Lucky Charm (Reverse Fairytales Book 2)(2)

We lapsed into an easy silence. I felt comfortable in his presence and couldn’t think of anyone I’d prefer to be with on the day of my coronation.

There is one other

The voice in my head piped up. I couldn’t think of Cynder. Not now. I’d not seen him in over six months, and as much as I hated to admit it, he was a part of my past that had no place in my future. I ignored the little voice and, instead, concentrated on my new role as monarch.

It was a role for which I’d had so little training, and I felt wholly unprepared. I’d only found out I was going to rule Silverwood when my elder sister, Grace, died, and my father’s death unexpectedly followed soon after. I’d spent the five months prior to my father’s death learning how to eat soup without spilling and picking out a man to marry. It all seemed so frivolous now. I should have been learning more about my kingdom. In the months that had passed since I learned of my father’s death, I’d spent as much time away from the spotlight as possible, trying to figure out how to rule a land. But it felt like too little, too late. Luca had been as helpful as possible, and so had Leo, who had just the head for business I needed. I’d not hesitated at hiring him as my chief advisor, a role into which he’d thrown himself wholeheartedly. And still, even with the help of Luca and Leo and all the other people I’d surrounded myself with, the thought of unifying a separated land was a task that seemed so daunting that wearing painfully high shoes paled in comparison.

“My father made it look so easy,” I said, sighing.

“Your father was a tyrant and a murderer,” Luca reminded me.

“Yes, but the people loved him. They hate me.”

“They hate all royalty because of what happened. You’ve told the people the full story. You can’t make them believe it.”

It was the truth. As soon as I found out that my father had died, I’d gone to the press to tell them the truth about the riots. I’d also gotten Cynder cleared of all charges. What I hadn’t expected was for the people not to believe me. No one wanted to hear the truth that it was the fault of my father and Xavier when it was convenient to go on blaming the Magi.

“Why does no one believe it?” I asked Luca for the thousandth time.

Luca took my other hand in his. “Because for a long time, people treated the Magi like dirt, fueled by the belief that they were to blame for all of Silverwood’s problems. No one wants to be the bad guy, and so it’s easier to believe a lie than to face up to what they have done.”

I knew he was right, but it was of little consolation. I’d naively thought that I could tell the truth about my father and invite the Magi back and everyone in Silverwood would be happy. I soon found out that anti-magi feelings ran much deeper than I had expected. My father’s legacy of hate had lived on even if he hadn’t.

I turned back to the window and plastered on my fake smile again. There were so many people out there, and yet, nothing about it seemed real.

I looked at the crowds as the six white horses pulled the carriage through the heavily guarded gates of the palace. Even now, six months after the riot, I could still see a number of people demonstrating against the Magi. Today was not a special occasion for them. It was just another excuse to bring their placards and spew their vitriolic bile. They had been there all winter. Not even the harsh weather conditions we’d experienced had put them off. When the Magi themselves had demonstrated last year about their appalling treatment, the police had used brute force to move them. These guys were left alone. The police didn’t do a thing. It was something I was going to change as soon as I got the chance.

The carriage came to a halt at the palace doors, and two footmen opened the door and helped me out. The palace itself looked better than ever after all the restorations that had been done on it, and the only reminder of the disaster that had happened all those months back was the lingering smell of wet paint. Paint that had been used to cover up the blood stains and new plaster filling the bullet holes in the walls.

“I’m going to get changed,” I said as Luca and I entered the main hall. The dress was weighing me down, and I couldn’t wait to get out of it.

“Do you need any help?” Luca replied, eyeing up the multitude of buttons.

“They are just for decoration,” I smiled. “I think I’ll be ok. Why don’t you get changed too?”

Luca nodded, but I could see he was put out. Royal protocol demanded that we not be too intimate until our wedding night, so apart from the occasional stolen kiss, we’d not had much in the way of romance. The long wait until we were married was difficult for him, but apart from kissing him when no one was looking, there wasn’t much I could do about it. He was living full-time in one of the guest houses on the grounds. Of the four, his was the only one occupied now that Leo had moved into the main palace.

I watched him leave before running upstairs to my room. Xavi had laid out a simple, but elegant, dress for me to wear for the rest of the day. I heaved a sigh of relief as I took the heavy crown from my head and eased myself out of the hefty gown and crushing corset. I lay down on the bed in my underwear, reluctant to get changed and go out to face the next part of the day—meetings with the press followed by a huge banquet of celebration.

I stood up and made my way over to the window as I had many times. Peeking through a crack in the curtains, I looked out over the snowy white grounds to the apartment that had once been occupied by Cynder. I’d spent so many fruitless hours gazing at the window, hoping that I’d see the light on or any other sign of life in there.