Chapter 72

“Forgive me, Your Majesty, but we had given consideration to the spirit of the event,” I said.

It wasn’t totally a lie. I had given some thought about how our divided display could still indicate some measure of cooperation, even if Linda hadn’t.

“Explain yourself,” the Queen said.

I motioned toward our display. “At first glance, our table is divided, which could reflect the deep disagreements between us and our adversaries. Yet if you look closer, you will notice that our selections actually complement each other.”

The Luna and King pressed in closer to the display, peering at where I suggested. Behind them, Nicholas and Julian gave me supportive looks – a full smile from Julian, a partial from Nicholas. Joyce continued to look off into the distance, disinterested.

“Linda’s cold selection and my warm one offer an exploration of taste. The drinks in between act as a palate cleanser, when needed. Individually, we could stand alone fine, but when presented together, we are better.”

I lifted one of the stuffed mushrooms and handed it to the King.

“Much like diplomatic relations, we bring two different individualities together in a united front.”

He nodded, thoughtful. Then he bit into the stuffed mushroom. He hummed, then motioned to his sons. “This is very good. Try one.”

I provided each of the princes their own appetizer. Nicholas touched my hand a moment longer than needed as he accepted his. Pride shone bright in his eyes, which warmed me up from the inside out.

When I offered one to the Queen, however, she simply looked at me blankly, and made no motion to accept it.

I slowly lowered it back to the table. “Whenever you are ready.”

“That is outrageous,” Linda said suddenly, claiming everyone’s attention. “Piper’s talking out of her backside. We didn’t discuss any of this.”

Standing up straighter, I tried to catch her eye, to ask her what she thought she was doing, but she didn’t once bother glancing my way.

“Our foods are divided because I didn’t want her inferior selection to be anywhere near my own. I understand this isn’t in the spirit of the event.” Linda huffed. “But what kind of diplomatic relations would be needed between royalty and commoners?”

She picked up one of her dried-out deviled eggs and handed it to the Queen, who eagerly accepted it.

“Commoners should stay within their own boundaries and do as they are told,” Linda said. “That is why our display is the way it is. Had I been partnered with someone on my own level, I would have been happy to advocate for cooperation.”

The King and Queen nodded critically, as if they agreed with what Linda was saying!

“You don’t often get to select who you must work with,” Nicholas said, face stern. “Oftentimes those we must find common grounds with are not the kind we would normally associate with.”

“Yes,” Linda said solemnly. “But they wouldn’t be common. I had to divide the table. Don’t you see? If I allowed her to infiltrate my side, she would only steal the benefits of my station, without providing any good qualities of her own.”

“Piper’s stuffed mushrooms were quite delicious,” Julian said. He pointed at Linda’s eggs. “Have you been keeping those on ice? You know they need to be kept chilled, or they will go bad.”

The Luna shushed him. “Don’t be rude, Julian.”

Julian looked at her. His smile took on an edge. “Rude is how everyone else is acting, mother.”

“To assume the common people want to ‘steal the benefits of your station’ is a dangerous opinion to have,” Nicholas said. “The common people, after all, are what keep this kingdom running.”

Behind him the producers whisper-yelled, “That’s good. The people will love that. Get a close up of the prince.”

Nicholas glowered. Clearly he hadn’t just said that for the cameras, and having been caught out made him uncomfortable.

I wished I could tell him that I understood he meant his words and that I appreciated them, but there was no real opportunity for me to do so.

“Everyone needs to know their place, nobility and commoner alike,” Linda said.

The King nodded.

The Queen decided to change the subject, “I will try the egg first. I’m sure it is delicious.”

“Mother, perhaps you shouldn’t –”

“Quiet, Julian,” she said.

Julian lowered his head, unusually cowed. “Yes, ma’am.” In his eyes, something sparked though, as if he was about to watch his own revenge unfold.

She bit into it. Immediately, her face soured, though she continued to chew. Eventually she swallowed the bite down. She did not go for a second.

The King who had been carefully watching her seemed less inclined to take a bite of his own offered egg. However, after glancing at the cameras, he inhaled a deep breath, and nibbled on the edge.

Linda offered eggs to the princes. They all refused, even Joyce, who I had previously assumed hadn’t been paying attention. Perhaps he was more observant than I had thought. I truly knew so little about him.

“This is…” The King struggled for a word.

“Vile? Repulsive?” Julian supplied.

“Spoiled?” Nicholas added, without so much joy as Julian.

The Queen pressed one hand to her stomach and the other to her mouth. She lurched forward, like she might be sick.

Immediately, the King turned toward the cameramen. “Get those cameras out of here!”

The producers complied at once, pulling the camera crews away from the scene.

I had some water stored in a bottle nearby and quickly poured a glass for the Queen. She refused to accept it from me.

“My Queen?” the King asked.

She shook her head. The King waved her handmaidens closer, and they quickly scurried to get her away from the event. After she disappeared inside, the King turned to Nathan.

“The event is now ended.”

“Your Majesty.” Nathan bowed his head. “What of the candidates yet to participate?”

“What of them?” the King scoffed. “The Queen is unwell! Naught else matters but that.”

“Of course, sir.” Nathan bowed deeper.

The King wasted no more time. He left Nathan and the princes standing there, and hurried into the palace, chasing his wife.

When he was gone, Nathan announced the end of the event to all the girls. Those that had yet to be judged were outraged, and a crowd formed around my table.

“Don’t look at me,” Linda said, scoffing under the sudden pressure. “Piper is the reason this happened.”

“And just how did you reason that out?” Julian said.

He and Nicholas had stayed nearby, listening to the complaints of the girls. It truly did seem unfair, that they wouldn’t have the chance to be judged. Loudest among them was Olivia, who insisted her appetizer was the best.

Joyce had pulled out a book and began to read, standing further away than the rest.

“Simple. If she had followed basic orders, I wouldn’t have needed to overcompensate with a more complicated dish!” Linda said.

I wasn’t sure what about deviled eggs made it a complicated dish, but I knew that if I suggested that, she would take it as an insult and fire more insults at me.

“Each of our foods was fine,” I said. “Yours simply became too hot in the morning sunlight. If we had thought to put out some ice…”

“I can’t think of everything,” Linda snapped. “If I had a more competent partner, then none of this would have happened.”

I stood my ground. “I had nothing to do with your half of the table.”

“Am I supposed to believe that? Maybe it wasn’t the ice that we needed, Piper. Maybe this was your plan from the start.”

“What are you talking about?”

Around us the girls began to whisper.

Fury burned hot in Linda’s eyes.

“You sabotaged me.”