no words came out. As I thought of everything again, it was ridiculous to deny that I was in love with her. It was odd. Months had gone by, but it was as though my feelings had been on pause and resumed at the sight of her. Slowly, I sat back in my seat, and I could hear my own heart thumping in my chest as I thought for the first time about everything I had done. I had not stopped to think much since she arrived. I just acted—desperately.
“You are right,” I said, and Odette’s face came to mind. “I did not want to hear anything from anyone, which is why I did not tell you. I was so desperate to bring her here that I also did not tell her about it because I did not want to give her a chance to leave, either. That was wrong of me.”
Apparently, my love for her was also greedy and a bit controlling.
“It was. Fortunately, Odette does not seem upset by it. However, you should refrain from surprising her like that again with anything else.”
I wanted to point out that meant she had accepted Odette was staying, but I did not want to risk it.
I nodded, unable to stop the smile on my face or the drumming in my chest. “For the first time in months, I feel better, alive again, Mother. This started as an arrangement, and I know how hard and loud I protested, but then I met her. I found myself laughing all the time, wanting to tease her, get a reaction out of her, found myself chasing after her, and for the first time, I was able to be myself. I can tell her anything, and she is honest. It is like she is giving me air. She may complain, tease, and pretend as she does so, but she allows me to breathe. Last night, I thought, how was I supposed to see what makes me happy and turn my back on that? I love her, and I want her here with me. I do not care what anyone says or thinks about it.”
“As your mother, I am happy you feel this way for someone, and I want you to be happy no matter what.”
“But as my queen?” I hated when those two parts of her did not agree.
“I fear happiness does not come easily for people like us, and you will lose it in trying to hold on to her. She may not stay the same Odette you are thinking of. The crown adjusts for no one, and therefore, she must adjust to the crown. That can only happen when you chip away parts of yourself. Is she willing to do that?”
“The same could be said about me.” The crown was never meant to be mine, either. I had to fit into it too.
“You were raised here, and even when you did not like what you had to do, you did so anyway because you understood what we are. Odette does not have that same foundation, so she may have to change more.”
“That is a risk, but it is a certainty that I will lose happiness if I let go.”
She sighed. “And we have come full circle. She is here at your behest, and therefore, there is nothing more we can do about that. Now we need to confirm about her fortune—”
“Mother.” I groaned. After everything I had just said, she was onto the issue of money already?
“Do you think I enjoy speaking on it? It is vulgar and shameful that we are in this situation, waiting eagerly for someone else’s wealth like foxes. Yes, I am aware. I’d much rather pretend this was all for the sake of love, that the world was just going to leave you both to ride off into the sunset. However, we have been able to hedge slowly and keep the media at bay, but we need to get our affairs in order.”
I could not be angry. It was because of this situation that I’d gotten to be with Odette. “Do not worry. She is to get her inheritance the moment it is confirmed we are married. So, it would be on the wedding day.”
“Is there no way to get it sooner?”
I truly loathed this conversation even more now than I did in the beginning.
“If she knew how to do that, she would not have been open to marrying me in the beginning.” Well, in truth, she was not