Chapter: 20: Curious Eyes

Keagan brought me a sandwich once an hour had passed.

The trip had been rather dull otherwise, so I’d spent the time imagining different scenarios for when I met the other suitors.

Still, with all this time, I hadn’t managed to construct a single plot where things hadn’t gone wrong one way or the other.

I’d almost given up and was about to leave my seat when I was blinded by a bright light emerging from my window.

I looked outside, expecting to see the city but was met by water.

We were no longer in the dark tunnel but driving along the bottom of oceanic settings lit by lanterns on either side of the tracks.

I couldn’t see much farther ahead, limited by the angle of the window. Rocks, fish, seaweed, and reefs swayed, caught in the currents caused by the train.

This enormity of these waters was unexpected. Then again, most of what I’d seen so far had been new and unexpected, so this should hardly be a surprise.

The river was the closest I’d ever been to the ocean.

My eyes sucked everything in I could, taking mental photographs for me to hopefully remember forever. Then a shadow disturbed my view. Then another.

I narrowed my eyes, focusing on catching a better glimpse of the passing shapes.

The first object I caught was a statue shaped like two lagoon fish circling each other infinitely.

The next statue represented a falcon, spreading its magnificent wings, then a stag with antlers shaped like a tree’s knotted branches.

Finally, I saw a fox—a legacy of the ancient dragons with whiskers and burning paws.

They were the elemental bodies—the Serenity Fish, the Gust Falcon, the Oak Stag, and the Inferno Fox.

We were close to the castle now.

The tracks suddenly arched, forcing the train to move along its new curve.

My eyes widened as pieces of the legendary subterranean sector of the Golden City finally came into view.

Bubbles of air kept the buildings inside dry and safe from the water. Submarines in all shapes and sizes transported people from bubble to bubble, constructing a self-sustaining life underneath the surface.

It was beautiful.

In the middle of the colony was an enormous golden pillar, acting as the foundation of the grandest castle in all of Heliac.

Rooms with windows protruded along their edges, surrounded by colorful corals.

I gasped when the sight disappeared as the train drove into another tunnel. Darkness surrounded me from all sides.

It only lasted a few minutes before the train broke the surface of the water, and sunlight poured through the windows.

We were here.

“Miss Aldwyn.”

Keagan stood at the entrance to my cart, standing rigid as if he were waiting for me to move on my own.

My heart hammered against my chest, my pulse racing against time itself. I forced my feet to move toward Keagan, constantly aware of each step bringing me closer to the Golden Castle.

Golden light blinded me as Keagan pressed the button that opened the door.

Trembling, I stepped onto the platform, terrified that my six-year-old shoes would stain the white marble by merely touching it.

The walls were golden like everything else, and red banners hung from the ceiling, the golden lotus embroidered into the crimson fabric.

Keagan didn’t seem to care whether I followed right behind him or allowed myself a minute to take it all in. He’d already reached the enormous wooden doors decorated with the mark of the Water Iridis.

Swallowing my jitters, I jogged after him, catching up before the doors closed behind us.

“Where are we going?” I asked, whispering so my voice wouldn’t echo between the naked walls.

“To the parlor.”

Keagan’s answer was short and concise. Nothing more than what absolutely needed to be said.

We turned a corner and stopped before two massive doors.

Keagan knocked twice, and they opened as if magic possessed them.

A grand hall of red carpets, armored mannequins, and statues unfolded before me. Windows taller than the ones I used to clean in the mansion blessed the hall with glorious light from the evening sun.

Giant chandeliers hung from the ceiling, dispersing the light across the painted walls and stone floors.

I remained a few feet behind Keagan as he guided me through the majestic halls, turning more corners than I could count.

Then he stopped.

“Your bags have been brought to your chambers. This is where you will meet the other suitors once they arrive.”

Keagan opened the door and stepped aside, revealing a vivid room painted with the colors of nature.

Rows of plush loungers were arranged on the floor in front of a glass wall.

The wall to the right was hidden by shelves with more books than I’d ever seen for as long as I’d been alive. Paintings of elemental art decorated the last wall.

In the middle of the room were several couches, each in a different color. It undoubtedly served as a rendezvous point where rumors were devised and secrets were exchanged.

“What am I—”

I looked back to face Keagan, but he was gone. I couldn’t even hear his steps leaving echoes, so it must have been at least a few minutes since he’d left.

I swallowed sharply to moisten my parched throat and crossed my arms tightly across my chest. Unsure of what else to do, I stepped closer to the giant glass facade.

A vast landscape of beautiful green fields and colorful vegetation bathed in the warm colors of the setting sun.

A small stream of water moved through the garden like a serpent before curving around a little island obscured by a green rooftop.

Beds of colorful flowers shielded both sides of the stream, and below the surface were serene little fish swimming in the gentle current.

There were four more rooftops—one in each corner of the garden—hiding different pavilions. I had to visit that garden at some point during my stay here.

Faint voices sounded from the other side of the door.

My heart jumped to my throat. The other suitors were here.

Inhaling a sharp breath of air, I jumped to the couches in the middle of the room and waited, stiff as a poker.

The voices grew louder.

I held my breath as the door creaked, my eyes peeking from its corners until a stripe of deep blue color in a mane of blonde hair came through the door.

Her laughter was bright and joyful. It suited her.

Piper Weldon was the first to have been mentioned among her fellow Water Iridis suitors. She was twenty-one years old, like Prince Atlas, and the victor representing the Pacific Academy.

She didn’t look at me immediately; her attention was directed to the suitors behind her.

I rose to my feet, straightening my back to greet them. I was almost about to curtsy by habit but stopped myself before I could bend my knees.

Here, I was one of them. At least, I was to pretend I was one of them.

Suddenly, we were seven in the room, all apart from me, wearing deep blue pants, a black shirt, and a golden pin with the ocean symbol.

Eyes studied the room, smiles spreading on faces until those same eyes found me, and the cheerful chatter gradually faded.

I was now the center of their attention, and their curious eyes analyzed each faded contour of my scrawny body.

“You’re Willow, right?” Piper said, stepping closer to my rigid body. “The wildcard.”

I nodded.

Wildcard. I’d have to get used to that title.

A smile tugged her lips upward. She looked eager to approach me but remained calm and carefully stepped closer.

“Is it true?” she asked.

My eyes evaded her attempt to catch them.

“Is what true?”

My voice was like a whisper. I’d grown so used to behaving a certain way in front of the Iridis that I didn’t know how else to react.

“Have you been hiding your truth from the guardians, pretending to be a First-blood?” Piper clarified, eyeing my pin.

“I— um…”

My mind turned into a jumble of words, unable to recognize which of them formed an intelligible sentence.

I didn’t know how much Evie had told them, and the strange, uncharted future ahead terrified me. But Piper had already taken the first step, so I just needed to follow.

“Y-yes,” I finally said, forcing the words across my lips. “I did.”

My hands trembled, petrified of their judging eyes and sharp voices, lecturing me on my reckless actions and decisions.

The least I expected was raised fingers and spiteful lips accusing me of cheating.

To my surprise, it never came.

“Is it then also true that you’ve met the prince?” Piper continued, not a trace of hate in her eyes.

I blinked a few times as she came closer. “B-briefly,” I stuttered, stepping back.

The couch tripped my legs, and I landed in its rounded cushions, only for the girls to surround me.

“Really?” the one named Kaia said, grabbing my hand. “How was he?”

I cocked my brow.

Hadn’t he been there for their exams?

“He’s kind... I think,” I said, my eyes unsure which face I was supposed to look at. “I mean, he helped me when I cut myself, but I don’t know—”

“Was that when your truth was revealed?” Piper asked, moving even closer.

Kaia had my hand locked in hers, so there was nowhere for me to run.

“N-not exactly,” I said hesitantly, wondering how much information I was allowed to divulge. “I—”

The door was suddenly pushed open again, and a new wave of girls—all dressed in brown pants—entered. Earth.

The girls shifted their attention to the newcomers, and I was suddenly old news.

I sighed and leaned back, pleased at having space to breathe again.

“I’m Piper, by the way. Water Iridis.”

I twisted my head to my left and found Piper still seated beside me, looking at me with a kind grin.

She apparently hadn’t cared to join the others.

“Willow,” I said, pushing myself up to sit properly again, my cheeks burning. “Air.”

Her smile widened. “I’m sorry we’re a bit forthcoming,” she said, rotating the ring around her index finger. “You’re just such a mystery, and I bet I’m not the only one burning with questions.”

I forced a smile that eventually turned genuine when I realized there was nothing hostile about her.

“What have they told you?” I asked to estimate how dangerous it would be if I let my mouth get the better of me.

“Not much,” Piper said, shrugging. “Only that your participation in the Trials is to serve as a disguise for your training.

“We are to treat you as one of us, even though you won’t be competing for the crown like the rest of us. And that no one can know of your real mission apart from us and the royals.”

I withheld a sigh of relief.

They knew nothing about the situation that had brought me here. They didn’t know about Knox or my destructive fit of temper. Hopefully, they wouldn’t ask too much about it.

“Are you the wildcard?”

I looked up and caught sight of the earth symbol. I instantly recognized the girl wearing it as Oakley.

Her freckles were an unmistakable trait that set her apart from many other suitors from the ~Crown Show~.

“Did you really meet the prince?” Oakley asked, seating herself beside me.

She wasn’t the only one who came to me with that question—even more once the Air Iridis joined us.

“Didn’t you meet the prince and the king during your exams?” I asked when a girl had come to me with the same question for the sixth time.

Piper shook her head. “No. I think it was more of a publicity stunt than something for us to look forward to.”

~A royal reality show. I knew it.~

“Who did your hair?”

An Air Iridis named Elle lightly grazed the curve of my braid.

“My mom,” I said proudly.

That was a question I would never mind answering. She’d practiced for years, perfecting her skills for me to look my best.

“Wow,” Elle said, touching her own straightened hair. “I wish my maids could braid hair like that.”

The atmosphere had lightened in the room. I no longer felt the crushing weight of anxiety around my heart as most of the suitors greeted me with a smile so far.

The ones who did smile simply stayed away from me, directing their attention to other suitors to discuss exam results or future hopes.

Only the suitors from the Fire Realm were missing, and it took them almost an hour longer than the air suitors to show up.

The first girl who stepped inside was easy to recognize.

The orange pants complemented her auburn hair and warm eyes like a burning bonfire.

Alia.

Her beauty was even more stunning in person than in her picture. She already appeared to have mastered the royal attitude as well.

Then her eyes found mine, and they narrowed to slits.

My smile disappeared, and the dread of unease crawled over me like the torment of a damned soul as Alia gracefully approached me.

“Wildcard,” she said, spitting the name as if it was supposed to be an insult.

I swallowed a sigh of realization.

Of course, she would be the one to resent me.

One could be tempted to believe that being attractive brought only good fortune and confidence. In reality, however, they were probably the ones with the most to lose and the fewest to trust.

Fear was a powerful enemy I knew all too well, only for different reasons.

Alia’s striking eyes shifted from me to the suitors surrounding me.

“Didn’t you all receive the message?” she asked, her voice ethereal despite the condescending attitude behind it.

“The wildcard is only here because she cheated the system designed to keep us safe and ~accidentally~ revealed her truth in front of the prince and the king.

“Are you really so gullible you believe that rubbish?”

Lines formed between my eyebrows as a puzzled look of confusion drifted across my face.

I’d been relieved that the suitors were unaware of how dangerous I was. I just hadn’t considered that it might have paved the way for them to form their own interpretations of my story.

“Why should she—after so many years—suddenly reveal her truth the day of a visit from the prince?” Alia continued, raising her chin to enhance the strength of her voice for everyone to hear.

“What if she is here to steal the crown from us? What if she is using this excuse to deceive us like she deceived everyone by pretending to be a First-blood? Maybe this has been her plan all along.”

She reminded me of Lady Deveroux, and although she was terribly wrong, I didn’t dare correct her.

I used to be a soul able to burn brighter than Alia’s strongest flame. I used to dare defend myself regardless of my opponent, but since Knox’s attack, my tongue had become a knot of rusted locks without keys.

“I wouldn’t trust her with my secrets.”