by J. J. McAvoy
It all took a few hours.
They finally settled on a soft-yellow, knee-length cocktail dress and nude heels. You would have thought they wouldn’t care as much since I would have to wear a cap and gown. Gelula held them to be careful, with a portable steamer in her bag for any touch-up or other assistance I may need between my room and the walk over to the other side of the palace courtyard. It was only a fifteen walk, and they even deliberated on whether or not they should transport us via a car.
Us, as in Sophia and me.
She stood in the hall dressed in a black lace, fit-and-flare dress with black heels, a royal brooch on her chest. A whole team surrounded her as well. When she looked at me, I curtsied, and she just nodded a good morning and looked at her assistant.
“One more time, miss,” Wolfgang said, opening a folder in front of my face. “We will be seated as the students are seated. So, there is nothing you will need to do but wait. Once everyone is seated, there is the national anthem, the greetings from the university's president to the students, then to the Duchess of Elmburgh and you. Again, you don’t have to do anything but nod slightly in thanks. From there, the introduction of the graduating class representative, followed by the student speaker address, then Duchess of Elmburgh shall do her address. When she comes back to her seat, you rise and walk forward to give your address. Finally, you walk back and sit for the rest of the time. That’s it. Simple.”
He looked back at me, his eyes wide, worry for me all over his freckled face. He clearly didn’t believe it was that simple, either, but he was trying to make me feel better. I glanced over all the people crammed into the hallway, all nervous too.
“Miss?”
“Thank you, Wolfgang.”
“Don’t worry. As you say in America, ‘You got it, dude.’”
I snorted, trying to hold back a laugh only to have everyone look at me, confused.
Mr. Ambrose looked at me, upset. “Did you catch a cold, miss?”
I shook my head. “I’m fine. Thank you.”
He didn’t look convinced. But he let it go and focused on Sophia.
I shot a glance at Wolfgang and whispered, “We’ve updated the saying to ‘you’ve got this,’” I explained, and he didn’t get a chance to say anything else as we began to walk.
The fifteen minutes disappeared in a flash. And as we walked, all I saw was a sea of black graduation caps—no, not a sea, a whole damn ocean.
“How many people are here?” I asked Wolfgang.
“This year, there are 2,200 undergraduate and graduate degrees to confer,” he whispered back softly.
Oh.
You’ve got this, Odette.
Chapter 23
“And the votes are 154 to 153. The People’s Party has the decision,” the chamber head replied over the rest of parliament. It took all my energy not to curse as Ivan Hermenegild stood to cheers and applause from his party members.
Lucky bastard.
“He is still very popular,” I muttered.
“I’m not so sure, sir,” Balduin whispered beside me. “Twelve of his party members voted with Alliance. And look at those higher in the stands.”
I did and saw that even though they were part of his party and had voted in his favor, they weren’t cheering and celebrating with the rest of them.
“They do not look pleased having won,” I whispered back.
“From what I heard, the prime minister had to visit each and every one of them in the dead of night yesterday to whip up the votes. A few months ago, he would have crushed the Alliance Party, and today, he nearly lost. It must be quite a shock to him.”
“If so, he is not letting it show in the least bit,” I said as Hermenegild took the platform.
“My honorable members and esteemed delegates, I am honored to stand here in front of you as one of the great members of this nation to say the People’s Party decides to pass the Nationalism Reform Act, which will ensure the prosperity and preservation of the Ersovian culture and way of life, not just for ourselves or our children, but for their children in years to come. This is an astonishing moment of hope for many people, a moment they thought would never come. For others, this may be a moment of doubt and fear, but trust and believe we will stand by you. Let this vote usher in a new era in this nation. An era of purpose, self-determination, and strength, under one God, one government, one country, and one king.”
He looked up at me, and all I could do was smile and nod, even though he put king at the end of his little speech to remind me that I was beneath all of those things. King and country, but when he said government, I didn’t think he meant the government but himself. The way he basked in the attention, the praise, and the visible scorn on his face to the party that opposed him, to the members of his party who had rejected him, were all such clear and obvious signs of his ego.
“Sir, it’s almost time,” Balduin reminded me.
“Right, Odette,” I replied, rising to my feet quickly, leaving the Royal Box, out into the hallway where Iskandar stood waiting.
“You have a live feed, correct?” I asked Balduin.
“I’m working on it, sir, but the connection here is a bit poor.” He replied with his tablet out.
“Your Highness.”
Oh, for bloody sake. I did not have time to put on a circus act. Nevertheless, I turned to see the man from the dinner, Mikel Horvath, standing with a few other members of parliament. I scanned their faces.
“Gentlemen”—I nodded at them—”it seems you do not have the will of the people and lost today.”
“Tomorrow is another day, and we will live to fight for it,” Horvath replied.
“And always the monarchy will stand behind whoever the people have chosen to stand behind.” I nodded at them. “You must excuse me.”
“Your Highness, one moment.”
For the love of God. “Yes.” I turned again.
He pointed to one of the rooms beside him. “We were all about to watch Royal University’s graduation ceremony. My nephew is a part of this year’s class.”
“Is that so?” I said, glancing toward Balduin, who still hadn’t gotten the video up on his tablet.
“Yes, sir.”
“Very well, but I must remind you all that I shall not speak on anything else. The politics of the day have been decided and will not be changed.”
“Of course, sir.” He nodded.
Following them, we entered the private study of parliament. From the floor to the ceiling were books of law, both past, and present. The only space made was for the portrait of the sovereign, my father, and a large flat-screen television. Clerks, custodians, and even other parliament members were already waiting inside. You would think there was a national crisis or the Olympics taking place. They were so focused that they did not even notice me. I understood why I wanted to watch, but I did not know why they were all so captivated.
“It is the first time any of us will hear her speak,” Horvath whispered beside me, and I looked at him, not understanding. “You have heard and spoken to Miss Wyntor a thousand or more times. But we have not, and she is to be the next queen. How is she? What does she sound like? What does she believe? What will she say? Will she mess up and disgrace us all?”
I frowned at that.
“I do hope everyone realizes it is a prepared statement. You will hardly know her from this.”
He nodded. “But we will know more than yesterday. You and the palace have guarded her like a precious jewel. Of course, we are a bit curious to see her on her own now.”
“We?” My eyebrow raised.
He didn’t answer because we all watched as Odette, dressed in the red and black robes of the university, walked up to the podium, and at that moment, I felt as if I were going to be sick. I remembered how she panicked when singing in front of crowds of adoring fans. God, how did she feel at this moment?
Please let her be all right.
Please let her be all right.
Maybe I shouldn�
�t watch this.
I’m really going to be sick.
I swallowed as she now stood in front of the microphone, and a camera closed in on her face. Just like before, she froze, but this time, I wasn’t there to scream out to her.
“You can do it, Cinderella,” I whispered to myself.
You can do it.
There had to be more than 2,200 people because I felt more like all of the world was on my chest, making it harder to breathe. As I got up to the podium and looked out, it only made my fear worse.
I glanced down at my speech, and I remembered my mother calling it boring. And I remembered the king saying to lean on my strengths or others, but I wasn’t exactly sure how to process all of that. So, I took a deep breath, tried to ignore everything, and just spoke as best as I could.
“I stand before you all now more nervous than I was at my graduation,” I said with a slight smile. “Admitting that is not easy, as I know that currently, members of the palace staff and speechwriters who worked tirelessly to help me prepare are now keeling over with heart attacks as this is not the speech I am supposed to give.”
The few chuckles from the crowd gave me the confidence I needed to keep speaking.
“I am nervous because I am not perfect. As you can clearly see and hear, I am still perfecting my Ersovian. Forgive me for any mishaps. I shall do better in the future. You see, I am still learning, growing, and in the process, I am succeeding and failing at times. At my own graduation, I had hopes and dreams, and I was very confident I would succeed in everything I put my mind to. I only had to work hard. But then, I failed and failed again and failed once more. I failed to the point where I started to wonder what success looked like. We tend to see people only when we are at our best and hide when we feel inadequate. Today, I truly wished to hide because I felt unworthy to speak to you all. So, I did what all young people do when they are scared—I called my mother.”
This time, more than a few people laughed, making me smile more.
“And to my dismay, my mother was not as terrified or worried as I was. She simply told me, either you will fail, or you will not, but either way, you will survive. It sounds wise, but it was not the advice I wanted. So, I spoke to the king, as my father is no longer alive.”
There were a few soft mutters behind me, but I ignored them.
“And he told me that the secret is to lean on your strengths when you can and others when you cannot—also very wise but also did not give me much hope.”
Again, a few snickers.
“So, what was I to do? How was I to give this speech? It was a question that haunted me right until I walked in here. Then I heard a group of you humming a song as you waited to be seated. Music has always been my refuge, so I asked the Duchess of Elmburgh what it was you were humming, and she said the university pledge, which is conveniently on the back of your order service. I found that gave me comfort.” I replied before singing the words.
Oh, I do know what awaits us when we enter.
Oh, I do know what awaits us when we leave.
Here and now is where we stand.
Here and now is what we have.
Glimpses of wisdom,
Echoes of dreams,
Words from our fathers and their fathers,
Hopes from our mothers and their mothers,
I was startled when one by one, they all started to stand. But again, I was reassured as they sang the words with me.
We stand on them so they may stand on us.
I stand beside you so you may lean on me.
Forward together!
Forward together!
United, we are!
Harshest days,
Cruelest nights.
United, we are!
Stumble and fall a thousand times.
Discouraged or downtrodden
United, we are!
I stood silently, stunned at what I was witnessing as everyone who was sitting stood, as everyone who was standing stood taller to sing with her. Cheerfully and loudly as if we were not in parliament but in the middle of a pub. I turned, and even Iskandar spoke the words.
“Weeping Joyfully.
Mind in mind.
Heart in heart.
Fearless and eager.
To rise,
United, we are!
Oh, I do know what awaits us when we enter.
Oh, I do know what awaits us when we leave.
But united, I know we are!”
Finished. They all cheered despite the fact that Odette was not finished. I missed a few of her next words because of it, but finally, they quieted down so I could hear.
“I say to you all today—you will fail at times, and it will feel miserable. Fear will grip you, and you will stumble or freeze. But do not stop, do not give up because, as my mother told me, and I tell you—you will survive it—for I have survived this by doing what our king told me to do, relying on not only my strength to get me through but also yours. Be kind. Be brave. Go forward into whatever awaits you with courage and hope, for you have many more good days ahead of you. With that, I say thank you to the president of the Royal University and all of you. It is my honor to have spoken to you today, and I look forward to standing united with you wherever and whenever you allow me to.”
I did not know which cheers I heard first—the students’ or everyone else’s in the building. I did not know why I was so still, so unable to grasp what was going on, but I was. Watching them all, I was stunned.
“Congratulations, Your Highness,” Horvath said as he shook my hand. “She has won their hearts...at least for today.”
That was it.
That was why I was stunned.
They loved her.
I was so used to being the only one—well, except for her mother and her fans—to see greatness in her that I often felt like I was defending her, trying to force everyone else to see what I saw, and now they did. Even if it was just for today, this moment, they saw Odette as I did. It wasn’t just a graduation speech. It meant much more than that.
“Thank you. I shall confer your words to her,” I said, nodding to Balduin and Iskandar for us to leave.
“I feel as if I was called to arms to defend our nation.” Balduin chuckled, standing with his chest a bit puffed, which made him look a bit like a penguin as we walked.
I turned back to Iskandar. “And you?”
“It is not my place to give my opinion—”
“Yes, yes, I know. But?” The man truly was a rock.
“It was good. Very good,” he answered stoically.
I smiled. That was the best I was going to get. However, it was good enough. I couldn’t wait to tell Odette. Stepping out into the courtyard, I saw Hermenegild still being congratulated on his way to his car. He and I locked eyes, and the earlier joy he had seemed to have been dampened. I smirked and tipped my head to him before entering my car.
“Would you like to see some of the international coverage, sir?” Balduin asked, finally getting the tablet to work.
Taking it, the news with a picture of Odette at the graduation was already on the screen.
“Her Ersovian was a bit shaky and stiff. It was clear she was nervous in the beginning, and I am sure the palace is not pleased with her going off-script. However, it is safe to say Odette Wyntor truly had a profound impact—”
I switched the channel.
“The air was electrified today at Royal University, and Odette Wyntor drew not only the students, faculty, and staff to their feet but even people on the street as people take to social media—”
“It is normal for royals to steal the spotlight at whatever event they go to, but today, Odette did not just steal the spotlight, she became it, raising everyone to roaring applause—”
“Not even five minutes later and the hashtag #UnitedWeAre! is currently trending on social media—”
“She did not fall and embarrass herself. It was a decent speech, but that was low—”
Rolling my eyes, I swi
tched again. If even the most critical station could call her speech decent, then it was fucking phenomenal.
Turning off the news, I leaned back into my seat. Looking out at the city, I watched as others watched the coverage and the repeats, either on their phones or restaurant screens. I couldn’t help but grin. Finally. Finally!
This was the Ersovia I knew.
Chapter 24
As we left the ceremony and walked back toward the residential side of the palace, everyone was more relaxed. So, I noticed more about the palace—one was the amount of security on this side. Then the smell of vanilla, which I liked, coming from the new plants. Also, the changing of a few portraits that had been switched out since I had first come. All of the simple changes and sights helped calm me down, which I needed to do to prepare myself for the lecture I was about to get. It was going to be a heavy one. I knew it. I could sense I was going to get called, and without fail, when I entered the grand foyer of the palace, Mr. Ambrose was waiting for me. The look on his face, like always, was neutral, but for some reason, I could feel that he was not pleased with me. In fact, I did not think he’d changed since I had arrived.
“The queen would like to see me for tea?” I asked.
“Yes,” he replied sternly.
I exhaled deeply. “I figured as much.”
“Odette,” Sophia called out before I could step forward, and I turned to her. She stared at me with the same dead eyes. “You trampled on the hard work of everyone who helped to prepare you for today. Speaking off the cuff may seem nice in America, but you do not just represent yourself. You represent the monarchy, the crown. In the future, please be more mindful—for all our sakes. The queen cannot keep stopping to have with tea with you.”
Mr. Ambrose nodded as if she had said all he was holding back from saying.
I bit my lip and nodded and curtsied. I was reaching my limit with her. She turned to leave just like that.
“Miss,” Mr. Ambrose said, ushering me along.
Walking up the stairs behind him, I tried to think of a better answer, a better explanation to have for the queen. But I didn’t know what to say. At that moment, I had been so nervous that I couldn’t just read the speech as it was. I had planned just to say I was nervous before reading the speech, but then I just kept going and going.