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“I’ll meet you outside, okay?” Xander turned to go, then hesitated on the doorstep. “Maisy…” His voice was low.
“I’ll be there in just a moment.” Whatever apology he wanted to make, or insincere comment about their time together he had to say, Maisy didn’t think she could handle hearing it right now.
“Fine.” Xander continued out the door. Maisy paused, took a deep breath, forced herself to release her lower lip from between her teeth, and followed him.
The cab ride to the airport was tense, as was the flight. After they boarded, Maisy took her seat and pulled out a magazine that she’d taken from the villa. Hopefully, no one would notice it was missing — and she still didn’t have any electronics to entertain herself in-flight. She couldn’t imagine making small talk with Xander now.
Xander sat across the aisle from her. Maisy was aware of his movements out of the corner of her eye and saw that he had pulled out his own magazine. Somehow, he’d snagged a travel one while she was left with something about fishing that was four years old. It was just her luck.
The flight felt endless. The journey to Kanalea had been tense, as she’d been furious with Xander, but at least she’d slept for most of it. This time, she was very awake. She wasn’t angry anymore — this time she was heartbroken. And the only way to keep her tears from spilling over was to pretend Xander wasn’t here at all.
Maisy must have dozed at some point, because she woke to an in-flight meal of pasta and salad. Across the way, Xander was digging into his own meal.
“It’s good,” he told her.
“Thanks.”
“What do you think our parents have planned?”
“I don’t know.” Maisy twirled a forkful of pasta absentmindedly. “But I guess I’m marrying Niko after all.”
“How do you feel about that?” Xander asked.
“It doesn’t matter.” Maisy smiled, but even she knew it was hollow. “At least you get the life you love back.”
“It does matter how you feel,” Xander insisted. Maisy didn’t reply. She just kept twirling the same few strands of pasta. “I really do think you’ll make a fantastic queen.”
“I think I’ll eat later.” Maisy set the plate aside on a small table. “I’m not hungry.” Then she turned towards the wall and closed her eyes. She wasn’t tired, but she’d rather pretend to nap than make small talk about her future with another man with a guy she’d just opened up to about, well, everything. A guy she’d just slept with.
A guy she might have even loved.
When they finally landed in Aenicea an eternity later, a posse of staffers was waiting on the tarmac. One of them held up a camera, but Xander was the first out of the plane and he shook his head.
“I’m not going to be your publicity today.”
He descended the stairs and was immediately swarmed by a group of staffers who hustled him towards the palace. Maisy followed, her heart heavy. Xander could say no to publicity so easily, but she would never have that right. As queen, Maisy would spend the rest of her life posing on Niko’s arm. Xander had said she’d made a wonderful queen. Well, if being a good queen meant smiling and keeping your head up when you felt like crying and hiding under a pillow, maybe she would be.
“Maisy.” A staffer hurried over. “Please, come with me. Your parents and the royal family are waiting in a private room.”
“What’s the plan?” Maisy asked.
“They’ll tell you everything. I trust you had a pleasant flight?”
“Yes, thank you.” It was a lie, but Maisy wasn’t about to whine to this poor woman who hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Wonderful.”
They began walking quickly towards the palace. It was nighttime in Aenicea and the sky was filled with bright stars. Maisy looked up at them, and her heart ached as she thought of last night in Kanalea, when she and Xander had gazed at the stars. When the staffer ushered her into a side entrance and the stars disappeared from view, Maisy couldn’t help feeling like her last chance at freedom and happiness was slipping away.
“Do you need a moment to freshen up before we meet everyone?” the staffer asked. Maisy hesitated. A moment to herself was all she craved, but she was more desperate to know the plan than anything else.
“No, it’s all right.”
The staffer led her down a hallway and opened a modest door into what looked like a standard business conference room. It looked very different from the palace’s usual classic and elegant aesthetic. Inside, Maisy’s parents, the king and queen, and Niko were waiting.
“Welcome home,” the queen said with a warm smile. “I hope your trip went well.”
The greeting was so strange that Maisy almost laughed. It was like she was returning from vacation, not an imposed exile disguised as a honeymoon.
