Chapter: 24: Cutlery and High Heels

Faye followed me to the dining room, making sure I didn’t fall flat on my face because of these heels.

Evie had previously informed us that we would be dining alone until the pool of suitors had been reduced.

I’d raised no objections in contrast to some of the other suitors. There were already many new impressions for me to get used to before the end of next week.

I did not desire additional pressure by including the king and the prince in this life yet. I’d already made enough mistakes as it was.

We rounded the corner, and I saw Oakley approaching from the opposite direction.

“Willow,” Oakley said, narrowing her eyes to get a better glimpse of me. “Is that really you?”

I returned her bright smile with an awkward grin. “Is it that bad?” I asked as she walked closer.

“Not at all,” Oakley said, chuckling. “You look good in a dress and your hair! I didn’t know it was this long.”

“Yeah,” I said, letting go of Faye to meet Oakley halfway. “It can be quite inconvenient at times, but my mom loves it, so I can’t really bring myself to cut it.”

Oakley hadn’t changed much about her either. The layer of makeup was a little thicker than it had been in the parlor, but that was about it.

I was about to compliment her green dress when a crack in the tiled floor caught my shoe, and I tripped.

Oakley reacted before I even realized that I was diving head-first toward the floor, catching me in her strong arms.

“Wow, Will,” she said, pushing me to my feet. “You’re lighter than a feather. Did they give you enough food in the Bronze Region?”

My lips stretched into a thin line. I could’ve told her the truth, but I didn’t want their pity. We’d made things work with what we had. So, I chose to ignore the question.

“Thanks,” I said, clenching her arms so my trembling legs didn’t collapse. “I’ve never worn high heels before, and it is not as easy as it might seem.”

Oakley responded with a quiet laugh as if she knew the trouble I was referring to.

“It took me a while to master the heels,” she said, supporting me as we stepped closer to the dining room, leaving Faye behind.

“I’m tempted to claim that it was even harder than mastering my main element.”

I was about to laugh and call her a liar for claiming something so absurd only to boost my confidence, but malevolent laughter interrupted the moment between us.

“Is the wildcard having trouble adjusting to the dress code?”

I glared at Alia and the minions laughing behind her.

Unfortunately, my reaction only made her smile wider. “I’ll be surprised if you make it through the week.”

Grinning wickedly, she turned her back on us and entered the dining room in her halter-neck cream dress.

Then, slyly, she peeked at me through the corner of her eye, making sure I watched as she gracefully strolled forward in her tall, slim-heeled shoes with no problem.

“Do you need any help finding a seat?” Oakley said, sighing as Alia disappeared behind the door.

I squeezed my eyes shut, my heart beating faster. “No thanks,” I said, determined to prove Alia wrong.

“My valet has taught me a few tricks, but I would appreciate it if you could stay close by—just in case something doesn’t go according to plan.”

Oakley nodded and carefully let go of me until she was sure I wouldn’t fall again.

Most of the girls had already arrived, but none of them bothered to look as Oakley and I entered.

We quickly spotted Piper, although her hair had changed a lot.

The length was gone, her curls barely reaching her shoulders. The blue stripe was still visible, but it appeared less vibrant than previously and blended better with her blonde locks.

Similar to most of the suitors, she wore quite a simple dress. Only Alia seemed to have dressed to impress, which would probably not be the last time.

To my relief, two seats were still available beside her.

“You guys look beautiful,” Piper exclaimed when she noticed us approaching her.

“You too,” I said, my voice slightly lower.

Piper might not care what the other suitors thought of her, but I hadn’t reached that level of confidence yet.

We’d barely sat down before the door opened again, and Evie stepped inside.

“Good evening, girls!” she said, her voice raised to pierce the chatter.

Evie waited patiently until the last voices stopped talking. Then she smiled and proceeded.

“Welcome to the dining room specifically arranged for you. This is where you will share your meals until the pool of suitors is reduced to fifteen or fewer.

“Thereafter, you’ll join the royal family in the official dining hall.”

The suitors started chatting again, exchanging theories about who would remain to battle for the crown or what tests we’d be exposed to. Even Piper had turned to Oakley to chat.

“Now, now, girls. We still have much to prepare before you meet the prince, but let’s save that for tomorrow. Tonight, you will dine and enjoy your first official meal at the castle. Dinner is served.”

Numerous servants entered the room, each carrying a plate they brought to our seats.

Once everyone had received their meal, gloved hands lifted the lids, revealing a feast of vegetables, tender meat, potatoes, and sauce.

My mouth watered instantly as the scent of each element on my plate hit my nose.

Then I looked beside my plate, and my body froze.

There were at least four pairs of forks and knives. Three spoons were placed above the plate, and four different glasses stood behind them.

The other girls were already enjoying the wonderful food, but I was reluctant, unsure which cutlery to choose. I didn’t dare just pick one, terrified of judgmental comments.

Alia had already noticed my inner struggle and was smiling smugly from across the table. At least she wasn’t broadcasting the situation to her neighbors.

“Are you all right, Will?”

Piper was leaning toward me, whispering into my ear so Evie wouldn’t hear us.

“I—um…,” I said, looking anxiously at the cutlery in front of me.

Piper quickly realized what I was trying to imply and let go of her cutlery to help me with mine.

“Okay,” she said, turning her body toward mine. “So, this is the main course. We haven’t had an appetizer or refresher, so we have to use the third set.”

She counted from the outermost fork inward. “Those,” she said, handing me the matching cutlery before she turned back to her food.

“Thank you, Piper,” I whispered.

The knife cut through the meat like butter, which I’d never seen before. Attentively, I brought the fork to my mouth and sealed my lips around it.

An explosion of seasoned spices and umami danced on my tongue as the beef melted like a sugary delight.

I ate two entire portions, and the dress felt a little tighter after I’d emptied the second plate. I even had to skip dessert, or my stomach would’ve emptied itself.

“Thank you for a wonderful dinner, girls. Before your valets bring you back to your rooms, I have a few announcements,” Evie declared, and we all shifted our focus to her.

“Tuesday evening will be the first time you all appear on the ~Crown Show~, where Arawn will briefly interview you about your first days as suitors.

“You will only have five minutes each, so have potential answers ready.”

My heart suddenly stopped beating.

Tuesday? This Tuesday?

The entire reason we’d been forced to move to the castle a week before the true beginning of the Crown Trials was so we didn’t have to deal with cameras before we got used to our new surroundings.

Why would they then want us to appear on the ~Crown Show~ already?

“Tomorrow will be your first lesson in etiquette, so I expect you to be dressed and ready at nine. Enjoy the rest of your evening, girls.”

The doors opened, and we rose from our seats to find our respective valets.

“Miss Aldwyn,” Evie said, blocking my path to the exit. “I need you to stay a short while longer.”

Her smile was scary, and I worried that Prince Atlas might have run his mouth despite his promise not to.

Piper and Oakley had already disappeared into the hall. Alia and her minions were laughing, probably hoping I was in a lot of trouble.

We waited until everyone had left before Evie sat down. I felt my nerves spiking and my heart thundering. She was so quiet—too quiet.

“You’re not in trouble, Willow,” Evie said when she noticed my tensed shoulders.

My pulse didn’t stop racing despite her claiming I wasn’t in trouble. I couldn’t figure out why else she would keep me here.

“However, we need to discuss the events of Tuesday,” she finally revealed.

“Arawn has been made aware through an unknown source that you met the prince before you came here.

“Therefore, we must devise a believable story around that encounter, so Arawn and the rest of Heliac don’t get the wrong idea.”

That was a pretty way to tell me that I had to tell another lie.

“We were thinking,” Evie began, looking at the note in front of her instead of me.

“Since you were chosen at random to assume the title of the wildcard, the king and his son needed to meet you to determine whether you satisfied the minimal conditions for eligibility as a suitor.

“You had a little chat with the royals, nothing more.”

It sounded like I had little say in this matter. They’d probably written that story long before they’d even considered involving me.

“Mr. Griffith has drafted a script for you to learn before Tuesday evening,” Evie said, stepping sideways to reveal a small man.

He handed me a few pieces of paper—a manuscript I was to learn to perfection before Tuesday.

The Crown Trials hadn’t even begun, and I was already exhausted.

“Great!” Evie said, rubbing her palms against each other. “You’re free to go. Goodnight.”

I turned around and stepped toward the exit, forcing myself to walk as gracefully as my sore limbs allowed.

Faye was standing right outside, waiting for me. “Are you okay?” she asked, grabbing my elbow to support me.

“Yeah,” I said, sighing deeply. “I just want to go to my room.”

Faye nodded and showed me the way.

I would probably have been lost in this maze if Faye hadn’t been here.

“Wait,” I said, stopping in the middle of the hall. If I had to walk one more step in these heels, I wouldn’t be walking again until Thursday.

I knelt to untie the shoes, but when I attempted to stand up again, my foot caught in the fabric of my dress.

The sound of fabric ripping made me freeze. “Was that what I think it was?” I whispered, looking behind me to see Faye’s horrified expression.

Faye nodded, and I wrinkled my nose in frustration. “I’m sorry, Faye.”

She didn’t look mad. On the contrary, she appeared to be about to start laughing loudly.

I chuckled, folding the torn fabric to cover my exposed leg. “You’re going to have to fix this. You know that, right?” I asked, keeping her eyes locked with mine.

She nodded, holding her breath until tears glazed her eyes.

“Good,” I said, carefully throwing the heels into her embrace, and then she lost it.

“Do you have any idea how funny that looked?” she exclaimed, laughing so hard she could hardly keep up with me. “I’m sorry, but you looked so terrified. It was unbearable.”

“Be careful, Faye,” I said, poking her ticklish sides. “Or I might just ruin a few more dresses for fun.”