“Try to do your best to secure this union. I know you can do it, my precious child.” Corliss leaned in and placed an unwelcome kiss to my cheek.
The wet smudge on my skin made me want to wipe it off, but I stayed still.
“When all this is over, our Queen Mother will transfer her throne to you. Just think about all the great things you can do as the future queen.” She smiled, but her eyes remained unchanged, cold and calculating.
“Mr. Kent, would you mind escorting Lady Alina to the gardens?”
Without waiting for his response, she moved ahead through the gallery.
Kent moved closer and offered me his hand. I accepted it, without saying anything to him or even looking his way.
“Those vultures only think about themselves,” Kent muttered.
“Excuse me?”
“They are using you to gain more power.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“And who do you think I should pick?”
Kent’s eyes flickered with something dangerous, his brow furrowing slightly as he stared at me.
“Why are you wearing a blue uniform?” I asked, instead of waiting for an answer I really did not want to hear.
“What?”
“I thought the uniforms should always match the color of the dragon.” I stopped, studying his face.
His eyes burned into mine, and for a moment, I wondered if I had said something that meant more to him than I could fathom.
“Yes.”
“But your dragon is black isn’t it?”
In an atmosphere full of deceptions and lies, it felt good to speak the truth without any fear, without holding back. It seemed that doing so released, at least partially, some of the tension I was feeling deep in my chest.
Kent looked like he wanted to say something, but we were by the entrance to the gardens. The outlines of the tables and two chairs placed closely together made me want to turn around and run back the way I came. Lord Dayton was standing with his back toward us. Everything about theset up reminded me of a well-crafted scene from a book. I glanced at Lady Corliss who stood by the serving table with her hands clasped in front of her, watching me and Kent approach the tables.
Up close, Lord Dayton was even less appealing. He was a well-built man of average height, his hair combed carefully to conceal his receding hairline. His eyes shifted from one object to another while he spoke, and he avoided all topics that could bring up his family life. Only banal pleasantries and flattery flew from his tongue.
I lowered my gaze, and picked up a flower from the vase on the table. I idly played with the delicate petals of a white rose as he spoke of the future and the great prospects for all of Talman if we were to unite. It was a little unsettling. He was talking as if the decision had already been made.
“Just imagine; there are so many things we could do to help the good people of Talman,”
he said.
My mind traveled to somewhere where the sun could never reach the land, with endless dry fields and abandoned cities swarmed by herds of crawlers that stretched as far as the eye could see.
How did I know that? Have I ever been outside the city limits? Outside of the palace?
I inhaled, and without realizing it, my eyes moved to Kent. Today, more than any other day, it felt as if I were standing before a closed door, knowing that behind it were the answers to everything. If I concentrated hard enough, I could almost reach out and place my hand on the handle.
Was there something that I needed to remember? Was it good or bad? And what role does my new guard play in all of it?
“Do you know what I mean?” The words of Lord Dayton broke the spell I was under, and I nodded, not knowing what I was agreeing to.
