Gasps echoed throughout the crowd after the Queen of Merovia made her declaration. Even Verity and Thalia looked at each other in complete confusion.
"When did this happen?" Thalia asked, but Verity had no answer, and before long the ceremony had dissolved into a sea of whispers.
"She's from Merovia?" one guest asked.
"Doesn't that make her a foreign whore?" another replied. They still hadn't forgotten the scandal surrounding Rosalind and found it easier to judge her than reflect on their own sins.
Even Calder and Beth exchanged shocked looks. They had known Rosalind came from Merovia, but for her to be a princess was something neither of them had expected.
"Princess of Merovia?" Alaric repeated, letting out a small chuckle as he regained control of the situation. "You must be mistaken. She's Lady Rosalind, who is to become my bride."
"I am quite certain, Your Majesty," the Queen replied in her authoritative voice. "She is Princess Sophia, and she is my daughter."
