Lucky Charm (Reverse Fairytales Book 2)(35)

I didn’t enlighten him that Daniel was a Mage. I hadn’t known myself when he came to the ball.

Luca continued. “I feel confident, though, that no matter who the queen would have chosen, the end result would have been the same, and it would still be me she ended up with. I know that at the end of this current contest, things will not have changed. I love the queen, and I know she loves me.”

The crowd broke out into the biggest cheer yet.

Marybelle stood and faced the camera.

“What more is there to say? Prince Luca and Queen Charmaine are inseparable. Can Cynder the Mage come between them? It seems unlikely...”

The camera panned back to us. We were both holding hands still.

“We’ll hear his side tomorrow, so tune in then. Same time, same place. Until then, this is Marybelle Foster signing off.”

I stood up quickly and left the stage, my head full of anger and confusion. Luca quickly caught up with me.

“I thought that went pretty well, don’t you?” he said, not noticing how upset I was with the whole thing.

I didn’t answer. The crowds were behind us now, but we could still be seen. I waited until we were back in the palace before I told him what I thought.

“I don’t like this. I’m done with choosing people. Why can’t I just have a normal life? Meet someone and get to know them before they propose to me? This, what we are doing, is ridiculous. It’s demeaning for all of us.”

“I’m sorry you didn’t have the proposal of your dreams but think of the ratings. You saw the crowd. Quite a lot of people turned out even though it was so last minute. There’ll be more tomorrow.”

“They were booing the Magi! They were booing Cynder.”

“You think the Magi won’t be out in force tomorrow? It will be different then, just you wait and see.”

As usual, Luca didn’t understand what it was that was upsetting me. This was his chance to be in the spotlight, and he was going to make the most of it.





The Photo


My head buzzed as I returned to my room that night. Cynder still hadn’t arrived at the palace, and no one seemed to know where he was. That concerned me as the papers and TV stations seemed to know everything else about him.

I’d instructed the guards at the gates to come and wake me as soon as he arrived, but it didn’t stop me from lying awake for hours. By the next morning, he still hadn’t shown, and I wasn’t sure if I was glad or not. I didn’t want to go through the ridiculous charade again, and it would give me great pleasure to get up on the stage and announce that it was all over. On the other hand, I knew that if he didn’t come, I’d probably never see him ever again and I didn’t think I could bear it.

I wearily went down to breakfast the next morning with my insides warring with each other. I was exhausted and could hardly keep my eyes open, but at the same time, alert for any mention of Cynder.

Everyone was already there at the breakfast table including Jenny who had taken to eating with us, rather than helping serve us now. Not that anyone seemed to notice or mind. I sat next to her, and she heaped my plate with bacon and eggs. At least something was going well.

I desperately wanted to ask if Cynder had turned up in the night, but with Luca there, I didn’t want to come across as too eager. They would tell me if they knew.

One of the footmen walked over to me casually and whispered in my ear. Cynder was sleeping in one of the guesthouses outside. He’d turned up in the early hours and requested that I not be awakened.

Nodding my head slightly, I carried on eating as if nothing had happened. I couldn’t be seen to be rushing off midway through breakfast, but I wolfed down that bacon in double-quick time and made my excuses shortly thereafter.

Following a quick detour to the kitchen, where I had them quickly cook up some more bacon and put it in between two slices of bread, I hurried out of the palace and down to the guesthouse that had been reserved for Cynder—the one next door to Luca’s.

I knocked impatiently, knowing full well that the paparazzi could get a photo of me from this angle if they chose to climb the outer wall, which they had on a number of occasions.

When the door opened, I thrust the bacon sandwich at Cynder, and marched past him, shutting the door quickly behind me.

“This is a turnabout for the books,” he grinned, taking a bite of the sandwich.

He looked as exhausted as I felt, and he was dirty. His clothes were the same he’d been wearing the last time I saw him.

“What do you mean?” I asked, sitting on the nearest sofa. I needed to keep my distance from him, or I’d launch myself at him.

“It’s usually me who brings you bacon sandwiches.”

“I thought it was about time I repaid the favor,” I answered, waiting for him to sit down. I could already feel the electricity between us. Apparently, filthy clothes and a half-eaten bacon sandwich were not enough to quell my heart racing whenever he was near. Would anything ever be enough?

“I only got in an hour or so ago. I’m sorry I look like this. I’ll go take a shower.”

“Do you have any clean clothes at all?”

“No.” He looked ashamed as he said it, but he could hardly be blamed. He’d not been home in more than a week and hadn’t anticipated coming back here to the palace.

“I’d use my magic to change, but I’m too tired. It takes a lot of energy. I’m sorry.”