But as soon as I sat down, the door I’d entered opened again and Eleanor shuffled into the room in a silver dress. She used a wooden cane and hung onto the arm of her assistant for help as she headed for the final open seat.
Prince Byron jumped to his feet and pulled out Eleanor’s chair to help her get seated. When he returned to his spot, I found his hand under the table. I squeezed it and he squeezed back.
Whispers were shared between Constance and her friends, probably commenting on Eleanor who looked like a zombie at the far end of the table. Piper turned to Eleanor and tried talking to her, which wasn’t greatly reciprocated.
Everyone grew quiet when the opposite door opened and soldiers and servers entered the dining room, followed by the Queen. Prince Byron rose and urged us to do the same, which we all reluctantly did. The Queen glided across the hardwood floor in a long emerald gown with an extended train that looked like a hitchhiking demon. Two servers were tasked with helping the Queen to sit, adjusting her gown and fixing her train.
“The evening is finally here. My, how time flies,” she said and raised her champagne flute. “Here’s to love and the future of our fine Kingdom.” She took a sip, signaling for us to follow. Then she continued. “I look at each of you and see my Amelia. She would be so proud and honored to know one of you will be stepping into her shoes, continuing her legacy and leading the Kingdom into a new generation. I’m very excited for Amelia’s public reemergence and the announcement of the new royal couple at the Kingdom’s birthday celebration.
“Prince Byron, are these girls all that you expected?”
“They all have greatly exceeded my expectations,” he said. “It’s been a pleasure getting to know each and every one of you over the past four weeks.”
“Can’t we just hear his choice now and get this over with?” Constance asked angrily.
“I insist we have one more meal together before this is over,” the Queen said, glaring.
“You mean before you…” Constance glanced over at the Prince. “Never mind. Let’s eat. I’m freakin’ starving.”
The dinner was painfully long, with course after course served separately. It seemed she was dragging this out intentionally.
Each of Bethany’s plates was removed from her place setting untouched. She’d pick up her fork, dab at her food, and then place the cutlery back on the table without taking so much as a bite.
“I’m scared,” she said during the fourth course which was pepper-crusted duck breasts. “I don’t think I’d be able to keep anything down.”
“It’s going to be okay,” I whispered. “Have some champagne to calm down.”
She shook her head and picked up her fork again. She cut a small slice and looked at it like she was being asked to eat rat poison.
“I can’t,” she said, placing it back on her plate.
Prince Byron leaned closer. “You’re going to get through this.” He smiled to reassure her.
His attention seemed to calm her slightly, but she still didn’t eat any of her food.
I glanced across the table at Constance, who seemed to be mostly drinking her dinner. She noticed me looking and simply raised her glass with a smirk.
“If it’s free and flowing,” she said.
“Keep your wits about you,” Prince Byron whispered to her.
“We had a good connection. Didn’t we?”
“You’re a strong, self-reliant, amazing woman. We’ve had a strong and genuine connection from day one.”
“I thought so too,” she said, her words beginning to slur.
For dessert, we were served chocolate cake with a middle layer of strawberries. Each plate was garnished with a strawberry rose, a dollop of whipped cream, and a few mint leaves.
“Each course served tonight was among Princess Amelia’s favorites,” the Queen said.
Each time she mentioned Princess Amelia I wanted to scream at her, curse her for what she was doing to her own daughter. The Princess deserved to be at this table with the rest of us—to see the lives of all these girls she’d made possible by her unique genetics.
With the Princess in the forefront of my mind, I leaned in close to Bethany and asked her to nudge Piper. “You both know Pride & Prejudice is my favorite book. Well, there’s a very special copy of it in the secret library, on the second level. If either of you gets the chance, you should check it out.”
“I guess,” Piper said. “You would be thinking of books at a time like this.”
“Sure thing, Victoria,” Bethany said.
It was obvious they were both confused by my bringing it up, but I hoped it would lead one of them to Princess Amelia if it wasn’t me who was chosen tonight.
The Queen only took a few bites of dessert before rising from her chair. Several servers rushed to her side to keep her gown in perfect condition.
“Thank you for this pleasant dinner,” she said. “I couldn’t have asked for more. Now it’s the time you’ve been eagerly awaiting. Follow me.”
The Queen led the way out of the dining room, followed directly by her servers and several soldiers. We were allowed to join the procession afterward, with Prince Byron taking the lead. Then the remainder of the soldiers brought up the rear to keep us in line.
Bethany took my hand as we marched into the Event Room. I hadn’t been in there since the masquerade ball. As we descended the steps, I saw the entire room was filled with palace staff members and soldiers. Doctors Sosin and Crane, along with a few other doctors I knew by sight but not by name, were among the crowd. I glanced up and noticed more soldiers positioned on the balconies.
A dais was set up on the far side of the room with two thrones, one larger than the other, centered atop. The Queen ascended the few dais steps and claimed the larger throne.
On the right side of the room were risers, which we were directed to by several staff members. Piper, Bethany, and I took the second row, along with Danielle. Constance, Jane, and Eleanor were positioned on the bottom.
“Prince Byron,” the Queen said from her throne. “Who will be our Princess Amelia?”
The Prince paced before us, seemingly gathering his thoughts. When he stopped and faced us, his eyes found mine. “I want to thank you all for opening up to me, for letting me into your hearts and your lives. I feel so grateful for the opportunity to get to know and build connections with each of you. I wish I didn’t have to make this decision. It’s much harder than I ever thought possible. But in the end, there can only be one Princess Amelia and one woman for me.” He took a slow breath and glanced over at the Queen.
My heart was pounding, thinking of everything he’d told me over the past few weeks, the wonderful moments we’d shared and the promises he’d made. Now I wished I hadn’t eaten so much.
I noticed a few soldiers inching their way closer to the risers we were standing on, but I tried to keep my focus on the Prince and the name he was about to call.
When his attention came back to us he finished his short speech. “I choose Victoria. That is, if she’ll have me.”
My smile matched his at hearing my name. My shoulders relaxed. In that instant, I forgot about everyone else in the room. All I could see was Prince Byron standing before me. I truly would be a princess!
“Of course, I’ll have you,” I exclaimed.
“I love you, Victoria. You are my everything.” The Prince held out his hand, beckoning me forth.
“I love you too,” I said and maneuvered past Constance and Eleanor to reach the floor and go to my Prince. But I was stopped by a single word slicing through the room.
“No.” The Queen was on her feet, looking all the more larger-than-life and intimidating from her dais.
CHAPTER 54
“What?” I gasped and heard Prince Byron simultaneously utter the same question.
“I have always reserved the right to veto your decision if I feel it’s detrimental to the Kingdom,” the Queen said. “I do not feel Victoria Sandalwood is a suitable choice and have vo
iced my veto.”
The risers were surrounded by soldiers now. I stood halfway between the Prince and the girls, unsure of what to do next. My eyes met Prince Byron’s, pleading with him to say something—do something.
“Queen Dorothea, I beg you to reconsider,” the Prince said. “I feel Victoria will provide great service to you and the Kingdom. She has a tremendous heart and will take on her new role with grace and fortitude. I have found my true love and can no longer imagine my life without her.”
“You said to all of us that this was a harder decision than you ever thought possible and you had genuine connections with each and every one of the girls standing on those risers. You may prefer Victoria, but there are other girls here with whom you can have a fulfilling future. A girl more suitable as a partner for you and as a leader to this great Kingdom.”
“Why then?” Prince Bryon asked defiantly. “Why do you object?”
“She’s attempted to run away once since she’s been here,” the Queen began. “She’s been hiding an affair with a boy posing as one of my staff members, whom she knew from her home in the 24th Ward—”
“I was not having an affair!” I shouted.
“This was your second time planning to run away with this boy, was it not? He infiltrated my palace because of you—” she snapped.
“Which shows the gaps in your own security—” I said.
“Do not interrupt me!” the Queen demanded. “This girl was reset due to numerous instances of insubordination back home, which was also withheld from me to keep her and her guardians in good standing. All of these things are unacceptable, making her an unacceptable candidate for Princess Amelia’s replacement.
“Now, Prince Byron, we need to move on from this. My decision is final. You must choose another if our two kingdoms are to continue building and strengthening our alliance. You don’t want to be the one responsible for destroying all the work your parents have put forth over the years to bridge our Kingdoms, do you?”
Prince Byron dropped his head. “No, Your Highness.”
“A prince, and one day a king must be able to make difficult choices—many of which are not popular—for the good of the many, for the good of the Kingdom as a whole. This is a difficult choice. I understand. But one you must make.”
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The Prince looked crestfallen—and worse, he looked like he was going to comply with the Queen’s orders.
I ran over to him. “You can’t do this!” I pleaded. I grabbed his hands and gazed up into his sorrowful eyes. “You have a choice. You do. Please…”
After what felt like forever, he returned my gaze. His hands were clammy in mine. “I know. A choice I have to make and I will make it right—I promise. But for right now, I’m sorry.”
“No…” I cried. “Don’t say that. You can’t…”
“Victoria, please—please go back and stand with the other girls,” Prince Byron said, letting go of my hands and lifting his gaze. His expression was wiped clean of any lingering emotion.
“You can’t be serious.”
“Please,” he said. “Let’s not make this harder than it needs to be.”
I felt so stupid for trusting him, for allowing myself to believe I deserved love. My heart was shattered and the pieces scattered about the floor like tiny shards of glass. There would be no way to piece them all back together.
I returned to the group of girls, tears streaming, unable to meet anyone’s curious and shocked eyes. What should have been the best moment of my life had instantly been turned into the worst.
“Prince Byron, please continue,” urged the Queen. She was once again seated on her gaudy throne.
“I’m sorry—I’m sorry for all of this,” the Prince said. “I’m sorry to all of you, but most importantly, I’m sorry to Victoria.”
I couldn’t look at him.
“I’ve also developed an amazing connection over the past few weeks with this thoughtful and giving young woman.” Prince Byron paused. “I will choose Bethany for Princess Amelia.”
Bethany turned to me, tears also in her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said and gave me a hug. “He said he’d help us.” She wiped her cheeks and raised her chin before stepping down from the riser and joining the Prince in the center of the room. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.
I had to look away, unable to bear seeing her with him. A smile finally crept onto her face as her dreams came true, her heart blooming over the scattered shards of my own.
“A very fine choice,” the Queen said. “Welcome back my dear daughter, Princess Amelia.”
The room roared with applause, all welcoming the new Princess. It hurt so much more knowing how close I’d come to being in her position.
The Queen rose from her throne and descended the dais. Her staff members rushed to her side to help with the train of her gown as she approached the Prince and new Princess. On reaching them, the Queen embraced them both. She took Bethany by the hand and led her up the dais to the secondary throne. By the time the Queen and new Princess sat down, the applause finally subsided.
Then Prince Byron spoke up. “You have to give me the others,” he said. “I can provide them safe and discreet passage to Easteria where they will be no threat to the legitimacy of Princess Amelia.”
“And you placed your soldiers around the girls to stop any advance I might take toward them, I presume,” the Queen said in an amused tone.
“I want to appeal to your mercy and compassion. I’ve developed feelings for all of them and cannot bear to see any ill fate befall them. Please, as a gesture of goodwill toward the alliance of our kingdoms.”
“One day, my young Prince, you will come to understand why this was necessary. This will be painless, I assure you,” the Queen said and turned her attention to the doctors huddled by the dais. “Hit the kill switch.”
The Prince gasped. “What? No!”
“Wait!” I screamed and jumped down from the riser, frantically waving my hands in the air to get the Queen’s attention. I was stopped by the ring of soldiers encircling us, now ready to shoot anyone who approached.
Dr. Crane had a computer tablet out and was systematically jabbing his finger at the screen. When he stopped and finally looked up, I heard a chain of crashes behind me. Then the room went silent apart from a few nearby gasps.
I spun around and found Danielle, Jane, and Eleanor on the floor, out cold. They didn’t seem to be breathing and their bodies were contorted in grotesque positions from the way they had fallen off the risers. Piper and Constance, on the other hand, were quite awake and looked like they’d each had a bucket of ice water thrown in their faces. They both were in shock from what had happened and from wondering why three girls were seemingly dead and the three of us were still standing.
CHAPTER 55
“What happened?” the Queen demanded.
“They didn’t all take,” Dr. Crane said, glancing at the other doctors in his vicinity.
“Why?”
“I—I don’t know.”
“What did you do?!” Prince Byron shouted. He moved toward his men to form a united front against a multitude of soldiers in the balconies, all aiming down at us.
Sitting beside the Queen, Bethany was horrorstruck.
“Prince Byron, come here,” the Queen said. “Instruct your men to stand down. There is no need for any of them to die today.”
I swallowed hard, reached under my dress, and pulled out the tablet and phone. “Let me pass,” I told the soldiers tasked with protecting us.
“Victoria, don’t,” Prince Byron said. “Stay back. I will handle this.”
“Queen Hart!” I screamed from behind my human wall. “Bethany can’t be Princess Amelia because Princess Amelia is not dead! I’ve seen her and I can prove it!” I pushed the soldiers before me and this time they made room and let me pass.
Prince Byron took a step toward me. “What are you doing?”
“What you coul
dn’t,” I snapped. “Getting the rest of us out of here.” I walked purposefully toward the Queen. “You’ve lied to the Kingdom. You’ve lied to us. You’ve lied to your own daughter for her entire life.”
With a few clicks to the screen, I lifted the tablet so the Queen could see as the video of her daughter played.
“How did you…” The Queen actually looked surprised. “You’ve visited my Amelia? What have you told her?”
I glanced at Dr. Crane and he looked furious. As I drew closer to the dais, Dr. Crane rushed over and snatched the tablet from my hand. He ran up to the Queen.
“It’s okay,” I said. “I don’t need it anymore.”
“And there are pictures,” the Queen said somberly. “Erase all of this.”
“Those aren’t the only copies,” I said. “There are copies of all of them outside the palace right now, out of your possession. Out of your reach.”
“Are you blackmailing me, you little whelp?” The Queen was on her feet again, approaching the edge of the dais. She remained at the top of the stairs, glaring down at me.
“You will let Piper, Constance, and me leave or I’ll have your entire plot exposed to the Kingdom.” I thought my voice would crack, but it didn’t. My hands shook from the rush of adrenaline, but I stood my ground.
“How do I know there’s any surviving evidence?”
I waved my phone to get her attention. “I will make a call to someone outside the 1st Ward who has copies of the pictures and videos, as proof that what I’m saying is true. Then, if I don’t meet him by a certain time, all the information will be released. The only way you can stop that from happening is for me to meet him at that appointed time, for which I also need to feel safe—like you’re not having me followed. And as a final caveat, I’m not leaving without my sisters.”
“Prove it,” she challenged. “Make the call.”
She didn’t seem particularly fazed, which scared me more than I wanted to show. I flipped open the phone and pressed Kale’s number. I clicked the speaker button and held my breath, anxiously waiting for him to answer.
Royal Replicas Page 25