Chapter 10

When Nicholas said my name, I stopped where I stood and internally cursed. I was so close to my door.

As far as I could tell, I had two options: apologize for having overheard or deny, deny, deny.

I swiveled on my heel, facing him. “Your Royal Highness! I was looking for you.”

His brow lowered, skeptical. “Why?”

“I… uh… oh! I wanted to tell you about Elva’s allergies.”

Nicholas listened quietly as I explained the things she couldn’t eat, the types of materials she couldn’t have around, and the medicines that gave her reactions.

“I’ll take care of it,” he said, when I was done.

Over his shoulder, standing in the doorway of her room, Lena looked at me, a cold gleam in her eyes.

I shivered.

Over the next few days, I went through intense training to prepare for the game. Both Elva and I were provided with professional stylists to assist in every detail, from our hair to our gowns to the color of our nail polish.

Trainers helped me correct the dip of my curtsey, and the straightness of my posture. I had to practice walking with a book on my head, to learn fluid motion and grace. They even critiqued my wave, until it was the way the experts liked.

For meals, the candidates all met in the dining room. The royal family was always notably absent.

Our only other free time was an hour-long break for fresh air in the afternoon, when we were escorted through the gardens.

Elva preferred those hours, as she could run around in the grass, burning off her youthful energy. I worried for her, with her sickness, but the weather was pleasant, and the royal family’s doctor gave Elva regular checkups.

One day, we were walking through a field of beautiful wildflowers on the edge of the grounds, when Elva bustled over to me, dirt on her hands and the edge of her dress. As I knelt to dust it off, I noticed a cartoon bear band-aid on Elva’s knee.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“Do you like it? It’s so cute. I fell in the grass, but a nice girl gave me this.” She turned her leg this way and that, showing off the colorful band-aid. The cartoon bear smiled up at me.

“Which girl?” I asked, just as one of the candidates came to stand behind Elva.

“I hope it’s okay,” the girl said.

“This one,” Elva said, pointing at her.

I looked up at the girl. She was younger than me, eighteen at the most, with pale hair and round features. She stood timidly, her hands weaved together at her waist. She kind of looked like she wanted to run away.

“I’m Susie,” she said.

“Hi, Susie!” Elva said. “I’m Elva. I’m three. I like bears.”

She gave Elva a soft smile that seemed genuine. “Hi, Elva.” To me, she said, “She’s so adorable.”

“She is,” I said, standing.

Elva immediately lost interest and began picking flowers.

“Can I walk with you both for a while?” Susie asked.

Everyone else seemed to give me a wide berth. I wasn’t lonely, exactly, between Elva and the trainers and the maids. But it would be nice to talk to someone nearer my age, who did not feel as if they had to be nice to me.

I missed Anna.

“I’d be happy for the company,” I said.

Susie and I continued to walk, while I kept an eye on Elva. Eventually, I would call for her, and she would dash to meet us, carrying flowers. When her hands were full, she gave the flowers to me to carry.

Susie took a few and wove them into a crown. “For our princess,” she said, placing it on Elva’s head.

Elva bounced in place, so excited.

Halfway through our hour of freedom, we turned around and headed back toward the palace.

One of the other candidates was flittering between some of the other girls, like she was the hostess of the party and making the rounds.

“That’s Linda,” Susie said. “I knew her at the Academy. She’s always trying to form cliques. Anything to get ahead. Watch out for her… Oh, shoot, here she comes.”

Susie immediately wrapped her arms around her waist, as Linda made her way over to us.

Linda didn’t look at me once, keeping her gaze on Susie like I wasn’t even there.

“Susie, some of us are making an alliance of sorts. We’ll look out for each other. You and I go way back, so of course, I’ll let you in.”

“I don’t…” Susie worried her hands together. She clearly wasn’t interested, but… did her shyness keep her from saying no outright? “I’m not sure…”

“I’ll count you in, Susie. You wouldn’t want to get left behind, would you? Having us on your side would be a benefit.”

“I really don’t think…”

“I’m doing you a favor,” Linda said.

“I don’t think Susie is looking to pick sides,” I said. I’d had all I could take of Linda’s steamrolling. Susie clearly wasn’t interested, and Linda didn’t seem to care.

For the first time since coming over, Linda’s sharp gaze sliced to me. “I wasn’t talking to you.”

“You weren’t talking to Susie either,” I said, “Since you weren’t listening to what she was saying.”

“She’s shy. Sometimes I have to fill in the blanks.”

“No, I…” Susie cleared her throat. “No thank you, Linda.”

Linda glare shot back at Susie. “What?”

“I don’t want to be in your alliance,” Susie said, stronger.

Linda’s brow twitched. She smiled, but it was not friendly. “Suit yourself. But keep in mind, if you aren’t with us, you’re against us. I hope you know what you are up against.”

She didn’t wait for a reply before storming away.

I walked with Susie in silence for a moment, before she said, “Thank you.”

She didn’t have to thank me, but I nodded all the same.

“I hate bullies,” I said, to explain.

“Me too.” Another moment passed. “Maybe we don’t have to be rivals.”

“Maybe we could be friends?” I asked her.

She lowered her face, hiding her gentle smile. “I’d like that.”

Later that day, our training ended early so that we could meet at the bottom of the stairwell to hear announcements from Nathan.

“You first public appearance will take place in three days,” Nathan said. He stood on a step to stand above us. His voice echoed through the chamber.

Lena was at the base of the stairs. She offered a wide, kind smile to each of the candidates. When her gaze fell onto me, that smile immediately vanished.

“You will stand in a line outside the front of the palace,” Nathan continued. “Camera crews will be brought in. As the cameras roll, you will wave to the public through the live broadcast. We will also allow a select few to stand on the grounds, forming a crowd for you.”

The girls chittered with excitement. One girl clapped her hands. Another laughed.

“The people are eager to meet you, ladies. They want to place faces to the names they know. Make sure to give them your best first impression.”

I noticed a shift of moment at the top of the stair. There, leaning against the wall that headed toward the west wing, was Nicholas. No one else had spotted him. He gazed down at us with a passive expression.

He was too far away to be able to tell exactly where his attention laid, but my skin still broke out in goosebumps, just as it had three years ago, when I’d often caught him watching me from across the room.

“Well, ladies,” Nathan said. “Are you ready to reveal yourselves to the entire kingdom?”

The girls let loose a resounding cheer.

I stayed quiet, watching Nicholas.

Too soon, he kicked away from the wall and disappeared down the hall.