“I am glad you are smart.” The grin on her face widened.
“So, you are telling me you are a whore?”
She did not even flinch. “I prefer the word mistress, the future king’s mistress, to be exact. And you are the future queen, and I will always remember that and stay in my place. You will barely even know I exist. To be king, to be the Adelaar is stressful. Gale needs a place, a person who helps him forget. Also, do not worry. I cannot have children. That is why he’s always felt safe with me.”
Was this woman really pitching to me why she should be Gale’s mistress? I was so shocked by how brazen she was about it. As if it was already a settled fact.
“In truth,” she went on, “I think we can all get along. I hate the press in this country. They are like rabid dogs, as you have seen sometimes. So, we all should have an understanding now like the ducks and the swans here. The ducks know they are not as big as the swans. They do not share the same type of beauty, nor do they get the same amount of attention, but they still share the same pond and eat the same food. They enjoy almost the same life. They remind me of myself. What do you think?”
I stared at her for a long time before reaching over and taking off my hat, running my hands through my hair. “I think you are mistaken, but I should thank you for speaking up because this little speech has reminded me of who I am. You and I are not the same. We do not share a pond. This is not a marriage of convenience. I am not here to be the queen of anything. I do not want a title. I do not need fame or money. God knows I have plenty of my own. Unlike you, when I truly care about and love someone, I do not share them with anyone for any reason. If Gale were dying and you were the only person in the world with his cure, I would either let him die or leave. That is how selfish I am,” I replied boldly. “If my mother saw me standing here in this outfit being talked down to by some pitiful, desperate, damaged garbage of a human being like yourself, she would slap me silly. Because she told me a thousand times, there is no line in a ring.”
“And that means what?” Her voice and demeanor now changed.
I lifted my phone for her to see. “That means you have bad timing. I was recording to send my mother what it was like today. Then you decided to come over and admit to far too much. And now I have that recording, and I am very upset. Not upset enough to do what I think you wanted me to—break down, stomp off, and just come to accept you. No, I am upset enough that I’m going to send it to those rabid dogs in the press you hate so much.”
“You—You would not dare.” Her voice stammered. “You would hurt Gale too.”
“I sort of want to hurt Gale right now, so it’s okay. Thank you for coming to talk with me, Sabin—”
“Stop.” She grabbed my arm. However, another hand grabbed her arm much faster, squeezing tighter.
Thelma stared her down, her hand locked so tightly it looked painful. Thelma, with her other hand, reached up and said, “I have a duck.”
I did not know what that meant, but two female guests came forward swiftly, flanking Sabina on each side. However, they looked very familiar. Sadly, I did not have to think about it as everyone’s attention now returned to me.
“We are sorry, Miss Wyntor,” one of the women said, holding her arm. “She is a bit drunk.”
“Odette?” At Gale’s voice, Sabina’s head whipped to him.
Her mismatched eyes were wide. “Ga—Adelaar, it was just a small misunderstanding. I spilled my drink on Miss Wyntor here. I apologize.”
Gale watched her for a moment before shifting his gaze to me. He scanned the length of my dress for signs of a spill but saw none, nor even a cup between either of us. The look on his face worsened. Instead of speaking, though, he reached out his hand for me, and I took it. He smiled toward her and nodded. “Accidents happen. It is fine. Please go ahead with your company. Odette, come, there