Malvoria froze the moment her eyes landed on her mother.
How the hell did she even get here?
Her mother stood by the elegantly laid dining table, dressed in a flowing dark purple gown embroidered with delicate silver threads. Her posture was poised but relaxed, and her expression was warm, her grey eyes twinkling with barely contained mischief.
The guards.
Malvoria clenched her jaw.
She had explicitly ordered the guards not to let her mother near Elysia. Not yet. Not ever if she could help it.
And yet—
Here she was.
Smiling like a ray of goddamn sunshine.
That was the thing about Veylira.
If Malvoria was cold, sharp-edged steel, her mother was the exact opposite—bright and warm with an almost disarming charm. It was infuriating.
Sunshine. Pure, chaotic sunshine that burned everything in its path with relentless curiosity.
And now that curiosity was focused entirely on Elysia.
Malvoria gritted her teeth as she followed Elysia into the room.
Her mother's smile widened. "Elysia, dear! It's so lovely to finally meet you!"
Elysia stiffened beside Malvoria, clearly surprised by the enthusiasm. "Uh... thank you?"
Veylira practically beamed. "I've heard so much about you!"
Elysia's eyes flicked toward Malvoria. "You have?"
"Oh yes," Veylira said, gliding across the floor like a queen surveying her kingdom. "Malvoria talks about you constantly."
Malvoria's jaw dropped. "I do not—"
"She does," Veylira said breezily, waving her daughter's words away. "She's very invested in your well-being."
Elysia's brows shot up. "Really?"
Malvoria glared at her mother. "No."
"Yes," Veylira said, clasping her hands together. "And how are you doing, dear? Are they treating you well here? Are your rooms comfortable? Is the food good?"
Elysia opened her mouth to respond, but Veylira was already moving on. "I hope Malvoria isn't being too much of a tyrant. She has a tendency to be... intense."
"Mother—" Malvoria growled.
"Oh hush, darling." Veylira turned back to Elysia. "She gets it from her other mom, you know. All that brooding and glowering. You should've seen her as a child—always stomping around with a tiny wooden sword, pretending to conquer the living room."
Elysia's lips twitched. "That sounds... cute."
"It was adorable," Veylira said with a conspiratorial wink. "Of course, she always insisted it was 'training for war.'"
"It was training for war," Malvoria muttered, crossing her arms. "And I wasn't stomping."
Elysia's gaze slid toward her, and Malvoria could see the amusement she was trying—and failing—to hide.
She was going to kill her mother.
Right after she fired every single guard who had let her into the castle.
Veylira moved toward Elysia again. "And your dress! Oh, it looks beautiful on you. I told Malvoria blue would suit you perfectly."
Elysia shifted awkwardly. "I... didn't know she picked it."
"Oh yes." Veylira nodded. "Malvoria was very particular about it. She spent hours looking through designs—"
"Mother," Malvoria snapped. "That's enough."
"It was sweet," Veylira continued, as though Malvoria hadn't spoken. "She wanted it to match your eyes."
Elysia's cheeks flushed.
Malvoria clenched her fists. "I did not spend hours—"
"Mm-hmm." Veylira gave her a knowing look before turning back to Elysia. "And how are you adjusting, dear? Are the maids being polite? Do you feel safe?"
"Yes... um, yes," Elysia said, visibly overwhelmed. "They've all been very kind."
"Good. Good." Veylira nodded approvingly. "And what about Malvoria? Are you two getting along?*"
Elysia's eyes widened. "Uh..."
Malvoria groaned. "Mother—"
"I'm just curious!" Veylira smiled innocently. "It's important to build a strong foundation, you know."
Elysia shifted uncomfortably. "We're... managing."
"Managing?" Veylira gave Malvoria a deeply disapproving look. "Malvoria. What have you been doing?"
"My job," Malvoria said flatly. "Running an empire. The usual."
"And terrifying your fiancée," Veylira added with a sigh. "You never learn, do you?"
"She's not terrified," Malvoria snapped. "She's... fine."
Elysia said nothing.
Malvoria resisted the urge to rub her temples.
This was her personal version of hell.
Veylira turned back to Elysia with an encouraging smile. "And the fight today! I heard all about it. You were brilliant, they said. Holding your own against Malvoria with her one hand behind her back so impressive."
"Thank you," Elysia said hesitantly.
"She's always been like that, you know," Veylira continued. "Always picking fights with people just to see if they can keep up. It's her way of flirting."
"Mother," Malvoria hissed, feeling her ears heat. "Stop."
"What? It's true."
Elysia's eyes widened slightly, a mix of disbelief and amusement dancing across her face. "Fighting is her... flirting?"
"Oh yes," Veylira said, grinning. "She's always been hopeless when it comes to feelings. Give her an army to command, and she's unstoppable. But put her in a room with someone she likes, and suddenly she's challenging them to duels."
"I'm standing right here," Malvoria said through clenched teeth.
"I know, darling," Veylira replied sweetly. "That's why it's so much fun."
Elysia's lips twitched again. "I guess I should be flattered, then."
Malvoria's mouth opened, but no words came out.
Her mother had turned this entire conversation into a runaway carriage, and she was just a passenger now, unable to stop the inevitable crash.
She needed wine.
Immediately.
She strode toward the table and poured herself a glass from the crystal decanter with practiced efficiency.
The liquid glimmered a deep, rich red in the light, and she downed half the glass in one go, ignoring her mother's knowing smile.
Veylira turned back to Elysia. "But truly, dear, if you ever need advice on how to handle Malvoria, just let me know. I've had years of practice."
"I'll... keep that in mind," Elysia said, shooting Malvoria a wary glance.
Malvoria gritted her teeth. "You're supposed to be helping, Mother, not—"
"I am helping."
"By interrogating her?"
"I'm just getting to know my future daughter-in-law," Veylira said with an innocent shrug. "It's not every day my daughter brings home a princess."
Malvoria groaned. "You are insufferable."
"And you are defensive," Veylira said, her smile turning sly. "Which is adorable."
Malvoria drained the rest of her wine.
She needed more.
Veylira clasped her hands and turned back to Elysia. "You know," she said lightly, "Malvoria's never had a girlfriend before."
The words hit the room like a lightning strike.
Malvoria choked.
The wine she had just sipped shot straight down the wrong pipe.
She coughed violently, the glass slipping from her hand and crashing onto the table.
"Mother!" she wheezed.
Elysia's eyes went wide. "Wait—what?"
"Never," Veylira said, voice light as if sharing a harmless secret. "Not one. She always said she was too busy. But now?" She smiled innocently. "Here you are."
Malvoria doubled over, still coughing, her face burning with mortified fury.
Elysia blinked at her.
Malvoria managed to straighten, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand as she glared at her mother. "You are unbelievable," she rasped.
Veylira beamed. "I know, darling. And you're welcome."
The sharp crack of footsteps echoed through the hall, interrupting the tense aftermath of Veylira's casually delivered bombshell.
Malvoria, still recovering from her near-death-by-wine incident, turned toward the sound with narrowed eyes.
The massive doors to the dining hall creaked open, and in walked King Thalor and Zera.
The temperature in the room seemed to plummet.
Thalor looked weary but resolute, his expression guarded as he took in the scene. His sharp eyes lingered on Elysia, softening slightly, before darting toward Malvoria with thinly veiled disdain.
Zera entered just behind him, her movements sharp, her jaw tight. Her blue eyes locked onto Elysia first, scanning her as if to confirm she was unharmed. Then, her gaze shifted to Malvoria, narrowing with hostility.
Malvoria sat straighter, her smirk returning as she met Zera's glare with calm amusement.
Tension crackled in the air like a drawn bowstring.
The servants rushed forward to pull out the chairs. Thalor sat stiffly across from Malvoria, Zera beside Elysia, far too close for Malvoria's liking.
The silence stretched unbearably.
Then—
"Well," Veylira said, her voice cheerfully cutting through the tension. "Let's talk about the wedding."