Outside the palace gates, Amelia sat in a carriage with her family. They hadn't made it far inside the palace and were returning home with nothing to show for their time there.
"Watch you gaze, child. I am not afraid to strike you," Ronan said, annoyed by Amelia's pitiful face.
Amelia sat in the carriage with her father and mother. It wasn't the happy ending she had envisioned, and she had every right to be upset with her father.
"I was so close, and you stole this moment from me. Surely, I will not be invited back to the palace after what happened today. All my efforts have been for nothing because of what you did today," Amelia said, her eyes on the brink of tears.
Ronan raised his hand, but Jade touched his leg to stop him.
"You mustn't hit our daughter. I will not allow you to leave a bruise, which will only ruin her chances this season. How are you not ashamed of how you acted before the prince? She has made it so, yet you took the moment to make it about you," said Jade.
