Crowns and Gowns
1207 Words
Caius
Later that morning, I dressed and stepped into the hall, my thoughts already racing ahead. I stopped at Maria’s door and knocked gently.
“Maria? I need your help.”
She opened the door with a surprised expression. “What’s going on?”
“I need to question the doctor who served under the Blue Coral Pack’s Luna—Eliza, I believe. I want someone kind at her side. Someone she trusts. Will you come with me?”
A soft smile tugged at her lips. “Of course. Thank you for thinking of her.”
I inclined my head. “And thank you for trusting me.”
We began the walk toward the lower levels—toward the interrogation chambers. They weren’t as grim as people imagined. Not here. I had no intention of hurting Eliza. Only to understand. To learn the truth—about what she endured, and what others allowed to happen.
But before we descended, I turned back. There was one more thing I needed to do.
Seryna
I was halfway through my meal, my thoughts still tangled in dreams from the night before. The knock at the door jolted me, but when I saw him... everything settled.
He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my temple, and I leaned into it, savoring the moment.
“Lin will take good care of you,” he murmured. “I’ve got a kingdom to run—and a little unfinished business to attend to.”
I nodded. “Be safe.”
That smile of his—gentle, but firm—still made my heart flutter. “Always.”
And just like that, he was gone again. I watched him leave, feeling the subtle shift in his energy. The man who kissed me in moonlight was now a king heading into the depths to dig up old truths—for our future.
A knock at the door.
Lin entered, followed by several maids. This time, they wore their usual soft grey and moon-silver uniforms, formal but understated—the colors of the Moon Kingdom’s inner court.
Behind them came racks of gowns, fabrics shimmering in the morning light.
Lin curtsied. “Your Highness, it’s time to choose a dress for your engagement portrait.”
I blinked. “Already?”
The maids unveiled dresses like treasures in a royal vault—satins, silks, velvet, and shimmer.
Then the door flung open.
Nerissa and Liora swept in like twin whirlwinds.
Nerissa’s eyes locked instantly on my neck. She shrieked, pointing. “Liora, look!”
Liora gasped, wings fluttering. “Is that… the mark?!”
My cheeks burned. “Yes,” I muttered.
Nerissa’s grin turned wicked. “Oh, it’s official now. I knew you had it in you.”
I couldn’t help it—I laughed. We all did. That warmth, that wild joy—it melted the lingering anxiety from my bones.
“And about time too,” Rose snarked inside my head. “I was starting to think I’d have to h****k your body just to get a decent make-out session.”
I bit back another laugh and shook my head. Life with Rose would never be boring.
Liora clapped her hands like an overexcited general. “We are not letting you get away with skipping the fashion montage. Go ahead, try them on, no excuses.”
“She’s right,” Nerissa said, smirking. “You’re playing dress-up, like it or not.”
And so it began.
They threw gowns at me like petals in the wind—ruby red, ocean green, twilight silver. I twirled and stepped out, twirled and stepped back, until I slid into one I didn’t want to take off.
A sky-blue gown. Floor-length. Soft, flowing fabric, accented with shimmering grey floral lace that traced up the bodice and curled over my arms in sheer sleeves. The neckline curved like a heart and perfectly framed my collarbones—and the mark. It felt like it had been made just for me.
Nerissa let out a low whistle. “This is it. You look like a queen already.”
Liora didn’t answer. She just fluttered forward, magic spilling from her fingers like light dust.
A soft shimmer danced around my back. I turned my head to see a cape forming—longer than the dress’s train, lighter than breath, flowing like liquid moonlight behind me. The lace matched, as if it had always belonged.
Lin gasped. “That’s exactly what it needed.”
I turned to the vanity, eyes scanning the necklaces, but they all felt too extravagant. My hand drifted to the little gold locket Maria had given me at graduation. I held it carefully. It didn’t quite match… but it meant something.
Nerissa noticed. Of course she did.
“Here,” she said softly, waving her hand.
The chain shimmered, becoming a sky-blue silk choker. The pendant turned to platinum, cool and elegant.
I gasped. “My necklace!”
“It’s just glamour,” she said gently. “Temporary. You can have it back to normal in a snap. But now… it fits the story you’re telling.”
I smiled at her. “Thank you.”
She winked. “I’m a mermaid. Glamour’s second nature.”
Lin clapped again and in came the final touch—crowns of every style. Gold, silver, jeweled and plain. But my eyes were drawn to something quieter. Smaller.
I picked up the delicate circlet and set it gently on my head.
The platinum vines were woven so finely they looked like they’d grown in moonlight. Tiny diamond flowers bloomed along the edge, each centered with a glowing aquamarine. Between them, silver leaves curled and shimmered like frost.
My breath caught. My hands trembled slightly as I reached for it. Was I ready for this? Was I enough?
Lin stepped beside me. “They call it The Crown of Ever Memory. Crafted for a queen who loved so deeply, even time couldn’t forget her. They say the stones glow brightest when touched by true grief… or true love.”
I stared at my reflection, fingers brushing the tiara.
And just like that, it all sank in.
I was going to be a wife.
A queen.
Not in some future dream—but now. And somehow… I was ready.
Caius
Eliza sat quietly in the chamber. The glowstones set in the obsidian walls made the room look darker than it was. Her hands were folded tightly, knuckles white.
When I entered, her eyes widened, and she stiffened. I let her look. Let her feel it.
Not fear. Presence.
Power.
Maria stepped forward beside me and gave Eliza a kind nod. That seemed to ground her. She took a breath and met my gaze.
“Am I going to die?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper.
I shook my head. “No.”
Her voice cracked slightly. “Then… jail?”
“Also no,” I said. “Maria explained your situation. And because of that, your freedom remains intact. You have my word. All I need is the truth.”
She looked between us—me and Maria—swallowed hard, and drew a shaky breath.
“I’ll tell you everything.”
- Writer
