Heir of Ashes

Chapter 9 : Dinner with monsters

The car jerks sideways without warning.

The tyres scream against the asphalt, a sharp, violent sound that cuts through the air as the wheel spins uselessly under his grip. For a split second, there is no control.

The steering wheel fights him, snapping left, then right, the entire car shuddering beneath it. The tyres skid, losing traction completely, gliding instead of gripping. The engine roars, but it’s meaningless—power with nowhere to go.

The brakes slam.

He glares at me. I gave him a small victorious smile. It feels good to have won this tiny battle. I turn back to the window, victorious and exhausted.

In two weeks, I turn eighteen. Then the engagement becomes binding. And unless I sabotage it completely…

I’ll just be moving from one cage to another. For four years, I’ve tried to make him hate me enough to leave. Then it isn’t me that breaks the contract they made us sign at fourteen. He will be the one who has to face all the consequences if he breaks the engagement. The car ride home feels too quiet after everything. Caden keeps glancing at me like I’m a puzzle with one impossible piece missing. I can’t decide if he’s worried or if he just wants to make sure I don’t ruin his spotless reputation by screaming again.

My body still trembles from the memory every now and then-the memory brought back in that nightmare. His presence only makes it worse since I know that with him, one day, my mother's life will be mine.

I swallow hard and keep staring out the window until the castle comes into view, gleaming white stone, sharp edges softened by evening light. Home. A lie of a word.

Caden parks crookedly, tyres skidding just a little. He mutters something under his breath.

“That was almost a crash,” I say casually, even airily, like it’s a joke. My heart is still sprinting, but I won’t show it. Not here. Not in front of him.

He turns toward me sharply. “I didn’t crash.”

“Mm,” I hum. “Almost did.”

The front doors open. My father steps outside. Dominiq always steps-never walks. Every movement is deliberate, crafted, a performance of control. He reaches our side before the driver even has a chance to open the door.

“Meira.” His voice is a cool blade. “You’re late.” I smile the way I’ve practised since childhood-small, careful, unprovocative.

“Sorry, Father. Caden almost crashed the car.” I said as I opened the door. Caden whips his head toward me. “I did NOT-” Dominiq’s gaze snaps to him. “You almost crashed?” Caden blanches. “I-no-Princess Meira exaggerates.” I step out of the car, brushing past them both.

“Of course. I exaggerate everything.” I say it sweetly. Let them interpret it however they want.

Father watches me with that assessing stillness that makes my skin prickle. I know he’s cataloguing every detail-my flushed face, the tension in my shoulders, the tremor I can’t quite hide. He’s always known how to read me better than I can read myself.

And yet, never once has he saved me.

“I’m going to shower,” I say before he can ask anything else. “Dinner after?”

“Yes,” he answers. “Dress appropriately.” Of course, he means, Don’t embarrass us. I head inside. My legs are stiff, mechanical. The corridor lights blur as I move too quickly, too desperate to get away before he senses the leftover panic behind my eyes.

Part of me wishes he would sense it. That he’d finally see that I’m not alright. That I haven’t been alright for years.

But if he did see it… I’m not sure it would matter to him.

When I reach my room, I lock the door and let out a breath I didn’t realise I’d been holding. The shower is scalding hot, and I stand under it until my skin tingles and my heartbeat slows to something like human.

Still, the nightmare clings like steam.

Moms screams.

My own.

The knife.

The blood.

And Father’s face was calm, satisfied, like he had restored order rather than destroyed us.

I scrub harder.

When I finally come downstairs, dinner is already set: a long crystal-bright table, plates arranged with military precision, silver flashing under the chandelier.

Everyone is here.

Mom sits stiffly, shoulders too high, eyes too dim. She smiles at me when I enter, but it’s a brittle thing, like glass about to crack. I sit beside her, brushing her arm gently under the table. She squeezes my fingers once.

Our family a broken one. Only created for his will. Leah and I have been trained hard. She is my backup. then their is the twins. My brother, Liam set to rule Vermillia and his twin, Reyna, is his backup. Lastly, there is Freya, the baby of the family. She is only four. She is the product of another affair.

I try to spend time with Liam, trying to create some kindness in him and not have him just being raised by Dominiq’s darkness. The last thing we need is another Dominiq.

Caden is to Dominiq’s right, smug, already recovering from earlier. He smirks at me like he’s winning something.

Father occupies the head of the table, because of course he does.

“Meira,” he says. “You may begin by telling us about your preparations.” My preparations. For the birthday ball. The one in two weeks. The one everyone pretends is a celebration instead of a transaction. They intend to make our engagement public on my birthday. In Gemcrest, the law says you need to be eighteen to get married. They have been waiting impatiently for me to age. Now the day is approaching.

I fold my napkin over my lap, smoothing the fabric.

“I’ve confirmed the guest list,” I say. “The Kings, Queens and heirs if they are older than fourteen of all four kingdoms will attend.” Dominiq smiles approvingly. “Good. It will be a momentous night. For all of us,” he boasted.

Mom stiffens.

The twins light up with excitement. They love any event where they get to be adored. Father has been breaking the rules. They have been attending this for the last year. Since they turned eight. He wanted Liam to see everything from a young age to absorb behaviour, traditions and social interactions. With Reyna, he just didn’t care enough to ban her from such events.

Caden leans forward. “You’ll have to pick a suitor, you know. It’s tradition.” I stab a piece of roasted carrot a little too forcefully. He was just saying it to make sure everyone knew. It has all I have been hearing for the last 4 years. I definitely knew

“I know.” His grin widens.

“Don’t worry. I look good in a suit.” Caden interjects, winking at me. I lost my appetite. Having to face my father at dinner was already hard. Having both of them here feels never-ending.

Dominiq chuckles-chuckles-and the sound makes my stomach twist.

“Confidence is important, son. But decorum also matters. We have to follow all the rules.”

Son? Something in me recoils. Something final.

He actually called him son. I might just be sick. At least one thing is true: rules must be followed, meaning Caden can’t sleep with me until we are married.

Mom looks down, shoulders folding inward like wings trying to protect a body that’s already bruised. The difference in her from four years ago and now is night and day. She has withdrawn so much since that night, becoming more of a shell than a mother. It’s like she withdrew from us to protect us. She didn’t want us to cause his jealousy or for us to be in the crossfire. I wish I had never seen any of it. Since then, even though being traumatised, I had to also be the mother. I had to help the little ones. I had to be there so that they would never go looking for her.

I want to grab a plate and throw it. I want to scream. I want to tell Caden he is the mirror of everything ugly my father is. That he is already halfway down the path to becoming the same monster. If he had only been a decent guy, I might have fallen for him. If he just wasn’t like my father.

Instead, I take a breath, because monsters like it when you scream. Your fear feeds it.

“The ball will be lovely,” I say lightly. “A night to remember.” Dominiq raises his glass. “A night that will shape our future. All of our futures. Vermillia, Azuria, Viridia united at last.” He agrees with me, like his wants and dreams are mine too. I would never be the same as him; I will never want what he wants. Wanting the kingdoms united means having him control those kingdoms. That would be a never-ending hell.

”All except Lolara.” I said, knowing it is a delicate topic, but I continued as if I didn’t notice that I said something wrong. My own little silent rebellion.

His grip tightens.

“In due time.”

My heart stutters.

I know what he means.

I look over at my younger siblings, knowing their fate is based on his obsession with power. Mom meets my eyes-just for a second-and I see her fear. Not for herself, but for all of us. I force a smile I don’t feel, lift my glass, and echo softly- “To the future.” Though internally, the words twist into something truer:

To whatever pieces of myself survive it.