Page 97 of Royal Vengeance

“I told you I’d say yes, when the time came and you asked,” I say, and despite the way the room spins, my voice is steady. Iknow what I want. I’ve known all along, from the moment I accepted that Kit was permanent. And even years later, nothing has changed. “This is it. This is my yes.”

He bursts out into a wide smile, and as he plucks the ring from the box, I hold out my trembling hand. He slips it onto my finger, cold and heavier than I expect, and it feels—right.Not the diamond. Not the ring itself, even—not yet. But that Kit is the one putting it there.

As he rises, he catches me in his arms and lifts me up, crushing his mouth to mine in a messy, awkward, perfect kiss. I slide down his body slowly until my feet touch the ground once more, and only then do I open my eyes, gazing up at him. Despite the twists and turns and darkest hours we’ve had to face, I’m grateful for every road that brought us here—even Ben and all he put us through. Because if it hadn’t been for him, our story wouldn’t have been the same. And I can’t stand the thought of our life together being anything but what it is now.

“I love you,” I murmur, the tips of our noses touching.

“Mm. The biggest reason I’m exceptionally lucky.” Kit kisses me again, softly this time. “I love you, too. More than anything in the entire bloody universe.”

“Lucky me,” I whisper, and we stay like that for the space of several heartbeats, caught in the warmth and perfection of the moment as the world moves on around us.

Until my stomach growls, and our little love bubble pops. I grin sheepishly. “Pizza?” I suggest, a hopeful note in my voice.

“Pizza,” he agrees. We move toward each other at the same time, meeting in the middle for one more kiss before stridinghand in hand into the kitchen. And while my life hasn’t always been a fairy tale—unless we’re counting Grimms’—this ending, thisbeginningis the happiest ever-after I could possibly imagine for a real-life princess.

And the best part is, it’s mine.