Page 30 of Crown of Draga

Chapter Ten

Nadyah

Draga Royal Palace

Planet Draga Terra

Adelina wasin the Queen’s solar with the rest of the females in her family, including her goddess-awful grandmother. The old crone was a bitter woman who lived too deeply in the past. Nadyah was thankful she kept mostly to herself until the weekly tea. Her power and influence only extended to Queen Adele for the most part as the dowager had trained her. Praise Amora her time was nearly past for even that.

The council meeting had been enlightening to say the least, but there was a tension between Prince Nash and Adelina she didn’t like. Well, her informants had given her Nash’s location and after dropping off her princess at the Queen’s solar, she’d planned her time accordingly. Nadyah checked her simulcast again. She didn’t have very long before the royal tea would be over and she had to be back at Adelina’s side. There were a few things she still needed to do before then.

She swept into the kitchens and commanded a servant take a platter of food to Adelina’s rooms at a certain time. No one questioned her presence or why she would come down herself. Nadyah had enough rank to send another to the kitchens for her, but the staff was overtaxed and new hires were still learning. The housekeeper had only received the approval for the new staff a few weeks ago for all the events. Not nearly enough time to prepare, but with the royal family so distracted by the king’s illness, Raena’s ascension, and Adelina’s coming-of-age it was understandable.

Someone bumped into her. “Excuse me, mistress,” the small maid murmured.

Nadyah felt something slide into the pocket of her dress and didn’t even bother to look at the girl. The servant she’d originally spoken to rushed up and muttered apologies and a confirmation of her request. “Thank you,” Nadyah said softly. The poor boy was speechless as he openly stared at her. The ruddy cheeks and bulge in his pants was a reaction she was used to.

The average citizen could barely handle the sexual scent she gave off. It was part of her genetic makeup, but Nadyah wished she could pass unnoticed sometimes. She turned, knowing that her skirts flared and made her exit look dramatic. Everyone was too busy gaping at her as she passed to notice the maid who’d bumped into her.

Quickly she climbed the stairs up to the main floor of the palace. Nadyah checked her simulcast again. She had a few moments to conveniently place herself in the right spot. Her steps were quick, but Nadyah didn’t rush or run. She moved efficiently through the palace to the outside, where the conservatory, maze, gymnasium, practice yards, and stables were – among other important buildings.

Nadyah had spent her entire life staring across Stella di Draga at the palace. Despite the distance it had always been clear against the sky, detailed and shining. The hovering ramparts only drew the eye more to the glittering palace. All those cycles and she never considered how massive the palace would be once she was actually there.

It wasn’t just where the royal family lived.

The palace and its grounds took up half of Draga Terra. It had hospitals, schools, its own farmlands, gardens, and bakeries, boarding for the staff and their families, rooms for each noble family and their staff, the state rooms, galleries, library, and all the offices for the officials. It was a never-ending maze and despite all of Nadyah’s training she had a difficult time remembering where everything was, the faces of the staff and their positions, each courtier, noble, and their rank and dominance. This position tested her in ways she’d never anticipated.

Weaving through the other nobles and guests staying at the palace for the Choosing Ball and Coronation was simple enough. Even the commoners invited paid no attention to her as they gawked at every little thing on their strolls. Nadyah made a beeline for the gymnasium and made sure she would be downwind so her scent wouldn’t give her away. Her simulcast chirped and she grinned. Nadyah’s timing was perfect.

“Oof!”

“Pardon me, lady. I did not see you coming in,” Prince Nash said. Then he got a good look at her. “Oh, it’s you.”

Nadyah cocked her head as she looked up into his face. The prince was sweaty and in some kind of workout gear. His eyes became cold when he recognized her. The tone of his voice barely polite, but she smiled brightly anyway.

“May I speak to you, in private?” she asked, looking around for listening ears. “There is something I’d like to talk to you about.”

Nash crossed his arms over his large chest and looked down his nose at her. “I’m not interested.”

She grabbed his arm and gave him a glowing smile, her sharp nails dug into his flesh as she pulled him towards the maze Adelina seemed to like so much. Thanks to the blueprints, Nadyah knew her way through the hedges.

“I do not care if you’re interested in speaking with me,” she hissed through her fake smile. “You are going to whether you like it or not.”

Nash didn’t resist her insistent tugging until they were safely hidden in the maze. He yanked out of her grip and flipped her around, arm across her throat. Nadyah was fast. She let him pull her, but then used that momentum to flip him over her hip. He landed with a resounding thud on his back. Before he understood exactly what happened she had her knee on his chest with her knife to his throat.

“You seem to think I am incapable of intelligent thought, prince,” she snapped, pressing the knife a little harder into his skin. Nash didn’t move as he eyed her warily. “I am what I am, but I am also more. I protect Adelina’s life with my own, and I’d like to say I’m rather good at it, perhaps even better at the fighting arts than I am in the bedroom.” Nadyah’s face was only a breath away from his.

Those strange eyes of his flashed in anger. She knew he didn’t like her or what she was, but he needed to understand they were on the same side. “I would do anything for her,” she said. Blood trickled from the sharp edge of her blade. He was lucky she didn’t use her plasma knives on him.

Nash gripped her wrist and with his brute strength he lifted her up and off of him. He practically tossed her aside. “What does anything include, seductress?” he asked, wiping the blood from his throat as he stood. “To convince me to forgive her for the rejection, to ask me to overlook the fact she cannot be honest with me, and instead of talking to me herself she sends you to do her dirty work for her?” He looked disgusted as he brushed off the grass and leaves from his gear.

“The princess does not know I am speaking to you at all,” Nadyah admitted, forcing her face to go blank so as to hide her anger. I came to him for a reason, she reminded herself. “I do not know every detail of what transpired between the two of you, but I do know Adelina has to do what is right for her people, as you do.”

Nash narrowed his eyes at her. “And why can’t she tell me then, if it’s for her people?”

Nadyah still had her knife at the ready and her other hand was loose and prepared if he attacked. She had surprised him and knew it was possible he’d retaliate out of some kind of foolish male pride and embarrassment. “You are a foreign prince.”

He took an angry step forward and growled. “Have I not proven myself? When have I ever given her reason to distrust me?”

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