The King's Queen

Chapter 30

Nolan Nu
Age: 22

Scout Nu
Age: 22

*°*

Jackson's POV

After losing Grace, I immersed myself in work. Only when I was working and my mind was focused on something else, could I find some amount of peace from the pain that ate away at me.

My parents didn't attend the funeral. They refused to mourn the life of someone who died in a way that, to them, shamed the Bentley name. Prince CaVaughn and my fellow advisors came to pay their respects, but King Caden made sure that they were all punished afterwards.

Grace's family was beside themselves with grief. Just a few days ago, everything had been fine; she had been fine, and now she was no longer with them.

They thanked me for setting her free from the organization and making her happy these past few months, and then we said our final goodbyes. They blamed the high ranks for her death and they wanted nothing more to do with me or my family after the funeral was over. I couldn't blame them. I'd been unable to protect her, unable to save her. All the wealth and power I possessed was meaningless in the end.

I was careful to follow the rules. I knew first-hand how painful the consequences of straying away from the rules were. Life continued. Life without Grace continued. Life was cruel.

Grace had dreamed about a time when Omegas would be treated as equals and Sepia would no longer exist. I owed it to her to turn that dream into a reality. Being in the palace and around King Caden made my blood boil and made my stomach churn but I had to endure it for the sake of our dream.

I guided Prince CaVaughn as best as I could; then, when he turned eighteen the king switched heirs, effectively tossing his older son to the side and handing his birthright to his fourteen year old brother, Prince Ashton.

A few months after that, the king dissolved Prince CaVaughn's cabinet and we were no longer his advisors. Each advisor went his separate way and things had changed drastically, but Prince CaVaughn and I remained close. He was the only one I could talk to about Grace which helped me a lot. Then, as if we both hadn't suffered enough, the king ordered us to cease communication. We were not to be friends anymore.

Being separated from my soulmate and friends sent me spiraling further into depression. The Bentleys' insisted that there was nothing wrong with me and that it was all in my head.

"You'll get over it when you meet someone else."

"You have food to eat and a roof over your head. Be grateful. There are people in the world with greater problems than yours!"

"Can't you smile a little?"

"She's dead. Move on."

"I see you're still in your feelings. Grow up, Jackson Bentley."

They said it so much that I was starting to believe it. Maybe it was all in my head.

Everything changed when I encountered Nolan Nu again. He'd been waiting for me one evening as I walked home from the palace. The sky was overcast; dotted with pregnant, dark clouds. It would rain any minute now.

"Hey." He raised his hand to catch my attention. "You got a minute?" He cocked his head over to a small bench.

At first I didn't recognize him, after all we'd just met for a few seconds and at the time my mind was in a frenzy of panic.

He sat on the bench and rummaged in the pocket of his jacket before taking out a pack of cigarettes. "You want one?"

"I don't smoke."