"What can I do to help you? How do I help you prepare for the Queen's Selection?"
Her brother asked as Lira paced round the room.
She started listing some of them, starting with the letters they needed to write first. "Well, first you would need to write a letter in return. The letter will accompany me to the palace. The letter is my ticket inside. It must show that Lord Vale has accepted the Royal Family's invitation to participate in the Queen's Selection. It must contain the seal of the Vale house and they also demanded a letter claiming that my virtue is still intact."
Her brother nodded.
"I will find the family seal for the Vale family, but the real issue is faking Lord Vale's handwriting. He has the strangest handwriting."
"Well, we have to get it right. Because you know they will check. And it must be perfect." She sighed.
Callum nodded slowly. "Don't you worry about the letters. I will write them, and I will ensure that they are perfect." Her brother volunteered. Lira's eyes shot up at her brother.
"You would do that for me?" She asked, and he nodded.
"Of course. I have to so you won't get caught. What else do we need to prepare?" He asked.
"Well, a carriage to take me to the palace. And some clothes, but I will check Lady Lira's wardrobe for that. I think that should be it."
"Well, I have some money I have been saving. I can rent a carriage ride."
"Oh brother, I don't want you to use all your money on me." Lira lightly protested.
"Don't worry about it. Besides, I don't want the others to find out about our plan. So renting a carriage is the only way."
"Well then, if it is the only way, I suppose we have no choice then." Lira replied, finally agreeing with her brother's plan.
.............
While the girls of the Dragon Queen Selection prepared, Queen Seraphina was in great doubt. If Prince Cassian was not ready for marriage, could the Queen's Selection continue?
Across the room, Princess Aveline, her only daughter, paced restlessly, her steps quick and sharp against the marble floor. Her brow was furrowed, lips pressed into a thin line of frustration. The Queen's selection process was meant to secure a future for their kingdom, but Aveline found herself disgusted by its very nature.
"Do you truly believe he is ready, Mother?" Aveline's voice was clipped as she stopped in front of the window, gazing out toward the distant gardens. "Cassian is—" she paused, searching for the right word, "—a child in a man's body. His behavior is reckless, and that is putting it kindly."
Queen Seraphina's hands stilled on her hair, her eyes narrowing slightly as she turned to face her daughter. The queen was composed, every inch of her exuding calm, but even she couldn't mask the uncertainty in her gaze. She knew that her daughter was right, at least in part.
The crown prince's tendencies were no secret—his indulgences in brothels and the string of women who were easily discarded when their value ran out were as public as his handsome face. The thought that this same man would one day rule the kingdom left Seraphina feeling uneasy, though she did not show it. She had hoped, for a time, that he would grow into the role after Taheer selected him to be his dragon rider, but the clock was ticking, and Cassian had done little to inspire confidence.
She knew the dragon did not make a mistake in picking Cassian, but she wondered just when Cassian would be ready to rule and take his place.
"I don't know, Aveline," Seraphina admitted quietly, her voice carrying a rare vulnerability. "His actions, his habits... they make it hard to believe he is truly fit to take the throne. But then again, Taheer chose him. A thousand-year-old dragon chose him to be his rider. That must count for something, doesn't it?"
Aveline's lips twisted into a wry smile as she turned back to face her mother. "Well, it does," she said bitterly. "But when has Cassian been interested in anything other than the next woman he will bed? He will never be taken seriously by those habits."
Seraphina exhaled sharply, sitting back in her chair as she rubbed her temples. "I honestly hope the selection would force him to see reason," she murmured, her gaze lingering on her daughter. "That he would take it seriously. But every day I doubt that he will. His father had the royal guards drag him out of the brothel the other day. I cannot watch him ignore the throne while the kingdom waits for him to step up."
There was a long silence between them, the weight of the conversation pressing down on the air. Finally, Aveline broke the quiet with a scoff, her tone laced with frustration. "Maybe you should consider cancelling the Selection then. It's pointless now, especially when Cassian is not ready. And Taheer too. Apparently, according to the dragon keepers, Taheer has not indicated interest in any of the dragons, so there might be no mating this season. Taheer has also not mated in over a century. Do you truly believe he will mate now?"
Seraphina's expression softened slightly. She knew that her daughter was right, but there was little she could do to change course of things now.
"I have heard you speak of this before, Aveline," Seraphina said quietly, standing to join her daughter at the window. "But a dragon's heart and the rider's heart are one and the same. Taheer did not mate all those years because he had no rider; now that he has one, he will only mate when his rider does the same. Cassian is the one who should be ready. And we both know that this selection is a necessity. It's a tradition; it's what we do here in Aurelia. And the Queen's selection helps our economy more than you can ever imagine. We need the alliances it promises. We need a strong queen by your brother's side, someone who can help him carry the weight of the kingdom when the time comes."
Aveline shot her mother a sharp look, her eyes flashing with indignation. "This tradition will never make sense to me. Why go through all this trouble just to select one woman? Why put the other girls through such humiliation and stress?"
Seraphina hesitated, caught between her daughter's impassioned words and the reality of the kingdom's needs. Aveline was right in many ways, but she also knew that such thoughts could not easily be voiced within the court. The people expected the royal family to uphold tradition, and straying from it could have disastrous consequences.
"We are bound by tradition, Aveline," Seraphina said softly. "We cannot change everything, no matter how much we may wish it."
The princess crossed her arms, exhaling sharply as she leaned against the windowsill. "Maybe we should. Maybe it's time for a new way."
Seraphina studied her daughter, the quiet storm in Aveline's eyes not lost on her. "You're a good-hearted girl," she said gently. "But sometimes the kingdom doesn't care about hearts. It cares about power. And who wields it? Aurelia needs a strong queen and an even stronger dragon rider."
Aveline turned her gaze to the distant horizon, her expression hardening. "And Cassian? Is he even ready to rule? You know ruling is not only about having a powerful dragon by your side."
Seraphina's lips pressed into a tight line, her gaze flickering to the door as if expecting someone to enter at any moment. "He will, when the time comes. He might shy away from his responsibilities now, but trust me, he'll have no choice but to embrace them when the time comes. I have no doubt that he will be a great king, despite everything."
"You don't sound too sure of yourself, mother. And I have no faith in Cassian. I suggest we cancel the Queen's Selection before it turns into a disaster."
Princess Aveline said as she walked away.
..........
Meanwhile, while the Royal Family contemplated whether the Queen's Selection was to hold, the founding families were busy plotting.
Lord Gareth Harthwell's deep voice broke the silence of the study, drawing his daughter Calista's attention. She had been standing by the window, her fingers tracing the delicate pattern on the curtains, but she turned toward her father, ready to listen.
"Calista," Lord Harthwell began, his tone firm yet laced with a layer of calculated kindness. "I have sent out letters to every instructor that would be available at the Queen's selection. They will do their best to ensure that you reach the dragon trials."
Calista smiled happily. She knew her father would use his influence to help her win the Queen's selection.
"Thank you very much, Father. I promise I won't disappoint you."
"Oh you wouldn't; you know what will happen if you do. All you have to do is to make sure that the Prince falls in love with you and loves you enough to make you his Queen. I know you won't have any problems with the dragon trials, but it's the Prince's heart you need to win. If you win his heart, you win Taheer's heart." Lord Gareth said.
"I don't care how you do it or what devious means you employ, but you must make sure you are the next Dragon Queen of Aurelia, my daughter."