“Break the stupid rule, Eadlyn. Marry the man you love. If he’s good enough for you to approve of, then I certainly do. And if the people don’t, that can be their problem. Because who are you?”
“I’m Eadlyn Schreave, and no one in the world is as powerful as me,” I blurted without thought.
He nodded. “Damn right you are.”
The producer burst through the door. “Thank goodness! You have ten seconds. Run!”
I BOLTED INTO THE ROOM, searching for Eikko. I couldn’t see him through the throng of people who’d been scurrying around hunting for me.
I tripped onto the stage as the light on the camera turned red, and I brushed my hair out of my face as I began speaking with absolutely no idea where my words would take me.
“Good evening, Illéa.” I broke all the rules I’d learned about public speaking. My posture was atrocious, my tone was uneven, and I didn’t bother looking into the camera because I was too busy searching for Eikko. “We have a bit of a surprise for you tonight. On this special edition of the Report, I have an important announcement.”
Finally I spotted him, half tucked behind Henri.
“Please join me in welcoming Mr. Eikko Koskinen to the stage.”
The room applauded, and I stood there hoping he’d brave the cameras for me. Eikko swallowed and straightened his tie as Henri patted his back, urging him to move.
I took his hand and invited him to stand beside me, feeling a little light-headed and worried that he may be feeling the same way.
“Some of you might remember this gentleman from a Report a few weeks ago. He is Sir Henri’s translator, and since his arrival at the palace, he has proven himself intelligent, kind, honorable, funny, and a dozen other things I didn’t realize I wanted until I saw them in him.” I looked over, and something about his expression, the hopefulness in his eyes, calmed me. I forgot about the cameras. “As such, I’ve fallen hopelessly in love with him.”
“And I with you,” he answered so quietly, no one may have even noticed.
“Eikko Petteri Koskinen, would you do me the extraordinary honor of becoming my husband?”
He let out one beautiful, disbelieving laugh, and the world stood still. There was no falling to knees or scrambling for rings. It was just him and me.
And millions of people watching.
He turned, and I followed his eyes, knowing he was looking for Henri. His friend stood there waving his hands and mouthing yes exaggeratedly, wild-eyed.
“Yes,” Eikko finally said, laughing as he answered.
I flew at him, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him in for a kiss. I was vaguely aware of applause and whistles, but the joyful pounding of my heart drowned out most of it.
A corner of my mind told me I should be worried about how the country might react, how things would unfold after tonight. But the rest of me silenced that worry, and I knew, with pure and perfect certainty, that I’d found my soul mate.
I pulled back to look at him, indescribably happy.
After a second, confusion settled on his face. “So … what do I do now?”
I smiled. “Just stand to the side for a moment. I have something else to take care of. And then so much I want to talk to you about.”
“Same here.”
The clapping dimmed, and I stared into the camera, too content to be afraid anymore, and told my people the truest thing I knew.
“I am aware that I’ve only been your queen for a few days, but in that short while, and for a long time before, I have been very worried about my place in your hearts. I’m not sure I’ll ever understand why I’ve come up against such disapproval, but I’m only now seeing that I shouldn’t care. My life should be wholly mine, not yours.
“And, conversely, your lives should be wholly yours, not mine.”
In that moment I felt the mood in the room shift, and maybe I was crazy, but it felt like it was bigger than what I could see in the studio.
“These last two months have been a whirlwind for me. I’ve made it through nearly losing my mother, having my beloved twin move abroad, being crowned queen, and finishing a Selection none of us expected me to have.” I smiled, thinking of how fast it all happened, how it should have torn me apart but didn’t.
“Through all this, some of you have been sympathetic, while others have felt ignored. Some have been supportive, and others have been aggressive. Until recently I would have said those feelings had no foundation, but I am sure now that is untrue.
“Before the Selection I lived my life within a small circle of acquaintances. I admit, my greatest concern in the world was my own comfort, and to maintain it I was willing to sacrifice a vast pool of things, including the well-being of so many around me. I’m not proud to tell you this.”