"Are you pleased with your purchase?"
Prince Harold didn't know how to respond. "I tried to stop her," he confessed. "But she drank it anyway."
"I see. And did you share a kiss before midnight?"
He felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment at the rather intimate question.
"It's a simple business question, Harold. Maybe not ordinary, but like I said, we need to be honest and comfortable with each other. Now I ask you, did you kiss her before midnight?"
"Yes," he griped, sounding remorseful.
She studied him. "Are you here because you wish to reverse the effects?"
"No," he answered, quickly and loudly. She raised her brows at him and he continued, "Actually, I'm here to thank you."
She nodded, trying to figure out his situation. "So you tried to stop her from taking the drink; and now that she has, you want to thank me."
"Yes," he admitted, "I've never been happier. What was in that stuff?"
"Magic," she answered simply.
"How can I thank you?"
Her smile of triumph left him suddenly feeling sick. "Well, there is a certain...ramification that comes with all Matchmaker, and all similar, potions. If the couple conceives, the fate of their firstborn is in my hands."
"What? Why didn't you tell me that before?"
"You were desperate enough to manipulate your maiden's heart. I figured you were in it for the long haul."
"Witch!"
"Now, Harold," she gave him a stern, disapproving glance. "Let's be adults. You, as the buyer, had the obligation to ask about that which concerns you. It's called buyer beware. You bought Matchmaker; therefore, you deal with the consequences that come with it."
"I can accept buyer beware; I can't accept that you want to steal my daughter's future!"
Her eyebrows rose.
"Or my son's future," he said quickly.
"Harold, it's simple. I gave you your Happily Ever After; now you have to make a choice. You can lose your daughter and your wife; or you can keep your wife, and hand the fate of your firstborn to me."
He dropped his head into his hands.
"Take all the time you need to decide."