The awkward hush that fell over the Women's Room the next day was almost unbearable. I had spent the entire day before in my room, still recovering from the tragedy and planning our next move. I had made up my mind to run away, and hopefully take Luke with me. My mind had been questioning whether or not he will go with me. I wasn't sure if he could leave all the luxuries he had here at the palace and live a life of nothing, but I would ask him. He might not leave his family for me, but it was worth a shot.

"Hey, Anna?" I looked into the eyes of Aubrey. The other girls in the room were gathering around me too. They must all want to see this cat fight close up. I was sure Aubrey would say something snarky to me about Lil, but she surprised me. "Anna, I just wanted to let you know that, I know we have never gotten along and I always thought that brat of yours was just a sympathy card to get in favor with the public, but I am so so sorry."

I blinked at her. She was actually crying.

Meghan reached up and placed a hand on my shoulder. I made eye contact with her and suddenly felt we were friends again and everything that had happened before was behind us.

All the girls gathered around me in a tighter circle. Even Cambria looked to the ground with a genuine sad emotion that I never thought she could manage.

"Don't get me wrong, I still can't stand you," Aubrey continued and Cambria was quick to bobble her head in agreement. "But I don't care who you are. No one should have to see a close friend be shot in front of them." She dabbed at her eyes with a cloth and tried not to smudge her makeup. "If it were me I would see to it that the guard that was so folish as to fire on a child will rot in prison."

That wasn't right. My maids had explained that the world thought it was the Officer Wilson's fault, but they shouldn't think that. He was doing his duty and following the Queen's orders. How could I convince everyone of that? Audrey and the others would never believe me if I just flat out told them right now. Maybe I could never prove it to them, but I could convince them it was an accident entirely, at least.

"I won't be so harsh on the man," I began slowly, choosing my words carefully. "He thought he was protecting us, right? He saw a stranger and he-"

"I don't think that is an excuse to fire without questioning the person first," Meghan interrupted. She looked down on me with a shamming eye that told me she knew I was hiding something.

"I know the situation seems odd and I know it doesn't make sense why we were there in the first place, but trust me when I tell you it wasn't the Officer's fault. He is a man like all the other guards who are fashioned into weapons and told to find peace. He believed he was doing his job. I blame someone of higher power."

Meghan leveled with me. She understood I meant the Queen. I could tell form the beginning that Meghan was always skeptical of the entire royal family, and I had just confirmed that they really were manipulative. We may not have gotten along recently, but we were together in realizing the Queen and King were not the best rulers for Illea. I could read it all in her look she gave me as she mumbled, "Spoken like a true Queen," and she spun and pushed her way out of the crowd.

Aubrey and Cambria didn't understand as they said something about me blaming God as the higher power. It's not what i meant and I didn't think to correct them as I watched Meghan leave and I mentally sewed her into my master plan of rebellion.

I also didn't have time to go after Meghan and explain things further to her before Lady Christie, the etiquette trainer, entered the room with her fake smile plastered on her face.

"We all know about the incident that occurred," she jumped right onto the topic without even a sympathetic glance. "Tonight there will be a big party. It is all very important. Interviews will be set up for you all to go whenever you feel comfortable. I will tell you you must get at least one sit down interview in before going to enjoy the dance. However, the more the people hear from you the better you will be favored. Favoritism is extremely important because an elimination will be announced at the end of the party."

I noted that several girls gasped, but others such as Cambria looked unfazed.

"More on the interviews," she continued. "The questions will most likely be about the shooting in the palace last night." She glared in my direction like it was my fault. It took all that was in me to only grit my teeth and let her finish talking. "Let's all get the story straight before tonight, okay?"

My ears went numb from being fed the same lie over and over again. I felt dizzy and sick to my stomach the entire time that Miss wiofunvwir was rambling on and on. I asked several times to be excused and many girls commented on how pale and sickly I was beginning to look. But I was not allowed to leave. They wanted to make sure I told the story their way to the interviewers. I was the only person that knew the entire truth, but they were brainwashing me into thinking it was all a strange accident that shouldn't have happened. Honestly, I'm surprised I get to speak at all to any interviewer. They must trust me now that they've tried to break me.

No matter how hard they tried I would forever know this was supposed to happen: Queen Amberley wanted Lil dead from the beginning.

Back in my room I sat in front of my vanity and stared at my reflection, waiting to make my way to the Great Room for the dance. I was not the person I used to be. I hardly recognized myself in the makeup and my hair pinned up with diamonds woven into braids. The soft silk dress I wore kissed my skin ever so lightly as I ran my hands over it.

The sadness in my eyes was unmistakable to Rosalyn when she stepped up behind me and moved a stray hair into place with her wrinkled fingers.

"Chin up princess," she said so only I could hear her. "Or the crown slips."

I grinned at her and began to prepare myself for the load of questions I would get about Lil. Was I ready to re-live her death a thousand times to thousands of reporters? I couldn't even tell the truth. I had to lie in order to make Queen Amberley look good.

"Miss Annalise Mallory."

I turned to see Prince Alexandr at the door.

"What are you d-"

"I thought it would look good if I escorted you to the dance. The people need to see that I'm supporting you in a hard time in your life. You also haven't had any one-on-one time with me like the other girls have. I didn't want it to be weird for you if you get asked about something like that tonight, so I figured I'd give you a moment with me to gossip about in interviews. I'm a kind person, you see."

I rolled my eyes and forced myself to go near him so he could lace our arms together and begin the walk to the Great Room.

"I expect you know the drill about smiling and acting grateful to me once we are in front of the cameras?"

"Yes I know. It is my job to make you look like someone you aren't."

I felt him relax his posture as we continued on. He finally stopped and looked at me with a dark seriousness that I never thought was possible from him.

"Annalise, are you really okay?"

I looked at him, trying to tell if he really cared. His mother had just commanded that Lil be shot. I figured he would side with her about the matter, he usually does, but if seems he was just as upset about it as everyone else was.

"I had no idea Mother planned to use Lil against you like that. I never thought she would sink so low as to kill a child." He shook his head like he was still having trouble believing it. "I am in debt to you. You know I am not a fan of yours, but I don't care who you are, no one should've gone through this."

I swallowed hard. "Nothing you can do can make up for a life."

He nodded. "I know. But I can try."

Then he started dragging me along again. Neither of us spoke another word.

"Hello! Miss Mallory! Please!"

The reporters were all around me. They were all shouting in my face again like buffoons.

"Back up please!" Officer Max Chance stepped between me and the crowd. "She will be taking questions one at a time, as will the other girls. Only ten minutes each. Form a line!"

I made eye contact with him as he walked away and I was being moved towards a seat to start interviews. I mouthed the words, "Thank you", at him and he nodded at me before the first reporter grabbed my attention.

"Good evening," the pointed pixie looking reporter I always see was sitting in a chair in front of me.

I grinned at her, trying to make it look genuine. "Nice to see you again."

"Tell me, do you see the death of Lil as an accident? Do you forgive the soldier that was the cause of her death?"

I had been told to tell her that it was all the soldier's fault, but I couldn't. No one would believe me if I told them it was all Queen Amberley's fault either.

I cleared my throat and thought before I spoke. "Lil was the nicest soul that ever lived on this world. The world tried to make her into a monster but she refused to become something hateful. She was forgiving and saw a shinning kindness in everyone." I took a deep breath. "I will forgive on behalf of her. She still lives in me."

Part of what I said was true. I did forgive the soldier for taking the shot he was commanded to, but I couldn't ever forgive the monster behind the madness.

"So, you think the soldier did it on purpose?"

I leveled my eyes at the camera. "I believe that sometimes we do things because there is someone in our ear telling us to do them. Whether that be some sort devil, I don't think that Officer Wilson was a bad man. He was just in the wrong position at the wrong time." I couldn't tell the truth, but publicly forgiving the officer was the best I could do.

"You think it was all sta-"

"All the time we have for today. Next." Officer Chance was back at my side and shooing the reporter away. "You up for another?" He nodded his head toward the line of reporters waiting to see me.

I shook my head. "I need a break."

I got out of the chair and went to a table where there were refreshments.

I felt the presence of another person standing next to me at the table. They weren't just there but I could feel them looking at me, peering a hole in my head.

"You look great, Miss Mallory."

I turned my head to the man in a handsome dark suit that fit so perfectly it took my breath away.

"I could say the same about you, Prince Lucas." I was unaware of the words that left my mouth as I grinned at him, only focusing on his capturing gaze.

He sat his drink down and rolled his tongue over his teeth before he glanced around the room. The girls that weren't soaking up time with the cameras were dancing with guards or Prince Alexandr.

"Would you care to dance?"

I wanted to refuse after the day I was having, but I couldn't say no to the playful smile and cocked eyebrow. I sighed deeply and looked around nervously for his mother. I took another attempt at refusing.

"Don't worry," he assured me, "She can't consider this inappropriate. I'm just being friendly. If it had been any other girl standing alone I would ask her to dance too, to save her from the awkward aloneness. I know you probably want to be alone, but that doesn't look to well on cameras." He took my hand and set down my glass of water, pulling me out to the dance floor. "Besides, what more can she do to hurt you?"

I was starting to shake my head and pull away when his look stopped me.

"Anna," he pleaded. "Dance with me and pretend the world doesn't exist. Please."

I could've mistaken the sorrow in his voice for the own in my heart, but I couldn't be sure.

The tears that threatened my eyes kept me from speaking. Thank God that Luke understood that I was still trying to get over the fact that Lil was killed. I didn't want to cry so much for her anymore, but the fact that world was being blinded by such an evil ruler.

He took me in the midst of all the dancing and puffy dresses swirling around and he held onto me. His hand held the the small of my back, supporting me from falling over. I laied my cheek on his chest and I felt every muscle move as he swayed me around in slow circles.

My voice croaked when I first began to whisper to him. "I never got to thank you," I began,

"For what?"

"Convincing me to crawl back inside the palace rather than fall out of it."

"It's not something you should thank me over. Anna, I have seen what you truly are." I thought back to the time he looked afraid of me in the secret library. "I have seen you in dark times and in times where I probably should've run, but I have never turned away from you."

I snickered and pulled away from him to get a good look at his face. "Only a fool would lo-"

"Annalise Mallory. I would like to have a word with you."

I was rudely interrupted by Queen Amberley as she placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it hard so I would release my embrace with Luke and step away from him. She wore the smell of blood and death like a perfume as she hissed at me.

"Excuse me, Your Majesty."

"I warned you on many occasions, yet you never listen." My brain was too tired to think of what in particular she was so upset with this time. Hadn't she taken everything from me? "I," the Queen continued in front of everyone, "will see to it that you suffer."

I scoffed at her, which was major disrespect, but I didn't care anymore. "Queen Amberely, what more could you use against me?"

She gave me a look so filled with evil and hatred that I wanted to smack her right there in front of everyone. Her long bony finger extended and pointed to Luke, making my heart drop to my stomach.

"You wouldn't dare hurt your son."

"Not physically harm him, but I can use him against you in many ways."

Luke stepped forward with the same sorrowful look from before. He was leaving me. I could feel the tug at my heartstrings as he placed a hand on his mother and was scared into silence by her evil eye. He, the man I thought would follow me anywhere, was being pulled away from me.

"I will show you just how wicked I can be to you, Miss Mallory." Queen Amberley looked me up and down before she drug Luke away by his sleeve.

Moments later we were all gathered towards the front of the room where Queen Amberley would make an announcement. Most of the girls were buzzing about the elimination, but I knew this was something different.

We all stood in a huddle of fancy dresses and diamonds. The Queen gave a quick look of achievement to me before she held onto Luke's arm with a death grip. He had no expression on his face. Cameras flashed constantly as the Queen prepared to speak.

"I would like to thank everyone for tuning in tonight," the Queen beamed at a camera. "I have an important announcement that we are all very excited to share." She paused for an achingly long time. "Tonight an engagement will be announced. No, it isn't Prince Alexandr this time, but my other son. Prince Lucas is getting married to the French Princess Cossette."

The cheers and camera clicks defend me. The ground swayed under my feet. Once again the Queen was pushing me down, but she was a fool if she thought I wouldn't keep getting back up.

The ground rushed towards me as I fainted, but was caught moments before the collision. I woke up to Max Chance laying me in my own bed, still in a ball gown.

I sat bolt upright, my maids asking millions of questions. The only thing I was thinking of was Luke, so I went to find my own answers. I pushed aside Max Chance and my maids without answering their many questions.

I ran. I ran all the way up the stairs and followed the path that I remembered lead to Luke's room. I was so angry at him for not telling me. Queen Amberley made it sound like this had been arranged for months.

I took the stairs two at a time till I reached the top. I ran around the corner as fast as I could and hit someone so hard I was sent flying across the floor. I sat there and looked at him for a long time. It might've been the last time I saw him the same. Luke was searching my face for my thoughts, but he himself looked on the verge of tears.

"What is going on? How long have you known you were going to get married?" I stood up, my face a red sheet of rage.

"Shut up," he warned and took a step closer to me while looking around to make sure no one was with us.

"Why should I? Why should I ever listen to you?"

"If someone hears you with me we could be-"

"I don't care anymore. I don't care what happens to me, and I definitely don't care what happens to you. All you do is listen to your Mother and follow her every command."

"Can you just let me explain? I didn't know this was happening!" He realized he was shouting and stopped himself.

Luke rolled his eyes and grabbed my arm, hard. I was sure it would be bruised.

"Let me go right now." The venom that poisoned my voice did not stop him from tightening his grip, almost causing me to wince, but I wouldn't give him that pleasure.

He opened up his bedroom door and shoved me inside. He slammed the door closed behind him and stood in front of it with his arms crossed.

"Let me out of here." My breaths were heavy and I felt like I was breathing fire from my nostrils because I was so mad.

He shook his head. "Not until you stop and listen to me."

I huffed and let my arms fall to my sides. "Fine."

"Mother told me about the arrangement the night I found you hanging from the window. I wanted to tell you but it wasn't exactly a good time to throw more problems at you. For Christ's sake, you had just seen Lil die and you were about to kill youself. It wasn't the best time."

I wanted to be angry at him still, but he was right. It might've made things worse for me if he had dropped the news on me then.

"I didn't get to see you before the public announcement of the marriage. I tried but Mother wasn't letting me out of her sight, and I did try to tell you while we were dancing. We were just interrupted."

"So I am just supposed to be okay with all of this?" I felt tears threaten to spring into my eyes.

"We don't have a choice, Anna."

My name in his mouth made me want to cry even more.

"I have thought about a way out of this ever since I first found out, but my hands are tied." Now he looked like he would cry. "I'm sorry I did this to you."

My ears felt hot and I reached across him to open the door and leave. "You should be."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and turned the doorknob. Then he grabbed my wrist and spun me around. I crashed into his chest and he held the back of my head, pushing me against him in a kiss that was goodbye. A kiss that was so longing for me that it made my entire body ache for him. It radiate the anger we both felt, the sadness, the loneliness.

I pulled away from him and looked at him accusingly. His eyes searched mine and I was still trying to be angry at him.

"I can't decide if I want to kiss you or shove you off a bridge," I hissed out at him.

He grinned for the first time in a long time and wrapped his arm around my back tighter. "Can I pick?" He mumbled into my neck, holding onto me for dear life.

"We can't do this," I warned, but I let him trail kisses down my neck.

"Anna, this is all the time we have left. Tomorrow the French Princess arrives and we won't ever be able to see each other again."

He was right. I hadn't told him or anyone but my maids, but I was running away. It would be tonight. I had decided that after the announcement.

And so I decided it was best if I left his room now before he made my heartache worse. I held Luke's face in my hands and kissed him hard for the last time. We both felt that it was the final goodbye.

I opened the door and stepped away without looking back.

HEY HEY! So, I wrote this a long time ago and I didn't really read through it so I am sorry if there are gaps or stuff that doesn't make sense because I just don't have the time to look at it closer. Thanks for understanding and don't forget to leave reviews! Love you all!

XOXO