Another One (Book 3 of selection fanfics)

Chapter 24

We stopped in front of the large double doors and I reached to open one. The guard to my left all but shoved me over as he grabbed it himself with a huff. I pursed my lips but said nothing. I'd gotten used to the untrusting guards, but it still rubbed me the wrong way when they treated me like an imbecile.

"Lady Erika!" Celia beamed as I made my way into the center of the library where she stood, waiting. She turned to face the guards, smile fading slightly. "You may leave us."

The guards took their leave quickly, grumbling and muttering the whole way back. Celia rolled her eyes and turned to me. "Those old bats should just retire. They can't guard any better than I could these days!"

I found myself chuckling as she motioned for me to sit. Months ago, I would have never imagined enjoying Celia's company, much less laughing at one of her jokes.

"Now, I've looked over your exam. And I think you'll be extremely pleased with your result," she grinned as she passed me a thick packet of paper, the test she'd given me not all that long ago. An A+, scrawled in thick red marker, adorned the top right corner. My eyes widened as they met hers.

"You scored much higher than the other girls when they were tested. Your grasp of our history and relations is unmatched," she practically sang. "Where did you attend school in Kent?"

"I was homeschooled by my mother actually. But she went to a nearby public school when she was young," I explained. My mother had done well in school, but her family didn't have anywhere near enough money to send her to university. Had she not met my father, she'd still be singing in shows for the upper class families in Kent with her musically inclined parents and siblings.

We almost never saw my mother's family, but we'd receive a post card every once in a while. Just after Mom found out she was pregnant with Annika, their show had hit it big and they'd started to travel across the country. My mother had long since abandoned their group, but I knew a part of her missed performing. She'd sung her own lullabies to us as children and I could always remember her humming as she worked in the kitchen or in the fields.

"Well, she should be very proud of you. Many would say that knowing our country's history is of no import, but a princess and future queen should know it like the back of her hand," Celia smiled with a wink in my direction.

It surprised me, that she still had faith after all the rumors surrounding my family and I. I would have thought she'd be the one calling for my removal, what with her pension for rules and decorum.

"Take the rest of the day to do as you please. Tomorrow you'll join the other ladies when we announce your next task," she clasped my hand and gathered her things, leaving me with my test and a smile on my face.

I'd never done terribly with my schoolwork but I'd never excelled either. No future outside of Kent had ever existed for me before now. If I'd been lucky, I would have eventually found a boy from town or another farm to marry, and spent the rest of my life as a housewife, with a few kids to keep me occupied. A content life, but albeit a boring one.

My own parents had had their fair share of drama, with their elopement and my mother's family all but abandoning her, followed by my grandmother's death. They didn't need a crazy life; the farm was all they needed.

But I'd always wanted more than that, though I didn't ever believe it was achievable. Now though, it seemed within reach.

I stood up, papers in hand, and moved to leave the library. I was halfway down the hall when I heard someone call my name. "Lady Erika!"

I turned to see Queen America walking towards me, wearing a simple cream colored dress that complimented her hair and blue eyes. Derek's eyes.

I froze in my spot and managed a meek hello. "Your majesty," I curtsied. Derek had warned me that his mother planned to corner me in a hallway. He hadn't been wrong.

"Would you like to have tea with me? I'd enjoy your company," she smiled as a pair of guards stopped a few feet behind her.

I nodded timidly. "Of course, your majesty. I'd love to."

"Wonderful. It's lovely outside today. Why don't we sit in the gardens?"

I managed only to nod again and she motioned for me to follow her. I swallowed the lump in my throat, straightened my shoulders, and held my head high. Tea with Derek's mother. Who also happened to be the Queen.

No big deal. Right?
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Apologies for the long delay. I know it's been months and you all have been patiently waiting. I hope you'll stick with me and thanks to all those who have been here since the beginning :)

xoxo,
_lovemultifandoms_