it. I loosened up— I felt a smile cross my face, and as Vara encouraged me to take silly shots, I laughed. I blew a couple kisses to the camera, and Vara even brought out a fan to blow back my hair. It felt like goofing around more than an actual photo shoot.
“You look so relaxed and at ease. My editors are going to love this,” Vara gushed. She put away her camera, and said, “I’ll make you sound good, Emma, trust me. Don’t worry about what people will say. After tomorrow, Malovia will know a whole new you.”
Vara left. Once she did, the bravery I felt wavered. I wondered what the hell I’d just done. Was I going to regret this?
“What did you think?” I asked Ethan as I slipped my shirt back on. “The photo shoot felt over the top.”
“To be honest, it was kind of sexy,” Ethan confessed. “I love a woman who has confidence.”
“I feel confident now. What if I make a fool of myself?” I asked.
“You had good answers,” Ethan assured me. “If people don’t like it, that’s their fault. They’re too stupid to see the brilliance of my onawilke.”
Ethan’s words were comforting, but I really hoped they were true. Yet this was a part of me. If the rest of the world didn’t like it, that was too bad, because I did.
I didn’t need Malovia to accept me. I accepted me, just as I was.
I smirked. Whatever happened, it would all be worth it to think of Lady Korva’s face when she saw me half-naked on the front page of the paper tomorrow morning. I could hardly wait.
Chapter Nineteen
Ethan
The moment the news article broke about Emma, it took Malovia by storm. Papers were flying off the shelves. People were reading it everywhere. The online comments had numbered in the hundreds. Emma didn’t look at them, and I didn’t bother myself with them either. We didn’t need the opinions of others. Our own were all that mattered.
We were sitting in the student cafe, discussing the article. On The Annual Arcanea’s front page was a picture of Emma, standing tall with her infusion pump and looking brazen as I ever knew her.
It was very sexy. I was attracted to women who were bold, and Emma had just taken a huge step. What Lady Korva did to her was absolutely dismal, but my onawilke had turned a negative into a positive, and I couldn’t be prouder of her.
“I think your plan actually worked,” Kiara said to Emma. “Some people were offended by what you said, but so many are supportive.”
“How can people be offended by what I said? I didn’t even try this time,” Emma complained.
“Well, there were a couple of comments from old people how it wasn’t proper that you told your business to the entire world,” Stefan said as he scrolled through his phone. “Said you should keep it private and all that. But besides those elderly bags, everyone else said it was cool how open you were.”
“I don’t think everyone’s happy about it,” Delmare snickered, and she held up her phone to point at the online social media rankings. Emma’s article was ranking number one in Malovian news, while news about Gabby and Elijah’s latest edict was second.
“Oh, that’s gotta piss them off,” Alexei said in glee.
“Especially Gabby,” Kiara gushed. “I bet she’s fuming.”
“What’s their new edict about, anyway?” Emma asked, turning to me.
I sighed. “Well, it’s not exactly a good thing, but we won’t have to worry about any protests at the Yuletide event this December. Eli passed a decree this morning making the right to assembly illegal.”
“Really?” Emma raised an eyebrow. “So Eli’s way of dealing with the protests is just shutting them down?”
“Yeah. That’s all he knows how to do— pass laws. The man can’t compromise.” I set down my tea. Never liked coffee— my mother had more or less forced me to enjoy tea, and now, I drank it out of habit more than anything else. How Emma could stomach the strong stuff was beyond me.
Delmare drummed her fingers on the table. “How long before Elijah goes after free speech, or the right to a free press?”
“He’s got the press in his pocket. It hardly matters,” Stefan said.
“It does matter,” I said sternly. “Emma’s article ran because it’s trendy, and people like gossip. But I’m sure if Eli or Gabby had heard about it before it was published, they would’ve forced the paper to pull it. Our news isn’t reliable