Almira returned to the palace with only thing in mind. Stay away from Dante.
She had come too far to jeopardize everything she shared with Jephthah. It might be an overreaction avoiding him, but she had to be extra careful. It was scary how effortlessly he made her break a promise she had kept for years.
A guard met her halfway. Almira raised a brow when he blocked her path.
'The King summons you, your highness," he informed her. Almira felt unsettled. She had no business with the king. In fact, their only interaction had been during dinner, where they had definitely concluded she was mannerless in their heads.
"Why? I have no business with the King. What does he summon me for," Almira asked. His surprise was evident on his face, but Almira needed an answer to her questions.
"It concerns Dante, your highness," he answered. Her blood ran cold. Several thoughts crossed her mind. Dante was in trouble for sure and somehow, he had included her in his mess. The king couldn't have suddenly summoned her if Dante didn't make mention of her.
Almira groaned inwardly. Another reason to avoid him. She helped him once and now, he believed she was his knight. Almira followed the guard without asking further questions.
A frown crossed her face when she sighted Dante's trembling form. There was this dull ache in her heart when his teary eyes met hers. The soldiers beside him quickly responded to his action of meeting a royal's eyes.
Her heart tugged when they slammed his head to the floor, commanding him to apologize.
Almira glanced at Xander. He had a huge grin on his face, contrasting the king's wary expression. Almira felt her loathe for them increase. She was no saint, but she would never treat her slave like this. An image flashed before of her eyes, replacing Dante with Kitanna and she was enraged.
She would hurt anyone who dared treat Kitanna like she was unworthy of life.
"Greetings, your highness," She said, through her teeth.
"Greetings. I know you are surprised that I summoned you, but it is for a good cause," King Edwardo started. Almira merely nodded, keeping her eyes off Dante as much as she could. "I don't know if you heard, but this thing before you was to serve a punishment for destruction of royal properties." He continued.
Almira glance at Dante's downtrodden form, "By thing, you mean Dante". The hardness of her tone surprised everyone, including herself.
"Yes," the king answered, thickly. "He was thrown into a well as punishment to make him understand that it is not okay to display rascality as a Greake slave".
"I still don't understand what that information has to do with me," Almira stated.
"He got out and he claims you aided him," Xander answered for the King. Almira couldn't hide the surprise on her face. "He was heavily battered and wounded before he was thrown in. Now he's healed up and claims you have something to do with it. Do you know he was found in your room?'
Of course, she did. She was the one who put him there, after all.
"What do you have to say about this?" The king asked.
"There is nothing to say. Obviously, I have no knowledge of his claims. What business do I have with his punishments? Even if he was thrown into a well to die, I don't see how that concerns me."
The words left a bitter taste in her mouth. When Dante's hurt eyes met hers, it felt like a stab in her heart. Once again, he was forced to look away from her. If only the situation was different. Admitting to helping him would bring trouble to her. It was a threat to her and her mission.
Dante didn't say a word. He just let the tears slide down his cheek, quietly. He couldn't blame her for denying him. Who would want to go through the trouble for someone as worthless as himself? His only regret was that he believed she was different from the rest.
In one way or the other, everyone around him was the same. Their contempt were shown in several ways. Some choose violence, some were better at insults, some liked the idea of cheating him, and some preferred to keep their distance.
It only hurt him that he couldn't figure out the princess' strategy. He let her get into his head without discovering her true intentions. He only thought she was too good to be true. Sadly, he was right.
"What do you have to say about this, Dante? Do you still insist she knows something?" King Edwardo asked. Dante kept silent. There was no point insisting. He would just accept the punishment and move on.
"Have you lost your tongue?" Xander snapped.
"I apologize," Dante meekly said.
"Your apology does not erase the accusations you levelled against the princess. Now I ask again, how did you get out of the well?"
Dante was at a loss of wounds to explain or defend himself. His only hope was gone. "I don't know."
"Take him away. Torture him until he speaks the truth. If it is discovered that he uses any form of dark magic, execute him immediately".
Almira couldn't take it anymore. "You execute people for possessing magical powers? Isn't your Queen a renowned witch?"
Everyone turned to her. Almira stood her ground, unmoved by the harsh stares thrown her way. "I asked a question, your highness. Is no one permitted to showcase their uniqueness in your kingdom or is it just applicable to Dante?"
When no one answered, she scoffed, "I stepped into your lands and I wondered why it was so different from ours. Now I know why".
"Who are you to speak ill of my land?" King Edwardo barked.
"Princess of the Golden City. Does that ring a bell?" Almira replied without batting an eyelash. Color drained out of their faces. As expected, they knew of the Golden City. The land where everything was made of pure gold and rare gems. Only that, no one knew how to locate the city. Everything about the city was so mysterious that the few people who had been lucky to stumble upon it, couldn't remember how to locate it.
All they knew was that the women were incredibly beautiful.
Many believed it was a myth. It wasn't, they were only looking for it in the wrong place. Almira would never tell them that the city was underneath the sea, inhabited by sirens. The few sailors who were lucky to come back had been released by the women who fell in love with them.
Before the mate curse, a few siren women, who were heavy romantics, returned with their lovers to the human lands.
"I don't believe you. The Golden city is nothing, but a myth," King Edwardo argued.
"Look at my dresses, all stoned with pure diamonds. Should I talk about my crown? No one in the seven cities surrounding the sea possesses them. You folks cannot even brag of a fake diamond".
The King's mind travelled places as she spoke. If she was really the princess of the Golden city as she claimed, then their fortunes were about to change for good. With her as daughter-in-law, Greake would rise to greater heights.
"I am heavily disappointed in Greake for the injustice I have just witnessed…"
"I think you are misunderstanding us, Princess. We only wanted him to tell the truth. Our great city has a phobia for lies. There would be no punishment for him as long as he speaks the truth," The King lied.
"I have no reason to doubt him. I think he might not have an idea of the power he possesses. Involving me couldn't have been a coincidence. I think the ancestors are trying to convey a message" Almira mused.
Dante was beyond shocked. He had no clue what was happening.
"You do believe in the ancestors, right?" Almira asked the King.
"Of course, we do," Xander replied quickly. A bit too eagerly.
"I love that. In my city, I mentor young witches and teach them how to control their powers. If Dante, indeed, possesses any form of mystic powers, then I must guide him. I think the ancestors directed him to me."
They hid their displeasure behind a faux smile. Almira glanced at Dante.
"I shall take over from here. From now on, he shall be my student," She declared.
They gaped in shock.