really want to be the reason he throws away everything he’s worked so hard for?”
I rest my elbows on the table, despite my etiquette training that I shouldn’t, and dig my hands through my hair, searching for an alternative, both in life and on this board.
“Do you really want to be forever remembered as the woman who destroyed Prince Gabriel’s career?” She leans closer. “Who forced his hand? Who sent him to prison? Because if he comes forward with the truth of that night, there’s a strong likelihood of that happening. Not to mention, this entire monarchy could become ancient history.” She pauses, lifting her eyes to mine. “Unless…”
“Yes?” I press, hope building inside me that she has another way out of this mess. An option that will allow me to keep Anderson and clear my name.
“What’s the sportsmanlike thing to do when there’s no path to victory in chess?”
I blink, my throat tightening as I look between her and the board where she has my king caged in with no possible way of winning.
From the moment I heard my mother’s interview, saw the vitriol spewed against me online and in protests here in Belmont, I feared this was how it would end. But now that it’s here, that reality has sunk in, that there’s no way to untangle myself from this spider’s web, it pains me in a way I didn’t think possible.
“Of course, my original offer from several weeks ago still stands. The royal family takes care of its obligations.” She glances at my stomach before returning her eyes to mine. “In the game of chess, my darling girl, sometimes you have to sacrifice your queen in order to save the king.”
I blink, staring past her, the room feeling like it’s closing in on me.
When I was younger, I had a dog named Max, a goofy Golden Retriever. After my father died, Max was always by my side, offering me the support and compassion my mother refused to bestow upon me. When Max got sick several years later, it felt like I was losing my dad all over again. At least with Max, I had time to prepare. I was able to have a few good days with him before the vet came to our house to put him to sleep.
At the time, I thought it would make things easier.
It didn’t.
It doesn’t matter how much you prepare for an inevitability. When you reach that point and have no choice but to say goodbye to someone you love and cherish, it rips you to shreds.
Just like this is ripping me to shreds right now.
My hand trembles as I gradually bring it toward my king, placing my pointer finger on top of it. The instant I do, I know there’s no going back. I’ve touched the piece, so I have to play it. Anywhere I move will eventually put me in check. So I make the only move I can.
My eyes trained on hers, I carefully place my king on its side.
Tears stream down my cheeks, but Queen Veronica doesn’t seem affected in the least by the fact that she’s all but asked me to rip out my heart and present it to her on a golden platter.
“I resign,” I manage to choke out.
Then I push back from the table, keeping my head lowered as I storm out of the room, not so much as looking back to curtsey.
I have no obligation to do so now.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Anderson
Weariness fills me as I trudge through the halls of my residence after what felt like a marathon meeting with my father and the Privy Council. No matter what I proposed in order to dig the royal family out of the mess Nora’s mother created, it still boiled down to the same thing.
Nora or my country.
I can’t have both.
If I choose Nora, come forward with concrete proof of her mother’s lies, I’ll put my freedom at risk, which would eventually fall back on the monarchy for covering up the death of a young man and his unborn child.
But if I choose the monarchy, I lose part of who I am.
I’ll lose my heart.
As I step into the formal living room of our private quarters, I have no idea what I’ll walk into. No idea what choice to make. No idea if Nora will even still be here or if she’s already been forced out during my absence, my decision made for me.
Thankfully, that’s not the case, a lone light illuminating her on the couch,