The grin on Reginald’s face makes me want to slap him. It only seems to widen as the crowd begins to chant about his cheating. And perhaps he did cheat, not that it matters. He beat me—he’s a fine fencer, and there’s really no denying it.

“I’ll not stand for cheating. The people of Montovia deserve better—”

“It isn’t worth it, Andrew.” I’m not sure why I have to keep repeating that to him—it isn’t as though we can go back and refight the match, even if Reginald did cheat. And it isn’t as though I’d want to fight him again, anyway.

“If he—”

Reginald walks over to where we’re standing, still grinning as he performs another sweeping bow, his épée still drawn. “My offer still stands, my dear lady.”

I narrow my gaze as my hand tightens on Andrew’s arm. “I believe I declined your offer, Prince Reginald. And you’ve already won—”

“What is he talking about?” Andrew snaps his head to look at me. “What offer?”

Reginald straightens and turns his gaze to Andrew. “Why, I offered her everything you want, Your Highness.” He pauses for a moment. “Well, I suppose not everything.”

I glare at the man standing in front of me. “And I declined. And I still decline.”

His smile falls slightly and his gaze darts between Andrew and me for a few moments. “Then how about I make you a deal you can’t refuse, Victoria?”

“There is no deal I’m taking from you—”

“Perhaps you should wait to hear my offer before you refuse out of hand.” His smile falls away completely as he narrows his gaze at Andrew. “I’ll give you the scepter and the rights to the Amhurst Valley.”

Andrew’s mouth falls open for a moment and he turns to look at me. “Victoria—?”

“With the same conditions, of course.” The grin returns to Reginald’s face. “So what do you say, Victoria? Do we have a deal? Montovia gets back her scepter and avoids certain war with my country.”

My heart is pounding in my chest, thrashing in my ears. The crowd of people surrounding the stage is yelling so loudly now that I can barely think straight. And Reginald didn’t really just offer what I think he did—he couldn’t have.

“Of course, if you accept, there is one tiny addition to what I’ll need you to do in exchange…” Reginald’s grin is impossibly wide.

My mouth is opening and closing like a fish out of water. The crowd is chanting beside me. Andrew is saying something to me—asking what Reginald is talking about, I think. And Reginald’s head is cocked expectantly, waiting for my answer.

“You really have little choice, do you Victoria?” His head tilts in the other direction. “Of course, I’ll need you to do what we talked about in exchange for the scepter and the land rights. And I’ll need you to do it here. Now. In front of all these adoring citizens.” He makes a sweeping motion toward the crowd.

He’s right, of course. I have no choice. I have to do what’s right for Montovia and stop thinking only of myself and what’s right for me. My heart doesn’t matter. My love for Andrew doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is doing what’s right for the many—not for me.

And the crowd is so loud now, I can barely hear Reginald, even though he’s right in front of me.

“What is he talking about?” Andrew is nearly screaming in my ear.

But I can’t answer him—I can’t say anything at all to him. He’ll only try to talk me out of it, but this is the right thing to do. If Andrew has taught me anything, it’s that the most important thing to him in the world is his duty to his people. And this will make him the hero. It will win him back the love of his people. And that matters so much more than the love between the two of us.

I hold up my hand to the crowd, and I have no idea why, but a hush falls over them almost immediately.

Reginald lifts a brow, still smiling. He turns to the crowd. “Good people of Montovia. I’ll admit it—I cheated. Victoria of America should be named the winner of the festival jousting tournament.”

Andrew’s mouth falls open as he turns to look at me. He seems to know somewhere inside him that something terrible is about to happen, but he can’t do anything to stop it. Not now. He pulls my hand into his as he turns to face the crowd.

But he doesn’t get a word out. Reginald continues. “As a show of good faith, I am offering the scepter back to your country with my apologies.”

Reginald pauses and looks at me for a long moment, waiting to continue until I give him the slightest nod, agreeing to his terms.

“Victoria?” Andrew turns to me again, his voice so low I can barely hear it.

“And good citizens, as a further apology for my behavior at your festival these past few nights, it is with my father’s permission that I also offer the rights to the Amhurst Valley as a show of good will. Let this night be one that we shall all remember as the first night of peace between our countries in more than a century.”

There’s silence in the crowd—everyone seems to be as in shock as Andrew is beside me. But after a long moment, a cheer starts, growing louder and louder until Reginald raises his hand.

“Citizens of Montovia, I believe Victoria has something she would like to say.” Reginald turns to me with a grin.

There’s no way out of this—no way not to do to Andrew exactly what he did to Justine a few days ago. But it seems a small price to pay for doing right by an entire country.

I can barely breathe—barely get a word out. I pull my hand from Andrew’s—the one with the ring still on it. I set down my épée at my feet and turn to the man I love. “I’m sorry,” I whisper.

His brow furrows with confusion. “Victoria?”

“I’m sorry.” My words are still only a whisper as I slide the ring with the beautiful black pearl from my finger. I don’t dare look at it—I can’t bear to see it. I place the ring in his hand. “I can’t marry you.”

Reginald laughs. “This… This, good citizens of Montovia. This is what in my country we like to call…Karma.”

Andrew’s mouth is still gaping open as his hand closes around the ring.

I can’t seem to tear my gaze from his, but I know I have to. And I can’t seem to say anything else to him, so I whisper to him again. “I’m sorry. So, so sorry, Andrew.”

And all I hear as I run from the stage is Reginald’s laughter in my ears.