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“Cinderella, who were you thinking of when you refused my touch last night?” Friedrich said, his voice flat.

Cinderella set her shoulders and did not respond.Advertisement

“Cinderella, please.”

Cinderella turned around. “Who do you think it was, but you, you idiot!” she said, smacking Friedrich to cover her embarrassed blush.

Friedrich caught Cinderella’s hand and pulled her into a hug, encasing his arms around her. As Cinderella leaned into him, she suspected he hadn’t touched her the night before because there was no way she would fail to recognize his warmth.

“Why didn’t you tell me who you were?” Cinderella whispered.

Friedrich snorted. “Cinderella, you are loyal and lovely as the dawn, but you do not hesitate to use yourself as a bargaining chip. You cannot deny it. You would have accepted my offer purely because it would put you in a higher position of power to care for and protect Trieux citizens.”

Cinderella thought for a moment. “That’s about right,” she admitted. “But you said that’s what you were looking for in a wife.”

Friedrich kissed the top of Cinderella’s head. “Yes, before I fell in love with you,” he said, sounding quite sheepish. “After that I grew quite stubborn about wanting to woo you rather than buying your affections.”

“And all the sweet talking of your mother?”

“I want you two to get along. You need to get along,” Friedrich said.

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“Why?”

“…You’re going to marry me, right?”

“You haven’t asked.”

“I’ll get to that in a minute. I have it all planned, and it will knock your shoes off—again. So yes, you and mother must get along, and I really wanted you to express concern for Erlauf as a whole and see the need for forgiveness because…”

“Because?”

“Well,” Friedrich looked to the sky when Cinderella leaned back far enough that she could see him. “Because I’m aiming to be the Commander of the Erlauf Army, like my Father.”

“And?”

“And so, as my wife, you will be the ruling queen,” Friedrich said.

Cinderella blinked. “So I will be queen and you’ll be king.”

“No, you will be queen and I will be your consort. I will control the Army, but you will have undisputed control over the country.”

“But how can you…what?”

“The Erlauf Army needs direct supervision thanks to its size and power. I can’t be the Commander and lead the country. If Johann, my brother, showed any inclination to be the Commander, then I could just be King. But he spends most of his time making eyes at foreign dignitaries and refuses to enter the Army,” Friedrich said, sounding disgusted. “Besides, I take after my father with my sweet, quiet, personality. I am so easily frightened and cowed. Mother always told me I was born to be a consort.”

“You are without a doubt your Mother’s son,” Cinderella dryly said as she tried to adjust her mind to the idea. “Queen? And you would only be the consort? Are you sure?”

“Now you see why I wanted to be sure you loved me before I told you? Although you still haven’t said you do…”

“And you still haven’t asked me to marry you.”

“Right, let’s take care of that. This way, please,” Friedrich said, taking Cinderella’s hand and leading her to the front of the Chateau.

Friedrich’s soldiers from his regiment saw them and started hooting and whistling.

“I haven’t convinced her yet! Stop carrying on, or she’ll run the other way,” Friedrich said as they stopped at a covered wagon. He plucked a sack from the driver’s seat and led Cinderella on.

“What’s in the wagon?” Cinderella asked.

“You can just sense money, can’t you? It’s gold.”

“What for?”

“It’s the exact amount Aveyron owed Mother before you paid off the debt. It is my bribe in case you decide to say no. Sit here, on that bench. Yes, face this way, perfect,” Friedrich said, arranging Cinderella on the bench next to the hulking wild rose bush.

“Put both feet on the ground, this shoe off, please, thank you,” Friedrich said, twitching one of Cinderella’s shoes off her feet. “Stay. There,” Friedrich said, pointing to the bench before he retreated some distance. pqdm.com