Selene sat still, her mind racing as she tried to think of why Prince Aldric was angry with her. In her mind, she replayed everything from the game she could remember from her counterpart's actions and interactions with the prince. In the game, the original Selene clung to Aldric and tagged along wherever he went, especially when he visited the ducal estate, and became greatly annoying with her.
Is that it? Selene thought, rummaging through her mind.
But then, as she let this mull in her mind, she sensed something strange. Aldric wasn't just glaring at her, he was staring directly at her chest. Her eyes widened in shock, and for a moment, she felt like calling out this perverted brat. But when she looked down at herself, she froze.
Around her neck hung the peach-coloured pendant. Selene's heart sank as she clutched the pendant in her hand, silently cursing whoever put it around her neck. Why would they put this on me? she thought frantically. Do they want me to die?
Selene looked up again, and saw that Aldric was still staring at her pendant. His face was cold and furious. This isn't good. Really, really not good. Hastily, she revised her situation and decided it was high time to follow Step #! Don't cling to Crown Prince Aldric, and politely keep your distance..
There was no way I'm putting up with this brat, Selene thought in disdain as she eyed up at the babyface prince. No way.
He might have been a crown prince, but to her, he was still just a kid, a few years her junior at that, and she certainly wasn't going to fawn all over him like the original Selene did. She sat back in her seat, ignoring his glare as she made it a point to keep her distance from him as much as possible.
She stopped looking at Aldric and began to think about his character in the game. To an outward appearance, he was a prince who possessed all the virtues one would look for in him, who is in a high position, charismatic, gentle, and a champion of the people. He was not bad with the ladies, either; girls simply fawned over him wherever he went. The original Selene was obviously a victim of his 'charming' personality. There was even a fan club for him made up of noble ladies that couldn't get enough of his charm and charisma.
But that's all just a façade, Selene reminded herself. In reality, Aldric was nothing like the public persona he put on. He, beneath his angel-like features, was no different than his mother: cruel, self-righteous, manipulative. He looked down on all those who are non-human, especially those with even a trace of non-human blood, and he was as obsessive about power and rank as his father.
Selene sighed softly. Just my luck that I am engaged to a power-hungry brat who is racist.
Her mind turned to the queen. I need to find some proof of Queen Isolde's dealings with the witch, proof of the potions used to conceive Aldric in case things go south, so that I have something to protect myself.
She shook off her cares for a moment and turned back to the tea in front of her. She took another sip and found herself wonderfully surprised by the flavor of it. Wow, so this is how rose tea tatse? she thought, enjoying the subtlety of flowers. She was lost for a moment in the taste, loving the sweetness of the roses.
For a brief moment, Selene lost herself in a world of flavor and ignored Aldric's cold gaze.
Meanwhile, Aldric watched Selene quietly, his brow furrowed in puzzlement. Normally, every time I visit the estate with mother, she would cling to me, trying to drag me off to play. But today, she hadn't done anything of the sort. Her being so distant, keeping to herself, felt utterly out of character to him.
Aldric scowled, abruptly remembering something a friend had said the other day. "If a girl is avoiding you, she's most probably doing it on purpose to get your attention," he boasted. Aldric snorted at the very thought; of course, Selene was doing this on purpose: trying to get my attention. So pathetic.
With that, he stopped glaring at her and resumed sipping his tea, ignoring her mind games.
Selene finally realized Aldric had stopped staring at her and couldn't help but feel triumphant. Ah-it worked!, she thought, celebrating inside; she managed to keep him at bay. She finally felt like she finally won one battle in this twisted game.
But the celebration was very short-lived. Queen Isolde finished her tea with a very exaggerated flourish, slapping the cup onto the table with such force that Selene actually jumped and almost spilled her own tea. The queen had her desired effect-everyone was now looking at her.
Isolde's gaze darted around the table, sharp and calculating, with a hint of forced politeness in her voice. "I must apologize for arriving on such short notice," she declared with a thin-lipped smile. She was being sarcastic; there was no mistaking it, and almost, Selene rolled her eyes at the farce.
But the duchess would have none of that. She frowned at Isolde, as though scolding a misbehaving child. "Don't do it again next time," she returned with an invidious chill in her tone.
The queen's lips quivered in annoyance as she kept her polite smile. She certainly didn't come here to be lectured, yet for now, she couldn't afford to lose her temper.
She took a deep breath and tried again. "It was an emergency," she said, her voice tight but controlled.
The duke, silent up to now, growled low and meanly, his patience obviously wearing thin. "And what kind of emergency does the queen have that is so important it interrupts my work?" His tone was sharp, full of annoyance.
The duchess, never to waste an opportunity, hopped in, "I do hope it is something urgent. We would not want to waste any time, would we?"
Isolde's eyebrows furrowed slightly, but her smile remained, though twisted-a grimace threatened to take its place. She was losing her grip on this conversation, and she knew it.
"I have come," she continued, her voice steady but laced with tension, "to discuss the engagement between my son, Prince Aldric, and your daughter, Selene. Please, let's annul the engagement "
Selene let out an audible sigh. There it is, she thought, feeling the weight of the queen's words fall upon the room. She actually did it.
She didn't even need to glance around to realize how ludicrous Queen Isolde was drawing attention to herself. Selene shook her head inwardly, thinking that she was moving far too quickly. And now she's gone and behaved like a total moron. even if she has been acting like way ever since she arrived.
It was like walking into a battlefield empty-handed, and it was a foolish gamble that Isolde would end the conflict before setting the stage. She was clearly terrified of the potential consequences of being a dark priestess class for her status, as evidenced by her desperate actions, but she was also clearly struggling to maintain her composure.
Selene watched the queen with a tinge of amusement and a touch of pity. This creature, so entirely consumed by the will to protect her position, seemed forever lost to rash and ill-conceived decisions. Poor thing, Selene reflected, not even realizing how terribly she's mangled it this time.
Everyone was waiting for the duke and duchess to respond to the queen's audacious proposal, and the tension in the air was tangible. Selene, for her part, couldn't resist the sick fascination that was rising within her. She appeared to be in for an entertaining argument as she sat at the front.