I’d failed to see him like that at school, because he didn’t act like a prince there. He just seemed like my friend. Like any other average guy.
Now I realized he was so much more. What the hell was I doing here? I didn’t belong here. I didn’t belong at Ethan’s side. I could never fit into a royal lifestyle like this. The most I could do was pretend.
Queen Antonia shut the door behind her and faced me. “Forgive me for taking my son away from you. There was no other way.”
It took seconds to piece something together very quickly. Steward Soloman hadn’t requested Ethan’s presence at all. That was just a distraction so the queen could get me alone.
The Circle might be the ruling body in Malovia, but it was clear who really ran the show.
“Let me be frank,” Queen Antonia said. She took a slow step toward me, and gods, it freaked me out more than any monster I’d ever seen. “You were not my first choice for my son’s wife. You weren’t the second. In fact, you weren’t even on the list.”
Queen Antonia curled her lip. “An outsider as heir to the throne. The daughter of the woman who broke my husband’s heart, no less. An American, with no proper breeding. Not even a full-born Arcanea. You’re not fit to be queen.”
I wanted to tell her she was wrong, but I kept silent. If I wanted Ethan to be king— and I did, for him, because he deserved it— I had to get along with the in-laws.
She shook her head. “I was hoping he’d pick Chastity. But for some reason, he chose you, and it’s too late to go back. What I want to find out is why.”
I had to steady my voice so it didn’t shake. “Why don’t you ask him yourself?”
“Careful, girl.” The queen’s eyes flared. “You haven’t won the Contest yet.”
I bit the inside of my mouth and said, “I couldn’t tell you why Ethan—”
“Prince Ethan. Remember you have no title.”
I took a deep breath. “WhyPrince Ethanchose me. He barely told me himself. All he said was that I could help him.”
“And are you going to?” Queen Antonia raised an eyebrow.
I didn’t know what was proper to say, so I forced out, “I’m well prepared to win the Contest. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“I hope you are,” Queen Antonia said coldly. “Because if you lose, and cost my son his kingdom, there will be consequences for you. Whether it is your fault or not.”
Fear constricted me. What would the queen do? Would she compromise my medical supply somehow? Would she go after my friends?
Would she hurt my mother?
“Your embarrassing display at the ball tonight has made a mockery out of my son, and that cannot be allowed to continue,” Queen Antonia went on. “Your behavior might be permissible in the United States, but in Malovia, you’ll find things are different. You have quite the audacity to show up here with that humiliating court.”
Rage flared up inside of me, cold and bitter as a snowstorm. Queen Antonia might be head bitch around here, but nobody insulted my friends.
The most powerful woman in all of Malovia was threatening me, and the only way I could put a stop to it is if I took her place. Which I fully intended to do.
“Allow me to make something very clear,my queen,” I said, in the rudest tone I dared to use. “Idoknow why your son chose me. Because he knew I’d make damn well sure to get the job done.”
The corners of her mouth lifted. Queen Antonia got so close to me I could smell the perfume dotted around her ears. “Oh, you’re a wolven, all right,” she said. “You’ve got the blood of the hunt on you. Maybe you’re good for something yet.”
It was then the doors flew open. They slammed against the walls as an elderly woman in a glittering evening dress glided into our presence, heels clicking sharply against the marble floors. I sagged in relief as she approached.
“Lady Magdalina,” Queen Antonia breathed. “I wasn’t expecting you tonight.”
“Yes, I’m certain you weren’t,” Lady Magdalina said sharply. “Now if you don’t mind, I’d like Emmaline to return to the ball. I am her sponsor for the Contest, after all, and it’s better if she doesn’t hide away in here with you.”
I didn’t know she was my sponsor. Queen Antonia stepped away from me and said, “As you wish, Headmistress.”
I hurried my ass out of there as quickly as I could. Lady Magdalina strode beside me, though it was almost more of a march.
“Thank you for saving me,” I told her. “I didn’t know if I could stand it a moment longer.”
