Their eyes followed me as I walked across the platform. “We understand the last six months have been...uncomfortable for all of you. So much so that some situations have escalated into violence. The purpose of this tour is not only celebratory. We hope to address the issues the people of Olderea are facing with the end of the Non-Magic Age.”
Crown Prince Bennett met my eye before speaking. This time, he matched my volume. “Therefore, we will listen. In two days, I will meet with those who make an appointment with Lord Irving here at city hall. You may report your concerns. I will do my best to solve them when we return to Delibera.”
Ulysses scurried forward. “Er. Your Highness this is most unprecedented—”
But the crowd drowned out his voice. The people at the front still didn’t look happy, but the tense lines around their mouths had eased. I exhaled slowly.
“Only you, Your Highness? Will Lady Narcissa be there?” someone shouted. A few murmured in agreement.
“She’s a witch, is she not? She can answer our questions.”
Crown Prince Bennett tucked his hands behind his back. “Lady Narcissa will be present if you wish.”
“Are you actually going to marry her? Or is it just for show?” an elderly woman with round spectacles demanded.
The crowd grew rowdy again, this time accusing our engagement of being disingenuous. Someone threw a head of cabbage at us, though it only made it halfway up the stairs.
“You wouldn’t even hold her hand!” someone shouted.
I looked over at Ulysses, eyes wide. The steward looked at a loss. Neither of us could deny what the crowd was saying.
“You royals hate magic as much as we do! Why keep up the charade?”
Crown Prince Bennett thinned his lips. “Lady Narcissa and I indeed will be married.”
“Prove it, then. Kiss the witch!” the elderly woman shouted.
When Ulysses had warned us of the rowdy crowd, I expected cursing and profanities. But certainly not this amount of impropriety.
“Unless you find her too repulsive!”
“You wouldn’t even ride in the same carriage as her!”
I blinked, taken aback as a gaggle of young people hooted in agreement.
At that moment it became clear to me how much had changed. I was no longer a noblewoman’s daughter. Not even the crown princess. I was nothing but a witch.
A repulsive witch.
The crowd’s chatter soon turned into a chant. “Kiss the witch! Kiss the witch! Kiss the witch!”
I fought for composure. First it was Lady Huntington and Isabelle’s disrespect. Now it was the entire city of Vandil. Was Mother right? Was I friendless and weak and pathetic without her? Was Inothingwithout her? The back of my eyes burned.
I should have never left the walls of Greenwood Abbey.
Ulysses looked bewildered. Lord Irving had taken shelter behind a pillar. The guards held their station, ready to take action if things escalated.
For once, Crown Prince Bennett’s emotions were written plainly on his features. He was terrified. He couldn’t deny what the crowd accused him of. The realization was harder to swallow than I thought. Perhaps we were both unequipped to go through with this tour.
I squeezed my gloves and stepped back. But the crown prince touched my shoulder. I blinked back my tears.
“If I may...?” he mouthed.
I stared. Surely he wasn’t considering it.
He repeated the inquiry.
Heavens. I had underestimated him. He became engaged to someone he believed was a traitor. Why wouldn’t he kiss her too, as long as it pleased his people?
