I flinched. “That’s why I wanted to ask you first—”
“MJ! You can’t marry him! You don’t even know him!”
“It’s what Yara couldn’t do; it’s the only way. If I marry Qian, take a vow of true love, I can break the curse. And at the same time, you’ll get to stay in Biringan, and war won’t break out. Our families will be united. Our kingdoms will be allied.”
Nix stood up and paced the room, dragging her hands through her hair and pulling it out of her bun in the process.
“You don’t think we could be happy?” I asked. “He’s noble, and protective, and heroic. You know him; you know it’s not the worst idea.”
“No, but you don’t love him. You love Lucas.”
Amador looked guilty, but she kept unusually quiet, even when Nix looked her way as if asking for backup. Nix was right. I did love Lucas. He was the only person I could truly imagine spending my life with, but he wasn’t an option anymore. It didn’t matter if he and Amador didn’t have a romantic relationship. I had to let him go.
“Not trying to say one way or another what you should do,” said Amador after a moment. “But shouldn’t you consider how Qian might feel? Doesn’t he deserve to be with someone he loves and who loves him?”
That was the first time I’d heard Amador care about anyone else’s feelings. But she was right.
Nix said, “Qian is a protector. He knows just as well as any of us that marriage for royals is more than that. Marrying MJ would mean he gains a valuable ally with Biringan. He values family more than anything, and if he can protect them, he’ll see it done.” She looked at me and asked, “Have you told him?”
“No, Qian doesn’t know yet. I came to you first—”
“Not Qian. Lucas.”
Heat rose to my cheeks. “No.”
“So, then, what if it doesn’t work?” Nix flung her arms wide. “What if you marry Qian and you’re still a manananggal?”
“I know it’s a risk, but it’s one I have to take. I’m running out of time anyway, and it’s my best shot.”
“That’s the worst excuse I’ve ever heard.”
“We will be sisters,” I said. “Real sisters.”
Nix gaped at me like I’d told her I was moving to Mars. “You’re giving up on Lucas to save me?”
When she put it that way, it formed a lump in my throat. “There are a lot of reasons why marrying Qian is what’s best. It could be a good match. I’m sure Elias and my mom would approve. And trade agreements would be favorable. And Jade Mountain could use the alliance—”
“Stop talking like a queen and start talking like my friend.”
That made me clamp my mouth shut. She was right.
“I like Qian,” I said. “He’s proven that he cares about you as much as I do, and we can have common ground on that front. You’ll be free.”
Nix’s eyes swam. I knew I’d touched a nerve, but she had to know that I was doing my best to help her, just like she was doing her best to help me.
“So I’m asking your permission,” I said. “I’m going to ask Qian to marry me.”
Nix looked at Amador again, but Amador couldn’t offer anything else. As daughters of rulers, we all had our destinies sealedthe moment we were born. It wasn’t fair, but at least I had the power to protect the ones I loved. I could prevent Nix from sacrificing her freedom in exchange for mine.
Nix rushed to me and wrapped me in a hug.
When I wentto the overlook, Qian was already waiting. His back was to me while he looked across the expanse of the green mountains. I took a steadying breath before he noticed me. Amador had helped do my hair into an elegant knot, and Nix had weaved in a tiara of jasmine flowers, making me up to be presentable for my proposal, but I had no idea how he would react. I wrung my hands, my stomach full of butterflies, and I approached Qian.
My fingernails felt sharper; so did my teeth. I had checked them over and over in the mirror while Amador and Nix were getting me ready, but my mind was playing a cruel trick on me. I couldn’t actually see any difference, but I felt it. I didn’t have much time left, but I needed to do this if I had a chance at saving everyone. But turning into the manananggal in the pool had felt more complete than before, as if I was becoming the thing I was supposed to be all along.
When I got close, Qian turned around, and he smiled when he saw me, at least for what I was on the outside—a beautiful queen.
“Good afternoon, MJ,” he said. “You look lovely.”
