It’s hard to rhyme your name.
And though we really ticked you off,
We love you all the same.”
I giggled the whole way through it, as did most of the boys.
The grand finale was the eight of them cluttered onstage dancing. Well, trying to dance. There was a lot of grinding and hip shaking, to the point that I blushed a few times. In the end I really was impressed. They’d organized the whole thing overnight, both trying to entertain me and apologize at the same time.
There was something really sweet about it.
I applauded them as they had their final bow, giving them a standing ovation.
“All right, I should go to work . . . but what if I get some drinks in here for us instead and we talk for a bit?”
They all answered affirmatively over one another, so I sent for tea and water and some cold drinks as well. We didn’t bother with rolling out tables and instead sat on the floor. Sometimes these pain-in-the-neck boys could be so nice.
Ahren didn’t come to dinner either. I watched as the Selected boys filed in, and all our guests, then Mom who was running a little late . . . but no Ahren.
Dad leaned over to me. “Where is your brother?”
I shrugged, cutting my chicken. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen him today.”
“That’s not like him.”
I glanced around the room, looking at the remaining nineteen candidates. Kile gave me a wink, and Henri waved. Every time I looked at Gunner, all I could think about was his silly poem. Fox nodded his head at me as our eyes met, and when Raoul stretched, I remembered the care he took teaching me to grip a bat.
Oh, no.
It had happened. Even with the boys I hadn’t spent much time with, I knew that each of them had a hold on me in some way. I already knew that some of them claimed a spot in my ever-terrified heart, but how had it come to pass that they all mattered?
I felt a heaviness settle in my chest. I was going to miss these loud, strange boys. Because even if I miraculously found one to stay with me in the end, there was no way to keep them all.
I was thinking about how worried I used to be about losing my quiet house when Gavril walked in, one of the news staff we kept around for the Report trailing him.
He bowed in front of the head table, looking at Dad. “I’m so sorry to bother you, Your Majesty.”
“Not at all. What’s wrong?”
Gavril glanced at all the watching eyes. “May I approach you?”
Daddy nodded, and Gavril whispered something in his ear.
Dad squinted in disbelief. “Married?” he asked only loud enough that probably Mom and I could hear. He pulled back to look into Gavril’s eyes.
“Her mother approved. It’s been done, all legal. He’s gone.”
My body turned cold, and I ran from the room.
“No, no, no,” I mumbled, rushing up the stairs. I went to Ahren’s room first. Nothing. Everything looked pristine, no sign of packing or an urgent exit. But, more important, no sign of my brother.
I tore from the room, heading to Camille’s suite. I’d peeked in the day before and had seen her trunks spilling open with so many outfit choices, they probably could have filled my closet. The trunks were still there, all but the smallest. And no Camille.
I fell into the wall, in far too much shock to process this. Ahren was gone. He’d eloped and left me here alone.
I stood there in a daze, not sure what to do. Could I get him back? Gavril said something about legal. What did that mean? Was there any way to undo this?
My world felt dimmer, slightly misaligned and wrong. How was I supposed to do anything without Ahren?
I ended up in my room without realizing I’d even walked there. Neena held out an envelope to me.
“Ahren’s butler delivered this for you about half an hour ago.”
I snatched the paper from her hands.
Eadlyn,
On the off chance that the news has not reached you by the time this letter does, let me tell you what I’ve done. I’ve gone to France with Camille, and, pending her parents’ approval, I intend to marry her immediately. I’m sorry to have run off without you and to have excluded you and Mom and Dad from what I always knew would be the happiest day of my life, but I felt I had no choice.
After speaking with you last night, the last few years made perfect sense to me. I always assumed your dislike for Camille stemmed from you both being in the same situation. You’re young, beautiful women who will inherit a throne. And you and she handle this position in vastly different ways. She is open to everything, while you keep people at a distance. She deals out her power with humility, while you wield yours like a sword. I hate to be so blunt, though I’m sure you already know this about yourself. Still, it brings me no joy to say it.