Twice Upon A Time (Unfinished Fairy Tales #2)(16)
Should I deny him Jason’s existence? I’m sure that he’ll be mad, but if he thinks I have no attachments at home, then he will probably make me stay in Athelia. Which is not what I want.
“There is a man in your life,” he says, and it’s not a question. “You are not engaged to him, but there is at least enough of an attraction that it causes you to hesitate before answering me.”
I decide there’s no point in lying. “I’m sorry, but it’s true that I am in a relationship now. I can’t . . .”
“Don’t.” He holds up a hand. “Don’t tell me that because of this other suitor in your world, you cannot consider becoming my wife. Well do I understand that for you, today must have been a strange, harrowing experience. But for me, I had expected that I would be married to a woman who doesn’t know me any more than I know her. Yet with an astonishing stroke of luck, you were sent back to me.”
Again, I remember The Ugly Stepsister rotating slowly in the air, bathed in the yellow-greenish glow. For some inexplicable reason, the image gives off a sinister vibe. There’s something decidedly wrong about being pulled to the book by force, as though it were a swirling black hole in the universe.
“I do not know the reason—perhaps the goblins took pity on us and reversed the spell. In fact, if you did not show up in that revealing piece and with your appearance slightly altered, I might even believe that you’d never left Athelia. Whatever may have occurred, all I know is that you are now here with me. If you were married and with child, I may have reservations, but since you are not officially attached to another, I shall endeavor to make you stay.”
The passion in his voice startles me. In a novel, perhaps, as a heroine, I’d be flattered and thrilled at the alpha-ness of him. But experiencing it firsthand, while I am definitely flattered, there’s a part of me that rebels. He may be the prince of his country, and he may be used to having others defer to anything he wants, but in a relationship, we are equals. He has no right to keep me shackled to Athelia simply because he doesn’t want me to go.
I open my mouth, but drowsiness happens to overtake me at the moment, and all that comes out is, “I d–don’t . . .” followed by a huge yawn. Weird. I already had a nap on the train. Maybe I have something similar to jet lag. I’ve definitely come a long way from home.
Edward smiles indulgently. “I suppose it is rather late, and you have been through a lot today. We shall talk more tomorrow.” He rises and casts a glance at the bed—the large, comfy-looking four-poster bed with fat white pillows and an apple-green spread. For a moment, I wonder if he’s going to claim his wedding night, regardless of my memory loss, but he abruptly turns and heads to a narrow door in a corner. When he opens the door, I glimpse rows of suits and dresses in another small room. A changing room, I guess.
“Good night.” The door clicks shut.
I breathe a sigh of relief, even though I know perfectly well that he could return if he changes his mind. At the same time, there’s a tiny part of me that’s disappointed. Given how he professed his love to me on the train, he might have struggled a bit more.
Stop it, Kat. This is no time to be worrying about whether a stranger finds you sexually attractive.
Despite feeling sleepy, I force myself to stand up. I need to make sure there really isn’t any chance of escaping. I go to the window, but not before flinging on a heavy cloak and discovering a balcony beyond the window. Tentatively, doing my best not to make a sound, I step outside. As I expected, it’s completely dark except for the moon shining luminously above. There is nothing outside except for some grass, bushes, and trees. There’s a distant light within a cottage, but it’s so distant that it provides a mere pinprick of light. Everything is completely silent, save for the soft whinny of the horses in the stable, which I suppose must be located somewhere near the house.
I am trapped in the middle of nowhere.
A shiver runs down my spine.
How am I going to get home?
When it starts to get too cold to bear, I trudge back to bed and try to gather my thoughts. If I had somehow met this guy and fallen in love with him, it would have taken a big chunk of time out of my life. I never had the chance to go abroad. The longest trip I’ve ever taken was to Florida. I cannot imagine having weeks—no, months—of my life completely wiped out. I went straight from high school to college, and I’m positive I didn’t miss a single semester. Can Athelia be some tiny European country I have never heard of? But there is no way that it can be so nineteenth-century, like a fancy, aristocratic version of the Amish with a monarchy, which doesn’t make any sense.
The only explanation is what Edward told me—I was sucked into the Cinderella book, met him, fell in love, and returned to America. But that’s impossible. This isn’t a novel or a movie, and it’s even more incredible than time travel.
Besides, everyone calls me Princess Katriona. I am most definitely not Katriona. It can’t be that I changed my name. The best explanation I can come up with is that this Katriona has disappeared and somehow, I have taken her place at the same time, and as it happens that we look alike, Edward has mistaken me for his bride.
Then how does the prince know that I have an old picture book of Cinderella? How does he know that I have a sister named Paige? How does he know that I have a penchant for strong milk tea and a weakness for ham and cheese sandwiches?