by J. J. McAvoy
“Here we are.”
I straightened my dress before walking into the room. I didn’t even bother lifting my head before curtsying to her. “Your Grace, forgive me for—”
“Odette, good, you’re here. Come and look at these sketches with me.”
Rising and lifting my head to look up, I was shocked to find her sitting surrounded by a stack of sketchbooks and charts. Stepping forward, I came to where she was standing to see what exactly she was looking at, only to find that the sketchbooks were of dresses—wedding dresses. She lifted a sketch and turned to me, holding it just under my neck. “I like lace, but I am not sure if lace is still in style. But it does do well for a winter wedding. What do you think?”
I couldn’t think. I just stared at her, mouth agape.
“Odette, it is unbecoming for a royal to gawk.”
“Sorry. I mean, forgive me. I mean—a wedding?” I repeated, not sure I heard correctly.
“Not a wedding, your wedding,” she clarified.
“Aren’t you going to lecture me?” I asked.
“What for?” she asked, lifting another sketch.
“For not sticking to what I was told to read. For trampling on the hard work of everyone who helped me prepare—”
“If you had made a fool of yourself or the monarchy or the country, I would. But you did not,” she said, and even though it was praise, she said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “And you did not trample anyone’s hard work. No one is working hard for you just to say a speech. They are working hard to make you into a leader, a future queen. And today, you lived up to it. Though I would tell you the people will only applaud self-deprecation once. Then it becomes tiresome, especially from a queen. Humility is the better choice. But other than that, there is no need for a lecture.”
“So, I did well?”
She gave me a stern look. “I hope you are not expecting all of us to stop and give you a round of applause for today. If we had to do that for every time you did not disappoint at an event, we would never get through our schedules. Today’s success can be tomorrow’s failures, and tomorrow you also have another big night.”
I tried not to smile. She said she couldn’t give me a round of applause, yet she brought out wedding sketches to look at now of all times. Not once had anyone mentioned anything about the wedding before now. She was applauding me.
“Odette?”
“I think lace never goes out of style,” I replied.
“True.” She nodded. “It just has to be done tastefully and with respect for the weather. I’ve spoken to the Magi.”
“The Magi like in the Bible.”
She grinned and nodded. “That is what I call them. They are the men who usher in the next sovereign for their coronation. They believe the best time for Gale’s is this fall or winter. A new king to usher in the holidays, and he will need a queen by his side.”
“Wait. So which will happen first? A wedding or a coronation?”
“They shall happen at the same time. Gale will marry you and then be anointed the king. It would be irresponsible to do it any other way, as it costs money for both, and as you know, we cannot waste it by having two grand celebrations within days or weeks of each other. We have not come up with a date yet, but it will happen, so we must now step up in our preparation. Do tell me any wishes you have, though remember—”
“We must still adhere to protocol,” I said gently because I felt this throbbing feeling bubbling in my chest and behind my eyes. “Thank you.”
“I do not know what you are thanking me for,” she said, taking a seat. “I’m simply preparing to retire and leave you with all my burdens and troubles. You should be cursing me for being so selfish.”
I giggled. “I could never, Your Grace.”
It is starting to feel like home here.
I did my best not to run. However, as I got closer to Odette’s room, I went up the stairs two at a time. The moment I had stepped into the palace, I spoke to no one else. I stopped only to find out where to find Odette and was told she’d gone back to her room to change.
I was nearing her door when her assistant stepped out of the room and curtsied to me, but I just moved to go into Odette’s room.
“Your Highness, she’s sleeping.”
I froze mid-step, looking at her. “Sleeping?”
She nodded. “Miss was not able to sleep last night on account of her nervousness. She even ended up in the gardens speaking to the king. Then we woke her up early this morning, and she’s been up since, leaving the queen about ten minutes ago. She is exhausted, so Her Grace said to let her rest until dinner.”
It was like she had taken all the wind out of my sails. Now I just stood there like an idiot, which she also recognized because she stared at me with slight amusement all over her face.
“I see,” I finally said. “Well, keep up the good work.”
“Yes, sir.”
I nodded, turning away from the door. Of course, Odette would be sleeping! The country was praising her, and instead of basking in it, she was asleep. When they were complaining, that was when she was front and center, full attention.
“Who shit in your Oreos?” Eliza asked, coming up the stairs.
“What has Mother told you about that type of language?” I asked her.
“Since when did you complain, Captain Curse-A-Lot,” she shot back, standing next to me. She leaned in, checking me over. “Don’t tell me that you are becoming mature?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, maybe I am. Care to join me?”
She waved me off. “Absolutely not. I’m far too young to be mature yet.”
“You are twenty-three.”
She crossed her arms. “And what were you doing at twenty-three? Oh, I know, streaking in lakes. Going to clubs. Hanging out, drinking—”
“You’ve made your point,” I grumbled. “If you keep making it, I will also be immature and put you in a headlock again, you spoiled little gingerbread.”
She laughed, linking arms with me. “Spare me. I have something good to tell you.”
“Not even you can top what I already know.”
“Mom and Odette started planning your wedding today.”
Once again, I stopped, caught off guard. “What?”
“Yep, she agreed with Mom to have your wedding and coronation at the same time—this winter. The date is not settled yet, but they were talking about dresses.”
“Really?” This day, honestly, could not get better. I had thought to at least get through a few more weeks, allowing Odette to become more comfortable before bringing up the wedding to either of them. And I was sure my mother was going to push back on any discussion of it at this point.
“Look at your smile. You are so in love. Aww, look at my big brother.”
I pushed her off me, only for her to latch on more. “You are growing more and more annoying.”
“But you love me anyway. Quick question, who do you love more, Odette or me?”
“Odette, of course,” I said without hesitation.
“Ugh!” She pushed me away. “I can’t deal with these rainbows and hearts everywhere. You two sicken—”
“Is that why you went all the way to her hotel and begged her to stay with me?” I shot back, grinning.
She made a face. “I do not know what you are talking about,” she lied, going back up the stairs with me.
“Sure, you don’t. Either way, thank you, and I love you.”
“Yeah, yeah,” she said, waving me off.
I went back to the study, hoping to get work done so that, at the very least, Odette and I could have time together after dinner. Time felt as if it was going slowly. But I would survive it. Everything that came, I felt like I could survive.
“Miss. Miss.”
“Huh?” I turned over and was blinded by sunlight again, sending an eerie feeling of déjà vu behind me. I sat up from the bed, eyes wide, nearly terrifying her.
“Miss?”
“What day is?” I asked quickly, looking for my phone.
“Saturday.”
“Saturday? Oh, thank God.” I exhaled, hunching over with my hand on my chest. “I thought it was a dream for a second.”
“What was a dream?”
“My speech, which was going well, and looking at wedding dresses with the queen. I thought it was all a dream.”
Gelula giggled. “No, that all happened.”
I paused, trying to think. “What happened after that?”
“Nothing. You’ve been asleep since yesterday.”
“No.” I gasped, rushing out of bed, this time to open the blinds, and sure enough, the sun was really out. It really was morning. I really had slept throughout the whole afternoon and evening. “I missed dinner.”
“You did.”
“Ugh.” I groaned, putting my hands over my face. “I just got some praise. How could I sleep through dinner? The queen and the whole palace will think I am slacking off because of one good day. Why didn’t you wake me?”
“Prince Galahad told me not to.”
Gale! I hung my head. “Did you see the queen last night? How was she?”
“As always. But Princess Eliza did not come down as well. She said she had a stomachache, and Prince Galahad was stuck with work, so he did not come, either. So, it was not just you.”
I wasn’t sure if that made me feel worse or better. All I saw in my head was the queen sitting alone with Sophia, probably knowing Gale had made sure he and Eliza were also absent.
“I need to get ready quickly. I cannot be late for breakfast.”
“I’ve already got everything out for you, miss. And woke you a bit early.”
“Bless you,” I said to her, rushing to the restroom. “What is the gossip about me today, by the way?”
“Actually, very positive,” she said, coming into the restroom with me. “You received a lot of praise. Everyone loved your speech, and they were all talking about how good your Ersovian is so far. It was only those jerks at the Morning Eagle who decided to make up a story instead of reporting the news.”
“Make up a story?” I asked as I brushed my teeth.
“Yes.” Her face bunched up in anger. “Some stupid story about you and Prince Galahad eloping in Seattle.”
I coughed, nearly choking on toothpaste.
“Miss?”
I spat, rinsing my mouth before looking at her. “Eloped?”
She frowned while nodding. “Yes, they said that you both are already married and did so against the palace orders. Can you believe them? First, they say His Highness doesn’t love you. Then they say he is in love with some other woman and that they are having an affair. Now they are saying you both were so in love that you eloped and planned to run off together. I do not know if there is a single person with journalist integrity at that whole paper. They just write whatever comes to their mind, regardless of the truth.”
I did not have words.
Instead, I remembered the old saying that even a broken clock was right twice a day.
“Don’t let it bother you, miss. You should be able to hold your head up today. You proved so many people wrong yesterday, and you will do so again tonight at the state dinner.”
“Thank you, Gelula.”
“I’ll give you a moment,” she said, setting the towels onto the counter before stepping out of the room.
It was only once she’d left that I exhaled. Oh, shit.
I couldn’t have one full day.
Not one full day of being in everyone’s good graces? I thought about how angry Arthur had been with Gale when he had found out. I had no idea how bad his mother’s reaction would be. What would people say? How bad would this get? The more I thought about it, the sicker I felt. So sick, I rushed to the toilet, hunching over as I vomited.
“Miss!” Gelula called as she rushed to me, holding my shoulders.
I waved her off. Sinking to my knees. “I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” I said, slowly getting up off the ground and moving to the sink.
“Miss, I’ve meant to ask you...”
“Yes?” I asked, grabbing my toothbrush.
“When was the last time you had your period?”
I dropped the toothbrush and toothpaste from my hands, staring at her wide-eyed in the reflection of the mirror. She stared back.
Snip went all those wedding dress sketches.
God, save me from the queen because she is going to kill me.
I was fixing my tie when all of a sudden, without even bothering to knock, the door opened, and my mother—with Ambrose behind her—stormed inside.
“Mother?” I questioned, bowing my head to her.
She inhaled sharply before turning to Ambrose.
He merely lifted a newspaper. “‘We have it on good authority that we should not be addressing Odette Wyntor as Miss Wyntor but as Her Royal Highness, Odette, the Duchess of Wevellen, and now the Adelina, due to a recent discovery that Her Royal Highness was married to Prince Galahad in a secret civil ceremony in Seattle, Washington, the home of the Adelina.’”
“That is enough, Ambrose.” I couldn’t bear for them to keep reading. For the love of God, could we not catch a break?
“Why should he stop? Is it not just gossip?” my mother questioned.
They had ambushed me as I prepared and gave me no chance to deny or pretend. I was caught flat-footed once again. But how in the hell had the damn press discovered this? Who was the person leaking this? It couldn’t be Wolfgang or Iskandar. They had no reason to, and their loyalty was far too deep for that. Wolfgang already acted as if Odette was his queen, and for Iskandar, I was king. The only other people who knew this secret were Eliza—she could never—so all that was left was my brother. And he was gone. Who else?
“Gale, I’m waiting for you to tell me this is idle gossip, so I may leave your rooms and prepare for breakfast.”
I glanced up to her, trying to lie, but for some reason, I had lost all my skill. So, all I could do was stare.
“Galahad!” she snapped, rising from her seat. “Have you lost your mind?”
“In all honestly, at the moment, I did,” I whispered. “Arthur took me to task for it.”
“He knew?”
I nodded. “He told us to keep it secret because the people would be in an uproar if they found out.”
“He was right. They would be!”
“Yes! He was right, and the next day, he died.” I tried not to snap. “I married her, Mother, and it was my happiest day before my most devastating. I trusted Arthur would fix it because Arthur always fixed it. Even when she came to Ersovia to divorce me, I personally checked the records, but I couldn’t find it. So, I figured if I couldn’t find, and no one else reported it as everyone was combing through her past for dirt, then Arthur had saved my ass one final time.”
“Why do you always need saving?” she hollered.
“Because I am not as perfect as he was!” I hollered back. “I apologize. I’ll say it again. I am sorry that I disappoint you time and time again, Mother. And that I break protocol time and time again. I know you do your best to save me, too. But maybe, just maybe, I’m unsavable. I will never be fit for this role. I will never be the best king because I was never supposed to be! You know it. I know it. Everyone knows it! But I am trying! I cannot change my past!”
My chest hurt.
I wished to shove this whole morning back to hell where it came from. Hanging my head low, I sat back down on the edge of my bed, the fight now out of me. “I beg your pardon for my tone, Your Grace.”
“I will leave you to calm yourself down before I see you at breakfast,” she replied.
All I could do was nod as she took her leave, closing the door behind her. Tossing my phone to the side, I glared up to the ceiling, still trying to figure out how this came out, why this came out now. It took up all the space in my mind before rising quickly from the bed. I picked my phone back up, di
aling.
“Adelaar.”
“Come now.”
“Yes, sir.”
I hung up and waited in the center of my room, pacing slowly. It felt like forever before I heard a knock.
“Come in.”
Iskandar stepped inside, dressed in black, and closed the door behind him before standing straight. He bowed his head once before speaking. “You called for me, sir.”
“That night, when Odette and I were married, you got a call from my brother again, didn’t you?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And then you left the apartment.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Where did you go?”
“Back to the courthouse where you were married.”
“I thought so. But it should have been closed. Odette and I were the last people there that night. What happened?”
“It was closed. So, I tracked down the woman who married you both. It was late, and she was a bit worried. Prince Arthur told me to tell her whatever I needed to, to get the information from the courthouse.”
“You paid her off?”
“Yes, sir,” he said with no shame.
Shaking my head, I nodded. “And then what happened?”
“She accepted. I called the Adela—I called Prince Arthur. He said all right and that he would speak to me the next day. That was the last time I spoke to him.”
I frowned. “Did the woman you paid off speak?”
“I just finished talking to her this morning. She retired and now lives in Florida with her family. She did not. Nor did she ever tell anyone, including her family. After all, she did violate the law.”
This was the dirtier side of the crown, which covered any traces of mistakes no matter what the cost—even the law. I hated this side. And I hated knowing that my brother felt the need to bribe someone to break the law just to cover for me. It did not fit the image of the brother I wanted to remember. But what did I expect?
“Do you know if Arthur spoke to anyone else that day?”