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“I’m sorry, Maddie. I really don’t know how to tell you this, but I would feel like a complete bastard if I don’t.”
My chest constricts, and my palms get all clammy. “What is it?”
“You can’t be chosen. My mother would never approve of such a match and it’s…well, it’s not expressly her decision, but I do need to stay in her favor.”
“What?” I breathe, my voice stolen by the shock and disappointment currently snaking like shards of ice from the very center of my chest to my extremities.
I shouldn’t be surprised. I really shouldn’t. But after the last couple days with Tai and then Wolf, I thought maybe…
Kaz dips his chin in a nod, seeming honestly disappointed, himself. Maybe a little bit sad, judging by the sudden downturn of the corners of his mouth.
“I would risk my own happiness if it meant I had the chance to improve the lives of my citizens. I hope you understand. Truly. I can do a lot of good if I’m to become king. I can do a lot of good even now if the queen sees fit to involve me in making decisions that could affect the country as a whole. She’s insisting on regular meetings with me throughout this process so I can update her on our feelings with regard to the Omegas. If I so much as hint to her that we’ve taken a fancy to…well, to someone like you, I’m certain she’ll do something to sway us. Or worse, to ensure you are no longer eligible. Ultimately, it remains our decision who we choose, but if I don’t become king, if she doesn’t share her power, I can’t do the great things I want to do.”
Stunned, I stare back at him with my heart stammering and flip-flopping, strangely feeling like it’s crumbling even if it has no right to. I’m so attracted to them all, and I get along with them so naturally that I thought…
Never mind. It doesn’t matter.
“I understand,” I murmur with my pulse thundering in my ears when I realize what this means. I’m wasting my time here. Time I should be spending helping my family.
“Why am I still here, then?”
“Well, my mother doesn’t know there’s interest in you yet, but my real guess?” he says, his voice as quiet and contemplative as my own, but there’s an apology in his eyes, too. “Entertainment purposes and appeal to the masses. A true Cinderella story. Nothing captivates viewers quite as much as a rags-to-potential-riches situation.”
“Wouldn’t I need to win the heart of Prince Charming for it to be a true Cinderella story?”
“No,” he says, eyes gentle as they refocus on mine. “It’s all about the façade. The illusion. Get people rooting for you, keep you here until the end so it looks like you’ve almost made it before someone swoops in and takes the win from you at the last moment.”
“Are you sure?” It’s a long shot, but I won’t forgive myself if I don’t at least ask.
A sad smile curves on his lips as he nods again. “As awful a reality as it is, I am sure. Has Tai told you much about his family?”
“A bit. Why?”
He exhales deeply through his nostrils. “Taiyo’s family has held their title for generations. It was bestowed on his great, great-grandfather more than a century ago.”
“Wow.”
“Yes, but that’s not really the point of this story. The reason I’m telling you this is so that you’ll understand why you will never get the queen’s blessing. She’d known Tai’s dad since they were children. As a result of his family’s connections to my own, they spent a lot of time together.”
“Okay?”
He leans back on the bench, and his jaw tightens as he stares absently into the hedges, his throat bopping as he swallows heavily. It’s plain to see that he doesn’t like talking about this very much, which must mean he feels it’s imperative to tell me this story so I’ll understand the truth of what he’s saying.
“When he took over some of his family’s duties, Tai’s father was sent to Tokyo on business for the Crown. He met a young Japanese woman there, a waitress he claimed to have fallen into love with at first sight.”
“Should you be telling me any of this?”
He sighs. “Probably not, but I need you to understand the extent of my mother’s disdain for commoners.”
The use of the word stings, but it’s not incorrect. At the thought, the pieces fall together in my head, and I finish the story for him. “That woman is Tai’s mother. Your mother sent a childhood friend into exile because he fell in love with a commoner. That’s why they moved back to Tai’s father’s home country.”
“And why this is only the second time the Duchess has returned to court since Tai’s birth.” Kaz’s chin lowers before he finally looks at me again. “Do you understand now?”
I hate it, but… “I do.”
The weight of reality bears down on me when I realize I can’t stay here. That I may have to sell one of my scent glands after all. If I can even sell it. I haven’t wanted to ask any of them why they reacted to my scent the way they did at the ceremony, but I’m beginning to suspect it may not have been because they were repulsed by it after all. A strong reaction doesn’t mean a bad one.
As I think it over, the hopelessness of my situation sinking in, an idea suddenly sparks in my head. “You said I could possibly stay until close to the end, right? Give viewers the opportunity to root for Cinderella?”
