“Yes, Your Highness?” She caught my eyes in the mirror as we spoke.
“I feel like it’s been a while since we’ve talked about your boyfriend. What’s his name again?”
A smile crept up on her face. “Mark. Why do you ask?”
“I’m surrounded by a million boys. Just wondering how it is when you only have to deal with one.”
She shook her head at me. “One boy on a string is a wonderful thing,” she said, her happiness forcing me to smile along with her. “He’s doing great. He finally got into a university, and he’s studying all the time. I get a call from him maybe once or twice a week. It’s not much, but we both have pretty full schedules.”
“I do need constant supervision,” I said with a wink.
“Amen.”
“Does he mind much? That you’re far away and busy?”
She straightened the clothes looped over her arm. “No. His program is very demanding, so for now it’s actually helpful.”
I leaned my head to one side, continuing to brush. “That’s interesting. What’s he studying?”
“Mark is a chemist. He’s studying biochemistry, specifically.”
My eyes widened. “Really? Such a range in your professions.”
She frowned. “There’s no caste system anymore, Your Highness. People can date and marry anyone they want to.”
I turned away from the mirror to look at her directly. “That’s not what I mean. It’s simply intriguing to me the dynamic you must have. You have my laundry in your arms, and he might cure a disease. Those are two incredibly different roles in the world.”
Neena swallowed and dropped everything on the ground. “I won’t be doing your laundry forever. I made a choice to come here, and I can leave whenever I like.”
“Neena!”
“I don’t feel well,” she said abruptly. “I’ll send someone else up to help you.”
She didn’t even curtsy.
“Neena, I was simply talking!”
The door slammed, and I looked after her, shocked that she so shamelessly left without permission. I hadn’t meant to offend her. I was merely curious, and that one observation didn’t even begin to touch on the things I truly wanted to ask about.
I finished my hair and makeup on my own. When the substitute maid showed up, I sent her away. Just because Neena was in a bad mood didn’t mean she could get out of her work. I could take care of myself, and she could clean tomorrow.
I picked up the applications for the remaining boys in the Selection. Whether I liked it or not, I knew what was expected of me. All I needed was to find situations that kept things as close to the surface as possible.
Ean was certainly captivating, but his charisma was almost too overwhelming. I wasn’t sure I was prepared to spend time alone with him. Edwin was harmless enough. I pulled out Apsel’s sheet and looked it over. Nothing extraordinary there. I was tempted to send him home for being so bland, but after the reaction over the first elimination, I didn’t think I could get away with that. Kile’s form came up next, but he was a no at the moment. Winslow was, I hated to say it, considerably unattractive. The more and more I looked at him, the easier it was to see. I didn’t think I had a type, but he made me wonder if I had an anti-type. Ivan . . . was this the guy who smelled vaguely of chlorine?
Near the bottom of the pile, Jack Ranger’s picture jumped out at me. I had caught him staring at me a few times at the party, but we hadn’t spoken. I took that to mean he might still be intimidated enough for me to get through an evening together without him leaving me feeling as unpleasant as some of the others had.
I wrote a note out on my stationery inviting him to watch a movie with me tonight. That was an easy enough date. No unnecessary talking. I’d have a butler deliver it to him once Jack had joined the others. I was planning always to announce dates by sending a letter into or drawing the boys out of the room. That should make things interesting.
I sped through breakfast, ready to work. Looking at these endless requests and bills and budgets and proposals wasn’t exactly my favorite thing, but it kept me busy, and I liked having my mind occupied all day. My nights and weekends for the next three months would belong to those boys, but the rest of the time I had a different job to do.
“Eadlyn, dear,” Dad said, taking a break for some tea. “I didn’t get to tell you, but I thought the garden party was a success. I saw some of the stories in the papers this morning, and it was very well covered.”
“I glanced at a few myself. And I caught a little of the special they did, and it all looked nicely done.” I stretched in my chair, achy from sitting still.
He smiled. “Indeed. I think you should try to do another event like that soon—something with the group that people can see.”
“Something that might have an elimination afterward?”
“If you think that would help.”
I walked over to his desk, pouring myself some of his tea. “I think it adds something. Like people might be more interested if their favorite might be on the line.”
He considered that. “Interesting. Any thoughts on how it would be structured?”
“No, but I thought, since we’re supposed to be looking for a prince here, it might be good to test them on the things they would need to know as a prince. History or policy. I think there’s a way to make it playful, kind of like a game show maybe?”
He laughed. “The public would eat that up.”
I sipped my tea. “See, I have great ideas. I don’t need a prince.”
“Eadlyn, you could run the world on your own if you needed to. That’s not the point,” he said with a chuckle.
“We’ll see.”
CHAPTER 19
I STOPPED BY JACK’S ROOM after dinner, and he was waiting for me outside the door. That was kind of strange, but I figured his nerves had gotten the best of him.
“Good evening, Jack,” I said, approaching.
“Your Highness,” he replied with a bow.
“You can call me Eadlyn.”
He smiled. “Great. Eadlyn.”
There was an awkward silence as I waited for him to offer his arm. He simply stood there, his smile tight but his eyes animated. When I finally gave up on him figuring it out, I pointed toward the stairs. “It’s this way.”
“Super.” Then he started walking ahead of me, even though he didn’t know the way.
“No, Jack. We need to turn here.” I said the same thing maybe three or four times as we traveled, and he never apologized. He simply went where I told him as if he’d been planning to go that way all along. I did my best to let his missteps slide. With a handful of boys already mentally lined up for the next elimination, I didn’t want a reason to add Jack to that list.
The palace went up four stories, but it went down much farther. The Report was filmed on the sub-one floor, and there was a storage area as well as the theater. The staff and guards also had rooms on the first and second sublevels, but their quarters weren’t connected to the theater wing. There was also a monstrous safe room beneath all of that. I’d only had to go there twice that I remembered: once during a drill when I was three and once when the last string of rebels attacked us shortly after.
It was strange to think about it. The rebels were gone, but now we were faced with different pockets of people fighting the monarchy. I almost wished the rebels still existed. At least we could put a name to that. At least back then we knew exactly who we were fighting.
I shook my head, coming back to the situation at hand. I was on a date. As I remembered that fact, I chided myself. Dad would have wanted a camera here for this. Oh, well. Next time.
“So, I hope you like movies.”
“I do,” Jack replied enthusiastically.
“Good. I do as well, but it’s not always possible for me to go out to the theater. We have access to a few new films downstairs, though our options are limited. Chances are we’ll have something good.”
“That’s great.” It was st
range, this fine line he was walking between being rude and polite. I wondered if he simply didn’t know how many mistakes he was making.
A butler had already made us popcorn, and I used the remote to scroll through our options.
“How about Eye of the Beholder?” I suggested. The brief description hinted at romance and drama, as did the poster image.
“That sounds okay. Any action in that one?”
“I don’t think so. There is in Black Diamonds.” The picture was dark and brooding, with the silhouette of a man with a gun off to one side. It wasn’t something I’d have seen of my own volition.
“Yeah! That sounds good.”
“We have other choices,” I said, trying to make my way back to the menu.
“But this is what I want to watch. It won’t be too scary. And if it is, you can snuggle up next to me.”
I made a face, wondering if I should have given Apsel more consideration. The seats in our theater were wide and very soft. The only way I could snuggle up to anyone would be to squish myself into his seat, which was not going to happen. Also, I’d rather be scarred for life than admit to being afraid.
Then again, that wasn’t what I was worried about with this movie. It simply didn’t seem worth watching.
I sighed, feeling a little overrun. Again, it was as if he wasn’t aware of how foolish he was acting. I let it go, thinking I’d need to tell Dad that the boys as a whole required more etiquette training, and started the movie.
Long story short, Main Guy’s dad was killed by Bad Guy. Main Guy spends his life tracking down Bad Guy, but Bad Guy slips from his grasp several times. Main Guy sleeps with Super Blonde. Super Blonde disappears. Main Guy kills Bad Guy, and Super Blonde shows up again. Oh, and some things explode.
Jack seemed to enjoy it, but I was bored. If Super Blonde had killed someone, I might have cared a little more.
But at least we didn’t have to talk.
When the credits rolled, I used the remote to raise the lights.
“So, what did you think?” he asked, his eyes bright with excitement.
“It was okay. Definitely seen better.”
The movie seemed to leave him hyperanimated. “But the effects were incredible!”
“Sure, but the story was tired.”
He squinted his eyes. “I liked it.”
“All right.”
“Does that make you upset?”
I made a face. “No. It just means you have bad taste.”
He laughed, a dark sound that was more foreboding than friendly. “I love it when you do that.”
“Do what?” I stood and took my popcorn bowl to the counter, leaving it for the staff.
“I’ve been waiting all night for a little of your attitude.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’ve been hoping you’d get mad or snippy.” He brought his bowl over, too. “When you cleared out the Men’s Parlor the day after the parade? That was great. I mean, I don’t want to go home, but I wouldn’t be devastated if you yelled at me.”
I stared at him. “Jack, you do realize we’ve hardly spoken to each other, and in the first conversation we have, you reveal that my anger turns you on. Do you see how this might be a lapse in judgment on your part?”
He broke into a smile, undeterred. “I thought you’d appreciate my honesty. I have the feeling you get irritated easily, and I want you to know that doesn’t bother me. I actually like it.”
Jack reached for my hand, and I ripped it away. “You thought wrong. This date is over. Goodnight.”
He caught up to me, grabbing me again. I didn’t want to admit how scared I was, but I could feel the icy strands of fear pulsing through my veins. He was bigger than me, and he seemed to enjoy a fight.
“Don’t run off,” he said silkily. “I’m only trying to tell you that I think I could be a good fit for you, an easy match.” He ran his fingers down my cheek and under my jaw. His breathing was speeding up, and I knew I couldn’t waste time. I had to get out of here now.
I squinted my eyes. “And I’m only trying to tell you that if you don’t remove your hand, you will be dead before you could be a match for anyone.”
“Hot.” He smirked, seeming to think I was enjoying this. “This is a fun little game.”
“Let. Me. Go.”
He loosened his hand, but I could still see the wild excitement in his eyes. “This was fun. Let’s do it again soon.”
I went for the stairs, praying he wouldn’t chase me. From this second forward, there would be cameras on every. Single. Date.
When I made my way breathlessly to the first floor, I found a pair of officers and ran straight to them.
“Your Highness,” the first gasped as I fell into his arms.
“Get him out of here!” I insisted, pointing toward the stairs. “Jack! Get him out of my house!”
The guards let me go, sprinting to capture him, and I cowered on the floor, petrified.
“Eadlyn?”
Just behind me, Ahren was approaching. I let out a cry and bolted into his embrace.
“What happened? Are you hurt?”
“It was Jack,” I stammered. “He grabbed my arm. He touched me.” I shook my head, trying to understand how it escalated so quickly, only then seeing it hadn’t been fast at all.
He was often watching me, never approaching, quietly biding his time. Even tonight his moves were slow, watching my rising frustration with a reserved thrill of energy, enjoying the building tension until the moment of release.
“He kept saying strange things, and the way he looked at me . . . Ahren, I’ve never been so scared.”
We both turned at the uproar coming up the stairs. The two guards were wrestling with Jack, getting him up to the landing. Once his eyes fell on me, he began snarling.
“You liked it!” he insisted. “You were coming on to me!”
Grabbing my hand, Ahren pulled me over to Jack, though my instinct was to run in the other direction. He planted me right in front of Jack’s face.
“Knock his lights out, Eadlyn,” Ahren commanded. I stared up at him, thinking it was a joke. But the rage in his eyes told me otherwise.
I was tempted. I couldn’t retaliate when people called me names or criticized my clothes. I couldn’t go back to the parade and tell all those people how foolishly they’d acted. But here, for once, I could take revenge on someone who’d truly wronged me.
I might have done it if it wasn’t for Jack’s wicked grin, like he hoped I would, like he’d dream about the touch later. Sex and violence were connected in his head, and to give him one was close to giving the other.
“I can’t,” I whispered.
Jack gave a fake pout. “You sure, sweetie? I wouldn’t mi—”
I’d never seen Ahren throw a punch before. It was almost as shocking as Jack’s limp body after my brother’s fist forced his head to whip back at an awkward angle.
Ahren grunted, holding his hand. “That hurts! Ow, that really hurts!”
“Let’s get you to the hospital wing,” I urged, pointing Ahren down the hall.
“Your Highness, should we take him with you?”
I looked at Jack’s limp form, noting the rise and fall of his chest.
“No. Get him on a plane, conscious or not.”
I piled into Ahren’s bed with him on one side and Kaden on the other. Ahren was flexing his wrapped fingers, which were badly bruised.
“Does it hurt?” Kaden asked, seeming more excited than worried.
“A little, but I’d do it all over again in a second.”
I smiled up at my twin, so grateful for him.
“If I had been there,” Kaden started, “I’d have challenged him to a duel.”
I giggled as Ahren reached across me to ruffle his hair. “Sorry, buddy, it all happened too quickly for me to think of that.”
Kaden shook his head. “All those years of sword-fighting lessons for nothing.”
“You were always better than me anyway,??
? Ahren said as Osten came in without knocking, a phone to his ear.
“If you had only practiced more!” Kaden chastised.
Osten landed on the bed chatting into the phone. “Yeah, yeah. Okay, hold on.” He turned the receiver away and looked to me. “Eady, where was that Jack guy from anyway?”
I tried to remember his form. “Paloma, I think.”
Kaden nodded. “It was Paloma.”
“Awesome.” Osten spoke into the phone again. “Did you hear that? I’ll be in touch.”
He hung up and slid the phone into his pocket as we all stared at him.
I laughed. “I’d usually try to stop whatever you’re doing, but I’m not even going to ask.”
“I think that’s for the best.”
I looked around at all my brothers, so caring and smart and puckish. So many times I’d hated them for not being older than me, for forcing me into a role I never wanted. Tonight, maybe for the first time, I loved them for exactly who they were. Kaden was distracting, Ahren had defended me, and Osten . . . well, he’d help in his own way.
Osten had left the door open, and Mom and Dad walked in to find all their children together.
Mom seemed happy to see her family safe, but Dad was shaken.
He put one hand on his hip and gestured with the other. “Everyone okay?”
“Slightly spooked,” I admitted.
“And a little bruised,” Ahren added.
Dad swallowed, taking us all in. “Eadlyn, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how he slipped through the cracks. I thought the applications were vetted, and I had no idea . . .”
He stopped, looking as though he was close to tears.
“I’m all right, Daddy.”
He nodded but didn’t speak.
Mom stepped forward, taking over. “We’d like to put some guidelines in place. Perhaps have a guard nearby on any dates from here on out, or have all dates in a public area.”
“That or have photographers. I think that would help, too.” I cursed myself again for not remembering earlier.
“Excellent idea, sweetie. We want to keep this safe.”