by Vivian Wood
“Which is fairly easy to find, of course,” my mother waved her hand dismissively. “What else, Eva?”
The redhead flushed before she continued to speak.
“But there’s more,” she said as if my mother hadn’t interrupted her. “There’s also a family history of animal abuse in her family.”
The girls stared at Eva expectantly as she faced Violetta.
“Isn’t it true,” she began. “That your family owned a circus when you were younger?”
“Y-Yes,” Violetta responded softly. “I don’t see how that’s-”
“And isn’t it true,” Eva interrupted her, gathering more and more courage to speak. “That the circus was shut down due to the notorious bad care the animals received while they were in your family’s care?”
“No,” Violetta replied, seething with anger. “If you’d gotten your facts straight-“
“I did,” Eva said firmly. “Every news station in Spain reported the crimes, and they were disgusting. Now, is it just your parents who are so cruel, or is it you too, Violetta?”
The Spanish girl’s eyes filled with tears, but Eva showed no remorse for what she was doing.
“Because I seem to recall a certain article,” she went on. “An article that said you shot a bull right between the eyes while in the fighting arena. Your brother was fighting the beast, wasn’t he?”
“You don’t know anything,” Violetta whispered. “You don’t know the real story. You don’t know the truth.”
“I think we’ve heard enough,” my mother interrupted, glancing at Violetta with something between fear and respect in her eyes. “Who’s going next?”
Eva took a seat, the slump of her shoulders the only thing revealing the toll her speech had taken on her.
“I’ll go next,” Violetta said icily. “Since I so conveniently picked Eva, because we are friends.”
“Don’t try to dispute her findings,” my mother warned her. “That isn’t what today is about. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Violetta ground out, shooting daggers at her former friend. “Our friend Eva has a very tragic family history, don’t you, Eva?”
The girls glared at each other as I leaned back in my seat. The show was only just beginning, and the claws were finally coming out. This was what the game was all about, after all. The girls ripping one another apart.
“Eva’s father was a famous Dutch painter,” Violetta said, making a sad face. “He died much too soon, along with her mother. Our poor little Eva is an orphan now. But worry not, because her parents left her a sizeable fortune, so she’s well-taken care of to say the least.”
Eva was seething. I could see the tears gathering in her eyes as she stared at the other woman. I wondered whether she’d lash out.
“What you might not know,” Violetta went on, “Is that Eva’s parents died in a car crash, in a vehicle their dear daughter was driving.”
A murmur passed between the girls, which only served to encourage Violetta, and she kept speaking.
“Of course, given that she inherited their estate and everything they owned, it sparks a couple of questions, don’t you think?” Violetta finished coolly. “Maybe, Eva planned it all. The newspapers still aren’t sure. The case was dismissed due to lack of evidence, but the rumors… the rumors will haunt Eva forever, won’t they?”
She sat down in complete silence, which was only interrupted a couple of moments later by the quiet sound of Eva’s sobbing. I knew the game we were playing would be harsh on the girls, and I knew I was to expect tears, but it didn’t make things any easier. Seeing a beautiful woman cry filled me with the need to try and make things better, but I resisted the urge.
Zara and Safiya followed, choosing Camellia and Asya respectively, and revealing Asya’s impending arranged marriage and Camellia’s abusive father. Next up, Kendy’s home country’s cruel ways were revealed by Monica. And next up, it was Amber’s turn.
She stood up, shaking ever so lightly. She wore a silky satin dress in a light pink color, printed with small white flowers. The dress had puffy half-length sleeves and buttoned all the way from the generously cut front to the bottom that hit her knees. She’d paired it with black boots, and wore a thick, creamy eyelash cardigan on top. She looked radiant, and the thought of an inner glow within her made me grin at her wickedly. Was it possible? Had I really knocked her up already? Was my baby growing in her still flat belly?
“I picked Safiya,” Amber managed shakily.
Her friend shot her a surprised look, but Amber wouldn’t look at her. She was trembling, her fingers shaking while she gripped the piece of paper in her hands. She wasn’t looking at it, though. She was looking at the ground, and it took me a few moments to realize the sheet of paper in her hands was empty. There was no writing on it.
“Safiya, Safiya,” Amber went on, her voice shaky. “A lot of us think she’s here because of ulterior motives.”
Her friend shot Amber an outraged look, but my girl studiously ignored it and went on as if nothing had happened.
“But there’s another secret Safiya hasn’t told us about,” Amber went on. “Another part of her story that she chooses not to reveal. See, Safiya isn’t necessarily interested in Olivier…”
We all stared at her.
“She might have an old flame that still holds her interest,” Amber said, her voice trembling. Her words may have been damaging, hurtful, but her voice was shaking, revealing just how upset she was with herself for doing this. “And that person… is a woman.”
With those words, she sat down, leaving the room simmering with unspoken tension.
“You dated a woman?” I asked Safiya sharply.
The Egyptian girl blushed, but met my eyes with undeniable force.
“Yes,” she replied coolly. “Is that a problem, Your Highness?”
“Yes,” my mother replied. “It’s utterly unacceptable.”
Safiya held her head high, returning my mother’s gaze.
“I don’t see how it’s anyone’s business, actually,” she went on. “All of us have our secrets. Just because you’re forcing us to drag each other’s dirty laundry through the ringer doesn’t mean we’re bad people. It says more about the women revealing these secrets. The women who would so freely break up a friendship… for a man.”
She glanced at Amber, and I witnessed their friendship break over one look. It was over between them. Amber had burned the bridge they’d built to the ground.
“Let’s keep it moving,” my mother replied icily. “Who’s next?”
A tall, feminine girl moved to the front. Her silvery blonde hair sparkled in the sunlight streaming in through the tinted windows.
“I’ll go next,” she said with a wide grin.
“You can step right up, Freya,” my mother replied.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Freya replied, curtsying in the Queen’s direction and earning a look of approval from her. “Well, I picked Amber.”
No surprise there.
“And I found out quite a few interesting things,” Freya purred. “Shall we get started?”
“Definitely,” my mother responded, shooting Amber a victorious look. “Freya, the floor is yours.”
Chapter Sixteen
Amber
My heart pounded helplessly as Freya stepped front and center, her devious eyes finding mine and daring me to stop her. Whatever she had found couldn’t be good. My past wasn’t pretty.
A part of me wanted to stand up and beg her to stop, but I knew she didn’t have a choice. The Queen had made it clear that we all had to play along with the challenge.
“Well, it seems like our friend Amber here has quite a lot to hide,” Freya said with a saccharine sweet smile. “Of course, we all know from the introduction, she doesn’t have a lot going for herself, does she?”
She pouted her lips, mocking me and throwing me a look that showed her pity.
“It must be hard,” she said with a sigh, shaking her head. “Living a
mong us with nothing… with all these accomplished, beautiful women. Do you feel like you stand out, Amber? I’m sure you do.”
I ground my teeth together, refusing to take my eyes off her. She wasn’t getting to me. I wasn’t going to let her words hurt me. They were merely empty threats that meant nothing. Olivier had picked me time and time again, after all. He would never let Freya’s findings influence his opinion of me.
I remembered Safiya again, how I’d exposed the secret I’d promised to keep. A hot wave of shame flushed my body, and my bottom lip quivered. Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry.
Freya didn’t care about my obvious discomfort though. She just kept going, her smile growing wider by the second. She’d found something good, I just knew it. Something she was going to humiliate me with.
“Our poor little Amber grew up with nothing,” Freya went on. “Her family is dirt poor, and I’m sure that makes it a bit easier to understand why she’s so… common.”
I hated her. She was the competition’s equivalent of a mean girl, intent on hurting me and determined to bring me down. But I was going to strike back soon enough. I wasn’t going to stand around and watch her destroy me.
“And as if growing up without a penny wasn’t enough,” Freya went on. “Amber’s life didn’t get much easier after. See, her father was a drunk. A drunk, horrible man who hit her and her mother, and she took it because she didn’t want her younger siblings to get slapped.”
I looked at the floor, my cheeks burning up. How could she possibly know that?
“And her troubles didn’t end there,” Freya continued. “She’s had quite the colorful life, this one. She danced from a young age, and caught the eye of a rich man. She even lived with him for a while.”
The first tear slipped down my cheek, but I refused to lift my head and show Freya my weakness. I couldn’t bear the other girls looking at me, already feeling their eyes burning me.
“The man wasn’t very nice from what I found out,” Freya went on. “Our little Amber went through a lot because of him. She was hurt… abused… even… fucked.”
“I wonder how this didn’t come out during the doctor’s exam,” Freya purred. “Because I’m fairly certain that our little golden girl isn’t a virgin after all of that.”
“Enough.”
I raised my head, my eyes locking with the Queen’s. Her expression was thunderous, and she glared between me and Freya.
“Your M-Majesty,” Freya stuttered. “I’m sorry I-”
“Don’t,” the Queen barked, raising her hand to stop Freya from talking. “This is slander.”
“Slander?” Freya repeated. “But all the other women…”
“I don’t care,” the Queen snarled. “Sit down.”
She kept standing herself, coming up to the front of the room and glaring at the rest of us. I’d finally lifted my head, and I looked at Olivier for reassurance. But he wasn’t looking at me. His eyes were on his mother, an expression of amusement on his face. Of course, he knew the truth. He knew he had been the one to pop my cherry.
“During the physical exam,” the Queen went on. “It was indeed revealed Amber isn’t pure.”
A collective gasp went through the group of girls, and I hung my head yet again, ashamed by her words and knowing things would only get worse from there.
“But before you continue with your assumptions,” the Queen bit out. “You should know this won’t be a problem for Amber going forward with the competition.”
“Why?” Safiya asked loudly, her cold eyes meeting mine for a split second. “What was the point of the exam, then?”
“You will not question me,” the Queen said. “Not now, not ever. The reason it won’t be a problem is because Amber and the Prince have met before. I will not get into the details, but something transpired that night, I’m sure you can guess what.”
Olivier turned to face me, winking at me over his shoulder. I flushed to the roots of my hair.
“Why are the rules different for her, Your Majesty?” Freya spoke up next. “It seems highly unfair that Amber alone would be held to different standards.”
“That is Olivier’s decision, not mine,” the Queen bit out. “Now let’s keep this moving. I’m not going to let false facts get out.”
“Why didn’t you interrupt any of the girls before, then?” Eva asked now. “Wasn’t that slander?”
“Not if it’s the truth,” the Queen replied icily, and my lookalike blushed. “I wouldn’t let false information get out. Trust me, we’ve done our research too. We know all the bad things you’ve done. All the wrong turns you’ve taken. It’s our duty to know. One of you will be the Queen, after all.”
That rendered the girls and myself silent, and as the Queen sat down, Olivier strode to the center of the room.
“Let’s keep going,” Olivier said. “But you should know, your facts need to be based on the truth, not just hearsay. We’re here for the real dirt, not for the lies.”
With that, he turned to face me, grinning and making me avert my eyes. All our dirty laundry was out now, for all the other girls to see, and I couldn’t help feeling embarrassed as hell.
“I have a prior commitment,” he told us. “But I’ll be back for the elimination right after. I’ve already made my decision, in fact.”
A frozen silence fell over the room.
“Are you sure, son?” the Queen asked, worry knitting her eyebrows together. “You should stay a little while longer… Wait to find out more.”
“No need,” Olivier replied with a bright smile. “My decision has been made. I’ll see you tonight, ladies.”
With those words, he strode out of the room, leaving the rest of us speechless. After what felt like several long minutes of silence, the Queen finally got up and told us we’d be moving on with the challenge as planned. The other girls went one after the other, but the secrets they told got less and less juicy until the challenge was finally over.
“Alright, girls,” the Queen said with a nervous smile. “I’ll see you all in a few hours. You’re free to get ready now.”
I got up with the others, but when I was about to pass her on my way outside, the Queen touched my arm and I raised my eyes to hers.
“Can you stay for a minute, Amber?” she asked, and I felt the all-too-familiar pressure in my chest when her attention was on me. I didn’t want her questions and didn’t welcome her presence. But I didn’t really have a choice.
She didn’t start speaking until we were alone, and when she did, I refused to meet her eyes.
“I used to be a lot like you, Amber,” she said. “Driven, beautiful, determined. We may not have the same background, but I see a lot of myself in you. And I know you’re my son’s favorite in the competition.”
I raised my eyes to hers, not knowing what to say, but she wasn’t finished just yet.
“I have respect for you,” she said. “And I want you to know I will respect my son’s choice when he decides which one of you he will marry.”
Somehow I doubt that, I thought, but I knew better than to speak out.
“I didn’t reveal your past with Olivier because I was worried you’d be attacked,” she went on. “Jealousy is a terrible thing, Amber. But I trust that you can take care of yourself from now on. Am I right in thinking so?”
“Yes,” I replied. “I don’t need anyone’s help.”
I meant it as a hint for her, and she seemed to understand, flinching at my words. I didn’t regret them, though. There was something about the woman I just didn’t trust.
“All right,” the Queen said, her voice soft, gentle. “I’ll see you at the elimination in a few hours.”
I nodded, making my way past her. When I’d just reached the exit, she called out my name once again, and I turned to look at her over my shoulder.
“Amber, you should watch out for the other girls,” she said. “The ones you think you’re friends with... I wouldn’t trust them quite so implicitly.”
My mout
h set in a thin line and I said, “Thanks, but I can handle it myself.”
With those words, I left the room. I didn’t trust her one bit. Surely her comment about friendships was only meant to drive a wedge between the others and me. I trusted Zara especially, and I wasn’t going to take the Queen’s words to mind.
For the evening’s elimination, I picked out a fuchsia silk Les Reveries dress. The dress was sleeveless and had a high collar with a keyhole neckline, and it was adorned with frothy ruffles at my neck and on my thighs. I slicked my hair back into a long ponytail and wore the dress with leopard print Dolce & Gabbana stilettos. Once I was done, I sprayed myself with my signature perfume, and felt like a million bucks. I knew I’d be cold, so I grabbed a snow leopard faux fur shrug to wear on top.
I met the other girls in our main room. Their worried faces didn’t escape me, and I felt a little deflated myself, too. Despite the Queen’s pep talk – which I hadn’t expected – I felt defeated by the day’s events. And I had no idea who was going home either, which only made me worry more.
All of us were dressed and primed to our best, and I knew the competition would only get tougher from here on out. I followed the other girls into the ballroom, which was decorated for the upcoming holidays.
A massive Christmas tree had been put up, the fairy lights twinkling on it and beautiful decorations in a white-and-champagne color scheme adorning the three. The room itself sparkled, the marble shining, waiters spreading around the room and mixing with royal subjects to distribute flutes of champagne and canapés.
I was nervous. I couldn’t bring myself to relax, constantly glancing around the room and not even knowing what I was trying to do. After all, Olivier had already made his decision. If that meant me going home… would I be upset, or relieved?
I wanted him. Still, I wanted him. But the competition was getting to me, and I was letting it impact me. The thought of going back to Rose and Thorn’s filled me with equal amounts of dread and relief. I wasn’t even sure what I wanted anymore.
It felt like moments later that the Queen announced we’d be starting with the elimination. The girls shuffled to stand on the ornate staircase, with Olivier standing at the bottom. A tray with aquamarine stones was by him, and I bit my bottom lip in an effort to stop myself from crying out.