Sagan
The next morning, I wondered if my dragons somehow talked to Belinda behind my back.
I walked into the dining hall for the first time since I was drugged, figuring Saturday morning would be easiest, especially since Darren was there and people would be distracted with the full moon.
We weren’t beholden to it as other species were, but most dragons went flying.
I definitely needed to with all the stress I was under.
“Why is there no food here that the queen likes?” Belinda demanded loudly as she looked between the staff. She chuffed when they stared at her with wide eyes. “Are you deaf as well as daft? Why have I been here weeks and not once has there been food served that the queen likes?”
She did a double take when she saw me standing at the end of the buffet like a deer in headlights.
I remembered all the people and felt their eyes. “I don’t dislike it or—”
“Child, some days I want to strangle you as much as hug you,” she chuffed. She held up a hand to me when Raquel came racing into the room from the staff entrance. “What happened with the meals when the queen returned to the castle? How were these menus planned?”
I couldn’t meet Raquel’s gaze and focused on the coffee fixings on the table like they were somehow different than every other day.
“Answer her, Raquel,” Maple said firmly. “I want to know what this is all about now and there have been too many missteps.”
My heart healed a bit hearing her say that and knowing a few people echoed her, probably Darren and… I wasn’t sure, but at least people cared.
“At first we kept the same menus, but then I discussed with the queen—there was no need for everything elaborate with the elders’ nonsense over,” Raquel answered quickly. “I didn’t go rogue or just change menus to—”
“Where did you get the menus, girl?” Belinda demanded, sighing when someone cleared their throat.
“I’m agitated, but I mean no disrespect.
Please warn the staff that all the ancients will need to work on that, especially since we keep to ourselves.
We forget things have progressed when upset, and—please answer me… ”
“I’m Raquel,” Raquel filled in for her and nodded but then frowned. “Some were the queen’s training meals that her mother had—it was her diet before—” She sighed when Belinda chuffed. “Not that I put her on a diet, Ancient. It was her meal plan when she was home and…”
“And?” Belinda practically purred.
“Don’t make her say it,” I whispered.
“Well, someone tell me,” Darren snapped.
I met his gaze. “And Mother put me on a diet so I could lose weight. She thought I cheated on my meal plans at school and I was always on strict diets at home.”
“I wasn’t thinking,” Raquel rasped, sounding heartbroken. “It made—when she suggested the meal plans your mother made for you could bring you comfort—”
“You listened to that whore that leeched off her family and never asked Sagan what she likes to eat?” Belinda asked coldly. “When she needed comfort and compassion? You are—”
“It’s not all she’s had going on,” I cut in before it got any uglier. I swallowed a gasp when Belinda was suddenly across the room and shaking me.
“You are her main priority! All of them, child!” she shouted.
“This is your home. They merely work here. You rule a nation and protect all of them. If they cannot give you comfort and help you, then get new staff who will! Stop letting their incompetence make your life more difficult.” She let me go and focused on Darren and Maple. “How did you not notice?”
“I’ve never seen her complain about food ever,” Darren admitted after a moment. “I thought she just wasn’t picky or—I’ve cared about a lot, Belinda. We’re drowning.” He gestured at all the mating prospects and then guards and ancients I hadn’t even met yet.
“Fair,” Belinda sighed, blowing out a harsh breath. “Very fair. I apologize.” She looked back to Raquel. “You will make amends and—I will teach you.”
“I don’t need to disrupt everyone—” I started to argue.
“No, I agree with this, Your Majesty,” Joris cut in. “You don’t like anything prepared? Even the Alpha normally gets a favorite at big meals, and all of your meals—there’s no reason they cannot make adjustments.”
“I really like him,” Belinda praised, still focused on Raquel.
“She constantly gets mocked for not being a real citizen of Thovudin, and all of this is normal Thovudin food. None of which she ate in her decades abroad.” She snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. “So you knew that, never took it into consideration, but you listened to every elder’s whim? ”
Damn. Like… Okay, I agreed when she put it that way.
And clearly, all the staff did from their reactions.
Raquel bowed deeply to Belinda. “We do care. Greatly. Please, educate us and I will fix our innocent but egregious oversight. I promise.” She looked at me. “Please, let me fix this, Your Majesty. I was—I thought I did what would help.”
I was going to accept graciously but then decided to say it more for Belinda.
“You’re the one person I can’t fire, Raquel.
You know that. Your family has served mine since the beginning of time.
You and Benson could kill me and still be forgiven, but I would never be if I kicked you out of the De la Rosa castle. ”
I ignored the gasps and turned to leave, but Belinda wasn’t having any of that.
“Nope, you don’t get to retreat with your mask in place after that and you need to eat,” she cooed as she brought me over to the first section of the table.
“Even I have already noticed that the queen doesn’t like regular brewed coffee.
Eggs—scrambled, and she likes to build her own mixture depending on her mood or what is on her agenda for the day.
I noticed that Raquel and someone else were taking notes.
“She doesn’t like runny yolks or things already mixed in. Especially greens.” Belinda moved us pretty much past all the carbs and pastries.
“None of them?” Maple asked as she joined us, viewing the show from the other side of the table next to Raquel.
“She likes fruit tarts and scones.”
I shot Belinda an exasperated look before focusing on Raquel. “Please don’t have those every morning. I’ll eat them. Lots of them.”
Her lips twitched and she made notes. “A few times a month then. Any preference on the type of fruit in the tarts?”
“Better,” Belinda muttered. “She likes all berries or like tropical fruit. Keep them separate instead of the ones that just have every fruit possible.”
“Kiwi doesn’t go with everything,” I confirmed when Raquel checked with me.
“True,” Maple agreed.
We went over several other things and I realized Belinda was annoyed again and glanced at her.
“Are men of this generation morons?” she asked, gesturing to the candidates. “They’re here to woo you to be your mate. Why are none of them taking notes or caring?”
“Because they’re here to be prince, not her mate, and think if they act perfect enough to the Alphas, media, and general public, she’ll be forced to mate them no matter what,” Velle said as she loaded her plate.
“I have better hearing than anyone in the castle as a griffin and several have said they just have to be in the last five since she caved to this contest and it’s done. ”
I snorted, shocking people more than what Velle said. “I’d rather jump in an ice chasm and let Fraser take over.
“Please don’t even joke about that,” Fraser growled. “I don’t ever want the job that way—I don’t want it. None of us want it…” He sighed when a few snickered. “None of us want it because they broke you with this crap. We’ve made that clear.”
They had, but I knew a few wouldn’t like getting the job that way.
But they’d get over it because they got to be king or queen.
I wasn’t sure how to respond, but phones started going off all over the place and people realized something was up.
“Sunborough is making the announcement,” Thorn said quietly as he joined us. “Do you have screens in here or do you want to watch it privately?”
I acted like I didn’t care he was there and glanced at one of the butlers. “We can watch it in here. No reason to stand on formality when this is breaking news. We can have the news playing quietly during informal meals like this or if there are events—whatever reasonable requests our guests have.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
I made my plate and was comforted when I was flocked by the right people when I sat. Darren had had papers and work all over, but he moved to my table to be a shield. So had others, and since Velle and Myriam had come in as I did—I was pretty well covered.
And I needed it.
Especially seeing how horrible the Alpha looked.
He appeared completely different from less than a week ago.
He’d lost weight and appeared like he hadn’t slept at all.
His mate was in the same state and I didn’t even like her.
She was a vapid woman who talked about other women like submissive mares to give birth to important men.
Yeah, someone you just wanted to smack. Tradwife bullshit who looked down on working women and whatnot.
If you wanted to be a stay-at-home mother and could afford it—awesome. Truly. Be happy and live the life you wanted because we only got one life.
But don’t judge others constantly. A woman’s life wasn’t only complete if she had children. She didn’t lose herself and her femininity by working or—any of that bullshit was just bullshit and weaker women were brainwashed on it.
Not this woman.
And I would beat it out of Thovudin in my rule even if it cost me my sanity. Maybe make a de-brainwashing program. That thought made me almost chuckle, which would have been horribly inappropriate at the moment.
At least my dragons found it amusing.