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I walked into my room and stopped short. My mother was sitting on the edge of her bed, her head bowed. That, I actually expected. But what I hadn’t expected was Lena sitting there with her arm wrapped around my mother’s shoulders.
“It’s okay, Rose,” Lena softly said. “I’m sure that seeing Gwen get beat down like that was hard. But she’s all right. I wish I had a mother to cry over me,” Lena lamented.
“Beat down?” I hissed, knowing that Lena said those words to get under my skin. The aggressive beauty rolled her eyes.
“Save the drama, Gwen. We all know that you never had a chance against Lex. He has a lot of anger in him. But don’t you worry. He’ll get his reckoning. He has made two mistakes too many, trust me,” Lena said, a smirk on her pretty face.
“You have something planned?” I asked. “I want in on it.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” my sister purred. “Your role will be simple.”
“What would that be?” I challenged.
“Be nice to my twin. Earn her trust, then tell her what Lex did when the time is right.” Lena shouldn’t have known the secret that Lex, David, Anastacia, Karen, and I shared. I was positive that neither Karen nor Anastacia would have told her such a thing. Perhaps Lex had bragged about killing the couple? I wouldn’t put it past him. “It’s only a matter of time, Rose. Hang in there until then.” Lena strutted out of my room, the door closing behind her. I glared at my mother.
“What the hell was that?” I nearly shouted. “Why were you talking to her?” A tear trickled down my mother’s beautiful face.
“Gwen, I’m so sorry. I wished that I could have protected you. One of these days, you’re going to find out what I did. I just hope that you forgive me,” she said as my father barged into the room with a box in his grip.
“Gwen, I have something for you,” he announced. I knew by the gleam in his eyes that I wouldn’t like what was in the box. But I forced myself to smile, knowing that my mother’s life was at stake. She may have regretted her choice not to fight alongside Nelly. But she did what it took to keep me alive. I owed her everything. Had she fought, I would have been just like Lena, or worse—perhaps I would have been like Jade. I shuddered at the thought of being like her. She was kind, but was destined for a bad fate.
I shoved the thought of Jade out of my mind and took the box from my father. I quickly opened it and was shocked. There was a diamond choker that I recognized. The green tear-shaped stones on the front of the choker represented my father’s colors. I knew exactly what this meant and wasn’t sure how to react.
“Father,” I hesitantly said, hope flooding me for the first time. If I was appointed Valera’s lady-in-waiting, that meant that I’d have to serve for five years. Then I’d be allowed to choose my own husband, that was the law.
“Do you accept, Gwen?” my father questioned.
I took care to avoid glancing at my mother. She assumed that if I was married, I’d be able to live happily ever after. That wasn’t going to happen.
“Of course, Dad,” I said. “Why me?”
“Because the lady favors you, the daughter who has the least number of punishments. I know that Hope and Faith were angling for the role, but someone like them isn’t what Valera is looking for,” he commented.
“I’m so grateful. I’d be honored to serve your lady,” I gushed. I could practically feel my mother’s glare.
“Do me a favor, and wear the choker once we land on Neretha. I’d hate to rain on Lex’s parade,” he said.
“Of course, Father. He beat me fair and square,” I lied. In truth, I wanted to deck my father for humiliating me that way. But I understood why he had made such a choice. “Someone like Lex needed approval. He had to feel special, at least for that day.
“I’ll keep this safe,” I promised my father, who nodded, before leaving the room. After I stashed the precious box in the back of my closet, I turned to face my mother.
“Mother, are you insane?” I cried. “Why didn’t you at least thank Dad for giving me this opportunity? I can choose my own future.” My mother rubbed her face of her pointless tears. She sure cried a lot.
“You have no idea what you were meant to be,” she softly told me. “Your destiny, your very purpose for living, isn’t so that you can be a servant. Gwen, trust me, there is a lot that you don’t know. I’m just sorry that I didn’t listen.”
“Then tell me what you want me to know,” I begged.
“You’re too far gone. My only hope is that you don’t realize what you’re truly capable of,” she told me, which was irritating. I did everything in my power so she wouldn’t end up as another head on a silver platter. And she wouldn’t even encourage me to succeed? What was wrong with this woman? Did she have the desire to live? Or was she so damaged by losing Max that she had given up on life?
“That was a horrible thing to say,” I told my mother as I walked over to the closet. “But I won’t dwell on that. I have to get ready for dinner.” I wasn’t surprised when Mom screamed out in pain from a punishment. I shut out her anguish, knowing that she wouldn’t be injured by the light. The punishment tricked pain receptors.
I changed into one of my gowns and walked over to the vanity. By then, Mom’s punishment was over. She got to her feet, her eyes briefly flaring with anger. Then she shook her head and brushed past me on the way to the closet.
***
My mother and I headed to dinner together. I saw Karen up ahead, laughing with Hope and Faith. The two were angling for higher positions, but I had the feeling that they would be the first to be married off.
I walked over to the table holding the six useless daughters, and eyed what Jade put together. Pizza? I excitedly helped myself to a slice before sitting at the table assigned to father’s favorites. Anastacia eyed the pizza with interest. I took a bite, then reluctantly handed it over to her. She happily chowed down on it, making me regret my generosity. That had tasted wonderful. Lex sat down across from my mother, who was staring at her water glass. It was obvious that she wasn’t going to make conversation. Meg and Karen sat at the head of our table, somber expressions on their faces. They knew that something was coming. I made eye contact with Karen and she grinned like a lunatic.
“Gwen, how does it feel to lose?” Lex asked, his mother wincing at her son’s words. Before Lex could say anything else, my brother David joined us.
The platter of food had just been delivered when Dad pounded on his water glass with an utensil.
“I have an announcement to make,” my father said in Nerth. “We will be arriving on Neretha in two weeks. Then you’ll prepare for an auction. I will be selling my eligible daughters off to the highest bidders. David, Lex, you both are valuable sons. David, you’ll become a knight. Lex, I have secured a spot at the Academy for you. The rest of you need to prove that you’re worth presenting to our great nation.” I eyed Karen, who grinned. It was obvious that Karen felt like she had the competition in the bag. My father’s intentions were made clear in that moment. He had ordered Lady Valera to name me as her lady-in-waiting so that Karen could perform well. For the first time I wondered if my father really loved Meg. He seemed to spend more time with the woman, and doted on Karen. Did Lady Valera have something to worry about?
Before I could further consider the matter, Karen stood and stormed over to Molly. For a reason that I couldn’t understand, Karen despised Molly. Our sister was sassy, beautiful, and had a big heart. Maybe Karen was intimidated by Molly’s stunning good looks? I stood, deciding that maybe I could do something to stick it to Karen. I loved my sister, but she needed to remember that I wasn’t one to be trifled with.