Twisted-Games

true.”
The murmurs exploded into a roar. The reporters jumped from their seats,
shouting and thrusting their microphones at me. Behind them, the crowd went
wild.
Camera flashes. Shouts. A million phones raised in the air, aimed at me.
My heart rate slowed and roared in my ears.
I tried not to picture Elin’s or my family’s reactions. They must be
freaking out. I’d refused to tell them what I would say beforehand, and I’d
insisted they stay in the palace for the event.
Today was all on me.
I raised my voice to speak above the din. “I am also here today to tell you
I am still in a relationship with Mr. Larsen.”
Pandemonium.
It was so loud I couldn’t hear myself think, but my speech was over. It
was time to turn it over to the reporters—one in particular.
“Yes.” I gestured at Jas, the reporter from The Daily Tea.
“Your Highness.” The crowd quieted to hear her question. “What about
the Royal Marriages Law? You will be crowned as queen in less than nine
months, and the law requires you to marry someone of noble birth before the
ceremony,” Jas said, just as we’d agreed upon.
It was amazing what the promise of the first exclusive interview with the
Queen of Eldorra could accomplish.
I smiled. “Thank you, Jas. You bring up a good point. But while the
Royal Marriages Law requires the monarch to marry a noble, it does not
require them to be married before the coronation. That being said, I believe it
is time we rethink the law. It was created in the eighteenth century, when
Eldorra needed the alliances secured through royal marriage to survive as a
nation, but it is no longer the eighteenth century. Europe is no longer at war.
And I believe it is long past time to repeal the Royal Marriages Law.”
“You would need the Speaker to bring the motion to the floor and at least
three-fourths of Parliament to pass a repeal,” Jas said, right on cue. “This
issue came up during the abdication of former Crown Prince Nikolai. There
weren’t enough votes.”
“That is true.” I paused, forcing the crowd to wait for what I had to say
next. Keep them in suspense. Elin’s voice echoed in my head. We didn’t
agree on everything, but she knew what she was doing when it came to the
press. “What happened with my brother was a tragedy. He would’ve made a