Okay, here we go. Time to confess. Okay, here goes nothing, literally.“I don’t have magic,” I said.
“What are you talking about?” Lucas frowned.
“Talent. Power. I don’t have any.”
“Be serious,” Nix scoffed. “You’re the princess! The heir to all of Biringan!”
“And I’m half-human. I think my human side beat out my encanto side.”
Nix stared at me. “You’re really serious?”
I hung my head. “Yeah. I’ve... I’ve been trying to figure out what it is, but I’ve got to come clean. I’ve got nothing.”
Lucas shook his head. “No, that’s not right. You just haven’t found it yet.”
“No, I don’t think so,” I said. I’d thought it would make me feel better, admitting it. But I only felt worse.
He took me by the arms and looked directly into my eyes. “You are your father’s daughter. I believe that. You should, too.”
I stared at him. He believed in me. I wished I did. But it was overwhelming. I knew I was going to disappoint everyone, him most of all. I shook him off me. I couldn’t bear his care for me right then.
Nix grabbed my hands. “It doesn’t matter! It’s going to be fine. We’ll think of something. Just act normal and enjoy the night in the meantime.”
I nodded, my eyes watering.
Servers began gathering at the door. It was time for dinner.
“Come on,” said Lucas. “Let’s go. Like Nix said, we’ll figure something out later.”
We all went and sat at the head table: me, Nix, Lucas, Elias, and some of the councilors, whom, according to Elias, I should bestow some advance favors upon, in order to guarantee their loyalty.
“Professor Manatubay wasn’t kidding. Check out all the forks,” I said, trying to make light of everything and change the subject.
“You’ll have to remind me which is which so we don’t spark aninter-court incident,” Nix responded. “Speaking of incidents, maybe after dinner we can sneak away and try to find a solution to your... you know.”
“Yes, good idea,” I agreed. We’d found so many secrets in books before; perhaps there was something in the library that could help this, too.
I spotted Amador all the way on the other side of the room, as far from my table as possible, with her back turned away from me.We were betrothed as children. We are engaged to be married.What if she wasn’t lying? Lucas swore it wasn’t true. But still I wondered. I tried to enjoy the night; after all, Lucas was next to me. He was courting me. He’d chosenme.
Eat your heart out, Amador.It was a far cry from when she tried to lure me into the incineration room or trick me into eating rice and making myself a prisoner in my own realm.
As servers began to bring out trays of food and drinks for every table, a steady stream of well-wishers filed past the royal table on their way to sit, to say hello, give congratulations, and offer their loyalty to the crown. “It’s a little embarrassing,” I said to Nix when there was a short break in the line.
“Nah, everyone’s just excited to get a new queen,” Nix said. “Enjoy it.” She looked up at someone. “Here comes another,” shesaid. Then she twisted around in her seat to speak to me more privately and whispered, “What isherproblem?”
I thought she meant Amador, but when I looked, she wasn’t even paying attention to us.
“Who?” I asked.
Nix motioned in the other direction with her eyes. I followed and saw one of the maids standing near the doorway, holding a tray, the white hood of her uniform pulled up. “I think she’s just confused,” I said. “She looks like she doesn’t know what she’s supposed to be doing.”
Lucas stood. He picked up his fork and tapped it against his crystal goblet.
“And what’shedoing?” I whispered to Nix. She shrugged.
The room got quiet. He tapped his glass again so everyone would look at him. “Thank you,” he said. “In honor of this monumental day and before we are all wrapped up in the ceremony and celebrating our new queen, I wanted to take a moment to honor her myself and pledge, in front of you all, my fealty to Her Highness, as a knight of the Court of Sigbin, but also as a defender of all Biringan, no matter what the future may bring. We are, indeed, one people, encantos, no matter which court we call home, and I hope that moving forward we can continue to exist in peace and harmony for many more generations.” Everyone clapped.
Except Amador and her table. She pursed her lips and glared at us.
