All Chapters of Promised to Another: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Annora:"You've been ignoring me," his voice is strangely calm and settled now.He doesn't comment or explain how he somehow got into my room that had been locked.He approaches me slowly, his hands resting coolly in his pockets. My body is frozen in place, like a statue made of nerves and uncertainty.I hadn't responded to him. Not only was I busy with nonstop back-to-back events, but his text messages left me speechless."Why would I?" I straightened my posture and showed him more confidence than I actually felt, but he didn't need to know this.His behavior was less than attractive, even if his physical presence affected me. He's wearing his typical black-on-black suit. I used to love this about him—the way he looked so mature and formal.There had been a shift in me. Something had changed in my heart. Whether it be the attitude he showed or simply recognizing the way I felt with the contestants during our dates, I certainly wasn't the same Nora I had been 48 hours ago.I can tell

Annora:"You look gorgeous," El's voice sings beside me."Thank you. You look beautiful. Not your usual get-up, though," I murmur.Her typical bright colors are nowhere to be found—nothing but the black silk and lace of her dress and veil.We're doing our best to avoid the topic we both want to talk about, but this is one of the first major formal gatherings that we will be attending as royals, so we're both trying to stay focused."I still don't understand why we can't see her," El comments, bringing up the topic anyway.She can be impulsive, often having a hard time holding back from her inhibitions.None of it made sense. I was sick, praying and hoping Chia would be okay, but we weren't being given enough information."We will be in fathers' shoes soon enough, El. For now, we have to focus on what's at hand. Our people need our strength and support through the loss that we've gone through," I say, without emotion.The emotion is there, though, buried deep in a box that I won't unlo

Annora:The air in the room was thinning by the second, and I was hoping he wouldn't chew off his bottom lip before I finally got an explanation."Earth to Otto!"I shout before I wave my hand in front of his face until he snaps back into reality."I said I would keep an open mind," I repeat my sentence to him, squinting in his direction."Okay, so look," he starts, grabbing the box from my hands and stacking it on top of the boxes he had set down.I remain silent as he takes my hand and guides me to a chair in the far corner of the room, and sitting me down."Before I tell you, you need to understand that, at the time, neither of us knew who the other was. Not truly. We were just blowing off steam. I was in the region for an event, and we met as strangers," he starts, but does he really need to finish?It's obvious where he is going with this. Calm down. I'm not angry at him for being human, but we're talking about my best friend, so there are still some boundaries."You fucked?" I co

Annora:The lantern send-off was the most entrancing experience I had ever been a part of.The sky was lit up with a thousand rays of light, all spread out, reaching for the hearts of loved ones.It started with those who had lost someone in the vampire attack. The affected pulled their wings and flew into the sky to release their lanterns, allowing their send-off to be reached more quickly.Those who had lost someone at any point in time were able to go next, while everyone else was able to release their lanterns last, sending out strength and empathy to fill in all the cracks that our grief leaves behind.I didn't have grief. To lose a parent before you ever knew them was a different type of sadness, so I sent my strength and empathy, casting out my hopes for our community to heal from this tragedy. The ride back to the castle was quiet. Once again, I was trapped in the back of the vehicle with four males, except this time, they were also reserved.Otto and I shared a few knowing gl

Annora:It wasn't that I planned on lying. The moment I saw El's worried face, something else kicked in, and I couldn't bring myself to be honest."It was a bust," I mutter.I stomp down the hallway toward the front door. Emilio and El are racing behind me until we're finally on the sidewalk, the gate slamming closed behind them.My hands are gripping my knees as I bend over, my body shaking visibly."That's good, right? That means that she's somewhere outside of the Region, right? I bet your dad sent her to a specialist somewhere," Emilio comments, rubbing my back as I try to calm down. That should calm me down and make me feel more at ease, but it doesn't because I'm lying.It wasn't a bust, it was a lie."Right," I straighten my posture and take a deep, long breath. I need to avoid any conversation before it becomes obvious that I'm lying out of my teeth."We'd better hurry. If Father knows we snuck out, we will be in so much trouble." I wrap my arms around Emilio, refusing to mak