Chapter 18: The Offer

“Celestria, I just realized that I don’t know the name of your village,” I said quietly. I was hoping that Farah and Bolton wouldn’t overhear as they joined us in the garden. I didn’t want them to think that I hadn’t bothered learning things about their daughter and that the friendship was one-sided.

Celestria giggled. “It’s called Miya. It’s named after my great-great-great grandmother.”

Different types of food were placed in the middle of a square white table, but I couldn’t take my eyes off my surroundings. There were rose bushes everywhere you looked. Beautiful soft, green grass lay beneath our feet. The air smelled of sweet flowers. Grapevines snaked around tall fences. Tiny fairies fluttered above our heads, ready to offer us sugar for our tea or pepper for our roast.

The entire place looked like something out of the most elaborate fairytale.

“Tell us, girls, how is it going at the academy? Are we loving it or hating it?” Bolton asked once we filled our plates with food.

“I love it. We have so much fun, and we’ve been learning so much about our powers. We haven’t been able to do much since we don’t have our wands yet, and the classes are hard, but it’s still pretty amazing,” Celestria said.

“Except for the fact that we already have an enemy,” I added.

Farah and Bolton looked at each other, then turned back to us. “Are the people who’ve been causing trouble at the academy targeting you? Because if they are, you can tell us.”

Celestria was quick to shake her head. “No, nothing like that. Something weird is definitely going on, but I don’t think anyone is after us in that way.”

“So, who is it?” Farah asked. “Who is this enemy you speak of?”

“Allyah,” Celestria said with all the disgust in the world.

A cheeky smile replaced the frown on Farah’s face.

“Have you told Drake about the list?” Bolton asked his daughter.

“What’s ~the list~?” I asked.

Celestria eyed her mother and father before she faced me.

“Allyah and I are both on a list.” Celestria paused for a moment. “Basically, it’s a piece of paper that contains names of the girls the prince could potentially choose to marry. That’s why she hates me. I’m her direct competition.”

I didn’t know that such a thing as a marriage list even existed. “So, he could marry you if he chooses?” I asked.

“Exactly,” Celestria said.

“Is this the reason why you two act like that with each other?” I asked her.

Her cheeks turned a bright shade of red. To cover her embarrassment, she picked up a goblet and took a big sip of cherry wine.

“Well, now I’m curious. How ~do~ they act, exactly?” Farah asked, gracefully placing her silverware down on the table.

Celestria shot me a sharp look. Apparently, the wine had gone to my head, because I momentarily forgot we were in her parents’ presence and not hanging out with Kenley in our room, where we could gossip about anything without worrying.

“Sorry,” I mumbled, and stuffed a piece of juicy chicken into my mouth so I couldn’t say anything else I wasn’t supposed to say.

But it was true. There was something interesting happening between Celestria and Tanner. The way he teased her. The way she tried to ignore the girls that constantly followed him around, but I’d catch her looking at them anyway. Even though she never brought it up, they had a connection.

“Is there something going on with you and the prince?” Bolton asked his daughter, sounding genuinely curious.

Celestria looked like she was being attacked by a swarm of bugs and wanted nothing more than to run away. “If there was something to tell, you’d already know,” she eventually answered.

Bolton shrugged. “You’re a diamond. He cannot do better than you. His loss.”

Farah, on the other hand, knew that her daughter wasn’t being entirely truthful. Still, she didn’t push further.

“Drake, there’s something we wanted to discuss with you,” Bolton said.

“It’s regarding your parents,” Farah added.

Celestria placed her hand over mine. There was panic all over her beautiful and delicate face. “I didn’t tell them anything. I promise.”

“She didn’t. We found out from the queen,” Bolton assured me.

This was it. They knew the truth about me, or at least, they’d learned whatever the academy knew, and now they were going to feed me and send me on my way. I’d never been more embarrassed in my life, not even when my pants split when I was working in the fields, and I had to walk through town with a rip across my bottom.

“I’m so sorry for putting you in such an awkward position. I really shouldn’t have come,” I said and started to get up from the table, but Bolton stopped me.

“No, dear. That’s not what we mean.”

“You played no part in what your so-called parents did,” Farah seconded. “You’re a citizen of the kingdom, you’re incredibly gifted, and you’ve been a great friend to our Celestria.”

“What Farah is trying to say is that someone like you shouldn’t be blamed for the mistakes of those who raised you. Also, someone like you deserves a family. A real and honorable family that will care for you, no matter what.”

Celestria’s eyes glistened with tears.

“I’m not sure I understand,” I stammered out.

“We’d like to adopt you,” Farah announced. Then, she picked up her wand and flicked her wrist. A piece of paper—an official document with the kingdom’s seal—appeared before me. “This way, you’d always have a home to go back to, and relatives to rely on. What do you say?”

If I had been chewing a piece of chicken, I would’ve choked on it. “It sounds like a dream,” was all I managed to say.

“Is that a yes?” Bolton asked, sounding hopeful.

I looked at Celestria for approval. When she nodded, I knew that there was no other answer I could give.

“Yes. A thousand times yes.”