Beyond Her Beauty

CHAPTER 33 (Something √)

“It was a very daunting task we gave you, and it absolutely could have gone horribly wrong. I’m pleased to say, however, that both teams did very well.” Riana looked at each of us appraisingly.

We all sighed, and I reached for Kriesha’s hand as she did the same. As confused as I was about her and Kaden, I knew there was no way I could have made it through that without her.

“If I’m honest, one event was slightly better than the other, but you should all be proud of your accomplishments. We received thank-you letters from our longtime friends in the German Federation for your gracious hosting,” Riana said, looking at Selena, Natalie, and Elise.

“There were a few minor hiccups, and I don’t think any of us truly enjoy such serious affairs, but they certainly did.”

“And as for you two,” Riana turned toward Kriesha and me. “The ladies from Italy seem to enjoy it here. People were quite impressed with your style; and they made a special point to ask for the white wine you served, so, bravo! I wouldn’t be surprised if Milléa gained a wonderful new ally based on that welcome.”

Kriesha squeaked, and I let out a nervous laugh, happy enough that it was over, let alone that we’d beat the others. She's bow stepping in a higher position than Selena. Glad she was, I would love to see her there more than Selena. But I still want to be here.

Riana went on to talk about how she would be writing up an official report to hand over to the king and Kaden but said that none of us had a thing to worry about. As she spoke, a maid scurried into the room and ran over to the Queen Karmilla, whispering in her ear.

“Absolutely, they may,” the Queen Karmilla said, suddenly standing and walking forward.

The maid rushed back and opened the door for the king and Kaden. I knew men weren’t supposed to come into this room without Queen Karmilla’s permission, but it was comical to see it in action.

As they entered, we stood to curtsy, but they didn’t seem to care about formalities.

“Dear ladies, we are sorry to intrude, but we have urgent news,” the king informed us.

“I’m afraid we’ve had a development with the war in Asian countries,” Kaden said firmly. “The situation is so dire that Father and I are leaving this very moment to see if we can do any good.”

“What’s wrong?” the Queen Karmilla asked, clutching her chest.

“It’s nothing to worry about, my love,” the king said confidently. But that couldn’t be a completely honest statement if they had to rush out of here so suddenly.

Kaden walked over to his mother. They had a brief, whispered conversation before she kissed his forehead. He hugged her and stepped away. The king then began rattling off a list of instructions to the Queen Karmilla while Kaden came to say good-bye to each of us.

His good-bye to Natalie was so short it almost didn’t happen. Natalie didn’t seem too bothered, and I didn’t know what to make of that. Was she actually not worried by Kaden’s lack of affection, or was she so bothered that she was forcing herself to be calm?

Selena draped herself across Kaden and exploded into the worst display of fake crying that I’d ever seen. It reminded me of May when she was younger, thinking tears would magically bring money for us to have what we wanted. When he went to untangle himself, she planted a kiss on his lips that he promptly—and in as polite a mMarier as possible—wiped away after his back was turned.

Elise and Kriesha were so close that I heard his good-byes to them.

“Call ahead and tell them to go easy on us,” he said to Elise. I’d almost forgotten that the main reason she was still here was that she had family ties to leaders in Asian countries. I wondered if this war going downhill would cost her her spot.

Then I suddenly realized that I had no clue what Milléa stood to lose if we lost this war.

“If you get me a phone, I will talk to my parents,” she promised.

Kaden nodded and kissed Elise’s hand, then walked over to Kriesha.

She immediately laced her fingers in his.

“Will you be in danger?” she asked quietly, her voice beginning to shake.

“I don’t know. During our last trip to Asian countries, the situation wasn’t nearly so tense. I can’t be sure this time.” His voice was so tender, I felt they should have been having this conversation in private. Kriesha lifted her gaze to the ceiling and sighed, and in that quick second Kaden looked over to me. I averted my eyes.

“Please be careful,” she whispered. A tear fell onto her cheek.

“Of course, my dear.” Kaden gave her a silly little salute, which made her laugh a bit. He then kissed her cheek and put his lips to her ear. “Please try to keep my mother entertained. She worries.”

He pulled back to look into her eyes, and Kriesha nodded once and let his hands go.

I felt a little pain in my heart. The hardest thing here is that. Seeing Kaden sweet to others. But It's fine. As I expected.

The second they were no longer touching, a tremor went through her body. Kaden’s hands twitched for a second, like he was going to embrace her, but then he stepped away and started to walk toward me.

As if Kaden’s words of last week weren’t enough, here was physical proof of their relationship. By the look of it, they had something very sweet and real. One glimpse of Kriesha with her face in her hands was proof of how much she cared for him. Either that, or she was an incredible actress.

I tried to gauge his expression when he looked at me versus the way he had looked at Kriesha. Was it the same? Was there less warmth there? I think Kriesha is now more… I don't want to be stressed out. This feeling makes me anxious.

“Try not to get into any trouble while I’m gone, all right?” he said teasingly.

He didn’t joke with Kriesha. Did that mean something?

I raised my right hand. “I promise to be on my best behavior.”

He chuckled. “Excellent. One less thing to worry about.”

“What about us? Should we worry?”

Kaden shook his head. “We should be able to smooth over whatever’s going on. Father can be very diplomatic and—”