“Oh, no.” Forelle claps both hands to her mouth.
My lip curls and I grind my teeth.
Angry chatter spreads across the crowd. I turn to find the Ministers exchanging disgruntled words. The group of girls I didn’t recognize clap. I guess the queen invited them to the funeral for a chance to meet the prince.
Prince Kevon hurries down the steps and places an arm around Queen Damascena’s shoulders. “Mother, I appreciate your efforts.”
Everyone falls silent.
The queen places a palm over his heart. “I just want you to have the perfect girl.”
“Any comments from you, my prince?” asks Byron.
Prince Kevon steps aside. “Let’s hear from the Hierophant.”
A whimper reverberates in my dry throat, and I have to lean on Forelle for support. She places her arm around my middle and lets me rest my head on her shoulder. Even if the Hierophant tells the cameras he already gave his blessing, it’s not the same as a marriage or an engagement.
Queen Damascena will restart the Princess Trials and eject me from the Oasis. She won’t even have to worry about repercussions from Prince Kevon because she’ll hold onto the throne forever by extending her life with Amstraadi juvenation technology.
“Thank you, my prince.” The Hierophant pulls down the hood of his cloak, revealing his face to the camera. “Royal funerals are fraught with mishaps. What if clouds cover the moon at the wrong moment, what if I say the wrong word during the blessing and the monarch loses his or her chance to be one with Gaia?”
“We've heard enough from you,” the queen snaps.
“Please allow him to finish,” says Prince Kevon. “His Grace doesn’t often appear on camera.”
Queen Damascena purses her lips.
“This is why my predecessor advised me to conduct the final blessing before the guests’ arrival,” says the Hierophant. “If anything goes wrong during the official funeral, it won’t matter, because the monarch will already have ridden Selene’s chariot and reached the garden of Gaia.”
Byron rears back and casts the queen a glance. “What does that mean, Your Grace?”
The Hierophant steps aside to let Prince Kevon speak to the camera.
“My father is no longer the King of Phangloria. I will serve as its regent until my coronation in three days.”
As applause fills the hillside, relief floods my system, making my muscles go weak. I collapse further into Forelle’s side. I can’t believe we’ve triumphed. The queen is now powerless, my parents are safe with the ambassador’s people, and Prince Kevon will be the king.
Queen Damascena hangs her head, and the feathers on her shoulders droop. I turn my gaze to the top of the stairs, where Lady Circi watches with her hands folded over her chest.
Byron clears his throat. “What will that mean for the Princess Trials, Your Highness?”
“I have already chosen the young woman to become my bride,” replies Prince Kevon.
A breath hisses through my teeth, and I clutch at Forelle. This can’t be happening.
Queen Damascena’s head snaps up. Her gaze rakes the crowd and settles on me. If she was still the regent, I would probably collapse under the cold hatred sharpening her eyes. But she’s not.
Tonight, Queen Damascena will leave the palace and spend the rest of her days in her father’s home. After everything she has done to threaten my family, I can’t even feel bad.
“Please don’t keep us in suspense, Your Highness,” says Byron. “Who is your final choice for the Princess Trials?”
Prince Kevon turns his gaze to the crowd. “She’s a special young woman who taught me that the smallest changes can make huge differences to the lives of Phanglorians. Without her, I might never have appreciated the inequalities in our society and would also have lost my life.”
Warmth surges from my heart. It fills my chest, thickens my throat, and lines my eyes with tears. A few weeks ago, I joined the Princess Trials to destroy the monarchy and tear down the Echelon system, and now, I will ascend to a position where I can help others. Inhaling a deep, steadying breath, I release my grip on Forelle and straighten.
Mom was right. Why lose innocent lives in a revolution when we can have peaceful reforms?
Prince Kevon’s eyes meet mine. “Zea-Mays Calico, please step forward.”
My entire body quivers with elation, and I drift forward on legs as weightless as clouds. Byron steps aside and directs his assistants to train the cameras on me.
Prince Kevon descends the stairs, his features tense. His Adam’s apple bobs up and down, and his movements are unnaturally stiff.
I know what he’s thinking. I’ve rejected him multiple times, and he’s taking a massive risk. The whole of Phangloria will watch whatever happens next, whether it’s on the Lifestyle Channel or via whoever is leaking footage on Netface. He thinks I might say no.
After slipping his hand into his pocket and extracting a small box, he reaches my side and lowers himself onto one knee.
My breath catches.
“Zea-Mays Calico, will you consent to becoming my wife?”
Prince Kevon flips open the box, revealing a diamond ring, but I don’t see it because I’m gazing down into his dark eyes. Dark eyes that sought mine for approval when he doubled our water rations. Dark eyes that stared up at me when I stemmed his lacerated heart’s blood with my palms. Dark eyes that smoldered with desire before we shared those toe-curling kisses.
“Yes,” I whisper.
He slips the ring onto my finger, which buzzes and adjusts around my digit. Lights sparkle beneath the diamonds, indicating that it contains some sort of tracking device. No matter what, he will always find me.
Prince Kevon rises, his face radiant with happiness. “Thank you.”
I rock forward onto my tiptoes and move in for a kiss, but he leans into me and reaches my lips first.
A handful of people applaud the kiss. Even when nobody joins them, they continue clapping. I turn to find Garrett, Forelle, and the rest of his family beaming down at us from the bottom of the stairs.
I don’t look at
