The Elite (The Selection #2) - Kiera Cass Page 0,60
to me. I averted my eyes.
“Please be careful,” she whispered. A tear fell onto her cheek.
“Of course, my dear.” Maxon gave her a silly little salute, which made her laugh a bit. He then kissed her cheek and put his lips to her ear. “Please try to keep my mother entertained. She worries.”
He pulled back to look into her eyes, and Kriss nodded once and let his hands go. The second they were no longer touching, a tremor went through her body. Maxon’s hands twitched for a second, like he was going to embrace her, but then he stepped away and started to walk toward me.
As if Maxon’s words of last week weren’t enough, here was physical proof of their relationship. By the look of it, they had something very sweet and real. One glimpse of Kriss with her face in her hands was proof of how much she cared for him. Either that, or she was an incredible actress.
I tried to gauge his expression when he looked at me versus the way he had looked at Kriss. Was it the same? Was there less warmth there?
“Try not to get into any trouble while I’m gone, all right?” he said teasingly.
He didn’t joke with Kriss. Did that mean something?
I raised my right hand. “I promise to be on my best behavior.”
He chuckled. “Excellent. One less thing to worry about.”
“What about us? Should we worry?”
Maxon shook his head. “We should be able to smooth over whatever’s going on. Father can be very diplomatic and—”
“You are such an idiot sometimes,” I said as Maxon’s brow furrowed. “I mean about you. Should we worry about you?”
His face was very serious then and did nothing to help my fears.
“Flying in and flying out. If we can make it to the ground …” Maxon swallowed once, and I saw how frightened he was.
I wanted to ask something else, but I didn’t know what to say.
He cleared his throat. “America, before I go …”
I looked up to Maxon’s face and felt the tears rising.
“I need you to know that everything—”
“Maxon,” the king barked. Maxon lifted his head and waited for his father’s instructions. “We need to go.”
Maxon nodded. “Good-bye, America,” he said quietly, and lifted my hand to his lips. As he did so, he noted the little homemade bracelet I wore. He studied it, seeming confused, then kissed my hand tenderly.
That little feather of a kiss sent me back to a memory that felt years old. He had kissed my hand like that my first night in the palace when I’d yelled at him, when he’d let me stay anyway.
The other girls’ eyes were glued to the king and Maxon as they left, but I was watching the queen. Her entire body seemed weak. How many times would her husband and only child be put in danger before she cracked?
The moment the door shut behind her family, Queen Amberly blinked a few times, inhaled deeply, and pulled herself up to her full height.
“Forgive me, ladies, but this sudden news will require a lot of work from me. I think it’s best if I go to my room so I can focus.” She was fighting so hard. “How about I have lunch delivered here so you can eat at your leisure, and I will join you all for dinner tonight?”
We nodded. “Excellent,” she said, and turned to leave. I knew she was strong. She’d grown up in a poor neighborhood in a poor province, working in a factory until she was chosen for the Selection. Then, once she was queen, she suffered miscarriage after miscarriage before she finally had a child. She would make it to her room looking like a lady, as her position demanded. But she would cry once she was alone.
After the queen left, Celeste went, too. Then I decided I didn’t have to stay either. I went to my room, wanting to be alone and to think.
I kept wondering about Kriss. How had she and Maxon suddenly connected? Not too long ago, he was making me promises about our future. He couldn’t have been that interested in her if he was saying such intimate things to me. It must have happened after that.
The day passed quickly. After dinner, as my maids quietly helped me prepare for bed, a single sentence lifted me from my reflections.
“Do you know who I found in here this morning, miss?” Anne asked as she gently pulled a brush through my hair.