34. Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Four
Grace
Twelve years ago…
Grace combed her hair before dividing it into two sections, braiding each with nimble fingers.
She’d been practicing doing her own hair before bed for months and had finally gotten the hang of it.
Once the two plaits were tied off, she slipped into a pink nightgown and crawled into her enormous bed.
It had recently been upgraded from her kiddie bed, and she couldn’t wait to have her friends over to stay the night.
They could all fit in one bed at the same time!
As she nestled into the blankets, her bedroom door cracked open and her mother peeked her head inside. “Are you ready?”
“Yep!” Grace replied with a grin.
The door swung wide open and her mother stepped inside, coming over to take a seat next to Grace in her gigantic new bed.
Her mother held a book—the cover faded and bent in one corner.
Like every other book her mother had read to Grace, this one also had delicate pages, so Grace knew that only adults were allowed to hold the precious item.
Her mother gently opened the book and read the title—Happily Ever After.
It was a tale of a princess in a faraway land with dragons and magic.
The ones with princesses were Grace’s favorite.
She knew it wasn’t exactly the same, but she saw herself in them.
Knew that she and her family held importance in her town, even if she didn’t fully understand why.
She listened with undivided attention as her mother told the story of how the princess found herself in a predicament, betrayed by someone she thought she could trust and destined to spend the rest of her days inside the dragon’s lair.
But a prince came along, and he was able to vanquish the dragon using powerful magic. The princess was so thankful and impressed by his courage and charming smile. It was love at first sight. And when they shared a kiss, fireworks exploded overhead.
Grace giggled at this part. She loved it when the story ended with a romantic kiss.
“And they lived happily ever after,” her mother concluded the bedtime story. With a kiss to Grace’s forehead, her mother tucked her in.
Grace sighed happily. “When I grow up, I’m going to find my prince.”
“Is that so?”
“Yep. And we will be in love and throw a big wedding for everyone in town and we’ll have seven kids…and a puppy.”
Her mother chuckled. “Where are you going to find one of those?”
“I don’t know.” Grace shrugged. “Maybe I’ll go on an adventure to find one. I’m going to have the most perfect, amazing life…like you and Daddy.”
She yawned and pulled her thick blanket against her chest. Through heavy lids, she watched her mother nod and head toward the door. Before she left, she turned back to Grace one more time. “I believe you’ll get everything you ever wanted, Gracie. If anyone will, it’s you. I love you, sweetie.”
“Love you too, Mommy.”
*****
It was easy for Grace to hide her nerves.
Playing the part of a perfect, stoic regent was something she had been doing for years.
Ever since she’d learned the history of the matriarchy in Berland and the position she’d be expected to fill, she had left her own dreams behind and put on the mask that was required of her.
There’d been a time in her early teens when she’d rebelled.
She had stayed out too late, hung out with people who were too old and too wild.
She’d had her first sip of angelfruit wine in a dark back room with people who had been eager to steal her youth.
One day she had stumbled upon Azalea’s and that was one sinful habit she’d yet to give up.
The one bit of freedom she clung to with white knuckles even as responsibility and propriety tugged her away.
Today it felt as though everything she’d been running from had finally caught up to her. For years, she’d been swimming against the current, desperately seeking ways to maintain her individuality before she fell into the role her mother had carefully curated for her.
But she couldn’t fight the raging river forever.
Grace gazed at the crowd gathered to watch the spectacle that was her life. Like she was nothing more than an object of entertainment, a nameless figurehead who rarely crossed their mind unless a ball or celebration was involved.
But that wasn’t entirely true.
As her eyes swept the crowd, she spotted the woman who had taught her for over ten years sitting next to her husband. He gave the woman a peck on the cheek, and she smiled.
Two rows down, Grace watched as the man who worked with her father shifted restlessly in his seat.
After a back injury, he’d had to retire from traveling missions, but he still did paperwork for her father and had always come to their holiday dinners, bringing along a small gift for Grace and Theo every year until they became adults.
Three teenage boys climbed the bleacher steps, and she recognized them as the kids who’d shown up barefoot and broken, having lost all of their family and friends to a devastating mudslide in the mountains to the east. They were only a few years younger than she was and had spent their first few months in Berland clinging to her like a shadow until they finally felt safe.
She smiled to see that, years later, they were still inseparable.
Grace continued to pick out friendly faces—Heather’s parents who waved when they spotted her, the man who ran the general store, her doctor, the seamstress who frequently mended her vintage gowns.
The list went on and on of all the people she talked to regularly.
People who had made an impact in her life and those with whom she’d made an impact.
Suddenly, she didn’t feel like such a stranger, such an untouchable recluse. This town was full of people she adored and admired. And one in particular that she was madly in love with, despite his imperfections.
Grace was too full of energy to sit in her assigned seat. Nik and Theo joined her on the platform, but they still waited for the remainder of their party. Her parents and friends would arrive any minute.
In the meantime, she searched for Eli, heart hammering when she caught a glimpse of him with the other suitors.
He had his back to her, but she recognized his tall, lean frame.
His broad shoulders stretched the fabric of his black cotton shirt, and she could see his muscles rippling underneath as he rolled his neck and swung his arms across his torso.
Immediately she felt a sense of longing for him—to touch him, hold his hand and hear the low rumble of his voice. It had only been two days since her world had collapsed, her mother’s deteriorating health finally coming to light. A revelation that Eli had evidently known for months.
Emotions had been running high when Eli had made his confession.
Fear of losing her mother, relief from her mother’s acceptance, yearning for the way things could’ve been different if only Grace had known…
She could’ve spent more time working together with her mother instead of feeling like she’d failed her at every turn.
The weight on her chest was suffocating as she considered the alternative outcomes.
Eli turned around and for a moment they just stared at each other, each waiting for the other to move first. In the end, Grace did, stepping down from the platform and heading toward the group of suitors.
But Eli met her halfway, saving her the hassle of pretending like she wanted to speak to all of her suitors, when there was only one on her mind.
When they were standing face to face, Eli forcing a timid smile and Grace biting her cheek, they both started to speak at the same time.
“Are you—”
“I’m such a—”
“You first,” they said simultaneously, then laughed nervously.
Grace swallowed and fought the urge to reach for his hand. Soon…very soon.
“I was upset when you didn’t tell me about my mom,” she began.
“I know,” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I truly am sorry, Grace. And I hope you’ll forgive me and give me the chance to prove that I’ll never keep secrets from you again.”
His brows pinched together, and she could see the hurt in his eyes. When she hurt, so did he.
“When I woke up in the morning and you were gone, I…I don’t know…it scared me. The thought of losing you scares me. I’m so fucking in love with you, Grace. I’ll do anything to earn your trust again.”
Grace nodded. “I forgive you. And I believe you. I know you would never intentionally hurt me.”
Eli breathed a sigh of relief.
“And I’m so fucking in love with you, too,” she added with a grin.
He took a step closer, oblivious to the crowd surrounding them and his fellow suitors, who were no doubt eyeing him with envy. They all wished they could be as close to her as Eli was. And they would fight tooth and nail to beat him today.
Eli quickly glanced around before his cautious eyes returned to her. “When I win the Rite and make you my wife, I’m going to show you just how in love with you I truly am,” he said, licking his lips and allowing his gaze to roam over her body.
Heat spread over her skin, but the long, thin green dress she wore hid her flush. Still, he watched her as if he could see the way his words affected her insides, turning her legs to jelly and her stomach into butterflies. His smile was just as cocky as it was charming.
“Good luck,” she said, winking before she turned away. A gust of cool air blew through her hair and cooled her overheated body.
On her way back to the covered platform, she noticed more people had arrived.
Heather and Amaya were both there in matching blue dresses, though the cut was slightly different—Heather’s strapless while Amaya’s had a halter top.
Theo was now enamored in a conversation with Sam and Nik and at the center of the stage, her dad was flipping through a couple sheets of paper.
Climbing the steps onto the platform, she turned to her dad. “Where’s Mom?”
He folded the papers and tucked them into his back pocket before meeting her gaze. “I’m so sorry, Grace. She wasn’t up to it.”
Grace nodded and stared straight ahead. She’d had little hope that her mother would be able to attend after spending the past few days in bed, but it still felt like a piece of her was missing.
Finally reaching the finish line, a day that her mother had endlessly prepared her for, and not having her standing beside Grace felt like a punch to the gut.
And this was only the beginning. There would be many days to come, once in a lifetime experiences, that her mother wouldn’t be there for. And she’d be further away than the bed where she rested now. She’d be out of reach.
Grace’s eyes stung, but she blinked away the tears before anyone could see. The last thing she wanted to do was cause a scene. She could hear the gossip now.
Grace was so distraught at the thought of being auctioned off, she was crying!
Poor thing isn’t ready for this kind of commitment. She’s still a child!
She’s so spoiled. She should be grateful for this opportunity.
Of course, none of them knew the real reason for her tears. Their family had decided to keep her mother’s illness confidential until Grace made it through the Rite and married, fulfilling her prerequisites for becoming the next Lady of Berland.
The idea of a hasty wedding didn’t terrify her as much as it should.
As long as Eli won, she’d happily marry him tomorrow.
She was certain no other person on earth could make her feel like he did—alive and full of hope for a brighter future, eager to fulfill the role she’d been groomed for with him at her side.
She smiled as she pictured that life, bittersweet as it would be without her mother.
Beside her, her father cleared his throat, preparing to give a few opening remarks before the official start of the final round. A blanket of silence slowly fell over the crowd as neighbors shushed one another and waited patiently for her father to speak.
The suitors turned their attention to the stage as well, each of them eyeing Grace with desire and determination.
She offered a warm smile to Jae and Roman but ignored Trevor’s slimy smirk.
Eli stood at the left end, standing tall with his arms behind his back.
He winked, and she had to look away to hide her grin.
Finally, the bleachers full of onlookers quieted enough for her father to speak.
“Welcome,” he roared, loud enough for the far ends of the crowd to hear. “Today is an exciting day!”
Grace’s ears buzzed with the cheers of her people. The sounds, the sights, the tickle of loose hair on her neck and shoulders—her senses were overwhelmed with it all.
Before she knew it, the suitors were lining up, ready to begin their race down the mountain.
Diane and Fox accompanied them, waiting to give the signal to start.
Eamon was noticeably absent, considering his own son was about to compete.
Grace looked around, expecting to find him on the sidelines or meandering through the crowd, perhaps busy chatting with one of his cronies.
But he was nowhere to be found.
She looked behind her. Most of her companions were enraptured with the proceedings, listening attentively to her father as he wrapped up his speech. Theo gave her a little thumbs up—a sign of solidarity.
When her eyes met Nik’s, he frowned, as though he could sense something was wrong. He shifted towards her until he was close enough to whisper.
“What is it?”
“I don’t know,” she said quietly, shaking her head. Maybe it was nothing. “Eamon is missing.”
Nik scratched the back of his neck and looked around. “You think he could be running late?”
“I doubt it. There’s a lot riding on this final round. He’s depending on Trevor to win so they can solidify their power and influence. There’s nothing more important than this.”
“Unless…” he hesitated.
“Unless he has something up his sleeve. Unless he’s planning something while everyone else is away.”
“Fuck,” Nik said, running a hand through his hair. “What do you want me to do? I can stay here if you need me, but—”
“But you’d be more useful back at the mountain. See if you can find him. I want to know what he’s up to.”
Nik nodded and then looked to his left. His brows pinched together before he looked to his right. Panic bloomed on his face. “Where’s Ali?”
Before Grace could respond, her father shouted, “Begin!”