drop back to the sofa. “Ugh. Damn it. Summon the Jewel Master tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir.” The butler paused, then added, “It is good to see you enjoying yourself.”

“I’m not,” the duke replied curtly.

Then he stopped, actually thinking about that for a moment. Perhaps he was enjoying himself. If he really examined his behaviour lately, he was laughing out loud more. He didn’t dislike Amethyst entirely. She was capricious, sulking one moment, shouting the next, then smiling again. At least it wasn’t boring. In fact, he rather enjoyed her company.

She was fun to tease, and refreshingly open. She never hid her feelings, always honest and open with her thoughts and opinions.

*

Amethyst had decided to hold the wedding in the garden of the duke’s mansion. She was deep in conversation with the gardener, discussing the decorations she wanted on the day. Alexcent’s garden was scrupulously manicured, with vast lawns and tall, straight trees that stood in neat rows against the sky. It would be perfect for an outdoor wedding.

“I want to be surrounded by blooming wisteria flowers. Like a large flower tunnel with a waterfall of wisteria each side, and with a white lace cloth for the bride and groom to walk along. Like this,” she said, spreading her arms to demonstrate. “Is it possible for wisteria to bloom now?”

The gardener had a rough idea of her intentions. He nodded. “As long as we have the help of a magician, it shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll speak to our magician and make the preparations.” He looked thoughtful. “Normally wisteria is purple, but since it’s a wedding, I suppose cream would be more fitting?”

“Oh my, is that possible?” Amethyst said in delight. “I love that!”

She smiled in satisfaction. The visual reminded her of a scene from teen movie she’d seen once. She was about to begin picking flowers for the centerpieces when Alexcent approached her.

“Are you busy? Can you spare a minute?” he asked.