CHAPTER 5
The endless stairs felt so much shorter on the way down, and it wasn’t long before we arrived at the private dining room reserved for royals. Upon reaching the great wooden doors that marked the entrance, Raena bid her goodbyes and wished me luck with a final squeeze of my hand.
I held my breath as the guards heaved open the tall wooden doors. The pink ruffles of Raena’s gown had long since disappeared down the hallway, leaving me alone with my thoughts and each one was far too heavy with dread. Swallowing thickly, I paused for a moment. Then, without giving myself any more chances to change my mind, I stepped into the room.
Despite the grand entrance, the royal dining room was much smaller and far more intimate than I was expecting. The walls were painted a warm shade of cream and decorated with gilded portraits, while several large arched windows bathed the room in the glow of the evening sun. In the centre of the room was a long wooden table, covered with a pristine white tablecloth. And sitting at the head of that otherwise empty table, leaning back rather comfortably in his chair, was a familiar young man. This morning’s athletic tunic had been replaced by a loose ivory dress shirt that fit tightly around his wrists, and resting perfectly upon the dark waves of his hair was a shining silver crown.
I could feel the prince’s eyes on me immediately as I entered the room. His fingers, which were drumming softly away against the table, paused as he cast a slow, sweeping look over my gown. Once he was satisfied, he rose from his seat and tipped his chin in respect. Not wanting to offend, I returned his greeting with a small curtsy.
“I see the servants have worked their magic.” He spoke first, meeting my gaze.
“Was that supposed to be a compliment?” I asked bluntly.
He raised an eyebrow. “In a way.” Then he gestured to the seat beside him. “Please, join me.”
‘No thank you,’ was what I probably should have said. But instead, I ignored him and moved to pull out the chair at the opposite end of the table, making no effort to hide the deafeningly loud noise as it scraped along the wooden floor. Without waiting for him to object, I plopped myself down into the chair and turned my head towards the nearest window. Though I could still feel him studying me, even as my gaze drifted over the distant mountains.
“I feel like I have offended you,” he said indifferently, before taking a seat in a much more graceful manner at his end of the table. “How about we start again?”
Tentatively, I returned my focus to him as he reached for a spiced bread roll that was resting on a silver platter.
“You look ravishing in that dress, Naria,” he breathed before taking a bite.
Unwanted heat flooded my cheeks, flushing them red. There was something so dark and enticing about the way he said my name. It was as though each vowel danced off his full lips. No one had ever said it like that before…
Clenching my jaw, I caught myself before I could tumble any further. I barely knew him, and the little I did know was violent and saw no issue with embarrassing me in front of more than a dozen of his sneering friends. It would take a lot more than a nice compliment to sweep me off my feet.
Taking a breath, I reached for my wine goblet. “So, what’s it like being a prince?” I asked, desperate to hear anything other than the pounding of my own heart in my ears.
Lukas shrugged. “There are good days and bad days.”
“And what would be a good day?” I took a sip.
“Well…” He pondered for a moment, resting his chin on his palm. “I suppose this morning was quite a good day… waking up to a knock on the door, being told that I’d finally get to meet my mysterious fiancée, and that the carriage had already been sent to fetch her.”
Something mischievous danced across his features. I opened my mouth to respond, but his voice cut me off. “Then again, when I came back to bed, Giselle wasn’t best pleased with the news.” My entire body stiffened. He was handsome and a prince, so of course he already had a lover. “Lady Vivian wasn’t too happy either at breakfast, when I told her that you were on your way,” he added, a half-smile tugging at his jaw.
So much for good first impressions.
Biting back the urge to launch my silver goblet at his head, I continued, “A busy morning for you then.”
“Indeed,” the prince chuckled, tearing off a piece of bread and tossing it into his mouth.
A line of servants appeared from behind me then, each carrying plates filled with various delicacies. They placed them down gently on the table between us, and when the delicious smells hit my nose, it was a struggle not to gasp.
Meals in the village had never been anything special. We’d usually have some kind of plain meat or potato dish, and we’d be lucky if it was even warm. This feast, however, was like nothing I’d ever seen before. Rows of different meats, fish, and pastries covered the table, and my eyes widened as they darted from platter to platter, unable to decide where to begin. There were fruits and vegetables I couldn’t even name, stirred into colourful sauces and pasta dishes.
As I took it all in, I could still feel Lukas’s judgmental stare burning into me, but I didn’t care anymore. I would marry him and he could have a thousand lovers if it meant I would get to eat a feast like this every day.
“Did they not feed you where you come from?” He glared across the table.
“Not with food like this,” I sighed, my mouth watering.
Neither of us spoke for a while as I spooned as much as I could fit onto my too-small dinner plate. I tried pieces of everything, each mouthful tasting more divine than the last.
When I was finally too full to eat another bite, I lowered my fork and forced my attention away from the food. Across the table, Lukas was staring with a look of disgust plastered across his face.
“Remind me to ask my father to organise you some etiquette lessons,” he scoffed.
It took everything in me to not pull a face of disgust straight back at him.
“The food was excellent,” I said with a smile, dismissing his comment. “Do we need to help clean up?” I reached for the plate in front of me, rising out of my seat.
Suddenly, the prince burst into a fit of laughter just as a servant swooped in to snatch the plate out of my hands.
“Sit down, Naria,” Lukas called up to me, still chuckling. “You know, I was astounded when my father told me my future bride had been living all this time in Honeymeade… Honeymeade! Of all the hovels in the realm!” His head fell into his hands while his shoulders shook with vicious laughter. “Still, I thought, ‘forest princess or not, they must’ve taught you something about class.’ But no, you’re really quite common, aren’t you?” Once he was finally able to contain himself, he leaned forward in his seat. “I wonder what other dirty things your common friends have taught you. I suppose I’ll find out once we’re married.” He took a sip from his wine goblet.
“You’re disgusting.” I scowled, hands clenched at my sides.
“Now, now, fiancée. Let’s not fight.” He lifted a finger up and wagged it from side to side before tapping it against the goblet in his hand. “Let’s speak of more pressing things. You must tell me of your plans once you become Queen.” He extended an arm, gesturing for me to take a seat again.
Still scowling, I lowered myself to sit. “My only plan is to rebuild my kingdom,” I began in a serious tone. “I’m sure you are aware of the many refugees living in the forest village your father built. I want… I need to see them returning home to a rebuilt city.”
Lukas smiled deviously. “Ah… So you wish to rebuild Corlixir?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” I answered, confused that he would even ask. “That is why your father wishes for us to be married, isn’t it? Since he can no longer fulfil his promise? As Queen, and with Drothmore’s help, I can focus on restoring my kingdom while you can focus on yours.”
“Any promises of my father shall be of no concern once I am King,” Lukas shot back in a low tone. “Since it is his dying wish for us to marry, I will grant him that, but I refuse to entertain any of this rebuilding the fifth kingdom nonsense—”
“What are you talking about?” I cut him off, suddenly feeling quite queasy. “To not help Corlixir is simply not an option. Our parents were allies, and Drothmore has always promised my people that when I was of age, my kingdom would be restored.”
“You are forgetting who holds the power here, forest princess.” He leaned forward, his steel gaze meeting mine. “One of us is set to inherit the wealthiest and most powerful kingdom in the realm, and the other is just a little girl in a nice dress that my father paid for.”
Letting his words sit for a few moments, he then settled back into his chair. “Besides, if you are off rebuilding Corlixir, who will be around to plan the festivals and monitor our relationships with the rest of the court? Not to mention, you will need to spend time with my heirs.” At those words, something bristled deep inside me. “We must present a united front. My kingdom needs a loyal queen, so you need to be here, in Drothmore. Let Corlixir fight its own battles. You may be their last princess, but once we are married you’ll answer only to me… as my doting obedient wife.” A smirk snaked its way onto his face, and for a moment, I almost couldn’t breathe – I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“What can you possibly even mean by any of that? How can it fight its own battles when there is nothing left of it to fight?” I gripped the wooden table, my knuckles turning white.
“Well then, that makes things an awful lot easier, if you think about it,” Lukas carried on, swirling the wine goblet in his hand. “The kingdom is dead, and we should let it stay that way. One less potential enemy to worry about. From what I’ve read, Corlixir never contributed much to the realm. Perhaps if they’d spent less time researching useless cures, they would’ve been better defended against the Great Blaze.”
I wanted to scream. I wanted to pick up my goblet and hurl it across the room. I wanted him to suffer and understand what it was like to grow up in a hastily-built village, where every day you are told about your ‘real home’ as if one day you’ll get to see it, but deep down, you fear that day will never come. I wanted to say something, anything. But instead, I found myself sitting there like an idiot – open-mouthed and frozen solid.
“Don’t you agree?” he taunted with a grin.
Before I could do something I knew I would regret, I bolted up from my seat, letting the wooden chair once again loudly scrape against the floor. Lukas said nothing while I marched over to the exit, but I could feel his cold stare piercing into my back right up until the door slammed shut behind me.
On the journey back to my room, several thoughts bounced around my head, each one sounding clearer and clearer with every step against the palace’s stone floor:
I would not be planning any parties, and I would not be having ‘his heirs’.
My kingdom will be rebuilt, and I would do it without any help from him.
And finally, I would not under any circumstances, or ever in a million years, be marrying that stuck-up pig of a prince.