“MJ!” Lucas rushed to me and caught me before I hit the floor.
My head felt light. Using so much magic had drained me almost entirely, but Lucas held me close. I felt safe in his arms.
He brushed my hair out of my face. “I’m here,” he said. “I’m with you. I love you so much.”
Even though I was exhausted, I smiled. “I love you, too. I’m sorry for everything.”
“Don’t apologize. You did it. You figured it out.”
He kissed me, and I realized I was crying when he did. He wiped the tears off my cheeks. They weren’t sad tears—I was so relieved and so happy. Everything felt right for once. I had been feeling so terrible for so long, I had almost forgotten what it was like.
I held him, and he held me, and we kissed until our lips went numb.
30
Our engagementfeasthad become a citywide affair.
Once people returned to their homes after the battle and repairs were made to rebuild the city, a celebration was in order. The banners that had hung for Qian and me had been replaced with the colors of Sirena and Sigbin.
The only person who protested was the most obvious one: Amihan. Amador’s mother could be heard bellowing from the grand hall. As I walked toward it, I knew that Elias was getting an earful. When I rounded the corner, I saw her and Elias in the midst of it. He was sitting at the table, and she was standing, leaning close into his face, but he refused to lean back.
Obviously, she didn’t want to wait for me to arrive before she tore into Elias.
“We were promised an engagement!” Amihan spat. Elias seemed to be doing everything in his power not to flinch at the spittle flying out of her mouth. “Their betrothal was signed, sealed, and sworn! My daughter was to marry Sir Lucas! Where is the crown’s promise? Are contracts worth nothing to you, to the queen?”
Her beautiful face had become a mask of fury and wild-eyed desperation when she screamed. I’d remembered what Amador had said about her family. That her father had made some bad investments, and they were going to lose their house and titles if Amador didn’t marry a preeminent member of Sigbin Court. She’d been a political pawn. It seemed like her mother was more upset about losing the promise of better standing than losing Amador.
Elias sounded bored. I think he’d heard enough. “As far as I’m concerned, the agreement is legally null if one member chooses to terminate it. And, correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe it’s your own daughter who submitted the request.”
“Shewhat?”
Elias noticed me coming, and his eyes pleaded for this conversation to end. “I apologize, Amihan. I’ll repeat myself for your sake. Your daughter—the grand duchess, if you need a reminder—called off the engagement. It would seem that she has changed her mind about it. She hired a specialist to nullify the oath of devotion. I know no more than that.”
That had mostly been my doing. I’d put her in contact with Gani, who was able to lift the oath of devotion for Amador and Lucas. He had been pleased to learn I’d been able to get rid of my curse and applied his own expertise to setting Amador and Lucas free of their own.
“She wouldn’t do that to us!” Amihan shrieked. “She knows what’s at stake!”
Elias held up his hands. “It’s beyond my authority to bind her to a contract that she does not agree to. I am simply a humble councilor to the crown. You may take it up with Her Majesty ifyou so wish.” Elias gestured to me, and Amihan realized I had entered the room.
All etiquette called for her to curtsy, but the moment she saw me come in, her fury turned on me. I tried to keep my face neutral, to be regal, but I felt a pang of sympathy. This was what Amador had had to endure her whole life? No wonder she had been so mean to me at school.
“You,” Amador’s mother said, pointing a finger at me, “the aswang queen of Biringan! You owe me what is mine.”
“You mean Sir Lucas?” I asked.
She stamped her foot so hard, I wondered if she would snap her heel on the marble floor. “You broke a sacred promise! Is this the kind of precedent you want to be setting? Afteryounearly got our city destroyed?”
I put a hand to my chest. “I assure you, Amihan, I would never force two people to be married if that’s not something they wish. I am a queen, not a despot.”
She bared her teeth at me, much like an animal would. “Sir Lucas and my Amador are to be wed, or else you will regret ever crossing me.”
I glanced at Elias, who looked tired and frankly over dealing with her. He just shrugged.
I turned my attention back to Amador’s mother and said with all the sincerity I could muster, “I understand the hardship that’s befallen your family. I will ensure that you can remain in your palace, that your husband can keep his position in the court and all his titles, so long as you heed Amador’s wishes not to marry Lucas.”
Amihan stared at me, her eyes so round and her jaw so set,I wondered if she was trying to summon her magic. But I stood before her, head held high, confident that I was right. Amador didn’t deserve to be used this way, and neither did Lucas. It was my responsibility, not just as a queen but as their friend, to see that they were both happy.
“You will regret this,” she said, pointing her finger at me again. “I swear it. You will rue this day.”
