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I turned to the voice of the woman with mismatched eyes—one hazel, the other pure blue. She was dressed in blue, too, though it was tight, with a slight slit up the side of the thigh.
“And you are?”
“Sabina Franziska, former Countess of Gormsey.” She curtsied with a smile on her face.
“Hello. Former you said?”
“Yes, divorced.” She snickered and leaned over. “It was very scandalous. My husband left me for another man.”
“I’m...that must have been hard.” What was I supposed to say to that?
She flicked her fingers nails. “Not really. I already knew when I married him. I was in it for the money and the title.”
My eyes widened.
“Oh, do not look at me like that. It was a mutual deal. He got a cover, a wife of good standing, and got what he wanted. It was a marriage of convenience. You should know how those things work correct?”
“I beg your pardon?” I asked.
She just kept pretending as if we were friends and smiled as she spoke. “You and Gale. Don’t worry. I already know.”
“Sadly, I do not think I know what you are talking about.” I tried my best to keep my face calm.
“Do not panic. I am not one of the vultures looking for you to fail.” She giggled, flicking her nails again. “In fact, I am actively in your corner. There is nothing I want more than for Gale to marry you.”
Each time she said Gale instead of Galahad, a small part of me wanted to yank her eyeballs out and stuff them into her mouth.
“I was always worried about us if he were forced to marry some noble lady. Before you, they thought of Lady Maeve Cudmore over there.” She pointed to the short, sort of plump girl with braces and acne that her makeup failed to cover. “Very rich, one of the richest in the country, but very weird. She is an entomologist too. Her whole mansion is filled with dead bugs, even her bedroom from the rumors. Gale told me once, his family visited their summer home, and she was smashing beetles into some paste to use on her skin. It gave him shivers. He declared he’d never marry her even if the country were on fire. He can be dramatic, can’t he? Especially when I already know he will do whatever his family asks anyway. That is why I was so worried she would be the one. Because to be so weird for so long means she does not care what others would say about her. And with her family being so powerful here, I was sure whenever Gale came to see me, she would make a huge deal out of it.”
Now, after her little speech, I understood. “You are one of Gale’s exes too.”
“Oh, so you have met the Lady of Belway?” She giggled, shaking her head. “Yes, Giselle is in his past too. Not his favorite, though, mostly because of her damsel in distress act. If there is anything Gale loves, it is a woman with a heartbreaking story. He loves being the knight in shining armor. Do not mind Giselle. She will get used to you and then ignore you.”
I bit my tongue for a moment. “Is there a reason why you are talking to me right now?”
“I told you, because I am in your corner, your friend—”
“You are not a friend.” I shook my head, slowly looking out at the swans. “Let us skip forward. I guess you are here to tell me that you are not giving up on Gale? And that I should just accept that.”
“I am glad you are smart.” The grin on her face widened.
“So, you are telling me you are a whore?”
She did not even flinch. “I prefer the word mistress, the future king’s mistress, to be exact. And you are the future queen, and I will always remember that and stay in my place. You will barely even know I exist. To be king, to be the Adelaar is stressful. Gale needs a place, a person who helps him forget. Also, do not worry. I cannot have children. That is why he’s always felt safe with me.”
Was this woman really pitching to me why she should be Gale’s mistress? I was so shocked by how brazen she was about it. As if it was already a settled fact.
“In truth,” she went on, “I think we can all get along. I hate the press in this country. They are like rabid dogs, as you have seen sometimes. So, we all should have an understanding now like the ducks and the swans here. The ducks know they are not as big as the swans. They do not share the same type of beauty, nor do they get the same amount of attention, but they still share the same pond and eat the same food. They enjoy almost the same life. They remind me of myself. What do you think?”
I stared at her for a long time before reaching over and taking off my hat, running my hands through my hair. “I think you are mistaken, but I should thank you for speaking up because this little speech has reminded me of who I am. You and I are not the same. We do not share a pond. This is not a marriage of convenience. I am not here to be the queen of anything. I do not want a title. I do not need fame or money. God knows I have plenty of my own. Unlike you, when I truly care about and love someone, I do not share them with anyone for any reason. If Gale were dying and you were the only person in the world with his cure, I would either let him die or leave. That is how selfish I am,” I replied boldly. “If my mother saw me standing here in this outfit being talked down to by some pitiful, desperate, damaged garbage of a human being like yourself, she would slap me silly. Because she told me a thousand times, there is no line in a ring.”
“And that means what?” Her voice and demeanor now changed.
I lifted my phone for her to see. “That means you have bad timing. I was recording to send my mother what it was like today. Then you decided to come over and admit to far too much. And now I have that recording, and I am very upset. Not upset enough to do what I think you wanted me to—break down, stomp off, and just come to accept you. No, I am upset enough that I’m going to send it to those rabid dogs in the press you hate so much.”
“You—You would not dare.” Her voice stammered. “You would hurt Gale too.”
“I sort of want to hurt Gale right now, so it’s okay. Thank you for coming to talk with me, Sabin—”
