“Because of this, I feel it is my responsibility to end these attacks and prevent a full-scale war so long as it is within my power to do so. So that is what I’ve done, in the only way I could.” His gaze pierced the back wall of the press room as if he were too mortified to look any of the journalists in the eye. “I have accepted an alliance of marriage with Queen Levana of Luna.”
A shocked scream ripped from Cinder and she launched herself to her feet. “No. No!”
“In return,” Kai continued, “Queen Levana has agreed to withhold further attacks. The wedding has been scheduled for the next full moon, the twenty-fifth day of September, to be followed immediately by Queen Levana’s coronation as empress of the Eastern Commonwealth. The removal of all Lunar soldiers from Earthen soil will begin the following day.”
“No!” Cinder screeched. Grabbing the boot off her foot, she heaved it at the screen. “Idiot! You idiot!”
“My cabinet and I will have further updates in the coming days. I will not be taking any questions tonight. Thank you.” The room filled with barking questions regardless, but Kai ignored them all, slinking off the platform like a defeated general.
Cinder spun away and kicked the nearest crate with her bare metal foot. “He knows this was her doing but he’s still going to give her everything she wants! She is responsible for the deaths of thousands of Earthens, and now she’s going to be empress!” She paced the floor, spotted the two bloodied ID chips beside Scarlet, and mercilessly stomped them to pieces, grinding them into the floor with her heel. “And how long will she be satisfied with that? A month? A week? I even told him! I told him she planned on using the Commonwealth as a stepping stone to wage war on the rest of Earth, and he’s still going to marry her! She’s going to have complete control over all of us, and it will be all his fault!”
Scarlet crossed her arms over her chest. “It sounds to me,” she said, her voice rising to compete with Cinder’s, “that it will be all your fault.”
Cinder’s tirade ceased and she gaped at Scarlet. Between them, Thorne settled his chin on his palm as if watching a great show—though his free hand still held the shotgun aimed at Wolf’s head.
“You know why she did this,” said Scarlet, climbing to her feet despite the protests of her angry muscles. “You know why she’s after you.”
Cinder’s fury simmered off. “Your grandmother told you.”
“Yes, she did. What sickens me is that you let this happen in the first place!”
Glowering, Cinder bent down and ripped off her other boot. Scarlet shied away but Cinder only tossed it into a corner. “What would you rather I did? Just hand myself over? Sacrifice myself in hopes that would satisfy her? It would have come to this anyway.”
“I’m not talking about when you were arrested at the ball. I mean before that. Why haven’t you done anything to stop her? People are relying on you. People think you can make a difference, and what are you doing? Running away and hiding! My grandmother didn’t die so you could live as a fugitive, too much a coward to do something!”
“Uh, I’m confused,” said Thorne, raising a finger in the air. “What are we talking about?”
Scarlet glanced at the captain. “Would you stop pointing that gun at him?”
Thorne tossed the gun to the side and folded his hands in his lap.
“He doesn’t even know, does he?” Scarlet rounded on Cinder. “You’ve put his life in danger—all of our lives in danger—and he doesn’t even know why.”
“It’s more complicated than that.”
“Is it?”
“I haven’t even known for a week! I found out who I was the day after the ball, when I was sitting in a jail cell preparing to be handed over to Levana like a trophy. So between breaking out of prison and running from the entire Commonwealth military and trying to save your life, I haven’t had much time to overthrow an entire regime. I’m sorry if I’ve disappointed you, but what do you want me to do?”
Scarlet drew back, a headache pounding at her temple. “How could you not have known?”
“Because your grandmother shipped me off to the Commonwealth without bothering to tell me.”
“But isn’t that why you were at the ball?”
“Stars, no. You think I would have been stupid enough to face Levana if I’d known the truth?” She hesitated. “Well. I don’t know. For Kai, maybe, but…” She grasped her head with both hands. “I don’t know. I didn’t know.”
Scarlet was suddenly dizzy from the anger, the rush of blood, the exhaustion. The only response she could form was a baffled “Oh.”
Thorne coughed. “I’m still confused.”
With a sigh, Cinder wilted onto a crate, staring down at her mismatched hands. She scrunched her whole face up, like preparing for a blow, and muttered, “I’m Princess Selene.”
Thorne snorted and they all turned to him.
He blinked. “What, really?”
“Really.”