The Princess

Chapter five : A queen must have a counsel

My hands trembled.

Not from the chill in the air, but from the fire I’d just ignited downstairs.

I had declared war—openly, without restraint—with my uncle.

And now…

Now fear slithered through my veins, icy and unrelenting, curling around my bones like frostbite. My lips quivered, my heart pounded like a war drum inside my chest.

What had I done?

What was the next move?

Who could I trust?

The Elders would hear of it soon enough. They always did. Their summons would follow like clockwork—demanding explanations, speeches, and some hollow manifesto that would prove my worth… or tear it apart. But I hadn't taken this stand for myself alone. The people knew. They had seen the shift. And behind me, I had one silent pillar—Gaius. The only one among the Seven Elders I dared to believe in. My father’s closest advisor. The only man who didn’t flinch when I showed up after my parents’ passing with nothing but questions and heavy eyes.

I exhaled. Deep and slow. It was easier to breathe than to think.

I reached for my frock.

Lia.

I needed Lia.

Not advice. Not strategy. Just her. Her warmth. Her arms wrapped tight around me like a safety net I didn’t have to explain myself to. Lia had a way of making even silence feel like comfort. And if I was being a little strategic, well…going to see her would also stir Alphonso’s curiosity into a frenzy. Let the devil wonder, he has all the time to do so!

I smirked as I walked down the marbled staircase with all the calm I could summon, knowing full well his eyes were tracking every step I took. How predictable. I could feel his stare like daggers pressed against my spine—half confusion, half venom.

Curiosity never did suit him.

It made him look like the last surviving troll in a storybook no one wanted to read.

I would’ve blamed it all on him if not for her—his wife, the skeleton in silk.

Gods, her claws were sunk so deep into Alphonso’s ego she practically wore his spine like a necklace.

Even when my mother was alive, she tried to outshine her grace. As if she could.

I scoffed under my breath and slipped into the waiting limo.

“Pick Lia up from school,” I murmured to Leonard, my new chauffeur.

He gave a slow, silent nod. I didn’t trust him—not yet. He’d only been around for two months, and his face was as long as the silence he kept. But that was exactly why he still had the job. At least he wasn’t as nosey as the last one.

The gates of the estate slid open, and the limo moved with a smooth whisper into the afternoon haze.

Let Alphonso stew.

Let him guess.

Let him plan.

But when the time came…

Only one of us would wear the crown.

And I was not going down without a war-song.