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Well, that answered some of my questions about him. I swallowed the lump that was now in my throat. I knew what he was saying was true. I wouldn’t be safe at the castle. I knew it the moment they called my name, but there was something about hearing it out loud that made it seem more real—scarier.
The meaning of his words didn’t get past me either. People would rather have no Queen than be ruled by a nix. My blood boiled. I had to fight against my growing anger, thinking about how some wanted to make things worse for rank zeroes. To take away their rights and not allow them a Trial…
“So, I’m to wear this necklace,” I hissed, my voice rising an octave, “and still do whatever anyone compels me to do, except kill myself?”
“More or less, yes.”
He knew I was fuming as he studied me, gauging my reaction. I wasn’t good at keeping my emotions in check and was practically wearing them on my sleeve for him to analyze.
I willed my anger down enough to say, “If the people won’t approve of a Queen who is a rank zero, then why have me at all? There are plenty of girls who would be better suited than me as you said. Plenty who actually want this. Surely you could have found someone better.”
“You’re right. I think any other female in this Kingdom would have been a better pick than you.”
My jaw dropped at his words. Not that they weren’t true, but because he flat out agreed to it.
He ignored my gaping mouth and said, “Especially since they didn’t even deem you worthy of being a guard.”
“What?” I practically screamed. My rage twisted in my gut like a dagger.
He paused as if unsure if he should continue. My glare made it known I wouldn’t let him leave without further explanation.
He sighed and ran his long fingers through his black waves. “They were going to make you a servant. The High Council members who were at your ranking evaluation put it on your record before they even saw you fight. It didn’t matter how you performed. It didn’t matter how good of a fighter you were or how well you trained your body. It didn’t even matter that you knocked out half of your male classmates. You were going to become a servant.”
His words stripped me, leaving me raw inside until there was nothing left. I felt bare. It was like I was naked despite being covered in more clothes and blankets than I owned.
I ignored the fact that he remembered me, not only from the outer rim at the banquet, but from watching me fight. He remembered my Trial. A more unnerving truth came crashing down.
None of it had mattered.
All those days of waking up early to train before class, all the bruises and cuts that turned to scars on my body, were pointless. All the times I had to suck down my urge to fight back whenever someone abused me because I couldn’t risktarnishingmy record for the Trials. None of that mattered. They were going to make me a servant without ever seeing me fight. Just because of the two zeroes that are now forever on my wrists like shackles. The burns were chains holding me down.
I would have been a servant. And they wanted to do this to every rank zero. They didn’t want to give them a chance at the Trials. They didn’t want to give them any opportunities to become something better.
Sie studied me before saying, “I’m sorry, Scotlind, but I don’t think it was random that you were selected. The Council is planning something and I want to use you to find out what.”
His words were laced with ice. I processed them over and over again in my head, unable to muster a response, unable to grasp this reality. My stomach turned in on itself as I realized three hard truths.
The first was that Sie wasn’t a nice male. He wasn’t trying to protect me by giving me this necklace. He wanted to use me. The fact that I almost let him kiss me just moments ago made me sick as I recalled all the rumors about him. He was a flirt. He could be with any female he wanted. He didn’t like me. He would use me, whether it be for my body like he almost just did, or for some greater agenda like finding out what the High Council was up to.
The second thing I gleaned was that I was in trouble. Someone picked me for a reason, and I had a sinking feeling that it had nothing to do with changing our world for the better or how we treat nixes. It couldn’t be a coincidence that the first nix to be picked for the future Queen wasn’t really a nix. Maybe whoever was behind this knew I was Luxian. Was it the lavender-eyed male from the beach? Was this the plan all along? Was I a part of some bigger scheme?
The third thing I realized was that I was done playing along. I would not allow them to change the ranking system. I would not allow them to make things worse for the rank zeroes. If they tried, I’d dedicate my life to demolishing the court from the inside out. I would do whatever I could to prevent that from happening until I was discovered or killed.
“You want to use me?” I finally said. “How?”
“Yes.” He replied truthfully, not bothering to hold back or lie about it. At least he was blunt and honest. “I want you to be my spy. If you hear something or if someone tells you anything, then compels you to forget, I want to know about it.”
I shook my head in confusion. “I still don’t understand. Why would you agree to this? You didn’t have to accept me. All you had to do was say you had another person in mind. You could have picked anyone to be your wife. Why me?” It was the question that had been on my mind ever since the banquet, but I had been too afraid of the answer to ask it.
“Something else, something bigger than whatever future is between you and me, is going on with the High Council. I realized it as soon as they called your name. I intend to know why they selected you, and I need you to play along in order to do that. If I picked someone else to marry, the High Council would still attempt whatever they are planning. Something will happen, Scotlind. It’s only a matter of time, and it will be to our advantage that everyone thinks you are weak. They won’t be worried about masking things from you because you are a known zero.”
“So you don’t plan on marrying me then? You just want me to play along with the engagement long enough until you can figure out what is going on? Then I’m free? To do what exactly? You said yourself I can’t be a guard, and now I missed the placement for careers.”
He shook his head. “The High Council is planning something whether or not I decline you for a wife. Like I said before, I don’t care who my wife is. I will marry you. Just help me figure out what they are planning and come to me when anything happens. I want to know right away when and who tries to compel you.”
“Why are you telling me any of this? For all you know, I could be working with the High Council.”
“You’re not. I saw the expression on your face when your name was called,” he said. “And I’m telling you this because I want you to know what you are getting yourself into. You will be in danger.”
