Page 24 of The Forgotten Queen
Sydria lifted her chin. “Thank you,” she said.
Edmay glanced up and nodded, visibly pleased with herself and all she’d done for her.
But Sydria wasn’t thanking Edmay for saving her from dying or even thanking her for letting her stay there the last three months. Sydria was thanking Edmay for that moment of clarity. If Edmay’s job was done, then so was Sydria’s. She wouldn’t think of Von and Edmay again. From that moment on, she was no longer in their debt. When Sydria convinced the king to call off the marriage, she would no longer feel obligated to the two people who had made this her future.
They weren’t her family.
They didn’t really love her.
If they did, they wouldn’t be selling her off to the highest bidder without the slightest look back. Even if the story was true about her mother wanting this marriage, it still didn’t make up for the fact that Sydria didn’t want it. Didn’t she have a say in her life?
She smiled at Edmay, something so sweet it could only be fake. “I hope you’re happy with your decisions.” Edmay’s expression fell and her lips parted to speak, but Sydria cut her off. “You’re the one who has to live with them. Not me.” She stepped forward, placing her hand on Edmay’s shoulder. The woman’s lips pursed, and her eyes trembled with fear.
Von swung the front door open. “The transporter from Cristole Castle has arrived.”
Sydria glanced at the woman one last time, then threw her shoulders back, for no one other than herself, and stepped outside.
The transporter was parked on the dirt path in front of the house. Its oversized rubber tires seemed too big for the dusty road that usually only carried horses and carriages. A Cristole guard stood next to the sleek vehicle. His heavy navy uniform was much too thick for the hot climate.
Otis held the transporter door open for her. “You’re doing the right thing,” he said.
“Doing the right thing for who? You?”
Something was off with Otis. He was more than her aunt and uncle’sfriend. He had ulterior motives, but Sydria didn’t have time to figure out what they were. She was in self-preservation mode now. The people who had claimed her as family had proven that they didn’t have her best interest in mind. From that moment on, she couldn’t trust anyone but herself.
Otis’s thin lips slithered into a smile. “Yes, for me…and everyone else, of course. You’re mother would be so proud.”
She had the urge to slap him across the face. She didn’t even know who her mother was, but her gut told her that she wouldn’t be proud. Instead of the dramatic slap, Sydria managed a curt smile and ducked inside the transporter. The smell of rich leather sparked empty memories to life in her mind as she scooted across the bench seat to the other side of the vehicle. If she married the king, this would be her mode of transportation for the rest of her life, no more carriages. Her mind tried to conjure up all of the negative things about riding in a carriage, but she couldn’t remember anything. All she could imagine was how easy and convenient transporters were. But their convenience didn’t matter. She wasn’t going to marry the king. She was going to find a way out of this mess.
She turned her head to Otis and Von, situating themselves onto the bench across from her. “Have I ridden in a transporter before?” she asked.
Von gave a sharp glance to Otis.
Otis quickly spoke up. “Of course not. How could you have? You were born into the working class.”
Sydria nodded. “Right.”
Could she even believe him?
She gazed out the tinted window as they pulled away from the cottage. Besides walks along the beach, this would be the first time since waking up from her coma that she’d been anywhere. Nerves shot through her body. There were so many things to fear. What if her plan didn’t work? She’d be in a new house with a new life and a new husband. It would be quite a monumental day—such a contrast to the monotony of the last three months.
“How long will it take to get to Cristole Castle?” she asked, watching the waves in the distance crash into the beach.
“Only a few minutes,” Otis said as he tugged at his black pants.
She’d had no idea that she’d been living that close to the castle. In a way, the proximity comforted her. Maybe she could still walk along the shores of the beach that she’d grown to love.
Sydria rested her chin on her hand, watching as the dirt road winded and turned until they came upon a white stone wall lined with tropical plants and cacti. The transporter came to a stop in front of an iron gate. Her breath caught as the guards slowly pulled the gates open.
“Will the king greet us?” She wanted to prepare for whatever fanfare waited for them at the end of the drive. One thing was for sure—she wasn’t going to let anyone see how scared she was.
“I doubt it,” Otis said, chuckling to himself.
Something about his laugh unsettled her, and she realized she hadn’t asked one question about the man she was supposed to marry. “Is the king a good man? Is he kind?”
Otis tilted his head toward her. “He’s a king, isn’t he? That should begoodenough.” He turned his head away from her, exchanging a look with Von.
Being a king wasn’tgoodenough for Sydria.
