Chapter 77

The next afternoon, Elva and I watched from the window as the second garden party was held down below.

Because of the delay, the girls had been given another chance to remake their food items that morning. This seemed a bit unfair, since their appetizers would be much fresher than those from the day before, which had been made and then placed into storage.

I couldn’t and wouldn’t complain though. The girls had been denied their chance yesterday, and this was the fairest way of making that up to them.

The Queen herself seemed much better, standing upright and majestic as ever. Linda’s undercooked, spoiled eggs likely only made her sick for a few hours. I’d never been able to tell she’d been sick at all, looking at her now.

“Their dresses are so pretty, Mommy,” Elva said. She seemed particularly taken with Olivia’s pink ruffles. Blonde and beautiful, Olivia looked great in everything.

I hated to be so self-centered, but seeing Olivia look so regal and stunning made me pull into myself a little.

Linda’s insult stuck out in my mind, reminding me that no matter how I dressed, I would always be common underneath. Such thoughts never really bothered me before. But sitting here, looking at how flawlessly Olivia and Lilliana fit into their noble rules, I felt inferior.

I truly did not belong here. No one knew that better than me.

“What’s wrong? You’re frowning.” Elva poked at my cheek.

I took her hand in mine and placed a soft kiss to her palm. She was an observant little girl, I had to remember to school my emotions around her.

Elva needed me to be strong, so I had to be. Even if we didn’t belong here, I couldn’t let Elva think so. For her, I would bury my inferiority under a wave of courage.

“I’m okay,” I told her. “See?” I forced a big smile.

She tilted her head like she didn’t quite believe me. But then, eventually, she nodded and looked back to the window.

“Oh! There’s Susie!” Elva said. “Susie!” She waved, despite Susie trying her best not to look at us, as the royal family was at her table.

In the end, only Nicholas glanced up at us, a tiny smile on his lips. He didn’t look long enough for Elva to switch her attention to him, however.

I gently shush Elva. “She’s in the middle of something important. We can say hi to her later.”

“Her dress is so pretty,” Elva said.

I agreed. She looked great in a crimson cocktail dress with lace trim.

Behind us, Mark slowly came closer to the window. I gave him a knowing look. “Would you like to take a peek, Mark?”

His cheeks flushed slightly. “No, I… Well, if it wouldn’t bother you too much.”

I waved him forward. Together, we all looked out the window. Seeing Susie, Mark’s breath caught. I pretended I didn’t notice.

Later that afternoon, the rest of the girls and I were called down to join the party, to receive the results. We stood out in the grass. Susie shared some of her leftover appetizers with Elva and me. After eating hers, Elva skipped circles around us.

“This is delicious,” I told Susie as I finished my own pastry treat.

She shrugged. “Thank you. There’s no way we won though. Neither my partner nor I knew what to talk to the royal family about. We mostly stood there awkwardly.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t all that bad,” I said, offering my friend as much support as I could.

Yet she did not seem at all convinced by my words. “It was worse.”

“May I have your attention, please?” Nathan called.

We all quieted down and turned toward him, waiting for him to begin. There was a brief delay as the camera crews set themselves up to capture both Nathan and the royal family behind him.

“The royal family would like to thank you all for giving your best to this garden party event,” Nathan continued, after given the green light by the camera crews. “As you know, this was a chance for you to demonstrate your ability to cooperate and negotiated with adversaries.”

He motioned for the Queen, who stepped forward. “Maintaining diplomatic relations is one of the most essential rules for a Luna. Finding common ground with those often considered to be your enemies is a vital piece of this diplomacy.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Nathan said.

The girls and I clapped politely.

“Now, we will announce the winners of this event. This pair has shown the best overall cooperation, as well as individual talent in both cooking and presentation.”

“It’s not going to be me,” Susie said softly, worrying her hands together.

I whispered to her, “At least your partner knew how to cook.”

Susie smiled a little and it felt like a victory.

“The winners are…” Nathan paused for dramatic effect. “Olivia and Megan!”

Olivia gasped, then laughed in faux disbelief. She pulled Megan beside her into a sideways hug. They both looked physically pained at the contact, though they hid it with tight, overly-friendly smiles.

The rest of us clapped, as directed by the producers.

When the appropriate amount of time for clapping was over, Nathan continued to speak.

“Come on up here, ladies, and be personally congratulated by the royal family.”

As Olivia and Megan made their way to the front, Nathan added, “This win will earn you each a personal date with the prince of your choice.”

The King, Queen, and princes congratulated the two girls in turn, while the rest of us were forced to watch.

Nathan then approached them. “Now, girls. Which of our three princes has earned your favor.”

Both Megan and Olivia had the same answer, “Nicholas.”

Nicholas didn’t move, but something in his face seemed to age as he heard their responses.

Beside him, Julian laughed and laughed. Joyce looked bored.

Nathan quickly gave the microphone to Nicholas. “Surely you have something to say to the ladies?”

Nicholas cleared his throat. “I gratuitously accept.” He handed the microphone back.

Nathan accepted it but looked confused a moment. Had he expected him to say more?

“Poor Nicholas,” Susie whispered. “He looks so worn out.”

I agreed.

So much so, that I decided, when the crowds dispersed, to take Elva to see him, to hopefully cheer him up.

I waited around for a while, talking with Susie and helping her take her display apart. Her partner, Jessica, was almost as shy as Susie was, but was friendly enough when we spoke.

“Jessica was hoping for a date with Joyce,” Susie said, which made Jessica blush as red as her hair.

“I feel bad,” she said. “No one seems interested in him.” Softer, she added, “But I think he’s the cutest in the bunch.”

An uncommon take, but not an unwelcome one. I was sure Nicholas would be relieved to know at least one person here wasn’t pining over him. Julian, I was just as sure, would have found it all very funny.

With the display taken down, I excused myself from the girls. Taking Elva’s hand, I went in search of Nicholas. He wasn’t out in the main gardens, so we entered the house.

I hoped he hadn’t disappeared into the royal family’s rooms or some other prohibited location.

Fortunately, I quickly found him near the entrance to the ballroom.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t alone.

He had his arms around Lilliana’s waist, and her arms were around his neck.

They held each other in a gentle hug.

My lungs suddenly felt too big for my chest and I struggled for breath. Yet I could not turn away.

What had Julian called it? Watching a train wreck?

I shouldn’t have been bothered near so much, yet I was.

Maybe Julian had been right, after all.

What I felt now was undeniably jealousy.

And I hated it.