Down the hall, some of the palace maids twittered at the sight of Ariane—who had once been one of them—embracing the resplendent Prince Lucien. A stuffy butler muttered about all members of the royal family lacking the decency and pride of their forbearers, and Henry the valet finally let a smile crack his stony features.
It had taken years, but the curse of fear had been broken. Lucien was no longer the frog he had once been.
The End