Lucky Charm (Reverse Fairytales Book 2)(34)

“Hey, not interrupting anything improper am I?” Luca quipped as he bounded over. “This is becoming quite a habit, me turning up and finding you two huddled together.”

“I think you know you’ve got nothing to fear,” said Daniel. “From me,” he added almost inaudibly.

If Luca picked up on it, he didn’t say so. If anything he seemed in high spirits as he bounded across the stage to shake hands with Marybelle.

I saw the flush on Marybelle’s face as he took her hand and turned on the charm. I don’t know what it was about him that could make women weak in the knees. Ok, his stunningly beautiful looks didn’t hurt. I reminded myself that it was good to feel jealous of him talking to other women. It meant I’d made the right decision in picking him. When Marybelle began to giggle, I moved towards them and took Luca’s hand. He kissed my cheek playfully, and we both sat on the sofa provided for us.

The crowd was already cheering at our presence, so I gave them a small wave. They were, after all, the reason we were all here.

Marybelle came over and gave us a brief rundown of the interview. She was going to introduce us (Like we needed any introduction – we’d been headlining the papers for the best part of a year now!) then she’d interview us as a couple. I wondered aloud if it might be better if I was interviewed alone as Cynder wasn’t here to tell his side of the story, but she assured me that we’d get more ratings her way. She looked at Luca as she said this. He gave her a wink, so I gripped his hand harder.

“Cynder will get the chance to tell his side of the story tomorrow,” said Marybelle, turning cherry red again. I bit my tongue so as not to tell her she could do with more powder on her face.

Someone called out ‘Places’ and Marybelle ran to the center of the stage. Patting her, now perfect hair she held the microphone up and fixed her smile in position. Someone ran over and quickly slipped a small microphone on Luca and another one on me. The words I’d been wanting to have with him would have to wait for another time.

I wasn’t nervous anymore. Over the past year, I’d become accustomed to standing on the stage and sharing my life with the world, but this was the first time I really didn’t want to be here. All I could think about was Cynder as Marybelle began her introductions. He would be here tonight or tomorrow morning. I was looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time.

The screams from the crowd made me jump, and, for a second, I thought maybe there had been another bomb scare or shooting, but it was just the excitement of the people as we were introduced. I plastered a fake smile on my face and waved at them. Luca stood and took a bow. The crowd went wild. They loved him.

He was enough for them. Why couldn’t they see that? But as I looked out over the hoards of screaming women (because they were mostly women with only a few men dotted around here and there) I noticed that none of them were Magi. Even though I’d abolished the rule of the Magi having to wear purple, I’d noticed that many of those that came back across the border still wore it. It surprised me at the time, but they were probably making a statement. The mark of the Magi had been one of repression, but now they were wearing it for a show of force.

Marybelle came over with her microphone and sat in the chair opposite us. Her blond curls bobbed up and down as she walked.

“So, Your Majesty. It seems that four men weren’t enough for you to choose from, and you’ve added another into the mix.”

I gritted my teeth. This girl must have taken lessons from Sadie on how to make the most of an interview.

“It’s not like that, Marybelle. I’ve already chosen the man I’m going to marry, and he’s sitting right here next to me...” Luca squeezed my hand tightly. I wasn’t playing the game. “...However, some people think it wasn’t a fair choice, so I’ve elected to open up the rounds again. I’ll date Luca and Cynder equally, and a month before the wedding I’ll pick the man who will become my husband.”

“How thrilling! Prince Luca. You must be devastated to know that the queen’s heart might belong to someone else.”

“Marybelle! I know Charmaine will pick me again. After all, if she picked me out of a hundred men, I feel confident that I can win out of the two of us.”

“What are your thoughts on Cynder. He’s a Mage.”

The crowd booed at his name making me squirm in my seat. This was not how I wanted things to go.

“I know he’s a Mage.” Luca’s voice rose above the crowd. “His magical abilities don’t worry me half as much as his ability to woo women.”

He grinned, and I sighed. This was quite possibly the most embarrassed I’d ever felt in my whole life. Luca was playing up to the crowd something dreadful, and they were lapping up every word. At least, they weren’t booing anymore.

Marybelle smiled widely back. She was lapping it up too.

It was my turn to squeeze Luca’s hand. He got the message.

“Actually, Marybelle, the fact he is a Mage is the reason we are doing this. I’m not worried that Queen Charmaine will choose anyone else. What we both are worried about is that the Magi feel underrepresented here in Silverwood. In the first round of selections last year, the Magi weren’t represented at all. This was not the fault of the queen. She had no choice in picking the hundred bachelors to attend the ball, but if she had, you can be confident that she would have made sure that there was a fair selection.”