Anything For Rachel

Chapter Twelve.

"What have I missed?" He asked the room, but only looking at her.

She sighed. "Only that Rachel has been found innocent and that she'll be staying."

"Wait." I interjected, fear crippling me. "Staying?" I gasped.

Calvin's eyes went big and his face looked pale. "I don't understand." He admitted and I noticed Miss Angela roll her eyes at him.

Master Marco gestured to an empty seat at the table and Calvin moved quickly to sit in it. "Your highness, I understand that you felt you were forced to marry this young lady, but the fact is that being a royal, or even a high ranking official comes with sacrifices. The people want her back, we as a council want her back, and it is your duty to honor the commitment that you made to her."

Calvin clinched his jaw and I could see the tension in his face as he tried to keep his cool and I did the same, begging myself to not lose control. Don't cry. Don't show emotion. "I know damn well what the responsibilities of being a royal are, Marco." He said evenly but venomously. "I thought we were far enough along as a people to not still force our rulers into loveless marriages just because that's what they want." He looked around the room. "I have great respect for this girl, but to expect her to come back now is just Ludacris. She's been away from here for five years for Christ's sake. I'm sure she has already established a life for herself, and it would be very cruel of us to force her back here after everything she has been through."

I was praying silently that they would see reason, but at the same time I knew where I was, and I knew this was the place that has no qualms about abducting small children to be raised in feeder schools to later be purchased as pets or meals. They don't care about inconveniencing my life or whether or not they are being cruel to me.

"Funny that you should mention this other life that she has likely established." Miss Angela grinned at Calvin then down the table to me. "As a council we decided to look into you just a little, and we found that you certainly had made a life for yourself." She continued to smile and my heart sank at where this might be going. "Just a quick search of your name online brings us to your many pages about your books." Calvin and I both glanced at each other, I knew now where this was going. "Lovely things it seems, but what we found the most interesting was the ending of your first book where the prince heroically gives up his human princess so that she might have a chance at life. Care to explain?" She asked. "Because your first book seems to read an awful lot like your time here."

Calvin was staring at me, and I felt Octavia's hand in my lap and I latched onto it, squeezing hard as I tried to gather my thoughts. "Yes, well, I did base that first book off of my time here." I admitted and everyone's eyes widened, some nodding as well. "But the end that you are referring to, is obviously not how it happened." I lied. "Calvin and I have both already told you all what happened that night."

"Then why the false ending when there are very few differences in it otherwise?" Marco asked, placing his hands on the table slowly, smugly.

I sighed, looking him right in the eye. "That seems pretty obvious to me, but since you feel it needs explaining, I don't mind dumbing it down for you." I said just as smugly and I caught Calvin's quick grin. "What person would want to read about the romance of two people that ends with the prince deciding he can't stand her and would rather have her friend, and thus sending her away in secret?" I asked. "I can promise you, I would not have had near as much success as I have if I had ended the story with the truth." I told them all, then I lowered my eyes to the table, putting on my sad face. "Plus, I just liked to romanticize what really happened in my head, that way the pain isn't...the pain isn't as bad when I would try to convince myself that what he did was for me, not for him."