The Queen's brow furrowed, though her expression remained calm. "Does Selena know?"
"Of course not," Alex replied smoothly. "And I'd prefer to keep it that way, if you don't mind. She is... She is a useful cover."
"Very well," she said, though her tone carried a warning. "I won't expose you. For now. But be aware, Your Majesty, that if you bring harm to my niece—or my kingdom—I will not hesitate to act."
Alex inclined his head, his smirk returning. "Noted, Your Highness."
The Queen was worried. That child... Selena, was not the sharpest tool in the shed. And as for why the future Emperor was in their kingdom... She would not have the answer to this. She decided to not tell her husband and spare him some needless worry.
"Is there any way we can provide assistance?" The Queen was a bit eager to get into his good graces. Their kingdom was strong... But not strong enough to take on that Empire. Their world's history had been a bloodied one.
But the Empire chose to turn a new page. They preached live and let live and let the Kingdom thrive. They were not going to invade them, but it would be best to stay in their good graces. Who knows what the future might hold?
"No. If my father wanted me to take help, he would have arranged it from the beginning of the mission. For some mission that senile old man wants me to do it with zero resources." He scoffed.
The Queen simply stared. She did not respond. Should she defend the current emperor and annoy Alex, the future emperor, or should so agree with him and join him in calling his father a senile old man?
"Understood. I shall call Selena back inside." The Queen smiled.
The Queen called Selena back inside the room, her voice calm but firm. They expected Selena to enter, but the first one to barge into the room was Prince Adrien.
Selena froze, watching as her cousin strode toward her with purpose. In her mind, she immediately began bracing for a confrontation.
Adrien, the Crown Prince, had always struck her as cunning, cruel, and manipulative. She pictured him as a master puppeteer, always pulling strings to maintain his iron grip on the kingdom.
It was no secret that he was the Queen's pride and joy, the shining example of Neora's future, and the person she had the most to fear in this palace.
As he came closer, she straightened her posture, schooling her features into a mask of indifference. She expected a cutting remark, a veiled threat, or maybe even a calculated observation. But the first words out of Adrien's mouth caught her completely off guard.
"Are you here to snitch?!"
His tone was accusatory, more akin to a child throwing a tantrum than the poised and polished prince she'd imagined.
Selena blinked at him, stunned into silence. Surely she hadn't heard him correctly. "What?" she managed to choke out after a moment, staring at him like he'd grown a second head.
"You heard me!" Adrien said, his voice rising slightly. He crossed his arms, his expression a mix of irritation and exasperation. "Are you here to tell the Queen some ridiculous story to get me into trouble? You're always stirring up chaos!"
Selena's mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. She couldn't decide whether to laugh or scream. This wasn't the calculated, cold prince she'd imagined—it was like facing a petulant schoolboy who'd been caught doing something wrong.
"I—what—" she stammered, utterly bewildered. Then her indignation flared, and she narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you insane? I'm not here to snitch on you." She had bigger things to deal with, a pathetic cousin was the last thing on her mind.
Adrien threw up his hands, clearly exasperated. "You humiliated Nicholas in front of the entire nobility! Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused?"
"Oh, please," Selena snapped, crossing her arms. "Trouble? Do you mean exposing the fact that Nicholas had been shamelessly pursued Clara while he was engaged? Or that you refused to let him call off the engagement so that you could pursue Clara.
She glared at him. She did not like Nicholas one bit, that was true, but most of the fault lied within Adrien. He was the one who encouraged the stalemate. "That's not trouble—that's justice. Or are you just upset that I didn't play the meek little pawn in your perfectly orchestrated game?"
Adrien bristled at her words, his face turning slightly red. "You don't understand how politics work! You can't just air out dirty laundry like that and expect no consequences!"
"I understand plenty, Adrien," Selena shot back, her voice rising. "What I understand is that I've been used and humiliated for years, and I'm done putting up with it. If you don't like that, tough. Maybe you should be pointing that righteous anger at Nicholas instead of me. Or at the real culprit- yourself!"
Adrien opened his mouth to retort but then stopped. She was glaring at him like he just sent her to the gallows, he... Felt a little guilty. For a moment, there was silence between them, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife.
Selena, however, had had enough. She huffed, turning her head away dismissively. "I don't have time for your tantrums, Adrien. If you'll excuse me, I have more important things to do."
Adrien looked like he wanted to argue further, but before he could, the door to the Queen's chamber opened. The Queen herself stepped out, her gaze landing on Adrien with a mixture of fondness and mild irritation.
"Adrien," she said sharply, "what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be attending to your duties?"
Adrien immediately straightened, his earlier petulance vanishing as he assumed a more composed demeanour. "Of course, Mother," he said smoothly, though his tone was clipped. With one last look at Selena, he turned on his heel and walked away.