The-Sinful-King-By-Claire-Contreras-PDF

hadn’t wrapped my head around the whole thing, despite my
being in full-on queen training for the last eight months.
It wasn’t the appearances or the work I was doing on
behalf of the Crown that was awkward for me. It was people
treating me like I was more important than them—like we
weren’t equals—that I wasn’t sure I could get used to. I had
the Queen Mother in one ear, reminding me not to hug
people, not to kneel on the floor when I saw children I
wanted to greet. In the other ear, I had my own mother,
reminding me that I was a human being just like the rest of
them. I looked in the mirror and let my gaze fall on the ivory
gown I wore, with intricate lace details on the sleeves and
bust. My hair was swept up in the front and held in place
with a small tiara and a veil that would trail twenty feet
behind me. My makeup was very natural. The makeup artist
said it was too natural, but I didn’t care. I felt like myself.
Even though my dress and tiara were not unlike the queens
before me, my smile was genuine, because unlike them, I
was truly marrying the love of my life, the man of my
dreams, and it wasn’t for theatrics or out of duty.
When the door swung open behind me and the Queen
Mother walked in with Pilar and my mother trailing behind
them, the seamstress let go of my veil and let me turn
around for them.
“You look beautiful.” My mother’s eyes brimmed with
tears.
“Like an angel,” Pilar whispered.
“Like a queen.” The Queen Mother smiled.
“You’re going to make me cry.” I pressed a hand to my
chest, blinking rapidly.
They all rushed over and flu ed me up just as the
photographer picked up the camera and began snapping
shots of us. Soon, we were ushered out. Every single aspect
of this day was timed, even my bathroom breaks. We’d gone