Wife of Vladimir ||Book One||

Her Smile

"When Caelum came to check in on Rosetta, I let him in on the situation. Rosetta and I were going to be married whether Henry wanted us to be or not. Henry wasn't in control anymore. I felt thankful for my earlier decision of moving the wedding to tonight.

'Vladimir?' Franklin, who had come looking for me when I failed to return to our room, cleared his throat.

I turned away from Caelum, intending on looking to Franklin but I was interrupted. Nobody had spoken, and yet I felt silenced.

Rosetta had finally stepped out from behind the divider. I hadn't left her, worried that Henry would come back and do worse than he had before. If he didn't want us to be wed, then I figured he would do anything and everything in his power to stop us. I wouldn't let that happen.

She had taken her hair down, allowing each strand to be itself. Some were spiraled nicely, other curls frizzy and sticking out. Now that her hair was down, I was able to see that the servants had tried to enhance her natural wave. Rosetta had taken all the makeup off her face, revealing her natural features. When I had pulled the dress out of the closet, I had simply grabbed it at random and it had been simple. Now, as she wore it, I realized that it no longer looked simple. It looked like it had been crafted for centuries in preparation for her on her wedding day. Her eyes carefully met mine.

Caelum's hand dropped down on my shoulder as he patted it. 'You're very lucky.' He paused. 'It is time for the wedding. I can escort Rosetta down if-'

'I will,' I interrupted, trying to not watch as his jaw had dropped when she had stepped out. 'With how Henry is right now, I'd like to make sure that nothing happens.' I paused, realizing how that could have been taken. 'Not that I don't trust you. When it comes to Henry and us, you can't go against him without facing consequences. I won't have any. It will keep you safe too.'

Caelum hesitated, then nodded. He wasn't in any position to argue. He offered a smile to Rosetta. 'I will announce your arrival then. The ceremony would have been starting soon. Everyone should still be down there.' His gaze lingered for a few moments before he left down the hall.

As I shut the door, I grinned at her. 'Rosetta, you are beautiful.'

'Thank you.' She giggled, smoothing out the laced skirts that fell right at her feet. It didn't trail behind her, nor was it as large as her other one had been. Rosetta slipped on her shoes from earlier, glancing in the mirror to gaze at what we had been gawking at.

'Are you ready?' I offered my arm to her, glancing at Franklin. 'Might you go ahead of us and watch for Henry? When Caelum gets down there and tells everyone we are on our way, I do think he'll be suspicious and try to find us.'

'Yes, Vladimir.' Franklin hurried between us, leaving the two of us alone in the dressing room.

Rosetta timidly took hold of my arm. Even through the fabric of my sleeves, I could feel how cold her hands had become.

I chuckled as I approached the door with her. 'Come on, don't be getting nervous now.' I knew why she was nervous. She had every right to be. This was her one chance at a better life. If this didn't work, her life would become worse.

'I'm not.' She reassured with a quick smile. 'But, what if father catches me? You say you'll be able to fend him off, but father isn't known to give up. All the times Caelum has tried, father has pushed him away.'

'The difference is that your father already gave permission for us to wed. Though I am no king, I am closer in status than Caelum. He can't push me around as much.' I assured, letting the door close behind us as we began the walk to the ballroom.

She briefly nodded, keeping her head down as we walked along. At the end of the hall, she began to laugh. 'We are walking to our wedding and yet, I feel as though I am a child running away from home instead of getting married. This doesn't feel real.'