“So where did I stop with my story?” I asked, ignoring the subtle tap on my elbow-Raul was handing me a lame warning, to stop with it. That would be expected, considering the hatred I was seeing in Duke’s face now.
I had taken a huge guess when I had mentioned the fact about the throne-it had come up when he had spoken of me after the throne-as if Raul had the potential of being the next one on the throne, even though there was no strand of white hair on his head. It told me that either the Queen had so much faith in her second son, or she had placed the faith on the bethrothed. That brought my attention to Diana, and her former classes with the Queen.
Could Diana be the bethrothed one? If she was, then I hoped that Raul had really denounced it. I couldn’t bare the thought of Diana being plunged into this mess of a family. As much she was strong willed, she would be broken. I loved my sister too much for that.
I would have taken this incident as a pointer to start speaking to her, to start quenching her crush on Raul-never mind that Raul had not confirmed that she was his bethrothed-if not for the fact I have noticed that Diana no longer talked about the Queen or Raul again. Could it be that coming to the Queen’s palace for training brought the girls under an influence? Under her control?
I couldn’t deliberate on that anymore, with Duke’s next question.
“What did you just call me?”
He must not have like the name I had given him. Well, too bad, because that was the only name he will be hearing from my mouth from now. I ignored the question, and chose another jab.
“I see you like your name so much. However, I have better things to do than dwell on giving names. Where did I stop again?”
Though silence continued after my question, I could see that the Lycan boys were really interested in the latter part of the story. Gathering points for their father to use against the Queen? Or just plain curious? Well, it didn’t matter. I would still speak. I checked in my other. She was present, but just as me, she didn’t care. She felt aloof, like she wouldn’t be bothered by this, like Duke’s anger wasn’t something to be worried about. Oh well, the better.
The tap landed on my elbow again, and this time around, I stepped away from the vicinity of the likelihood of the touch happening again. Raul has been good, I didn’t want to turn my anger to him, especially on Zande’s topic. Because I was going ahead with it, I was going ahead to getting her revenge that she had longed for-if she was alive.
“As I was saying before, you took your time sinking your claws on Zande. If you bewitched her to fall for you, I am not sure. But Zande was strong, and I am really amazed that she had fallen for a dunce as you, no matter that you are a prince. Still, it wasn’t enough that you had her to yourself, that you had her loyalty to yourself. No, you got her pregnant, and then denied it. Who does that? If not a dunce?”
Daniel and Naoh shifted on their feet, glancing between the three children of the Queen. I could feel the waves of discomfort running from Raul.
I was telling the truth.
“And as if that was not enough…”
“It’s okay, Dora. That is okay.” Rachel spoke, coming to stand beside her brother, a haughty plea in her eyes, or a threat? I wasn’t sure, but I wasn’t one to cower under bullies. Never again.
“You now what I’m about to say next, don’t you? You even told Chyra about it…”
Duke transfered his glare to sister, who turning and seeing this, squirmed under his gaze.
“I didn’t do so. I promise! She is just baiting us. She is just spouting lies!” She turned and looked at Adam and his brothers, as if to plead with them, that they don’t believe the truth which was getting obvious by the passing moment.
“Finish your story, Dora.” That cold statement came from Adam, so shocking was it that his brothers and the Queen’s children all turned to stare at him. But the entirety of Adam’s gaze was on me. “Finish your story so that we can get to the end of the game. You are burning I and my brothers up with curiosity.”
“Is that so, Prince? Well, I guess we are at the end of the game already. Just some finishing touches.” I gestured with my fingers as I spoke, as if playing on a piano, then I took a glimpse at Raul. He was shaking on his feet. He was scared for his brother? Or was it his mother? Well, family will always be family right?
Yet, I didn’t think to stop speaking.
“Because the Queen didn’t want the community to know that her son had impregnated a woman who didn’t fit her mold for a Prince’s wife, seeing that it was against the policy to already wed a pregnant princess, and seeing that Zande had no white hair to assuage the last principle, she sent the girl to war. She sent Zande to war, knowing that the girl was pregnant. She sent Zande to war with a command to the chief officer: to put the pregnant in the front lines. She died.”
I gritted my teeth, glaring at Duke, anger beginning to cloud my vision. “She died with your son. You should be ashamed of yourself, Duck. You killed your son. Who knows if you will ever have another?”
I shook my head, lifted my hand dramatically, and began to tender to my nails with an invisible filer. If I had continued looked at Duke, I might have fireballed his face.
When I heard him gritting his teeth again, I smiled snidely. And when he stepped close to me this time around, I didn’t move. Nevertheless, I made sure that my magic was moving. I was never to be caught off guard.
“I don’t know where you had gotten the courage to speak of a nonsense you know nothing about, or what had made you come after me this afternoon, but it won’t work.
I see your plans clearly. You want to sink your claws into my brother…”
I interrupted his stupid statement sharply. “If there should be a sinking of claws, it should be Raul doing the sinking, seeing who I am, what I carry. And I would have burnt half of his face already if he hadn’t been a good guy to me since the party at the wolf pack. He hadn’t known what I had or who I was. If he had taken the same underhanded approach as you had done with Zande, he would have been in the critical unit under my Aunt’s care. I am not as docile as Zande. I promise you that, just like I had promised your mother. Did she tell you of the deal I made with her? Did she tell you why she moved the children’s classes back to the general school?”
From the confused look on Duke’s face, I knew that the Queen hadn’t gone into details about the operation. I wondered what she had told them.
“I see she didn’t. Well, just know that I am not docile as Zande. Your mother is at least smart enough to know that.”
“Don’t address my mother like she is your mate!”
“Or else what? You go crying to her?”
“Dora!” He shouted, and raised his hand to: I didn’t know, slap me? I didn’t get to find out because Raul held the hand, and if he hadn’t, then Adam who was right behind Duke, would have stopped the insanity.
“Another sign that you are just a big bully. You want to raise your hand on a woman? Well, what do I expect when your even killed your own son.”
“Dora…” He called my name through gritted teeth. “I will make sure you regret this. Mark my words. And I will make sure you cool your heels in the prisons this evening.”
I cackled, and held the offending white strand of hair in my hand. “Get the notion pass your mother, and see whether that judgement would fly.”
Duke stamped his feet on the ground like a child throwing a tantrum, glared at his brother, and then walked away, down the hallway, probably to make the complaint to his mother.
“Aren’t y’all joining him?” I asked the four fellows looking at me. Rachel especially just wanted to kill me.
There was silence where the triplets gazed at me like they didn’t know what to do, where I wanted to walk out of them, and go home. However, Noah spoke then. “You really are intentional about to making enemies out of everyone.”
I snorted. “If speaking the truth, and not cowering under injustice is me making enemies out of everyone, then so be it. Someone has to stand up for those that have been wronged.”
Rachel scoffed, but I was done playing games with them. My phone chose to ring then. Laura must have timed my arrival back home.
“Ciao, see you later.”
I turned aside to leave, but Raul grabbed my hand swiftly. “Can I accompany you?”