The Spare: Prince Osten's Selection

Chapter 12

After a long day in the Women's Room and another formal dinner, I trudged back to my room. I had not been able to shake my encounter with Osten in the library all day, and it was the strangest feeling. I had never had a boy, or anyone for that matter, get so under my skin. He was infuriating and annoying and arrogant and full of himself and so many things that made me want to scream whenever I was in his presence. 

But somehow, there was something about him that drew me in, something I couldn't quite put my finger on, but it felt like I finally had met someone who understood me. Even though we could not come from more different backgrounds, we both wanted more. It was so strange to me that someone who seemed to have everything could have the same desire for something different in their life like I did in my own.

I shook my head as I reached the door. I couldn't think this way. I was here for my family and for the money to get to university. That was it. I was not here to let some boy, especially Prince Osten Schreave of Illéa, preoccupy my mind, and he seemed to annoyingly pop into my mind as the days went on.

When I reached my room, my maids were whispering and giggling with excitement as I opened the door.

"Annabelle, Lea? What is going on?" I asked as I shut the door behind me.

As soon as they heard my voice, both of my maids immediately turned and fell into curtsies.

"Good evening, my Lady," Annabelle said, rising from her curtsy. 

"Please, please don't do that. None of this curtsying or bowing stuff," I said as I watched Annabelle quickly pull Lea from her lowered position.

"But we must," Lea said. "It is part of the etiquette for the respect we are supposed to show to you as a potential bride of Prince Osten."

At the phrase "potential bride of Prince Osten," I let out a very unladylike choking cough sound that probably would do the job of preventing either of them from curtsying to me as a lady or future princess ever again.

"Oh, I don't think that is going to happen," I said, letting out an awkward laughing noise to try to get rid of the cough. "But how about this, when it is just the three of us, you don't have to curtsy to me, okay?"

"I don't think so, my Lady," Annabelle said with a giggle.

"What?" I asked, confused. "It really is totally fine, I won't tell anyone, and if it causes any problems, I will take full responsibility..."

"No, I mean the part about you not being the potential bride of Prince Osten," she said excitedly. "Not based on the package the prince sent for you."

"A package?" I asked.

"We were going to tell you when you arrived," Lea said quickly, giving Annabelle a warning. "His Royal Highness sent you a gift."

I could literally feel my eyes bug out, and I was certain I looked like a deer in headlights. Why would Osten be sending me a package? It probably was some sort of joke or prank or him trying to irritate me. He truly was the most aggravating human I had ever met.

"Can you show me?" I asked Annabelle and Lea, wanting to get opening it over with as soon as possible.

My maids both moved aside to reveal my sitting table. There is a small package wrapped in shiny gold paper, and on top of the package, there is an envelope. I walk over to the package and pick up the envelope. "Lady Zara Collins" is written across it in an elegant hand, Osten's hand.

I opened the envelope and found a small note tucked inside. It read:

Collins,

After our convenient run-in in the library today and what you said about your love for the Brontës and particularly of Jane Eyre, I wanted you to have this. Knowing you as I have come to, you are probably going to try to tell me it is too much or too extravagant, but I am afraid this gift is final sale. Besides Collins, I am sure your parents taught you to never look a gift horse in the mouth. However, I am sure too that you are one of the few people who will know the value of this gift, and to me, the value and joy I know you will find in it gives me a far greater gift than what I am giving you.

I will not go on about what a generous man I am, but if you would like to thank me in person, I will be out in the gardens after about 7:30 tonight. Even if you still want to come yell at me for this gift instead of thanking me, you should know I would love to see you.

You also should know our convenient run-in in the library today was not an accident.

Osten

I read the note over once again, my eyes bugging out even more than they had been earlier. Forgetting Annabelle and Lea are still with me, I quickly put the note back in the envelope and picked up the package. What could Osten possibly have given me that he had to write such a note?

I picked up the package and gingerly pulled back the heavy paper wrapping. When I opened it, I gasped aloud and nearly dropped the contents of the package. If it was what I thought it was, well, I couldn't even describe the feeling.

Inside the package was a boxed set of original three published volumes of Jane Eyre. I picked up one of the books and flipped carefully through the pages to find the year of publication. When I found it, my breath caught. 

1847.

The year the book was first published.

I carefully placed the set and the wrapping paper back on the table and turned to Annabelle and Lea, finally remebering that they were still there.

"Wha-what time is it?" I asked, my eyes locked in on the priceless set of books before me. 

"It is about 7:45," Lea said, her brown eyes narrowed in concern. "My Lady, are you alright?"

"I'll um be back soon," I said, jogging out of the room and leaving them behind me.

I ran through the hallways of the palace, not caring if anyone saw or if I was going to get a lecture from Judith.

I finally reached the backdoors of the palace that led out to the garden. I flung them open and ran out in the dark night, looking for the one person I had to see at that moment.

I ran among hedges and beautifully manicured gardens until I finally spotted his coppery red hair. His back was to me, but he must have heard me approaching because he turned as soon I was in hearing distance of him.

I stood there staring at him as his blue eyes bore into me. I couldn't read his expression. It was serious and concentrated. I waited for him to speak, to say something, anything, but he just continued to stare at me. It felt again like the moment when he had touched my hair in the library earlier that day. My entire body felt tight, and my legs felt like they were going to give out below me.

 Finally, I broke the silence.

"Osten," I said, forgetting my distaste for using his first name. "The book, it is a first ediition, how did you ever find one? I can't believe it. Normally I would do exactly what you said in your note, but it-it is the most generous and thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me, I don't know how to ever repay..."

Osten suddenly cut off my rambles as he closed the space between us. 

"All I want," he said, slowly reaching out his hand to touch my cheek. "All I have wanted from the day I first met you, is the chance to try to get you to feel for me how I feel about you, and the chance to show you how I feel."

Then, he presses his lips to mine.