Chapter 5

Emerson had no idea what this locket truly meant to me.

My father made it himself. When I was little, I once asked him, "Why does everyone else have a mom, but I don't?"

Dad smiled, a sad look in his eyes. "Bella, even though your mom isn't with us, she loved you just as much as I do.

"See the flowers outside our house? She used to put a bunch of forget-me-nots near your pillow every morning."

I threw a tantrum back then, demanding a mom who could be there for me.

So my dad, a man who was all thumbs when it came to anything delicate and had never owned a piece of jewelry, sat down and, for the first time, painstakingly crafted something with his hands.

He made this locket. "Keep this close, Bella," he said, fastening the chain around my neck. "It's like carrying a piece of both of us with you."

Wearing it did feel like having a part of him and her, always near.

My grip on the silver pendant turned my knuckles white. I shook my head, refusing to hand it over. "Emerson, look at her face! Can't you see she's just looking for an excuse?"

That finally broke his composure. His voice turned to ice. "Enough! I've made allowances for your rough upbringing.

"I've shown you more patience than you deserve. But you are utterly incapable of learning. You cause one scene after another in my house.

"Bella Sommers, I am the King. Speaking to me this way is a profound disrespect."

The attendants and guards pressed down harder.

My mind flashed back to the day he brought me here in his royal carriage, the wind whipping through our hair. I'd asked him, half-joking, "Now that you're the king, do I have to call you 'Your Majesty'?"

He'd laughed, a genuine, easy sound. "Don't be ridiculous, Bella. With you, the rules don't apply."

But once we got back to the capital, it seemed he wanted to fit me into a box just like everyone else.

Now, covered in the grit from the floor, pinned down by the very authority he embodied, I realized the truth.

I had been wrong.

Dad was right. I was all brute strength and not nearly enough street smarts for this world.

Emerson's voice was flat and final as he watched me, subdued. "Take the locket. Have it examined.

"Bella, this is your final warning. Show one more ounce of disrespect to the Queen or to me, and there will be no more leniency."

He turned and left without a backward glance. Luna didn't bother to hide her triumphant smile.

Evelyn dabbed her lips with a linen napkin, her expression one of mild revulsion. "Luna, darling, I must say. There is a passing resemblance between you and that... creature.

"I suppose during Emerson's days outside the city, he found some comfort in a poor imitation. How pedestrian."

She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial murmur. "But a cheap counterfeit can never compare to the genuine article. You really should consider tidying up this loose end."

*****

My old injuries flared up again. Daisy stayed by my side day and night, taking care of me without rest.

This time, Emerson finally bothered to come see me.

He sighed and sat by my bed. "Bella, if you weren't so stubborn, you wouldn't have gotten these wounds."

I turned my face toward the wall, not wanting to look at him.

But he kept talking, not caring whether I was listening. "I've already spoken to the Queen about making you a Royal Consort. What do you think?

"You don't have any roots here in Sterling, so if I give you a high status, it might cause talk.

"But don't worry, from now on, I'll treat you well. I haven't forgotten what's between us."

I muttered gloomily, "I don't want any of that. Could you ask Luna to return my pendant to me?"

Emerson grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. "Don't talk like that."

"I mean it. My father made that pendant. Please, ask her to give it back to me," I pleaded.

Emerson smiled. "So that's what it's about. I'll talk to her and try to get it back for you.

"But honestly, you've been upset with me over such a small thing for too long. Try not to hold grudges over trivial matters, okay?

"The Queen's birthday is in two days. Make sure you behave well for her celebration."

I pressed my lips and stayed silent.

He had no idea that once I got my pendant back, I was leaving this place.

The next day, Emerson sent over a pile of lavish gifts, but I barely glanced at them.

Daisy, however, was completely captivated. After a while, she grumbled, "Ha, I heard the Queen received even more extravagant things.

"Seriously, it's so unfair. Didn't he promise when you came to Sterling that you'd have the best of everything?"

I took Daisy's hand and said, "I don't care about these luxurious things. Back home, I have much better ones. I'll give you some when I get the chance."

Daisy hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but held back.

"I mean it," I insisted.

Daisy finally smiled. "Alright, I only believe you, Bella."

I waited all day, but Emerson never returned my pendant as promised. In the end, I had to take matters into my own hands.

When I arrived at Luna's chambers, Evelyn was there.

She looked down at me with contempt, her voice dripping with disdain. "You offended both Her Majesty and me the other day, and you still haven't learned your lesson.

"Stand outside the Queen's hall for four hours, then you may come back and ask Her Majesty about it."

I'd already been burned once by crossing them, so I wasn't about to cause more trouble for myself.

All I cared about was surviving this, getting my pendant back, and leaving Sterling for good.

So I did as I was told and stood there for four hours straight, keeping my head down.