Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 116570 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 583(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116570 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 583(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
“One more time, miss,” Wolfgang said, opening a folder in front of my face. “We will be seated as the students are seated. So, there is nothing you will need to do but wait. Once everyone is seated, there is the national anthem, the greetings from the university's president to the students, then to the Duchess of Elmburgh and you. Again, you don’t have to do anything but nod slightly in thanks. From there, the introduction of the graduating class representative, followed by the student speaker address, then Duchess of Elmburgh shall do her address. When she comes back to her seat, you rise and walk forward to give your address. Finally, you walk back and sit for the rest of the time. That’s it. Simple.”
He looked back at me, his eyes wide, worry for me all over his freckled face. He clearly didn’t believe it was that simple, either, but he was trying to make me feel better. I glanced over all the people crammed into the hallway, all nervous too.
“Miss?”
“Thank you, Wolfgang.”
“Don’t worry. As you say in America, ‘You got it, dude.’”
I snorted, trying to hold back a laugh only to have everyone look at me, confused.
Mr. Ambrose looked at me, upset. “Did you catch a cold, miss?”
I shook my head. “I’m fine. Thank you.”
He didn’t look convinced. But he let it go and focused on Sophia.
I shot a glance at Wolfgang and whispered, “We’ve updated the saying to ‘you’ve got this,’” I explained, and he didn’t get a chance to say anything else as we began to walk.
The fifteen minutes disappeared in a flash. And as we walked, all I saw was a sea of black graduation caps—no, not a sea, a whole damn ocean.
“How many people are here?” I asked Wolfgang.
“This year, there are 2,200 undergraduate and graduate degrees to confer,” he whispered back softly.
Oh.
You’ve got this, Odette.
Chapter 23
“And the votes are 154 to 153. The People’s Party has the decision,” the chamber head replied over the rest of parliament. It took all my energy not to curse as Ivan Hermenegild stood to cheers and applause from his party members.
Lucky bastard.
“He is still very popular,” I muttered.
“I’m not so sure, sir,” Balduin whispered beside me. “Twelve of his party members voted with Alliance. And look at those higher in the stands.”
I did and saw that even though they were part of his party and had voted in his favor, they weren’t cheering and celebrating with the rest of them.
“They do not look pleased having won,” I whispered back.
“From what I heard, the prime minister had to visit each and every one of them in the dead of night yesterday to whip up the votes. A few months ago, he would have crushed the Alliance Party, and today, he nearly lost. It must be quite a shock to him.”
“If so, he is not letting it show in the least bit,” I said as Hermenegild took the platform.
“My honorable members and esteemed delegates, I am honored to stand here in front of you as one of the great members of this nation to say the People’s Party decides to pass the Nationalism Reform Act, which will ensure the prosperity and preservation of the Ersovian culture and way of life, not just for ourselves or our children, but for their children in years to come. This is an astonishing moment of hope for many people, a moment they thought would never come. For others, this may be a moment of doubt and fear, but trust and believe we will stand by you. Let this vote usher in a new era in this nation. An era of purpose, self-determination, and strength, under one God, one government, one country, and one king.”
He looked up at me, and all I could do was smile and nod, even though he put king at the end of his little speech to remind me that I was beneath all of those things. King and country, but when he said government, I didn’t think he meant the government but himself. The way he basked in the attention, the praise, and the visible scorn on his face to the party that opposed him, to the members of his party who had rejected him, were all such clear and obvious signs of his ego.
“Sir, it’s almost time,” Balduin reminded me.
“Right, Odette,” I replied, rising to my feet quickly, leaving the Royal Box, out into the hallway where Iskandar stood waiting.
“You have a live feed, correct?” I asked Balduin.
“I’m working on it, sir, but the connection here is a bit poor.” He replied with his tablet out.
“Your Highness.”
Oh, for bloody sake. I did not have time to put on a circus act. Nevertheless, I turned to see the man from the dinner, Mikel Horvath, standing with a few other members of parliament. I scanned their faces.