┏━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┓ Replacement ┗━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┛ Chapter 9: Replacement (Ava's POV) My parents made me sit on the couch, between them while Mr. Phoenix and Mrs. Gemma sat across from me, and Ashton and Rhys stood off to the side. No. Please tell me this is not happening to me. Please, please, please, no. This isn't happening. I sat there, shocked, processing. What the hell? "You want me to marry Rhys?" "Yes," Mrs. Gemma sighed. "W-what? Why? Why? Why me? Why?" I stuttered, sinking further into the couch. They looked at each other and sighed while I heard Rhys scoff. I looked at him from the corner of my eye and saw him standing with his arms folded across his chest, watching everything unfold in disbelief. "It's a good idea, Ava," Mom tried. "Our biggest priority was making sure Rhys marries a girl the whole kingdom is familiar with and adores," Mr. Phoenix explained. "But you chose Brooke," I reasoned. Mr. Phoenix sent Rhys a pointed look before turning to me. "We were happy to have either of you. Truth be told, we wanted it to be you, sweetheart." My eyes widened in surprise while my eyebrows shot up. "Even we saw the way Brooke and Rhys fought and argued all the time, even if it was plain bickering." "Oh yeah, because Ava and I don't argue at all, huh?" Rhys mumbled. "You need to stop talking," his dad told him warningly. "We already tried things your way, now shut up." I glanced over at Rhys who rolled his eyes and kept his mouth shut for the rest of the time. "We really wanted it to be you, Ava, honey," Mrs. Gemma said pleadingly. "We were just thinking based on your ages but three years is nothing. Plus, you and Rhys got along so well when you were younger." "Sure, you two don't get along that well any longer, but surely you'll build an understanding once you're married, won't you? Please just consider it," Mr. Phoenix requested. "Both families would have a lot to take from the public if we don't find a solution fast, Ava," Dad explained. "Just think about it once, hmm?" I sighed, looking at all their faces. They all look so desperate. I can't believe Brooke freaking ran away, that too, throwing me under the bus. She knew. She knew that if she ran, I would be the next scapegoat, that's why she apologized to me. Not only would the entire royal family be dragged down in the papers, but even we would be the talk of the town. Everybody will be talking about how Brooke ran away with some guy instead of marrying the prince, how I denied the royal family's offer, how my father, who's so loyal to the king, turned his back on him at the most desperate time. I don't fully see how just changing one daughter for another will help with what people are going to say though. Actually, I know exactly what they'll say. They'll say I'm the replacement. "So… I'm the substitute?" "Precisely," Rhys nodded. "Rhys, shut up!" Mrs. Gemma snapped, yelling at him. I watched in surprise. Ever since we were kids, I've never heard his parents yell at him. Ever. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "The two of us getting married won't help recover from what happened," he said. "She's the replacement, that's exactly what people will say." "Not when we tell them that she was our first choice. We hesitated because she's still a little young but after the engagement, you both realized you're much more compatible," Mr. Phoenix explained. "They're sisters, that doesn't mean they're interchangeable. You can't exchange one of them for another whenever you like," Rhys countered. "We didn't want to change them at all, Rhys, you did," Mr. Phoenix replied. "And it's your responsibility to explain your mistakes to the media, not ours." Rhys laughed dryly. At this point, it's like he's trying to piss his parents off. "Do you think this is a joke?" Mr. Phoenix asked. "I hope you realize, no marriage means you don't get to be king." Rhys stiffened, glaring at him. "Yes, good morning, welcome to the world. You have responsibilities as king, Rhys. How you handle a marriage speaks a lot about how you'd handle being king. And Ava is not a replacement, I don't want to hear anybody saying that ever again." He turned to me. "That includes you." I blinked, staring at him. This really feels like a bad idea. "You're not a replacement, Ava, you're not the substitute. You're the right choice that we failed to make the first time. And now we're fixing that mistake, do you understand?" Rhys has managed to make his dad the angriest I've ever seen him. "I understand," I said softly. "Please think about it," Mrs. Gemma said one last time. They keep telling me to think about it but it's exactly what happened with Brooke. They're telling me I have a choice, except I don't. With the anger radiating off of Mr. Phoenix, it's obvious. I know they're trying not to lose their temper on Brooke because what she did was completely stupid. She could have just said no and left, but getting engaged first was a mistake. They're trying to be understanding towards my parents because they're friends but it's impossible for them not to feel rage or humiliation. We owe them a huge apology, one that can't be conveyed just through words. The room fell into utter silence. I guess they're not leaving until they have an answer. I looked over at Ashton who seemed awfully calm about this. I narrowed my eyes and he blinked in confusion. Our parents started talking about Brooke again, where she could be and I pulled Ashton aside and into the kitchen. "What?" He feigned innocence. "What do you think I should do?" I questioned, scrutinizing him. He shrugged, pretending to think. "I think you should marry him. Because of Brooke, we owe their family an apology. They need a bride, the reason they don't have one anymore is because of our sister. I know it's not fair to throw you in instead of her but… would it really be that bad if you marry him?" I smacked his arm as hard as I could. "Ow!" "You knew!" "What?" he asked. "You knew, Ashton! You knew she was running away, didn't you?" I asked through gritted teeth. "That's why you haven't panicked at all, you asshole! Answer me, did you know?" He hesitated before sighing in defeat, nodding. "Yeah, I knew." My jaw fell slack. "I caught her last night. I heard her and came downstairs to ask what the fuck she was doing. She was in a rush so she didn't say a lot. Just that she was leaving to go live with Griffin." "You know where she is, don't you?" "She's in Zariya," he whispered. "You are not allowed to tell anybody, Ava. Brooke is living the life she wants and deserves, don't take that away from her." "I don't want to. But what about me?" "What about you? You and Rhys were two peas in a pod for as long as I can remember. I don't know what happened in the last three years but whatever it is, you both need to get over it. Everybody except the two of you knows that you're meant to be together. So work through your issues, and marry him. You both want it, you just won't admit it." I rolled my eyes, ignoring his last statement. "Have you spoken to her?" He nodded. "She called earlier. She's fine, she's safe. She's happy, Ava. She's finally with Griffin again." I leaned against the counter, dragging my hands down my face. "Just say yes," he suggested. "Everything will work out. You both might finally talk to each other properly again, or worse comes to worst, you both will compromise and stay in the marriage for the sake of our families and Kilthorne. You'll build a mutual understanding eventually, that's what happens." "This is unfair. I'm sacrificing everything for Brooke." "I know it's unfair, but that's always what happens. You either run the first chance you get and end up happy, or you end up in an arranged marriage. If you really don't want to marry him, of course, you can say no, nobody will stop you. Just think it through." I looked at him. "You're telling me I have a choice but we both know I don't. Not after the mess, Brooke left me in." "So, you'll marry him?" "Yeah. I freaking have to." We walked back into the living area and everybody turned to me. So much for no pressure. "What are you thinking, honey?" Dad asked, raising his brows. I glanced at Rhys. His eyes clearly told me that if I agreed, he would murder me himself. But then I saw the desperate look on his parents' faces. "Will you marry him?" Mr. Phoenix asked. I took in a breath, nodding slowly. "I'll marry him." The second the words spilled out of my mouth, Rhys walked over and stood in front of me, grabbing my arm. Our parents were too busy sighing in relief and talking about how glad they are that I agreed and Ashton didn't care. "You have no idea what I'm about to do to you," Rhys threatened, pushing me towards the kitchen. "Do your worst," I replied. He pulled me to the kitchen with a steel grip on my wrist and I pretended it didn't hurt. He let me go, pushing me against the counter. "Are you out of your mind?" "You know what, I'll keep this short, so listen well." He glowered at me. "Your parents have done a lot for me and my family and we owe them big time. Especially after what Brooke just did. I can't let our families down. I don't care if I have to put up with you for the rest of my life. Deal with it. I'm doing this for our families and I'm doing it for Brooke. If you don't want to marry me, say it. Tell your parents and you won't have to." "If I don't marry you, I can't be king," he gritted. "Then choose. Being the king and putting up with me, or not being king and still putting up with me. Because we can't avoid each other, we've been trying for three years, haven't we? Choose." . . . . . Chapter 9