The Reign

Chapter 18

Amberly raced up the grand staircase, and ran into Queen Eadlyn. Amberly raced a mumbled sorry, and started to walk toward her room. Queen Eadlyn touched her arm, and Amberly turned to face the queen. She knew she looked horrible. She could feel how hot her face was, and she could feel where the tears had streaked down her face, probably causing her mascara to run. Queen Eadlyn looked at her with a questioning look on her face, and Amberly, not wanting to get Jacen in trouble, said that she was really missing her family, and a flower in the garden reminded her of them. With that, she curtsied to the queen, and rushed off down the hall. She could feel the tears, pushing at the edges of her lashes, threatening to fall again. She was stopped yet again by Carlee, her best friend, who pulled her into her room and said, "How do I look in this dress? I want to know for my date with Jacen tomorrow." 

Amberly, wanting to spend time with her friend, almost stayed, but at the mention of Jacen, Amberly excused herself, feigning a headache, and went into her room. But instead of flopping on her bed and crying, Amberly took a sharp turn and into the bathroom. Her brain went on autopilot and she turned into the separate bathroom with the toilet, and bent over the toilet. She heaved up everything she'd eaten that day, and shortly after she bent down, she felt the warm hands of one of her maids, Eloise, grasping her hair and guiding her up so she didn't hurt herself. When Amberly was convinced there was nothing left to heave up, she stood up and grabbed a towel. She started to wipe her face, but Eloise grabbed the towel, wet it, and helped Amberly wash her face. When she was done, she fixed Amberly's hair, and touched up on her makeup. 

"There." She said. "This is what a princess must look like." 

"But how do you know?" Amberly asked.

"I was Her Majesty's maid when Her Majesty had just become queen." Eloise said. "So I've been around. I helped Her Majesty after she had had a particularly rough day. She was throwing up as well, so I know how to help in these stressful situations."

Amberly laughed a bit, and Eloise helped her over to her bed. Amberly sat down and said, "Thank you. For everything."

But as soon as Eloise left, Amberly's smile faded. She watched the whole ordeal play out in her head. She yelled at him, slapped him, and ran away without so much as a curtsy. She may have been a Selected, but Jacen was still her sovereign, and she felt a sinking feeling in her heart.

"Oh, Jacen" she thought. She still couldn't believe that he was kissing Celeste, of all people. Amberly knew it was her time to get sent home. There was no way Jacen was keeping her after this. 

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The next moring, Amberly gathered her thoughts and began to collect her belongings. She pulled a few of her favorite dresses off their hooks and put them into the garment bags provided for their use. She put the rest dresses back in the closet, and closed the door. Putting her bags on the floor, she pushed the button to ring for her maids. 

In a matter of minutes, Eloise poked her head in, before coming in, followed closely by Emmy and Angeline. Her maids were prim and proper, tending to her needs, and Amberly always hoped that if she became the Princess, she would be able to keep her maids. But now, Amberly had to say good bye to them. When Eloise looked at her, she saw the look on Amberly's face, and came over to envelop her in a large hug. Not long after, she felt the warm and comforting arms of Emmy and Angeline wrap around her. They stayed this way for a few moments, Amberly using their support to straighten up again and prepare for the inevitable. 

When the 3 finally broke from their hug, Angeline said, "The prince has requested your presence at once. He also said to please remember the official rules of the Selection."

Emmy then said, "My lady, if he says that you are to leave, please ring us for goodbyes. If he says you are to leave at once, we are saying goodbye now. A butler will bring your luggage down in case of the latter." 

Amberly said, "Thank you. If Carlee becomes princess, please help her as much as you can. I was never meant for this life, and I thank you all for your continued support for me throughout this competition. I will never forget any of you." 

"Neither will we, Miss. Good luck." Eloise said. And with that, Amberly straightened up, head held high, and exited the room.