Chapter 10
Chapter
Ten
Adragon kind of all the dragons? Ashley couldn’t stop thinking about it, even as the maids took her in hand to scrub her clean, taking the maid’s costume with them. Why would a single dragon king be so bad?
Because then Valys would lose control of his own kingdom.
Ashley knew that was the truth of the matter.
He was the king of this kingdom and possibly plotting to take over the Diamond Kingdom.
He might even be plotting to be the one king of all of the Clans.
He wouldn’t want another dragon Clan plotting the same thing.
Ashley held her breath as she came to that conclusion.
Several maids were currently poking and prodding at her as they tried to get the right sizes for her wardrobe, forcing her to take a breath.
Despite the annoying maids and their prodding, she decided that if there ever was a single dragon king, then she would be an even worse place to live.
Especially if that single king was Val. She had to find a way to escape.
Ashley knew her brother too well, even though she’d only known him for a few hours. He wouldn’t be a kind king. She was supposed to love Valys. Supposed to. But she’d seen sparks of his cruelty, and she knew she couldn’t trust him.
That knowledge hurt deep down inside, and she didn’t want to admit to herself that she wasn’t exactly sure if she trusted her own brother, but she also couldn’t ignore the truth.
He’d had her kidnapped, destroyed her home, had tried to imprison her in the castle, and he’d drug her away from the labyrinth.
That made her even more determined to find her way back.
And once she had found her way back? Her thoughts went back to what Alexander had said, hinting that there was some sort of magical gemstone within the maze’s center.
While Ashley wanted to actually trust her brother, she couldn’t help but think that finding her way to the center of the maze and stealing the gem would be best. She could keep the gem safe from anyone who might be looking for it.
But that would have to be a task for another day.
She was currently surrounded by maids, all of whom fussed over her.
They were giving her a headache with their chatter, and she silently wondered how she’d ever managed to get away from them earlier.
And if that was her brother’s plan now, to have them foil any future efforts to go outside. Or to escape.
Obviously, someone was supposed to have been watching her earlier that day, but by some miracle of miscommunication, they had failed.
Ashley supposed this was good for her because she’d met Alexander, who’d shown her more of the castle than Val wanted her to see.
But now? Well, now she had to go back to being Ashley, the Crown Princess, an idea that made her frown.
All her life, Ashley had been the poor girl.
The one whose dad didn’t have much money, who didn’t wear fancy clothes and fancy accessories.
She was lucky that she was smart and had several opportunities because of her hard work, but that was all she’d had, opportunities.
She wasn’t one of those spoiled girls that she had grown up with.
She had never been a debutante or had any social standing.
Instead, she had been forced to stand on the sidelines and watch as they all lived their lives of luxury.
Only for it to turn out that she was secretly a princess. Ashley snorted every time she thought about it, unable to deny that she was just a little bit stunned.
But the time for confusion was over from the moment the maids finished measuring her.
Ashley only vaguely remembered that her brother had mentioned that she was supposed to go to a banquet, where she was to meet the nobles and her mate.
And the moment she remembered that she went still.
She didn’t want to go but knew he’d come drag her if she didn’t go out of her own free will.
It was now time to put on her big girl panties and act like she’d come to terms with her fate.
Besides, every single member of the staff likely knew exactly what she’d been up to earlier that day and would be watching for another escape attempt.
She had no choice but to play along with her brother’s plans.
When she walked out of her bedroom, she saw Ned standing there, as if on guard.
And she knew that’s exactly what he was doing.
Not guarding her from harm, but from escape.
And that Val had ordered this. He was really pissed.
But he was also stupid. Ned was the only who’d spent her whole life protecting her.
He might not let her escape, but he wouldn’t hurt her either.
“Ashley,” Ned said with the slightest nod of his head, and even though she had no clue what the fuck would happen in the future, she found herself smiling at him, almost relieved by the fact that it was Ned of all people that she was facing.
“Dad,” Ashley said with the slightest of nods in return.
“Are you ready for this?” Ned asked, and all Ashley could do was nod, knowing that she didn’t have any other option.
The ballroom where the banquet was being held was large and ornate, much more ornate than the ones she’d seen earlier with Alexander.
Not that the other ballrooms weren’t large and ornate, but this one proved that the Opal Castle was the most well-decorated place that Ashley had ever had the misfortune of being in.
Ashley couldn’t help but wonder where all this money was coming from, but then, she knew, didn’t she? Alexander told her this afternoon, and she didn’t doubt he’d been honest with her, even if she’d had a moment of doubt when her brother found her in the maze.
Her brother had no doubt benefited from the high taxes that the people of the Opal Clan were charged.
A man with as much cunning and need for power had to know.
He couldn’t claim ignorance, she was sure of that much.
While Ashley hated the idea that someone else’s misfortune had paid for the very plate that she would be eating off of and the food she would be eating.
Almost as much as she hated that the moment she entered the room, all eyes were on her, the nobles and servants looking far too happy.
Working as a waitress in the south, Ashley had often been told to act like the customers showing up were making her day.
Which she was very good at. But it was strange to have other people look at her in the same way.
She hated the way they all had a light in their eyes, showing that they were well aware of the fact that their livelihood lay in her hands.
Ashley was reminded of when she was younger, as time and time again, she watched rich people enter the diner, forcing herself to smile widely at them as they sat down, primarily because she knew that her life was in their hands.
A good tip from them could make her whole week.
A part of her wondered if the servants in the household were expecting the same.
Suppose a single good word from Ashley could somehow change their life?
Ashley had no idea, and her ignorance made her uncomfortable.
She never liked to be kept in the dark. Even when she was the one with all eyes on her, everyone acted like she could do no wrong.
Ashley couldn’t help but be keenly aware that her place in this world, just like her place in just about every other world, happened to be precarious.
One wrong move, one wrong word in the direction of her brother, and it was very likely that her life would be over.
After all, Val had made clear that he had expectations she was to fulfill.
More than that, Val made clear that her future was in his hands, and he firmly reminded her of that as his eyes swooped up and down her body, taking in the sight of his younger sister.
She was dressed in a silver ball gown, and the corner of his mouth lifted.
He seemed to be satisfied with how the maids had done her hair and dressed her, thank goodness.
Ashley couldn’t help but wonder if she’d been dolled up for the Diamond King. Was he the mate Val chose for her?
The moment that Ashley sat down, Val leaned towards her.
“The Diamond King has declined to join us. Apparently, something has come up,” her brother said, his tone pretty much dismissing the statement like it was par for the course.
Still, she couldn’t help but note the way that he watched her, an obvious question lingering in the back of his gaze.
“Did you enjoy your little trip outside of the castle walls, sister? You will have to fill me in on which member of staff felt fit to escort you to the labyrinth. And who gave you that maid’s dress you were wearing. ”
They were the only ones seated. All of the servants and nobles stood around the corners of the room waiting for him to give a sign that they were allowed to sit down or go about their duties.
She frowned at how archaic that was. The nobles wore brittle smiles as they sat down while every servant nervously looked at her brother.
Again and again, Ashley saw that what Alexander said about her brother was very likely true.
It was an idea that made her shiver. The very last thing she wanted was for her brother not to be a good person, especially when it seemed he was the only family she had left.
There was no denying that Val was an egomaniac.
The nobles sat stiffly in their seats, barely moving. Their motions were strangely robotic and something about that upset her. Probably the fact that he was so cruel these people were terrified of making a mistake.
Unfortunately, Ashley didn’t have anyone to talk to or get guidance from.
At least not yet. She took advantage of the few moments of silence that fell over the dinner table to look over her options, noting which noblewomen seemed to be friendly.
She needed to make a friend, whether she was here for days or longer.
She’d find out much more about this world from then than she would her brother.
He only wanted her to know a few details, preferring she remained ignorant, for his own gain, not to protect her.
After a few tense moments of silence, her brother finally decided to look at her again, his eyes demanding as he looked across the table at his sister, obviously surveying whether she could fulfill all his needs.
“In a week’s time, I expect to hold a ball to announce your return to the Opal Clan.
This ball will be for the other Clans,” her brother informed her, much to the interest of each and every noble that was currently seated around the table.
Ashley could tell just by looking at them that they were fighting the urge to murmur amongst themselves about what that entailed.
“This debut will serve as a precursor to the Dragon Games,” Val announced to the whole table, and suddenly a heavy silence fell across the room. Every single servant and noble went stiff.
What were the Dragon Games and why did it seem to heighten the anxiety in the room?
But before she could ask her brother anything, he decided to rise from the table, taking his plate with him. It was obvious that he thought it was beneath him to sit with Ashley and the other nobles, taking dinner like he was a common person.
“That is all,” her brother announced, and he swiftly exited, leaving the room, and leaving Ashley in a state of shock as she sat there amongst the others, wondering what the fuck a dragon game was, as well as what the fuck a dragon king was.
And why the fuck her brother was pissed off.
Was it because the Diamond King had made his excuses and not come to the party?
And why the hell did the man think he could just marry her off without her trying to escape?
It seemed like the longer she was there, the more questions she had.
Too bad nobody seemed eager to give her any answers.
She had to find a way to escape and soon. She felt like danger was a shadow creeping closer, on the verge of suffocating her completely if she didn’t make a move to escape that fate. And that shadow? It was shaped like her brother.