Page 47 of Princess of Draga

The older princess harrumphed and Raena glared at the two ofthem.

It had only been a week in the palace and Nadyah was still intrigued by the relationships between the royal siblings. There was an ever-changing give and take. The support they had for each other astounded her. Based on her study of history such camaraderie was unusual when each wanted their hands on the power of an entiregalaxy.

Nadyah knew the palace and the royal family had secrets, but she would never have guessed that Adelina of all the princesses and princes led a double life. Giselle did as well, but she always brazenly shouted her declaration to become a warrior. Her personality was far more extroverted and confident thanAdelina’s.

Nadyah couldn’t have been more wrong about the quietest princess. She thought when she had first been given this assignment she would enjoy teaching thecamerraletobut that would be all. She had thought court life would bore her to tears and she would miss the House and her clients. Never in her wildest dreams could Nadyah have imagined how mysterious and wonderful Adelina couldbe.

There were so many facets to her life. Princess Adelina’s artwork was well-known by the public, and many knew she created the designs for her dresses and some of her siblings’ clothes. The livestream showed her working with the spiders and some of her sketches, but the livestream was also carefully curated by the royal publicists. Somehow everyone but Giselle had missed this brilliant woman who hid under the mask of her submission and service to theCrown.

Her princess’s black-as-night hair was piled elegantly on the top of her head and it elongated her neck. Her amethyst eyes practically glowed as she sought out Prince Nash in the crowd of nobles seated along the sides of the Throne Room. Nadyah felt a deep attraction towards Adelina and she knew how blessed she was for such a wonderful assignment. She would have to thank Amora at her templelater.

The royal guards stood at attention behind the royal family, directly parallel with their assigned family member. Nadyah’s smile dropped as she studied Alpha. What a fool. He had thrown away the best thing that ever could have happened to him. The worst part of it was Nadyah had a feeling he had no idea he had done just that. It would occur to him in the coming weeks and she would have to make sure it didn’t sour the relationship between him and the princess. There was no telling what someone would do when they felt jealous andcheated.

The doors to the Throne Room swung open with trumpets sounding off in declaration of the arrival of the visiting nobility. Adelina placed her hands on the arms of her chair instead of in her lap as she normally would and pushed her shoulders back. Nadyah gave the princess a smile in approval. It was amazing how quickly Adelina had caught on. The tiny changes in her body language and confidence really made a fantastic difference and people were starting tonotice.

The nobles waited at the threshold to be announced and received. Nadyah inspected those she could see and caught Giselle fidgeting in the corner of her eye. She could practically feel the heat of the queen’s split-second glare. Instantly Giselle stilled and straightened her back; arms stiffly on the arms of her own chair. The princess’s fingers tightened on the wood, her knuckles nearlywhite.

Watching Giselle as Elle had been fascinating. Nadyah could sense how dominant she was and could feel the pull of her rank demanding submission, but she had deferred to Adelina on mostmatters.

Adelina was the most submissive creature Nadyah had ever come across, but Adelina’s instincts were to take care of her family and her people. This drove her to serve in a way Nadyah had never seen before. There was still much of her princess’s personality she had to piece together. The genetic workup should fill in what Nadyah didn’tunderstand.

A tall, golden-haired male strode in with confidence. A smaller female was next to him identical in coloring. They stopped just before the raised dais right in front of Nadyah and Lord Hayden bowed as his sister, Lady Masha, curtseyed. She knew the queen favored Lord Hayden for a marriage to Princess Raena. The Avvis Archduchy was the strongest out of all the planets other than the PedranusCountship.

Queen Adele leaned forward ever so slightly as the two rose. Lord Hayden was very handsome with his warm brown eyes and he was extremely polished. He was almost too handsome if that were even possible. Nadyah glanced quickly at Princess Raena and the blush on her cheeks confirmed she was at least attracted to him. Perhaps he would be king instead of archduke afterall.

“The Avvis family thanks you for the invitation,” Lord Hayden said once he’d straightened. Light from the sun filtered through the plas-glass ceiling and Hayden’s golden hairglittered.

Nadyah thought the same honey-brown eyes made Masha simply gorgeous, a true competitor for her brother. None of the princes reacted to her presence. She was still young, maybe that was the reason for their disinterest. Lady Masha was slated to perform a dance for Adelina’s coming-of-age party. Things may change afterthat.

The King and Queen murmured their expected response. Then Lord Hayden and Lady Masha gave their gift and passed through to the side door, escorted by the palace guards to the large receiving room adjacent to the throne room. They would be served refreshments until the royal family could sit with them for dinner in the GreatHall.

The Lady Veri, heir to Priea Marquis, and her brother, Lord Alock, were announced next. She curtseyed low and thanked the royal family as well. Nadyah saw Lord Greyson smile at his children and they were indeed a wonder. Veri’s hair was a fantastic shade of deep teal. It amazed Nadyah her people had such lovely, natural colors. The aquamarine of her eyes sparkled at them all and she looked like something out of a myth. The Marquess was the true ruler of Priea and apparently didn’t feel the need to attend thefestivities.

Nadyah watched Lady Veri closely. She was beautiful, but mysterious and perhaps a little dangerous. Nadyah could feel it coming off her inwaves.

When she rose, Nadyah noticed the way Veri’s eyes lingered longest on Prince Asher and she mentally filed that morsel away to chew on later. Nadyah shifted ever so slightly and glanced at Asher. He couldn’t take his eyes off of the Lady of Priea while she gave the royal gift and then was escorted to the Great Hall with her brother,Alock.

Lord Marcel, the heir to the Ushanov Duchy, was announced next and he practically prowled into the room. His black hair and brown skin added to his intensity. He didn’t smile and his heavy eyebrows made him look as though he glowered at everyone and everything. His two brothers followed, Rashad and Raphael. The younger lords weren’t as intimidating and the same dark features looked absolutely delicious on them. Nadyah watched as they were escorted out and wondered about the heir to the Ushanovplanet.

Of course, she knew how important each noble family was to the success of Draga. Without Ushanov, the galaxy wouldn’t have any of the items they all took for granted. The entire Draga galaxy sent raw materials to the Ushanov factories to be turned into usable products and they never quit producing. They shipped out finished products across the Draga galaxy and were vital to the farming planets, the armies, the space mines, and theshipyards.

Giselle squeezed Adelina’s hand as if to reassure her. Nadyah turned to watch the two of them. Out of all the royal children those two had the strongest bond. She hoped for her princess’s sake that would neverchange.

Then a petite woman with hair of fire entered the throne room with a pale man at her side. Nadyah recognized the two of them before they were announced, but was surprised to see them arrive together. A Scyrian was already at court, but she supposed it would make sense to send all eligiblesons.

Lord Sirus was from the Countship of Scyria where his mother ruled. He was tall and brooding and glared at the entire court as he stayed close to Countess Joslynn of Pedranus. Her bright green eyes shone with laughter as she directed the tall lord next to her, fingers just barely on his elbow as theyapproached.

She curtseyed low and his bow was stiff, yet precise. Nadyah was able to see his scar up close. It ravaged his face and he was blind in one eye, yet she did not think it diminished his beauty at all. Sirus had hair so blond it was nearly white, with touches of yellow highlights. His piercing, ice blue eye missed nothing as he stood. He was tall and broad shouldered, and looked strong and safe – not terrifying as she’d heard somesay.

From what the Spider had told her, Lord Sirus hadn’t responded to the royal invitation until the very last minute, declaring his attendance to the Choosing Ball. He rarely ever left the outer rim since he was kidnapped. There was even talk he’d planned to never leave his own Seat, but from the way the fiery woman handled him it seemed that would quicklychange.

Adelina smiled at Lord Sirus and Nadyah wanted to laugh at the open look of surprise he gave her. Of course, her princess would not be afraid or disgusted by him or his scar. She was surprisingly a fantastic judge ofcharacter.

Lord Sirus turned back to the Countess Joslynn when the small female spoke. Her voice was musical and full of laughter. She was vibrant and so full of life Nadyah knew she would be a delight to have at court. “My King and Queen, I’ve brought a gift from Pedranus in tribute,” Lady Joslynn said, loud andclear.

Pedranus was rich in precious gems. The royal family leaned forward to watch as a man wearing a Scyrian Army uniform stepped forward with a box. He lifted the lid and displayed an ostrich egg-sized black opal. It burned in the velvet as the light struck it. The gem of Draga signified the rule of the Draga House. Nadyah couldn’t help her gasp. It was hard to believe the stone was so large and that Lady Joslynn had been able to find one at all. They were incrediblyrare.

The king thanked Joslynn profusely. She simply smiled her secret smile and left with Lord Sirus at her side. Was he courting her? Nadyah assumed it might be the other way around. She had heard many things about the Pedranus noble and the most recent news was Joslynn’s people clamored for anheir.

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