Harrison takes my hand and I step up onto the podium, my hands shaking. Casey takes my bouquet. Harrison lifts my veil, and I stare at the flower on his lapel, my hands getting clammy.

“Look at me, Olive,” Harrison whispers, and I shake my head. He grabs my chin and lifts it up, not very gently. 

“I’m not going to marry you,” I say firmly, my voice quaking, but echoing in the loud room. Casey’s jaw drops. 

“I thought you might say that,” He says with a shrug, then grabs my waist, nodding as he turns to Wyatt. “Bring in the kid,” He says, and I see Cai being dragged in, his hands bound. Harrison pulls out the sword at his belt, and points it past me to Cai, who watches me with his blue eyes soft and wet. “I know he kissed you. You need to get him out of your head. You’re mine.” 

“Let go of her!” Flint calls, running back over. Harrison’s sword point comes to Flint’s throat. Cai stares at the ground, forced onto his knees with Wyatt’s gun to the back of his head. 

I hear a gun cocking behind us, and Harrison turns to look at my sister aiming a small pistol at him, pulled from a holster on her leg. Oh yeah, she’s in the revolution, huh. 

“Friends to protect you or not, Olive, I can still force you to marry me,” Harrison whispers. “My technology is in your bloodstream. I own you.” I nod slowly, then look down and see the knife in Harrison’s pocket, the clip poking out. I grab it quickly and slice open my arm, a seventeenth mark joining my sixteen burns. 

Harrison chuckles, and shoves me on the ground next to him, my back to the stunned priest’s feet.

“You’re so dumb, you couldn’t think of a more efficient way of killing yourself?” He asks, and Cai’s eyes meet mine. His eyes fill with tears, and he mouths a no. I shake my head, then look down at the blood flowing down my arm to my wrist. 

“I’m not killing myself,” I mumble, and soon silver flecks appear floating in my blood, like gold in lemonade. 

I feel the cold inside my body as I push all of Harrison’s little devices towards my cut. They’re metal. That was his shortcoming. My blood turns silver as the tiny robots get more concentrated. 

“Stop!” Harrison yells, grabbing me roughly once he realizes what I’m doing. 

“Too late, they’re all gone now,” I say, seeing red blood rather than silver drip onto my dress. 

“Let go of my sister,” Casey starts, and Harrison chuckles. 

“Your sister is mine.” Harrison lifts me up quickly. “And you’re all surrounded,” He tells the rest of my friends, who have all drawn weapons, multiple weapons in Julia’s case. Harrison’s guards around the room have their guns drawn and pointed at my friends. “She’s mine,” Harrison reaffirms, and turns to the priest. “Say we’re married,” He threatens, and the priest nods, a gun to the back of his head. “Say it!” Harrison yells. I jump, my hands shaking as I try to pull Harrison’s off of me. 

“It has to be consensual, My Lord,” The priest says, his voice croaking slightly. I get dropped roughly on the ground, and Harrison punches the priest in the face while I rub my bruised backside. 

“I’m the king!” Harrison growls, as the priest cowers. “She’s my wife.” He bends down in front of me where I sit with my skirt around me, and kisses me firmly, holding onto my neck. I bite his lip, and he scowls, about to hit me, but he pauses. 

“No, do it.” I argue. He stands up, not responding. “I want the same treatment as everyone else.” Harrison ignores me, and turns to Wyatt. 

“Take my wife to the car so we can leave for our honeymoon,” He says with a sigh. “I’ll have these ones all killed after she’s gone, starting with him.” He points to Cai. “Knock her out if you have to. I have to reset her memories anyway.” 

I back away quickly from Wyatt as he walks over, and scream as he grabs me by my arm and starts to drag me from the room. Let’s see if this works. I hold out my hand, and Harrison’s sword melts from his hand, floating in a blob towards my hand. 

I re-form the sword in my hand as everyone gapes, and swing the sword at Wyatt, whose hand lets go of me, since it’s no longer attached to a body. 

“Nobody move!” Casey yells, her gun to Harrison’s head. 

“Lower your guns,” I tell the guards around the room, and they do it very slowly. “Handcuff him, use the ropes from Cai.” I tell Casey, who nods, and goes to untie Cai’s ropes. Once Harrison is bound and kneeling down, Flint stands guarding him, and I run over to Cai, hugging him tightly. 

“What’s going on? I think I- I think I’m slightly drugged?” Cai asks, collapsing onto my chest, sighing. 

“Harrison was torturing Angel. I found out after I- I kissed you…” I mutter. “Then after I got her safe, I found your book, and-” Cai’s jaw drops. 

“You weren’t supposed to find that, I was just putting it out, Flint said it would be therapeutic, get it out of my system…” He trails off, shaking his head. 

“Well, it brought my memories back,” I say with a chuckle. Cai watches me with wide eyes. “And I’m in love with you.” He looks around, then back at my face, taking deep breaths. 

“You’re being serious?” He asks. I nod, leaning forward and hugging him, my head on his shoulder. 

“You’re my best friend, and the only thing I’m certain about, and I just want to belong to you for forever,” I tell him, breathing in the old-book smell of his clothing. 

“She’s mine!” Harrison yells, as Flint pulls him away with his hands bound tightly. 

“No, she’s mine,” Cai says back calmly, hugging me closer, his face buried in my neck. “Um, I’m on a lot of drugs right now, so I don’t think I can feel it, but there’s…” 

He pulls away from me, blood coming from a growing hole in his side. There’s a bloodied knife on the floor, the initials W.D. in the wooden handle. Wyatt. I cradle Cai as he collapses onto my lap, his face coated in sweat. 

“Casey!” I yell, and my sister runs over. Sadie comes over and pushes me aside, tearing a scrap from the hem of her cotton dress. 

“Hold his head. Casey, try and find some medication for the pain. It’s just a knife wound?” Sadie asks, and I nod, moving to hold Cai’s head in my lap. Casey gets up and runs. 

“It’s okay, Cai, it’s okay,” I mutter, massaging his scalp. He reaches up and grabs my hand, groaning. I squeeze his fingers gently. 

“I love you too,” He mumbles, half asleep while Sadie bandages his middle. 

“You’re in charge now,” Flint says, after I’ve got Cai to fall asleep finally. He wanted to stay up and talk, but he’s been stabbed, so I’m not letting him do anything but rest for now. I look up from Cai’s hand that I’m rubbing, at Flint. 

“What?” I ask. 

“He didn’t have an heir or wife before being arrested, and you’re the closest thing he had to a wife,” Flint explains. 

“Oh,” I say, then nod. “I don’t think I want to lead. I would mess it up, even with all the reading I did during the competition. And-” I shrug. “Sorry.” 

“No, you don’t have to apologize for anything,” Flint says, patting my arm. “You’ve been through a lot, and I know you wouldn’t want to anyway. I just wanted to give you the opportunity, just in case.” He stands up, his arms folded. “Therncolaos hasn’t dealt with this situation before,” He sighs quietly. 

“That’s probably my fault,” I mumble. 

“No, the Irons and Coppers were about to blow anyway,” Flint says, waving his hand. “All it really took was Jackson’s favoritism for you to throw them overboard. Said the government only cares about lower class if they’re pretty,” He says with a chuckle. 

“Well, you’re probably Jackson’s favorite now,” I comment, sipping my tea. He smiles. 

“I should hope I’m his favorite, I’m his son,” Flint says with a laugh. “You changed when you were engaged to Harrison,” He comments, and looks up at me. I nod. “No offense, but you were calmer than usual.” 

“I’m guessing he wasn’t just taking my memories, but also kind of changing my personality,” I answer, then chuckle. “If I was going to brainwash someone, I would make sure they wouldn’t get angry at me. It’s just the smartest move to keep someone in line.” 

“Yeah,” Flint says, then looks over at Cai. “The law says that if there’s absolutely no heir and there isn’t a pageant soon…” He trails off. 

“The next one’s in twenty years.” Flint nods. 

“The law says that the title of ruler passes on to the highest ranking noble in the country, which is… his dad.” He points at Cai. “He’s already a top-class Light and he’s married to a Platinum. They’re celebrities too.” 

“Do they know?” I ask, tilting my head. Flint nods. 

“They’re on their way over for dinner,” He answers. “We’re still working out the specifics. They know that if you refuse the throne, it’s theirs. And then it’ll be yours again once the throne passes from them to Cai and you’re married to him with several little kids.” Flint waves his hands around as I speak. I blush.

“When do they get here?” I ask. Flint checks his watch. 

“About two hours,” He answers. I nod. 

“I’ll probably take a nap, then,” I say, standing up. 

“Okay. I’ll send someone to wake you up,” Flint tells me, and leaves with a nod. I move to Cai’s closet and steal a shirt and some soft pajama pants, since I’m still in my bloodstained wedding gown, and I like how Cai smells. 

“Hi,” Cai groans quietly, as I climb into bed next to him, and he puts his arm around my waist. 

“Hi. Your parents are coming,” I say with a yawn. He nods. “You should rest now.” 

“Okay. I love you,” Cai mumbles, then puts his head down on the pillow again. He rises again quickly, and I lift my head. “I forgot to kiss you, I was preoccupied earlier,” He realizes, turning to me. 

“Preoccupied by bleeding out from a stab wound.” I remind him. Cai chuckles, and leans over, his lips finding mine. After a while, he pulls back, and looks down at my chest. 

“Those are my clothes,” He accuses, leaning over and kissing my ear. 

“Well, you got blood all over my expensive wedding dress, so I’m just getting my compensation,” I mumble, and laugh as he tickles me. 

“Why are my parents coming?” He asks sleepily, resting his head on my collarbone. 

“Government things,” I answer with a shrug. “Flint knows more than I do.” Cai nods. 

“Okay. Good night, I love you.” 

“I love you too.”