unfair of me to cling to old, unrequited feelings.”

She felt a hand touch her shoulder, and she turned her head slightly to see Lily standing beside her.

“We're sorry, Your Highness, the girls only meant to tease you. We had no idea you were already betrothed.”   She looked toward the building the men had entered, then back at Josselyn again. “Although, I do wonder about the unrequited feelings. I've been watching you two these last few days, and I have to say, the way he looks at you when he thinks no one else is looking? I've never seen such intensity before.” She lifted her lips in an playful grin as she added, a bit louder this time, “Not even in David's eyes when he's with Dahlia.”

Josselyn shook her head, despite the sudden pounding of her traitorous heart. “That's sweet of you to say, Lily, but he told me quite clearly that he only saw me as the future queen and nothing more.”

Lily raised a skeptical brow. “Did he really?”

“Yes, really.”

Josselyn threw her hands up in the air. “What would you have me say? That shortly after he was appointed as my personal guard, I summoned every ounce of courage I had in my sixteen-year-old heart and confessed to him how I felt? That I was falling in love with him?” She covered her face with her hands, the old embarrassment stealing over her. “And he just looked at me, like... like I'd grown two heads or something.  As if the very idea of my being in love with him was absurd.  He told me I was confused, that I had mistaken admiration for love.” She dropped her hands into her lap, staring down at them as they gripped the dull, brown fabric of her dress. “Ever since then, he's been nothing but serious formality.  'Yes, Your Highness.' 'As you wish, Your Highness'.  If I'd known how much his attitude towards me would change, I'd never have uttered a word about how I felt. I didn't just lose my first love that day, I lost my friend.”

Three more hands reached out to touch her hair, her shoulder, her sleeve. Lily covered her hand with her own with her sisters standing behind them, as they all turned their gazes to the sea, giving the princess their silent support.

“Edmund will make a wonderful king,” Josselyn whispered, more to herself than anyone else. “And who knows, perhaps with time, I'll forget about Alex and fall in love with him instead.” She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the salty sea air that surrounded them and closing her eyes as she tilted her face toward the sun.

“Someday.”

Chapter Twenty-One

“We should have a ship ready to sail first thing tomorrow morning. I'll need to round up the crew tonight, most of them have gone into the city for the evening. Let Her Highness know we'll do all we can to see her safely to Devon.”

“Thank you.” Alex shook the harbor master's hand. “I know they just arrived, so I appreciate them making such a quick turnover. I'll feel much more at ease once the princess is ensconced in the duke's castle.”

“It's an honor to be of service to the royal family. I only wish we could have the ship prepared for you tonight. Do you have somewhere to stay? I can put you up here, if you need a place.” The older man gestured toward the stairs. “It's not much, but we've got a couple of rooms up there that the captains make use of on occasion.” He grimaced. “Though, I'm not sure they're fit for royalty...”

“I was planning to take them over to Jonathan's place with me and the girls,” Hiram assured him. “They have plenty of room.”

Alex dipped his head toward the harbor master as they prepared to leave.“We appreciate the offer. I'll bring the princess back here first thing tomorrow. Thanks again.”

The older man smiled and tipped his cap. “You keep that girl safe now, you here? I'm looking forward to meeting her in person.”

Hiram and Alex walked out into the sunshine, breathing matching sighs of relief as they spotted the girls clustered together, looking out at the water. Hiram called out that it was time to leave, and they reluctantly left their place by the wall. They were quiet as they filed past him to climb into the wagon bed, and Alex raised his eyebrows in surprise when he saw more than one of the sisters shooting him dirty looks. What was that about? He reached out to touch Josselyn's elbow before she passed, and she paused, looking up at him expectantly.

“Is everything all right, Your Highness?”

A loud harrumph sounded from inside the wagon, but Josselyn just smiled ruefully. “As fine as everything can be, all things considered. I think everyone's just a bit tired and grumpy from being cooped up in the wagon for so long. I know I am.”

Alex moved up to the front to sit with Hiram. They rode in easy silence back through the city, passing through the main square once again. Alex watched the people shopping in the plaza, his eyes alert for anything suspicious. A flicker of gold in the corner of his eye grabbed his attention, and he craned his neck to catch a glimpse of a man with golden hair walking in the opposite direction. Very familiar golden hair... could it be the man they'd met on the way there? One of the prince's scouts?  His hand moved to his sword, his fingers wrapping around the hilt. He kept his eyes trained on the man's retreating form, hoping he might turn so that he could see his face, but the crowds of people swallowed him up and soon the wagon was turning onto a side street, leaving the hustle and bustle of the plaza behind them.

“Jonathan's place is just down the road.” Hiram led the team down the road a bit further before pointing out a large, red brick building on the corner. “This one here.”

A young stable hand waited outside, and he hurried to take the reins from Hiram as they hopped

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