The Rejected True Heiress (Liora and Callum) novel Chapter 456

Liora’s POV

“Attention all students: please gather in the quad. The royal cavalcade has arrived.”

The moment the PA system turned off, Callum and I looked at each other. The panic I saw in his face was mirrored in my own. I shot to my feet, even though it made fresh pain shoot up my injured leg.

“Shit,” we said at the same time.

I looked in the full-length mirror that was sitting nearby. At the torn, dirty gown I was wearing, which looked just as ridiculous next to Callum’s equally-ruined suit. I bit my lip.

“What should we do?” I asked.

Callum looked like he wanted to say something snarky, the air between us still buzzing with tension from our conversation. But he took a breath, calming himself, and said, “We should probably go down there.”

My stomach sank a little. This felt like a trap, but mandatory was mandatory. I could already hear doors opening and closing as students started to leave their rooms, murmuring amongst themselves.

“Okay,” I said. “But stay hidden. Maybe it would be better if we split up.”

Callum’s jaw tightened, but he nodded. “I guess I should go change,” he said.

“Yeah. Me too.”

He turned as if to leave, then stopped, glancing at me. “Can we finish this conversation later?”

I wanted to ask what there even was to finish—clearly, Callum thought that I should prioritize our relationship and desires over an entire fucking kingdom, over my inheritance, as if that had ever been feasible before and was definitely not feasible at all now—but I controlled myself.

“Yeah,” I said softly. “We can.”

Callum hesitated for another moment, then turned to leave again. Before he could, I grabbed his hand, making him pause.

“I do love you,” I murmured, squeezing his hand. “Please don’t get that confused.”

Just then, I spotted Amy moving toward me. She waved when she saw me, smiling obliviously, and hurried over.

“Liora!” she said. “Where have you been?”

“I, uh… visited my family,” I replied. Not a lie.

“Oh. You’ve never mentioned your family before. How was it?”

I hesitated, not quite sure how to explain. Finally, I settled on a half truth. “It was eventful.”

Amy snorted. “That’s what it’s like with my family, too. Always some drama, someone getting into an argument. But we always make up by the time we sit around the dinner table—just so we can start arguing again, of course.”

I smiled bitterly. I wished it were that simple for me. Right now, that couldn’t have felt further from my reality.

Before either of us could say anything else, the sound of trumpets blaring cut across the quad. The students quieted as the front gates opened, and the royal guards began to march through.