Chapter 19 #2
But we were starting with at least one dress since I didn’t have any ready. It might seem silly when a gown was a gown, but it wasn’t so much princess vs queen gowns, but I’d never picked any. My parents had chosen all my clothes.
Oddly enough, I wanted it all gone and not to trust them anymore.
Weird, right?
I’d been pushing this back and back because of the money issue and yes, it annoyed me that the media was constantly focused on my fucking clothes. It seemed valid.
Now that it could potentially be another income source?
I was in.
Especially after I flipped through some of the suit sketches.
I didn’t know couture could have business suits with such flare.
Now I really was annoyed with my mother.
There was no reason at all she couldn’t have worn this and pushed females forward instead of the demure bullshit of skirts and gowns a “good” woman should wear.
“Onyx is texting that he’s flying out again,” Myriam muttered after glancing at my phone.
I gasped and gave her a horrified look. “I completely—I’ll be right back.”
“Sagan, wait!” Maple called after me, but I was already out of the door.
I was a horrible person. It had been over a week since he’d flown in worried about me and I’d not even talked to him.
He’d gone back and forth once to Protesia and still I hadn’t made time for him with everything going on.
All the meetings and crazy and now meals with prospects… Not even a text or call.
“Onyx,” I called as I reached the main foyer and he was walking with his suitcase staring at his phone. I ignored everyone else and just needed to—something. I wasn’t sure, but I would be crushed if I’d been treated the way I’d treated him.
Beyond crushed. I was a complete jackass.
He turned and that was the moment I realized why they’d tried to stop me. What I was wearing had been held together with pins and I lost my straps, reacting instantly to hold the front to myself, but feeling air on my entire back.
He moved just as fast and the button-up shirt he’d been wearing open over a t-shirt was over my shoulders and wrapped around me.
“I’m sorry,” I blurted. “I’m so sorry.” I searched for my phone but rolled my eyes. “Myriam has my phone. I took pictures and never sent them. I totally—”
“Baby girl, breathe,” he whispered under his breath as he pulled me closer… Mostly to cover me. “And what were you—were you in a fitting?”
I nodded. “Myriam read your text to me and I—I’m so sorry. It’s all…” I trailed off when someone cleared their throat and another coughed.
Guards. It was a few of the guards and I realized why when just about all of the prospects were gathered with them.
Oh fuck. Just… Oh fuck!
“Avert your eyes,” Onyx snarled before hurrying to lift me up. He frowned when I whimpered. “What? What did I do wrong?”
“Pins,” I squeaked. “The dress was full of pins. Now in my skin.”
“Oh fuck,” he growled and froze. “I don’t know what is better—to walk with you or set you back down.”
I didn’t know either.
“Let’s start with hiding the queen,” Belinda said. “I’ve cloaked you both. I suggest moving your one arm to under her knees instead of where it is. That’s pushing against the pins.” She gave me a frustrated look. “Really? The one time you let your mask slip, it’s—”
“Yes, thank you,” I grumbled. I ducked my head against Onyx like that would help somehow and he carried me back to where I’d been.
They were mostly waiting for me in the hallway with a range of expressions. I couldn’t even hide my embarrassment as he gently set me on my feet and I assumed Belinda uncloaked us.
“Well, good thing a red dress will look good with your coloring,” Maple drawled. I frowned and glanced at her. “There’s blood on the material, Sagan. All over. He probably shoved every pin into you.”
“It’s not his fault I’m an idiot,” I grumbled, flinching when the first pin was pulled out.
“I can’t hurt the queen,” one of Andra’s helpers muttered.
“I can,” Treena and Myriam drawled at the same time.
Thanks.
Onyx was a gentleman and held the front of his shirt closed even if I was covered. Then I realized it was so he didn’t get distracted and flushed, Belinda understanding as well and snorting.
“Why wasn’t I invited to the fun? I love fun,” she said as she went over to the sideboard and loaded up a plate.
“You make people nervous, Advisor,” Maple chuckled.
“So do you,” Belinda replied, but they both knew it wasn’t anything remotely the same.
“Phone,” I hissed to Myriam as I simply stared into Onyx’s eyes. The moment it was in my hand, I quickly unlocked it and showed Onyx. “I took pictures. They were really pretty. I smelled them. I forgot to send—thank you. Really. I liked them a lot.”
His face softened and he cupped my cheek. “If this apology comes with a kiss, I promise all my hurt feelings are gone.”
Instantly, my lips were on his. Quick, but I did it.
He came back for another longer one even if it wasn’t heated given where we were. “Thank you for making sure I understood it wasn’t anything I did wrong. I was worried. I didn’t want to be too pushy again and—I was so worried.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I am too because he asked me like fifty times if you were okay,” Myriam admitted. “There’s just so much going on.”
“Constantly,” Treena grumbled.
Onyx seemed to accept it was real and not just a brush-off. “Can we have that dinner when I get back this time?”
“I will make room in your schedule and screw the other prospects,” Velle answered before I could. “They’re already being annoying as fuck.”
“Velle,” Myriam sighed. “Not in front of people at least. Come on.” She snickered when Velle apologized. “But she’s right.”
“Then eat them,” I muttered, not caring. I flinched when a few more pins were pulled out. “How long are you going for this time? This is…” Everyone in the room couldn’t know about the tribe of undines.
“Relocation this time,” he confirmed. “And I’ve brought in the right kind of colleagues who can help get more information so we have the best plan to restabilize the mountain. Should be three days tops.”
“Be safe, okay?”
“Yes, My Queen,” he whispered against my lips.
I noticed he shot Myriam an annoyed look as we parted. “What? What’s going on?”
“He tried to set up this same thing for you,” Myriam confessed, sighing when I blinked at her. “It wasn’t him vs this new guy. It was the designer he picked.”
“She’s one of the best in the country,” Onyx defended. He shot Andra an apologetic look. “I’m sure you’re amazing, but you’re young and—”
“You read this wrong, Onyx,” Treena cut in calmly, nodding when he focused on her.
“I was on the call with Myriam. You picked an established, pompous woman who was ready to school Sagan instead of help her find her style as the first De la Rosa queen ruler in several generations. That woman wanted to make her Amelia 2.0 and I was disgusted.”
“The fact you hid it was the most amazing part of the call,” Myriam muttered.
“It’s not the first, nor last time, I’ll deal with such sexism, but the way she spoke to me like I was a trained dog instead of the Heir of Bodach was beyond—no. Never. That woman…” Treena adjusted her neck, which made it clear she was about to break.
“I will handle it,” Maple said firmly before I could even say anything. “I wasn’t aware.”
“We’ve had a lot to do,” Myriam sighed. “It’s on a list somewhere.”
“Top of mine of people to put in their place and I’ve already told Father,” Treena said with a dark chuckle.
“I’m so sorry,” Onyx whispered, his face pale and looking like he’d been kicked somewhere bad. “Vex used her for a gown for his mate and couldn’t—he said it was the most beautiful gown—it was.”
“Oh, I’m sure it was and exactly what he wanted since she mostly asked what your tastes were like the plan was to dress Sagan like your Barbie,” Myriam drawled. “She basically pumped us useless animals for information about the suitors to make Sagan presentable for them.”
“Okay, stop, please, before I explode,” I muttered. “It’s so much worse when it comes from these brainwashed brain-dead women.”
It was nice that everyone in the room agreed.
“Wait, final nail in the coffin?” Treena checked, hurrying on when I sighed.
“She wouldn’t even hear of the very normal deal made with designers who work with royals.
Sagan was blessed you had the connection to help her, which she desperately needed, and she would pay full price, not this nonsense of getting a cut. ”
“So on top of everything else, she believes I’m a fucking moron. Awesome,” I grumbled, ignoring when everyone couldn’t hide their shock that I swore.
Whatever.
I was already partly naked and getting pins pulled out of my body. Dropping an F bomb wasn’t really that big of a deal.
“May I ask what deal?” Onyx hedged once he seemed to process everything he’d just been told.
He gave Treena and Myriam impressed looks when he heard it.
“You might want to expand that to her prospects when some of the profits are going to charity of her choosing for the country.” He glanced at Andra.
“Put me in whatever that’s not a clown costume. Even for my date with Sagan.”
“Ooohhh, I like it. And now I have an excuse to talk to the uncle,” Myriam practically sang as she grabbed some papers and had her phone out. She shrugged when I cleared my throat. “Your uncle’s hot, Sagan. Like hawt.”
Several people laughed at whatever was on my face, but Maple recovered first. “Even I stare at Darren and I’ve known him since I was young.
He’s constantly rated one of the most eligible bachelors in the nation, Sagan.
He’s attractive and turned the family’s finances from well off to rich. The family is now loaded.”
I knew that. Anyone who waved off a several-million-dollar debt like pocket change—even from family—was loaded.
Beyond rich for sure.
I meant business with the stare I focused on Myriam. “You know that can’t happen, right?”
She chuckled darkly while everyone went tense. “I don’t want to mate your uncle, just rock his world and make him crave tiger and long for me forever.”
“You walked right into that one poking at her situation,” Velle said under her breath… And for once, Velle wasn’t wrong or being a bitch.
But neither was I.
I wasn’t wrong that Myriam couldn’t ever have anything with my uncle given who her family was.
And I wasn’t being a bitch making my position clear on that.
Maybe just for saying it in front of so many other people.