by J. J. McAvoy
“Shall you wear the medals today, sir?” my valet asked as he brought a tray of medals I had not truly earned—except one, the Iron Heart of Service, which I’d earned simply by doing one year of charity of work. All I’d done was volunteer at a hospital for three hours a day before going to a beach. Seeing it now only made me ashamed of who I was in the past.
“No, James.” I offered the man a slight smile. “No medals.”
“Then at least the sash, sir,” he said, holding the white and gold material for me.
I nodded, allowing him to help me put it on. He paused when he saw the double stitching on my collar before a small frown appeared on his lips.
“Say it,” I replied.
He kept silent.
“It is all right. You can say it.”
“Sir, you are the Adelaar now,” he said as if I had forgotten. “You do not think it is time to wear the correct suit?”
“Even if my brother is not here, I am still second, James. Until the day I become king, I will be second.” It was small. Very few would notice. Even if everyone noticed, I preferred it that way. There wasn’t much I could do to pay tribute to Arty. “The world and country will slowly forget him, James. They are moving on, and not only must I let them, but I must move on as well. I can’t openly grieve. But I can wear this—a quiet reminder that someone was before me, someone else was here.”
His face relaxed as he adjusted my suit. “Very good, sir.”
Knock.
Knock.
“Enter.”
Turning, Iskandar stepped inside, bowing his head to me. “Adelaar.”
I turned to James. “That is all, James, thank you.”
“My pleasure, sir,” he said, bowing his head before turning to leave.
It was only when the doors fully closed that I turned to Iskandar. “What have you found out? Who has Sophia been speaking to?”
“No one out of the ordinary. No reporters—in fact, her circle of communication is very small. That is how I am able to come back to you now,” he replied.
I cracked my jaw to the side. “Keep checking. Maybe she has said something in passing.”
“Sir, I do not think it is her.”
“Then who.”
“I am not sure.”
I exhaled. “Then keep searching until you find one you are sure of. I cannot stop the press outside, but at the very least, I should be able to stop them from being inside.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Thank you,” I remembered to add as I walked to the door. “Now, let us all get this night over with.”
Chapter 26
Reaching up, I held the crown on my head, still shocked it was there, panicked it would fall off if I took another step.
“Maybe we should add more pins.” I turned to Gelula and my hairdresser.
“Miss, if we add any more, it might tear your hair out when we try to remove it later,” my hairdresser said, coming up beside me one more time to show me how she’d secured it. “See, it shall make it through the night.”
I exhaled one more time. “Okay, thank you.”
Gelula spoke to her for a moment as I looked in the mirror. I stood in a fitted, strapless, red mermaid gown, no necklace but earrings matching the crown on my head. I had worn crowns before, and I’d seen my mother wear them all of her life, but seeing this one on me now was different. Once again, it hit me, really and truly hit me that Gale was a prince—a future king, and I was going to be his queen.
“You look beautiful as always,” Gelula replied as she came up beside me. “And much more at ease now.”
I glanced at her, and we both shared a smile. The first thing we had done when I finally had a spare moment was to take the test. Luckily it came out negative. I was right. There was nothing to worry about.
Knock.
Knock.
“Miss, we need to be going now, so you are not late,” Wolfgang said from the other side of the door.
“Coming,” I replied. I turned to the door, and Gelula rushed in front of me to open it.
As I walked, I tried to pretend that this wasn’t any different from the days when, I would practice my walk with my mother. It wasn’t any different than how she would walk in our living room—head high, stomach in, shoulders back, and a secret smile. I kept repeating those four things to myself until I reached the golden grandfather clock at the top of the red-carpeted grand staircase where Gale stood, not as Prince Charming but Prince of Ersovia. His hair was styled best as it could be, the gold buttons of his royal black jacket were polished, and a pair of gloves were deliberately placed in his pocket.
When he turned to me, my mind went blank. I was lost in his blue-green eyes. My stomach and heart started to do gymnastics. He walked up to me and lifted my hand, kissing the back of it.
“Bevilën,” he whispered as his lips left my hand. His gaze drifted to the crown on my head, and he smiled. “A perfect choice.”
I couldn’t respond.
“Odette?” he called again.
“Hmm?”
“Breathe.”
I inhaled deeply and then exhaled, causing him to chuckle. “You listened without arguing, which means you must be truly terrified right now.”
“Can you blame me? You all keep upping the stakes like we are going through levels of Super Mario Brothers.”
“Super Mario Brothers?” He looked at me, confused.
And I tilted my head to the side. It was like the time he didn’t know how to fan the smoke detector. “Seriously? The video game?”
“What video game?”
I turned to see Eliza come down dressed in green with a sliver pearl tiara on her head. It looked more like a hairband of peals. She hopped right in front of us both, looking between us, and asked again. “What video game?”
“Super Mario Brothers,” I replied.
“Oh, Arty and Gale used to play that all the time.”
“Is that so?” I looked back at Gale, who looked at his sister tiredly.
“Has anyone ever told you that you have horrible timing?” he asked her.
“No, not that can recall,” Eliza shot back.
“Do better to recall. You have horrible timing,” Gale repeated, to which Eliza just rubbed her ear as if she couldn’t hear him before winking to me and walking over to talk to Wolfgang.
“Why did you pretend you didn’t know?” I asked Gale.
He sighed. “I was trying to get your mind off everything, even if it was for a second.”
I smiled and squeezed his hand. “How are you so romantic even when you do not mean to be?”
“What can I say? I am the perfect man, a true gift from the heavens.” He leaned into me, and I leaned back and away, rolling my eyes.
“A gift from the heavens?”
We both paused for a second before turning to see his mother dressed in a cream-colored dress with a white and gold sash similar to the one Gale wore, only a star was at the bottom of hers. She wore a large sliver, diamond, and sapphire crown on her head, and her gloves went up to her arms. Beside her, Sophia was dressed in black lace with a black and gold tiara on her head. Upon seeing them both, I curtsied, as did Eliza.
“If you are a gift from the heavens, it must be that I was being rewarded,” the queen said as she stopped in front of us.
“Of course,” Gale replied, lifting her hand and kissing it. “For your grace, understanding, and patience.”
“Kiss up.” Eliza coughed.
I smiled.
They were a family. Under the jewels, the protocol, and the palace, they were a family. That was what I had to hold on to.
“Ma’am, we are ready,” Ambrose said to her.
According to protocol, she nodded, and I stepped back from Gale for Sophia to stand beside him. She was the widow of the previous Adelaar, so until I married Gale and I had a higher title, I would walk to the left of Eliza. Gale glanced back at me, and I nodded at him that I was okay. I was more worried about Sophia, who r
efused to take his arm. Only when the queen glanced back as she stood in front of us all that Sophia finally lifted her hand, not bothering to look to him. He took it without looking at her, either.
What happened? Their relationship was never great, but it wasn’t like this. Sophia always followed protocol, so for her to have to be given a look was odd. I glanced at Eliza, but she shook her head with a small frown. I didn’t have much time to focus as we began to walk forward.
The guards stood ready at the door.
“Her Royal Majesty, Queen Elspeth, and His Royal Highness, Prince Galahad, the Adelaar,” they announced as the doors opened.
When we stepped out, the cameras flashed, blinding me for a second. Then I saw over two hundred faces on opposites sides of a long, formal dinner table, all of whom either curtsied or bowed as we walked to the head of the table. Centerpieces made up of the four flowers of Ersovia, and actual candles in golden candle holders decorated the table while all the chairs had the royal seal on their backs. At the head of the table were two chairs larger than the others with the seal on the front—the one for the king would remain empty.
Gale led Sophia to her seat beside the queen, before switching to my hand and leading me to sit beside him on the seats beside the king’s chair. We stood until the queen sat.
Gale gave my hand a light squeeze.
Step one. Entrance. Done.
Step two. I had to sit still and listen to their speeches. Which I thought would be easy; however, I noticed everyone’s eyes seemed to drift more to me—watching me carefully. It wasn’t malicious. Well, not all of it. Some just seemed curious. When I met some of their eyes, they smiled. It was hard not to smile back politely; it felt rude, but I wasn’t supposed to. I had to be pleasant but invisible. How was that possible? I had no idea. However, I did my best to look at Gale most of the time while he stood and spoke.
When he finally sat back down, I almost applauded but then dropped my hands quickly, which I’m sure people caught—first mistake.
Ignoring it, I moved to focus on step three as the first course of seven was brought out by the footmen. As they set the food in front of me, Gale leaned over to whisper, “You didn’t hear a word I said, did you?”
I had tried to keep my face under control, but since when could he read me so clearly? “I heard you,” I lied, lifting my soup spoon when everyone else did. All my training from my mother and Lady de Marissonne came to my mind as I slowly brought the soup to my lips, taking a delicate sip.
“Name one thing I said?” Gale asked.
Swallowing, I opened my mouth to speak, but suddenly, like fire and ash were being poured down my throat, I couldn’t breathe. I glanced down at the soup, confused, and tried to take a deep breath, but I couldn’t.
“Odette?”
Turning my head, I looked him in the eyes and tried to speak, but I couldn’t. As my vision blurred, I reached out and grabbed his arm tightly. I knew what this was. This had happened once before. I needed help. I tried to get up, but all of me shook.
“Odette?”
“Pea-p-peanuts,” I gasped out before everything went dark. The last thing I heard was his voice.
“Odette!”
Trembling, Odette rose up but nearly slipped, then hunched over her plate, gasping.
“Odette?” I rose.
Her head whipped to me, her brown eyes wide with fear. “Pea-p-peanuts.”
Just like that, she collapsed, and I grabbed her as she shook violently in my arms. “Odette!” I hollered. “Odette!”
She just shook. I glanced around, not understanding, and my brain was frozen in terror as I tried to get her to get back up. But she wasn’t. Searching around, all I saw was more chaos and people running, yelling. Eliza was already screaming beside us, and more people came to me.
“Sir, stand back! Stand back!” Wolfgang pushed me before stabbing her with something. Then a second time. It was only then that she inhaled. Turning to me, he said, “We need to get her to the hospital!”
That was all I needed to hear. Lifting Odette off the floor, she slumped in my arms, and I ran. I ran as fast as I could, pushing whoever I could out my way. “Odette? Odette?” I called out, but she didn’t wake.
“Get me an ambulance!” I hollered, rushing out into the corridor.
“Sir, this way!” Iskandar was already running, leading me toward the front of the palace where the in-palace doctor, as well as two nurses, were also rushing.
“What happened?”
“She’s allergic to peanuts!” someone I didn’t know yelled.
I just stared at Odette’s ashen face, going where they led me until the cold air slapped across my face as we stood outside, a stretcher and ambulance already there. When? How? I wasn’t sure. I couldn’t care less as they were trying to take her out of my hands.
“Your Highness, give her to us!”
I held on.
“Your Highness! She needs to go!” They ripped Odette from my arms and placed her body on a stretcher, immediately putting oxygen to her face, then put her in the back. I tried to get in, but they held back.
“Sir, let the doctor go! She needs the doctor!” Iskandar yelled at me.
“What is her BP?”
“Where is her pulse?”
I watched as the ambulance doors closed and tires screeched over the gravel, rushing out of the palace gates. It was all so fast.
“Thelma, get the car! We will follow from behind. Everyone shut down the palace! No one gets in or out! No one!” Iskandar barked out orders, still holding on to me.
However, I pushed him off.
“Sir?”
Stepping forward, I stared at the crown that was now on the gravel. It had fallen off Odette’s head and to the ground. I had seen her face. I’d seen her collapse, and I’d seen her get into the ambulance on a stretcher. Yet it never occurred to me. It never hit me. Only at seeing her crown on the ground did I realize—
She was dying.
“Ugh.” I gasped out, stumbling back.
“Sir!”
That familiar feeling of dread and pain that came over me at losing Arty returned once more.
“Odette!” I screamed.
“Sir!”
“Do not touch me!” I hollered, shaking him, looking around. “Where is my car? Where is my fucking car?”
“It’s here!” He pointed, and I was running toward it.
“We’re going now, sir. Get in!” Wolfgang already held the door open for me.
Odette. Odette, you better not fucking die. “Please don’t. Please.”
He hadn’t moved in an hour. He stood like he was held to the ground by invisible roots. His head down, his arms wrapped around himself, barely breathing as we waited in the private wing of the ER—just him, Thelma, and me. Iskandar was outside the ER with the other guards, speaking to the palace. It was just like when Prince Arthur had died. No one wanted to believe it had happened. Everyone was kicking themselves as they tried to think about what they could have done better.
The truth was I did not know Prince Arthur. I was sad, but I’d never spoken to him or had any of the deep connections that other people did. Everyone had some story about Prince Arthur, but he was just the Adelaar to me, my future king, whom I respected and wished well. So I was upset he was gone, but it didn’t gut me. Iskandar pretended as if nothing bothered him, but Prince Arthur’s death had hit him hard. He was much stricter with everyone, even himself.
I tried to think of how I would feel if Odette died, but I couldn’t even finish. It hurt too much. They were our rulers. We weren’t supposed to get to close, but we did. She was important to me. She was my friend. And I had stabbed that EpiPen into her as hard as I could. As her assistant, it was my job to know as much about her as I could, so when I had read that she had a severe peanut allergy, I carried two with me at all times. I didn’t think anything of it. I never expected to have to use it because everyone in the palace had been informed peanuts were banned. The kitchen kn
ew. So how in the hell did it end up on her plate?
“Your Highness?”
Alert, I stepped forward as the doctor finally came out of the room. For the first time, Gale looked up. His eyes were red, and tears dropped from them. Quickly, he moved to stand in front of the four doctors in front of him.
“How is she?”
“She went into anaphylaxis shock,” the female doctor said gently.
“That was not my question,” Gale repeated gently. “How is she, Doctor?”
The woman glanced at me and then Thelma. “We should speak in private—”
“We are in private. Please, say it.”
“She will recover.”
Gale exhaled, releasing his arms.
“However...”
“However?” he questioned.
“She lost the child.”
I froze.
So did he for a moment.
“What child?”
The doctor looked back at him, confused. “Did you not know she was pregnant? No more than a few weeks now.”
Gale stared at her, then hung his head again. It took him a moment, but he nodded, swallowing slowly before speaking. “Thank you. I hope we can count on your discretion.”
“Of course, sir,” she replied. “She will need a lot of rest. We sedated her, and she will need intravenous fluids and oxygen for some time. If not for the injections of epinephrine, she would have died, sir. You may go in, but visits should be kept to a minimum.”
Gale cracked his jaw to the side and nodded. “Thank you, Doctor.”
She nodded, and the rest of them stepped aside, allowing him to go inside. I wanted to go as well, but again, I was not family. I was the staff. So, I looked in from the door window to see her lying on a bed, intubated with a ventilator to help her breathe with IVs coming out of her arm. Gale slowly walked up to the bed, and being safely behind the doors with only her in front of him, he fell to his knees, weeping.