He brings it to his lips and brushes a gentle kiss over the backs of my knuckles.
"She'd better—" I cut off as both my phone and his tablet buzz in our laps.
Gently tugging out of his hold, I flip my phone over to check the screen.
Luka does the same, swiping at his tablet. "Breaking News: Fire on the east side of the city. Crews are already responding…"
"Yeah, I got that notice too. Sad," I reply, heaving out a sigh.
The door behind the throne opens, and my heart jumps up into my throat, making breathing impossible as two honor guards in formal uniforms with tassels draped across their shoulders proceed out the door and march stiffly toward the throne to flank it.
My father emerges next, his suit crisp, hair touched up by professionals. He looks solemn, though from this distance, I can't read his micro expressions. For an instant, I regret not sitting closer, but the guys and I decided that would be too much for my mother to handle. She'd feel too cornered and want to lash out. Better not to tempt her right now.
I need her to choose this truce because there's one person she cares about in this world...and he's on the verge of rejecting her.
Thank fuck Dad has a heart.
My own chest drums with percussive force as I watch her stride out. She's no longer in the gown she wore to dinner. Now she's in a formal black suit, a golden crown settled on her perfectly arranged hair.
Her red lips curve into a practiced smile as her arms rise wide in welcome. "Good evening, everyone. I'm so grateful you could carve out a chunk of your evening to be here. I want to start off with a quick moment of silence for those brave men and women across town helping with that fire. I heard it just jumped to a second location."
Everyone bows their head accordingly.
My phone buzzes with an alert less than thirty seconds later. When I glance, it's an update about the fire.
The reporters are already eating out of her palm, racing to get tidbits of the freshest news out first, as if the words will spoil if they sit on them for a single second.
"Tonight, I have a very important announcement. A very tentative, but very important announcement."
Collectively, all the reporters lean forward as if they're a single entity. The entire room holds its breath. As do I.
The next few moments feel endless, like I'm staring up at the sky at a dozen asteroids that might crash down and decimate the city, destroying life, destroying me. But there's nowhere to run. I can only wait in horrid anticipation to see if they burn up in the atmosphere or if they'll erase my future in a blink.
This announcement is just as life-altering because Mother could keep her bargain, or she could find some way to destroy me.
My stomach kicks wildly as my gaze darts over to my father and then back to her.
What's she going to do?
I honestly don't know.
My mother waits until every eye is locked on her before she speaks again. "We have been at war with the Noths for so long that hatred seems natural. We've all lost someone, and the desire for justice is inevitable."
Her eyes find mine, and my heart locks up, my lungs clenching.
"And we alldeservethat justice."
My lips smash together as my hopes tumble.
She's not going to do it.
Questions start to fly from the mouths of reporters as I sit there and stare blankly at her. Empty.
Her hand rises to stave off the shouts of the press.
When they've settled down to grumbling volume, she continues, "But despite what we deserve, at some point, we must attempt to be the bigger person. To show grace. To look beyond the past and toward the future. And that's why I'm in very tentative, preliminary talks with the royal family and the president in Nóthos to see if we can devise a path forward toward peace."
I grab onto my seat cushion and squeeze so that I don't scream in relief and aggravation. In triumph that's mixed with agony because it seems Mom still loves one person in this world. It's just not me.
