The Luna He Forgot

Chapter 7 : Ladies - In - Waiting

The wedding week was dreadful. The entire kingdom seemed obsessed with the new royal couple. They were everywhere. Their faces were on banners, names on everyone’s lips. Nobles from pure-blood families traveled from kingdoms I’d never heard of just to attend the celebrations. The wedding was magnificent…and absolutely heartbreaking. I stood among Ava’s bridal train in turquoise and gold while she walked toward the altar in white. I watched her marry the man I had once called mine. I tried smile when everyone else smiled, and I clapped my hands when everyone else clapped, and I tried not to remember that this was supposed to be my life, that this is some strange alternate timeline.

Somewhere between the rehearsals and endless ceremonies, I made my first friend…Tilya. She was one of Ava’s ladies-in-waiting, and unlike everyone else, she spoke to me as though I were an actual person.

After the ceremony, I escaped to the gardens.

I needed air.

From behind the trees, I could still see the celebration.

Elyan was dancing with Ava. She was laughing as he smiled at her. I looked away, my chest felt really tight.

I had survived death… surely I could survive watching them dance. I thought to myself.

Then—

Crack.

I froze.

Something had moved behind the trees.

“Who’s there?”

Silence.

I took a cautious step backward.

Another crack.

“Who’s there?”

A deep voice answered from the darkness.

“Don’t panic.”

A man stepped out from behind the trees.

And I forgot how to breathe. He was…beautiful. Golden hair framed a face that looked almost too romantic to be real. One eye was pale blue, while the other was blue with the faintest fleck of brown. It was strangely beautiful. He wore deep red and gold, the colors making him look like he belonged in a royal painting.

Then he smiled, a dimple appeared in his cheek.

“Trust me,” I said, “you’re the one who shouldn’t panic.” I added, narrowing my eyes.

He laughed.

“Oh, I’m terrified.” He responded sarcastically, stepping closer. “Especially of such a frail little thing with eyes like yours.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“Frail?”

“My apologies.”

He took my hand before I could protest and pressed a light kiss against it.

“I tend to lose myself when I see exceptionally beautiful women.” He said with a voice as deep as the ocean. I laughed despite myself.

“And you are?”

He straightened.

“Belford.”

He smiled.

“Reign Belford.”

“You saw me leaving the hall?”

“I did.”

His gaze traveled over my face with unabashed fascination. “And I thought… what strange beauty is that?”

I didn’t know whether to laugh or run.

“Sun-kissed skin. Silver hair. Those impossible violet eyes…” he continued, his eyes taking in every part of me. He tilted his head.

“And that attitude.”

“What attitude?”

His dimple appeared again.

“The attitude of a goddess who doesn’t know she’s one.” I stared at him. What is he talking about?

“I’d like to paint you.” He said, with so much sincerity in his eyes that, for once, I had no idea what to say. I was completely caught off guard.

“Who are you again?” I asked.

He smiled.

“In my main life? I’m the Prince of the Northern Kingdom.”

He gave a small bow.

“In my spare time, I paint.”

Another royal. Alpha? An Omega? Something else? Whatever he was, his presence was powerful. The kind that made people notice when he entered a room. I folded my arms. “I bet you only want to paint me so you can see what’s underneath this dress.” I said it with a completely straight face.

He blinked…then he laughed.

“Well, that was direct.”

His eyes flashed a strange light magenta.

“And now you’ve put a very distracting image in my head.”

I smiled.

“You’re strange.”

“You started it.”

He stepped closer.

Much closer.

His voice dropped as he leaned toward my ear.

“Whenever you need to escape…”

A pause.

“Meet me there.”

I felt a strange rush run through me.

I turned to look at him.

But he was already gone.

I stared at the empty garden.

Who exactly was Reign Belford?

And why did I have a feeling I hadn’t met him by accident?

——————————————————————

Days passed, and the kingdom was filled with ceremony after ceremony, it was almost exhausting. By the tenth day, everything finally returned to normal.

Ava was officially crowned Queen, and we became her ladies-in-waiting. But behind the palace walls, there was never really anything normal.

There were rumors everywhere.

One of the King’s sisters was supposedly seeing a chief guard. Some of the ladies-in-waiting had reputations that would make the Chief Maiden faint. Noblewomen watched Ava constantly, waiting for her to make one mistake so they could take her place. There were political games, whispered alliances, jealousies, and power struggles happening everywhere.

And then there was me…waiting for my chance to finally be free.

Tilya braided my silver hair as we sat together in our room. It overlooked a small garden in the ladies’ court, and somehow, despite everything, it had become my favorite place in the palace. Tilya was nothing like me. She was wild, fearless, and completely unashamed of what she wanted. She loved parties, men, wine, and trouble.

I loved her anyway.

“So,” she said, tugging a strand of my hair hard enough to make me wince, “what do you think our lives are going to be like here?”

“Service. Tight corsets. Pretending to smile.”

“Wrong.” She replied. I glanced at her through the mirror. She leaned closer, her eyes bright with mischief.

“Service. Tight corsets. Pretending to smile while secretly ruining the lives of everyone who deserves it.”

“That sounds less like palace service and more like treason.” I responded.

“Only if we get caught.” She replied with a cheeky smile.

“You say that as though getting caught is a minor inconvenience.”

“It is.” She said, securing the braid with a ribbon. “The real inconvenience is being boring.” She added. I turned to face her.

“You’re going to get us both executed.”

“Then at least we’ll be remembered.” She responded sarcastically.

“As what?”

Tilya lifted her chin proudly.

“The most beautiful criminals in the kingdom.”

“You’re assuming we’ll be beautiful after the execution.” I replied.

“I’ll still look beautiful. You’ll look tragic. It will suit you.”

I stared at her.

She grinned.

I tried not to smile, but she caught me anyway.

“There,” she said. “I knew you had a face beneath all that mourning.”

“I’m not mourning.”

“You wear black, stare at walls, and sigh whenever someone mentions the King.”

“I do not sigh.”

“You sigh like a widow in a ballad.”

“You are making that up.” I argued.

“You know it’s the truth.” She responded.

“Because someone has to stop you from climbing out the window.” I snapped back.

Tilya glanced toward the window.

“That reminds me. There’s a party tonight.”

“No.”

“You don’t even know where it is.”

“If you’re inviting me, it’s somewhere we’re not supposed to be.”

“Exactly. You’re learning.”

“Tilya.” I warned. She jumped onto the bed, dancing around like she owned the palace.

“We’re going to have fun, Axia!”

“We’re going to get ourselves killed.” I said softly…the words hitting me harder than I could have known.

I froze there, thoughts of my death filled my head. The poison, Ava’s smile…Elyan.

My fingers tightened around the fabric of my dress.

“Axia?”

I took a slow breath.

“No one is dying anymore.” I looked at her.

“Not this time. We’re going to live.”

Tilya studied me, her usual teasing expression softening. Then she hooked her arm through mine.

“Fine,” she said. “We’ll live.”

I blinked.

“And we’ll be happy.” I added.

“Obviously.” Tilya responded, “And we’ll cause just enough trouble to make the palace regret keeping us.”

I looked at her.

“That part sounds more like you.”

She smiled.

“That’s because you’re going to do it with me.” She responded, throwing herself onto me, laughing, and I stumbled backward onto the bed. For the first time since I came back…

I laughed too.