The Queen glanced at Finn and the brunette sitting next to him. They rose together. Lady Serafina plastered a smile on her face and smiled prettily but Finn continued to watch Hope. She looked at him with a stunned expression.
She knew it was coming. It was never going to be her. She knew that. But hearing it said out loud, the betrothal of the man she wanted more than anything, cut deeper than any wound she could have ever bourne. He was truly out of reach now. He was always out of reach, but there was that sliver of hope that lived inside her, wanting the outcome she couldn't have. It was extinguished, in a gust of wind. With the words of the Queen, her dreams were crushed. She looked at Finn, her eyes filled with tears. He shook his head slightly, wanting to go to her, wanting to take
