hear it again, the rat tat tat of my foolish heart. I swallowed, ignoring it and turning instead to the footsteps echoing as they entered the hall.
“Marid,” I called in greeting.
“I’m sorry to intrude, but I couldn’t help myself. Is there any way I could get an official picture with my new queen?” Marid asked.
“Of course.” I extended a hand, and he walked over, happily taking it.
“The country is abuzz,” he told me. “I don’t know if you’ve been hearing reports today, but the coverage is very positive.”
“I haven’t had a second to pause and look,” I confessed as he held both of my hands affectionately and faced the camera.
“No need. You have people at your beck and call to report it all later. I’m just happy to be the first to tell you that your inaugural day is going beautifully.”
He squeezed my hand, and I sighed, thinking that maybe, finally, it was all coming together.
I DRANK CHAMPAGNE AND LAUGHED too loudly and ate half my body weight in chocolate. Just for a few hours, I wanted to revel in the ridiculous opulence I’d always taken for granted. Tomorrow I would sip water and get my head straight. Tomorrow I would worry about how to keep my country together. Tomorrow I would think about husbands.
But tonight? Tonight I was going to bask in this perfect, sparkling moment.
“One more dance?” Ahren asked, catching me mid-sip in what I swore was my last drink. “I have a flight to catch, but I wanted to say good-bye.”
I stood, taking his hand. “I’ll take whatever good-bye I can get. Anything will be better than last time.”
“I’m still sorry about that, but you know why I couldn’t.”
We locked form, and he spun me around the room. “I do. That didn’t make it any easier though. Add that to everything else that’s going on, and life’s been a little harsh without you here.”
“I’m sorry. But you’re doing very well, better than you think, I’d wager.”
“We’ll see. I still have to establish my government, make sure Mom and Dad slow down, and find someone to marry me.”
He shrugged. “So, basically nothing.”
“It’s practically a vacation.”
He chuckled. Oh, how I had missed that sound. “I’m sorry if my letter was harsh. Mom and Dad wanted to protect you, but I was afraid that not knowing where you stood might actually cripple you.”
“It wasn’t easy to read, but it’s come up again and again. I really should have known. If I hadn’t been so self-centered—”
“You were trying to shield yourself,” he said quickly, cutting me off. “You are doing something no one else in this country has ever done. Of course you found ways to make it easier.”
I shook my head. “Dad has been exhausted. Mom has never slowed down. You were in love, and I tried to talk you out of it. There’s a word for what I am, but I’m too much of a lady to say it.”
He laughed out loud at that, and I caught several eyes looking our way, most noticeably Camille’s. I’d wanted to be mad at her, this girl who’d done everything I was trying to do but ten times better, this girl who’d taken away my twin. But it was clear how happy she was to see us reunited.
I still didn’t understand how she’d mastered everything so easily, how she seemed to maintain being a leader and a girl without effort. I worried that, as perfect as this day was, it wouldn’t last.
“Hey,” he said, noting the worry in my eyes. “It will be fine. You’re going to make it through this.”
I fixed my face, trying to find the magic that had been running through my veins only moments ago. I was the new queen; it wouldn’t do for me to be sad on today of all days. “I know. I’m just not sure how.”
The song came to a close, and Ahren bowed deeply. “You must come to Paris for New Year’s.”
“And you have to come back for our next birthday,” I insisted.
“Then you have to honeymoon in France.”
“Not unless you come back here for the wedding.”
He held out a hand. “Deal.”
We shook on it, and my precious twin pulled me close for a hug. “I was mourning for days, thinking you’d never forgive me for leaving. The fact that you’re not mad at all makes going that much harder.”
“You have to call. And not just Mom and Dad, you have to call me.”
“I will.”
“I love you, Ahren.”
“I love you, Your Majesty.”
I laughed,