Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 116570 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 583(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116570 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 583(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
What happened? Their relationship was never great, but it wasn’t like this. Sophia always followed protocol, so for her to have to be given a look was odd. I glanced at Eliza, but she shook her head with a small frown. I didn’t have much time to focus as we began to walk forward.
The guards stood ready at the door.
“Her Royal Majesty, Queen Elspeth, and His Royal Highness, Prince Galahad, the Adelaar,” they announced as the doors opened.
When we stepped out, the cameras flashed, blinding me for a second. Then I saw over two hundred faces on opposites sides of a long, formal dinner table, all of whom either curtsied or bowed as we walked to the head of the table. Centerpieces made up of the four flowers of Ersovia, and actual candles in golden candle holders decorated the table while all the chairs had the royal seal on their backs. At the head of the table were two chairs larger than the others with the seal on the front—the one for the king would remain empty.
Gale led Sophia to her seat beside the queen, before switching to my hand and leading me to sit beside him on the seats beside the king’s chair. We stood until the queen sat.
Gale gave my hand a light squeeze.
Step one. Entrance. Done.
Step two. I had to sit still and listen to their speeches. Which I thought would be easy; however, I noticed everyone’s eyes seemed to drift more to me—watching me carefully. It wasn’t malicious. Well, not all of it. Some just seemed curious. When I met some of their eyes, they smiled. It was hard not to smile back politely; it felt rude, but I wasn’t supposed to. I had to be pleasant but invisible. How was that possible? I had no idea. However, I did my best to look at Gale most of the time while he stood and spoke.
When he finally sat back down, I almost applauded but then dropped my hands quickly, which I’m sure people caught—first mistake.
Ignoring it, I moved to focus on step three as the first course of seven was brought out by the footmen. As they set the food in front of me, Gale leaned over to whisper, “You didn’t hear a word I said, did you?”
I had tried to keep my face under control, but since when could he read me so clearly? “I heard you,” I lied, lifting my soup spoon when everyone else did. All my training from my mother and Lady de Marissonne came to my mind as I slowly brought the soup to my lips, taking a delicate sip.
“Name one thing I said?” Gale asked.
Swallowing, I opened my mouth to speak, but suddenly, like fire and ash were being poured down my throat, I couldn’t breathe. I glanced down at the soup, confused, and tried to take a deep breath, but I couldn’t.
“Odette?”
Turning my head, I looked him in the eyes and tried to speak, but I couldn’t. As my vision blurred, I reached out and grabbed his arm tightly. I knew what this was. This had happened once before. I needed help. I tried to get up, but all of me shook.
“Odette?”
“Pea-p-peanuts,” I gasped out before everything went dark. The last thing I heard was his voice.
“Odette!”
Trembling, Odette rose up but nearly slipped, then hunched over her plate, gasping.
“Odette?” I rose.
Her head whipped to me, her brown eyes wide with fear. “Pea-p-peanuts.”
Just like that, she collapsed, and I grabbed her as she shook violently in my arms. “Odette!” I hollered. “Odette!”
She just shook. I glanced around, not understanding, and my brain was frozen in terror as I tried to get her to get back up. But she wasn’t. Searching around, all I saw was more chaos and people running, yelling. Eliza was already screaming beside us, and more people came to me.
“Sir, stand back! Stand back!” Wolfgang pushed me before stabbing her with something. Then a second time. It was only then that she inhaled. Turning to me, he said, “We need to get her to the hospital!”
That was all I needed to hear. Lifting Odette off the floor, she slumped in my arms, and I ran. I ran as fast as I could, pushing whoever I could out my way. “Odette? Odette?” I called out, but she didn’t wake.
“Get me an ambulance!” I hollered, rushing out into the corridor.
“Sir, this way!” Iskandar was already running, leading me toward the front of the palace where the in-palace doctor, as well as two nurses, were also rushing.
“What happened?”
“She’s allergic to peanuts!” someone I didn’t know yelled.
I just stared at Odette’s ashen face, going where they led me until the cold air slapped across my face as we stood outside, a stretcher and ambulance already there. When? How? I wasn’t sure. I couldn’t care less as they were trying to take her out of my hands.