To Win the Prince's Hand

Chapter 14

14.

I could not make myself stop crying. I mean, I suppose it was the natural reaction for having your family push you away. However, I could not stop. I cried until I began to hiccup, which only made me cry more.

I had finally been pushed over the line. Everything had crashed upon me in one big heap. I sobbed as though my family was dead, and I suppose they were. This had to be worse than even that first dinner, where I lost all sense of control.

Control was the last thought on my mind. My hope that everything would be better, that everyone would make amends, that I would have a family, was out the window. Society and what was expected was simply more important.

I laid down on the couch, still hiccupping as a few stray tears fell. What would I do now? What would I return home to?

A few lessons with Madame Goustav, a dinner with my parents, and a sudden send off back to Eleyen again was the only answer.

The answer was simple. This castle was already more of a home than my home, and I had only been here for a month and a half. Instead of counting down the days until I was home, I would be savoring every last moment I had.

I took a deep breath as I began to sob again. I might just come back here, but Jasmine would be gone and I wouldn’t be with Abigail and Ethan and Mark and even Gabriel.

I would be alone again, just a girl with a dragon who was so totally lost that she had no idea what to do. A girl who couldn’t even socialize with people her age, who could only sit there and read.

“I accidently forgot my present at home, sorry—“ The intruder stopped suddenly as he realized that I was alone and sobbing.

I looked up through tears, trying to calm myself down. I couldn’t hardly see anything to tell who it was, but a splash of red caught my eye.

“Mark, is that you?” I croaked. I swatted away the impending tears with frustration, but still couldn’t see.

“Yeah... Danielle, what’s wrong?” he asked worriedly.

“It’s nothing,” I said, brushing it off. I took a few deep breaths, steadying myself, before brushing away the last few tears that remained.

Mark stood a few feet away, looking unsure and slightly scared. I was sprawled out on the sofa sobbing like an insane person.

“Of course,” he said, rolling his eyes. He walked over to an adjoined chair and sat down. “Care to talk about it?”

I sniffed once or twice, sitting up and straightening out my dress. I shook my head a little, but betrayed myself as I gestured to the letter I’d left on the table. He quickly skimmed over it.

“I… uh…” he trailed off, looking lost. “I’m not a girl.”

The statement caught me off guard, and I just stared at him for a moment, tilting my head in confusion. “No, you’re not,” I agreed.

“Sorry, when I feel awkward, I don’t always make sense,” he explained and I laughed a bit. “I meant, I’m not a girl and I’m not even high society, so I don’t really know how to make you feel better or even really know what you’re going through.”

“Oh.” An awkward silence filled the room for a few minutes.

“You could always just marry Gabriel,” he pointed out as if trying to help. I shot him a dead look. “Or not.”

“I don’t want to get married to anyone,” I complained. “I want a family who actually cares about me.”

“Well, you’ve already got one,” he replied. I gave him a confused glance and he continued on. “You have us.”