Seven | h.s

ix

The Hall broke into applause. Felipe stood to his feet, creating a ripple effect amongst the seated courtiers, but he raised his hands in objection. "Be seated, friends," he said. "Thank you for the performance, ladies and gentleman. If you would please step forward, Magdalena."

Magdalena obeyed her brother's command, taking a step out of the line that the players had formed in front of the King's table. She clenched her jaw and averted her eyes to the ground, unable to bring herself to look at who she assumed was the Duke.

Felipe cleared his throat to gain the attention of the Duke, who was chewing on a leg of turkey. The Duke raised his brows, uttered an "oh," and wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve. "Your Grace, my sister, Princess Magdalena Alejandra of Spain."

She could hear his heavy footsteps as he walked around the table, and when he stopped in front of her, she could see his protruding stomach, which blocked the view of his feet. She gulped before slowly raising her eyes to his face, and had to hide her grimace when she spotted the crumbs in his course beard. She curtsied and hoped that he wouldn't ask for her hand, but when he extended his own, she could not refuse. Hesitantly, she placed her hand in his greasy palm and allowed him to kiss her knuckles with his wet lips, leaving residue on her skin from his saliva and grease from the turkey.

"It is an honor to make your acquaintance, your Royal Highness," he said.

Magdalena slipped her hand out of his grasp and clasped her hands together at her stomach. "And you, your Grace," she responded demurely.

"Will you remove your mask so that I may look upon your face?"

Magdalena held the mask with one hand and brought the other behind her head to pull the ribbon, untying it so that she could remove it. She held onto it behind her back, grasping it with a deadly grip.

"There, much better. You have an angelic complexion, Princess."

"I thank you, your Grace," she replied.

"Will you join me?" he asked, gesturing to the table.

Magdalena swallowed hard, glancing up at her brother, who was glaring at her, waiting for her to make the right decision. She returned her gaze to the Duke and forced a small smile. "I would be delighted."

———

"Harry?" Magdalena whispered into the night sky. She held up her lantern as she peered around the entrance of the gardens, only to find it empty. She sighed, pulling her cloak tighter around her shivering body. She knew not how long her absence would go unnoticed by her ladies, and she grew worried that he would not come in time. Suddenly, the sound of snow crunching under the soles of shoes sounded in the distance. Her head jerked up, eyes narrowing as she held out her lantern. "Who's there?" There was no answer. "Harry?"

"Magdalena."

The Princess's body relaxed. "Beth," she breathed. "What are you doing here? You must go."

Beth stepped into the light of the lantern and shook her head. "It isn't safe out here, Magdalena."

"What? I'm fine. Listen, you must go. I'll not be long, but he will be here soon."

"No, listen to me," she said, her voice a low whisper. "Something terrible has happened. You shouldn't be alone."

"What are you talking about?"

Beth glanced around and leaned closer to Magdalena. "It's Victoria. She—"

"Elena?"

Beth whipped around, body frozen when she saw him. His features were clouded by darkness, but she could that he was handsome. It was no wonder the Princess had fallen for him. She turned back around to face Magdalena.