Chapter 18
1398 Words
DIANA
Before anyone could speak again, the First Prince's wife finally looked directly at me.
It was the first time she had shown any genuine interest in my existence since I entered the room.
Her gaze swept over me with judgement.
"You have been in the Dragon Kingdom for over a month, have you not?" she asked, her voice dripping with fake sweetness.
I looked back at her, keeping my posture straight. "Yes?"
"Then have you learned nothing of our customs, Princess?" She shot back.
I blinked. What an incredibly odd question. "I beg your pardon?"
The woman opened her mouth to deliver what I was certain would be another jibe, but the Queen spoke first.
"Lyra."
She immediately lowered her head, her arrogant demeanor vanishing in an instant. "Your Majesty."
"Be gentle." The Queen said, her gazed fixed on me, "The poor girl has barely been alive long enough to equal even half the age of anyone seated at this table."
Roderick released mocking laugh, clearly enjoying the sight of me being chastised.
The Queen ignored him and continued to stir her tea, saying, "Naturally, she has much to learn."
I wasn't sure whether I had just been defended or insulted, but knowing the vipers at this table, it was probably both.
The Second Prince's wife, Kira, shot me an apologetic look. "Please do not misunderstand, Princess Diana." She said softly.
I turned my attention to her.
"What my sister-in-law is trying to say is...among dragons, bonded women..." She paused. "Married women, in your human tradition."
My confusion only deepened. "Yes?"
She looked at my hair, then back at my face. "We do not wear our hair loose."
I stared at her, stunned as I touched my hair which was resting on my shoulder.
"They don't?" I murmured.
"No," Kira responded. "Unbonded maidens wear their hair freely to signal their availability."
The Queen took a sip of her tea, then said, "A bonded woman binds her hair."
Roderick leaned back in his chair, a smug smirk spreading across his face. "It signals to the world that she belongs to someone."
I almost choked on absolutely nothing.
Belongs? The word alone made a spike of defensive anger flare in my chest. Every rebellious instinct I possessed wanted to argue right then and there, but I held myself back.
Lyra looked horrified by the expression on my face. "It is a necessary sign of respect to her mate."
I looked around the table. The women had their hair pinned in elaborate styles and not a single strand was out of place.
My stomach dropped. I had arrived at the royal breakfast looking exactly like an unmarried maiden looking for a suitor.
The Queen watched the change in my expression and her smile deepened. "It seems Volkar completely neglected your education, my dear."
The implication of what she was trying to say was crystal clear. She was using my ignorance to prove that Draven's household was incompetent and had failed to properly train his new human bride.
I recognized the trap immediately, and for some reason, the attack on Draven's territory irritated me far more than the insult to myself.
"Actually, Your Majesty, no." I countered the queen.
Everyone turned to me in shock, even the Queen's eyes narrowed.
I forced a polite smile on my face. "In Oakhaven, married women are permitted to choose exactly how they wear their hair."
Lyra's frown deepened. She opened her mouth to speak, but I continued before she could dare to interrupt me.
"I simply assumed the great Dragon Kingdom extended its women the same courtesy."
The dining hall fell into a suffocating silence.
Prince Cassian's mouth twitched. Opposite him, Zain looked thoroughly fascinated by my boldness.
The Queen stared at me across the table for several seconds, then she laughed softly.
"Creator help us," she murmured, shaking her head as she set her teacup down.
Then she rose from her chair. The princes and their wives immediately pushed back their seats and stood in respect.
I began to rise as well, but the Queen’s eyes were on me.
"The Dragon Ball is in two days, Princess Diana," she informed me, "And as our customs demand, there will be an archery competition tomorrow. Everyone in the royal court is required to attend."
Her eyes lingered on me. "Do try not to be late."
With a dramatic snap of her hand fan, she turned and left the room.
The first and second princes, along with their wives, quickly followed her.
I stood by my chair, watching the door closed.
"You should tread carefully, sister-in-law."
I turned to my side and saw Prince Cassian hadn't left yet.
He stood at the edge of the table, his dark hair falling over his eyes as he adjusted the cuffs of his tunic.
"The vipers in this palace don't like it when a lamb bites back," He murmured.
Before I could ask him what he meant, he turned on his heel and walked out without another word.
I sighed and left the hall with my girls.
The walk back to my chambers was considerably quiet than the tense walk to breakfast.
We had barely turned into the corridor when Mina suddenly stopped walking altogether. "Your Highness."
I paused, glancing back at her.
She pointed a finger at me accusingly. "You are completely fearless."
I frowned, genuinely surprised. "No, I'm not."
Sarah made a clicking sound with her tongue that clearly indicated she didn't believe a word out of my mouth. "Princess."
"What?"
"You actively challenged the Queen."
"I did not challenge the Queen," I protested.
"You did."
"I was perfectly polite."
"You corrected her."
"Respectfully," I countered.
"You corrected her in front of her sons."
I opened my mouth to defend myself, then slowly closed it. That sounded significantly worse when she said it aloud.
Mina nodded her head, backing Sarah up. "And the First Prince."
I let out a groan, running a hand over my face. "What about him?"
Sarah looked horrified by my casual attitude. "Most people in the capital actively avoid speaking to him at all costs."
"Why?"
"Because he's Prince Roderick."
That explained absolutely nothing to me.
Seeing the total blankness written across my expression, Mina sighed. "Your Highness, that man could start an argument with a wall."
A genuine chuckle escaped my lips.
The suffocating tension lingering from breakfast finally eased.
"Well," I said with a smirk. "The wall should learn to defend itself."
Both women stopped dead in their tracks and stared at me. Then Sarah burst out laughing. Mina followed suit, shaking her head.
"You see?" Mina said between breathless laughs. "This is exactly what we're talking about."
"What?"
"You're not even remotely afraid of them."
Gradually, the lighthearted laughter faded away. I looked straight ahead as we continued down the corridor.
The truth, of course, was far more complicated than they realized.
I was afraid.
The Queen frightened me down to my bones. Prince Roderick irritated me and the palace felt like a suffocating nest of smiling predators waiting for a drop of blood. But showing fear to people like that would be reckless.
It was an invitation to be crushed. So I didn't show it.
Eventually, Sarah's smile softened. "You handled yourself exceptionally well, Princess."
Mina nodded in agreement. "You really did."
Warmth spread through my chest at their validation.
"Thank you. I only hope I haven't made permanent enemies." I murmured.
Sarah and Mina exchanged a silent look. Neither of them answered me which, in a palace like this, was answer enough.
Without meaning to, my mind drifted to the prince who had been absent from that table.
Draven.
Nobody at that table seemed to know he was back in the capital.
The Queen certainly didn't. If she had, she would never have spoken so smugly about his month long absence to mock me.
"You're thinking about him again."
I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sudden voice.
Mina was smirking wickedly at me. Beside her, Sarah looked equally suspicious, her brows raised in amusement.
I immediately forced a deep frown on my face to hide the blush warming my cheeks. "No, I wasn't."
Both women looked unconvinced.
I sighed, rolling my eyes as I started walking But even as I smiled back at them, one burning question continued to circle my thoughts;
Where was Draven?
- Writer
