Lucky Charm (Reverse Fairytales Book 2)(14)

“We’ve had our photos taken in front of that backdrop so many times, I’m sure that’s where people think we live,” whispered Luca into my ear. I grinned. I was feeling so happy, thanks to the warm welcome from the people of Thalia, that nothing could upset me today. The photographer came in and put us into the position he wanted us to shoot. The theme of the shoot was our upcoming wedding, so the rest of the family were only needed for a few shots, while Luca and I were put in pose after pose until the photographer was satisfied.

Then came the interview. I was prepped beforehand. It was to be a light-hearted interview about the wedding. I was assured that, even though I’d be the center of attention, there’d be no difficult questions. I felt calm and happy as I took my place in front of the cameras on a sofa. Luca’s parents sat on one side, and Tomas and Seraphia sat on the other with myself and Luca in the middle. I smiled. For the first time ever, I was excited to be interviewed. My mother had talked about the upcoming wedding so much that if I was asked any questions about the dress or the flowers for the ceremony, I’d be able to answer almost without thinking.

I arranged my dress so it wouldn’t crease and waited for the interviewer.

The door opened, and a tall wispy man walked in. My mouth dropped when I saw who it was. I’d almost forgotten about Frederick Pittser and the way he assaulted me in my own palace. What was he doing here? He introduced himself to the camera before welcoming me to Thalia.

“It’s wonderful to have you here, Your Majesty. Thank you for coming, and welcome to the rest of our royal family. If I may start with you, Princess Charmaine, how did you feel when you found out you were going to become the queen?”

“I was initially upset,” I replied, trying not to sneer at him. Where was he going with this? I felt like a deer caught in the headlights. “My father had just passed away. Eventually, I began to see it as a great honor, a way to make Silverwood better again.”

“But Silverwood has descended into chaos since you took over.”

“I wouldn’t say it’s chaos,” I argued. “We have problems as does any kingdom, but I feel confident that Luca and I will be able to work together to help to solve them. Our wedding is coming up in a few months, and we are fully prepared to put our kingdom first.”

“Forgive me Your Majesty, but were you putting your kingdom first this morning when the news of another riot in the capital of Silverwood came in because I’ve not seen you responding to it yet?”

I looked to Luca for help. No one had told me about a riot. I wanted to stop the cameras and find out what had happened, but we were broadcasting live.

“I wasn’t aware of that,” I said, trying to keep both the aggravation and the worry from my tone.

“It seems that the unrest has grown since you abandoned Silverwood. There are reports of numerous demonstrations from both sides, both Magi and non-Magi. What do you say to that?”

“As I already stated, Mr. Pittser. I’ve not been made aware, but I assure you, I’ll look into it as soon as we are off air. The welfare of my people is my utmost concern.”

“So what are you going to do about it once you make yourself aware?”

His hostile tone was unmistakable and making me nervous, and yet, I kept my composure.

“She’s already said, she’ll look into it,” interjected Luca, saving me from having to answer. “Once we know what we are dealing with, we will do everything we can to sort out the situation. We were under the impression we would be talking about our wedding today.”

“Yes, I apologize. I’ve noticed your lovely tiara, Princess Charmaine and the beautiful bracelet on your wrist. Can you tell us all where you got it?”

I looked down. There on my wrist was the simple silver charm bracelet that I’d put on last night. I’d forgotten to take it off. Frederick Pittser knew exactly where it had come from. I don’t know how he knew, but he knew.

“The tiara belonged to my mother.”

“And the bracelet. It’s rather unusual.”

“I don’t recall,” I replied. “It’s one of those pieces of jewelry that I’ve had for a long time.”

“And yet, you were seen wearing it a lot last year.”

“I like it,” I replied, feeling sick. With every second that passed, I was waiting for him to tell the whole of Thalia about Cynder. His questions about the bracelet were a warning, but I didn’t know what he wanted me to do except stop the Magi coming back, and I wasn’t prepared to do that.

Thankfully, King Theron began to chat about how proud he was of Luca. As Theron was a big talker, he chatted about the upcoming wedding for the rest of the interview, saving me from having to speak further. As soon as the small red light on top of the cameras went off, I dashed out of the studio to the nearest bathroom and was sick. A minute or so later, I heard a knock on the cubicle door.

“Charmaine? Are you ok?” It was Seraphia.

“I’m fine,” I lied. “Just a bit tired.”

I opened the door to find her concerned face looking at me.

“I’m not surprised. You had a long journey to get here, and we all drank a little too much last night.”

I wanted to tell her that I wasn’t suffering from a hangover. I’d not really drunk much at all, but then I realized it was better than the truth.