Under the Roses

Chapter 1

"So I take it I'm not getting in?"

"I thought your way there was working just fine for you?" Only the slight twitch of the corner of his mouth told me he wasn't completely serious. "However, I suppose I should let you in since you're a special guest, and all, Miss Adelaine."

The way he pronounced it "Add a line" threw me off a moment, causing a silence long enough for him to add, "But I would think that being punctual is a desirable trait for the future princess. Are you sure they'll consider you?"

Slightly flustered by the blunt assessment, I raised and dropped my shoulders. He didn't need to know that being chosen as the heir to the throne was far from my mind. He didn't stay to watch my reaction though— with a dry laugh, he walked a little further down and nimbly jumped up and off the base of a statue, landing squarely on top of the wall. Next thing I knew, he was looking down at me, a strange expression on his face and his hand extended to me.

"For the record, you should've told me straight off that you were here for the selection." He shook his head, the grin making him look a lot younger. "Well? Are you coming or not?" Not sure what to think of the conflicting statements he'd made less than a minute ago, I finally reached out and allowed myself to be pulled up by the knight.

"Thank you." He looked at me for a second, seemingly sizing me up, and flashed a lopsided smile.

"Don't mention it. Now don't get yourself into any trouble." Without looking back at me, he easily leapt off and walked away, his vibrant red cape fluttering behind him in a majestic air that I so lacked. Not a minute later, off in the near distance I heard another voice frantically asking "where in Wysteria had he been", to which he said, "Please, I'm late, not dead. Though I will be if you snitch to Giles."

Though I wondered if the Giles they were referring to was the palace chamberlain we'd all heard about, I'd noticed the way he'd had been addressed with respect. Captain Alyn. Huh.

Well that was strange. But there was no time to waste— people were bound to come out soon, and it was my goal to be long gone before that happened. Landing with less poise, I scurried away from the openness of the area near the wall, staying close to the outside edge of the grounds.

Finding the garden was easy enough, given that it was quite large and the abundant colors and scents were enough to tip anyone off. It was the actual task that proved to be extremely difficult. The fact that literally anyone could just look out a window and report me brought the anxiety to my shaking hands as I knelt down and delicately parted the bunches of flowers.

"No, no, not that one," I murmured, giving a cursory inspection to each leaf. Sweat trickled down the back of my neck as I struggled to hold down the rising panic and the knowledge that time was running out.

"Of course, the country's colors just have to be blue and white," I muttered, exasperated, my eyes scanning the vegetation that did not contain a small, white flower.

"I didn't realize that was a problem." I whirled around, my voice caught in my throat. The cold stare felt entirely too intense as the well-dressed man assessed me— my hair was carelessly pulled back at my neck, dirt-stained fingertips unconcealed even as I faced him. Right away I could discern that he was surely of upper status. The sophistication practically radiated off him and the icy expression seemed to hide all his thoughts. That must come in handy during boring meetings, I thought, wondering if he would question why a "princess candidate" was out in the flowerbeds.