Chapter 16
1092 Words
DIANA
I barely slept.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw white eyes watching me from the shadows.
When I finally drifted off, I heard his voice. "You should not expect a husband from me."
Then I remembered; "If I hated you, Diana... you would have been dead long ago."
The words chased each other endlessly through my mind until they stopped making sense.
One moment I was furious with him. The next, I was remembering the way his shoulders had relaxed when I told him I wasn't injured. Then I would remember how cold he'd sounded. Then how he'd appeared in my chamber in the middle of the night simply to ask how I was.
Nothing about Prince Draven made sense.
Nothing.
I must have fallen asleep eventually because the next thing I knew, someone was gently shaking my shoulder.
"Your Highness."
I groaned and buried my face deeper into the pillow.
"Your Highness." The voice came again and it was more insistent this time.
Slowly, I snuck one eye open.
Sarah stood by the bed looking concerned. Behind her, Mina was already dressed and helping servants draw back the curtains.
Bright morning sunlight immediately flooded the room. I hissed and pulled the blanket over my face.
"Absolutely not."
Mina laughed. "Good morning to you too, your highness"
"It is not a good morning."
"It is nearly noon."
My eyes flew open. "What?"
Sarah nodded sympathetically. "You were exhausted."
I sat up too quickly and instantly regretted it. My head felt strangely heavy.
"Your Highness?" Sarah asked cautiously.
"What?"
"You look unwell."
"I am fine."
Sarah and Mina exchanged a look. A look that clearly said she is absolutely not fine, but I pretended not to notice.
The last thing I intended to do was explain why I looked as though I had spent the entire night crying.
A terrifying dragon prince had appeared in my room. I had yelled at him. Then cried. Then he vanished.
Not exactly a story I was eager to share.
I pushed the blankets aside and climbed out of bed.
The moment my bare feet touched the floor, my gaze drifted unconsciously to the doors. The same doors he'd been leaning against only hours ago.
A strange ache settled in my chest.
Creator. I truly had lost my mind.
"Your Highness?"
I looked up to see Sarah watching me. "You seem distracted."
"Do I?" I mumbled.
"Very."
Mina nodded too. "Extremely."
I sighed.
Wonderful. Apparently my misery had become visible. Before either of them could interrogate me further, a knock sounded on the door.
One of the palace attendants entered and dropped into a deep bow.
"Princess Diana."
The woman's tone was almost too respectful.
"Yes?" I answered.
"Her Majesty requests your presence." She announced.
The room instantly became silent. Even Sarah stopped moving.
My stomach dropped.
The Queen. Already? I wasn't prepared. Then again, I doubted anyone could ever truly prepare for a woman powerful enough to rule a realm.
"When?" I asked.
The attendant lifted her eyes. "Immediately, Your Highness."
I swallowed. "Very well."
The attendant bowed once more before leaving. The moment the door closed, Sarah and Mina sprang into action.
"Let's get out fixed." Sarah declared.
"What?"
"You are meeting the Supreme Queen." She replied.
Mina nodded solemnly. "You cannot face the most powerful woman in the realm looking like you spent the night wrestling demons."
Before I could protest, they had already herded me to the bathing chamber.
By the time I finished bathing, Sarah and Mina had already selected a lilac dress. It was elegant without being overly extravagant. The fitted corset hugged the waist before flowing to the floor.
"It will look lovely with your hair," Mina said confidently.
That earned a reluctant smile from me.
A short while later, I stood before the mirror while my maids worked with my hair.
Normally, I found the process soothing, but today, it did very little to calm my nerves.
By the time the royal servant led us to the dining hall, I had already rehearsed a dozen different versions of this meeting in my head. But none of them prepared me for the sound of laughter echoing from behind the doors.
It sounded so rich and unrestrained, obviously belonging around intimate family tables.
The two towering guards standing outside pushed the doors open. I took a breath and stepped inside.
The dining hall was quite big. At the center of the room sat a long table that could probably host hundred people.
The Queen sat at the head of the table while the three princes occupied various seats around her, alongside two beautiful women.
The moment I crossed the threshold, their conversation died and every eye in the room snapped towards me.
It felt exactly like stepping into a den full of starving dragons. Which, technically, I supposed it was.
For a heartbeat, even the servants standing along the walls seemed distracted.
"Princess Diana." The Queen's melodic voice carried effortlessly through the room.
I lowered myself into a deep curtsy. "Your Majesty."
When I straightened, she was watching me. Not rudely, yet somehow I felt dissected all the same.
"Come," she said warmly, gesturing to the table. "Join us."
As I approached the table, I studied the others around the table.
The First Prince, Roderick looked exactly like the type of man who believed the world existed solely for his convenience.
He was undeniably handsome, but he also looked arrogant. He probably spends hours admiring his own reflection in he mirror. He looked stunned but the look lasted only a moment before his expression returned to its usual indifference.
Beside him sat his wife, Princess Lyra. Her smile tightened as she looked me over. She was beautiful but she kept giving me a condescending look.
The Second Prince, Zain, wore a pleasant smile which was far too pleasant. Aeris would have hated him on sight. His smile disappeared as he stared at me before slowly returning.
His wife, Kira, however, looked genuinely kind. Which, in a place like this, only made me significantly more cautious.
Then there was the Fourth Prince, Cassian.
He was dark-haired, quiet, and unlike the others, he didn't even bother pretending to be interested in me. Oddly enough, I thoroughly appreciated that.
The Queen gestured to an empty seat next to him. "Sit beside Cassian."
I bowed again and sat.
Immediately, servants started placing exquisite plates of food before me.
I barely touched my cup when the Queen spoke again.
"How was your journey?"
- Writer
