She didn't say anything after that, sliding back into her original seat and brining her knees up to her chest and burying her face in them. Her a becon of hope? That was ridiculous!
She was used to spending most of her time at home cooking and cleaning, maybe heading out to the shops if she was running out of supplies and maybe fitting in a bit of yoga if she had time at night. Paying the bills, sleeping in late and keeping her distance from the hustle and bustle of the big world; not being queen.
She guessed it just hadn't sunk in during the meeting when she was surrounded by all those people, but there wouldn't be all those people, not forever. It was a race, all of them heading to the same goal but was the prize really that good? She knew some people thought that being a king or a queen wasn't really for them and she couldn't blame them.
But would she be one of those people? Celeste calmed her breathing down when she realised it had picked up in her anxiety. Twisting a long lock of hair around her finger, she closed her eyes for a moment even deeper in thought. Only one of them would win this and she couldn't exactly guess who; so many beautiful, kind hearted candidates but so many cruel ones.
But did she even want to be a king or a queen? Could she spend the rest of her life being a false sense of security? Could she watch more and more people die as she watched on without a clue? At the moment it all seemed like a show, just saying the words without knowing the meaning of them.
'Miss, are you alright?'
Celeste's head snapped up at the drivers concerned words and her tense face relaxed into a light smile though her eyes were filled with an unseen desperation. 'Fine,' she said quickly, hoping he wouldn't notice the crack in her voice.
It only took a few more minutes of the tense ride before she arrived at a rather large mansion. Her brow furrowed as she peered out of the midnight tinted windows, hands pressed up against the glass as if she had found an oasis in a desert.
'You got me wrong,' she laughed to the driver, 'I asked to go home.'
'This is your home,' he laughed, winking at her kindly through the rear view mirror. 'You're a bit clueless, miss.'
The door beside her slid open smoothly and she winced at the sudden light, peering out of the door with rather amazed eyes. In front of her were two men standing on either side of the door both in extremely formal suits and bowing to her.
She stepped out of the car, not bothering to acknowledge them in any other way but a stare. She immediately reached for her hair in this nerve wracking situation but she snapped her hand down and stood their awkwardly for a moment.
'W-who're you?' Celeste asked, looking between the two almost identical men.
'My name is James,' the one on her right said straightening up.
'And I am his brother, Riley,' the other said following suit. 'And we will be your servants for the remainder of your time.'
Still awestruck, she let herself be lead inside after another moment of awkward silence that Celeste did nothing to help. The gardens seemed like the had been groomed just before she had gotten there and the inside was no different. Everything sparkled one way or another and it took a moment before she realised that there was another man standing there.
No, not a man but someone younger. He was maybe a few years older than Celeste and had the same tanned, freckled skin and ruffled brown hair. On his face was a bright smile to match the queens.
'NOAH!' she screamed practically leaping into his arms at the servants amusements. Her childhood friend picked her up off the ground and swung her around in a circle before placing her back down.
'My name is Noah,' he laughed quietly in her ear as if he was just another servant, 'and I'm going to be your advisor. You know, advise you on shit.'
Celeste couldn't help the tears that pricked at her eyes and wiped them away impatiently with the back of her hand. 'Oh Noah,' she sighed, pulling back with a small smile but still holding onto his arms as if it was a life support. 'What would I do without you?'
