Page 24 of Royal Lies

If only I had morecontrolover my fate like I did with my designs then maybe I could have had the perfect life I wanted.

But Ishouldn'twant more than abastardlike me deserves.

Right?

Yetas thankful as I am.

Ihatemy life, I hate that I couldn't be alegitimatechild, perhaps then father could have acknowledged me sooner. Ihatethat I was born aboy. If I was agirlperhaps then mother would have doted on me more.

Maybe then they might have loved me more.

Nevertheless, there is no use drowning myself in the past, for I can not change things that are already written and lived. But, I can change what is to come, and no matter what Iwillbe king again. Only then will I have enough control of the land. Only then can I get whatever I want. I got the love of my father did I not? I proved to him that despite my blood I could be just as strong by taking the throne away from his very hands. When I was finally on the throne. When Iseized control,everything finally played outmyway.I was finally happy, truly happy.

Chapter 10

Eli

It's been twelve days since we rescued that witch. Twelve bloody days of sleeping on rocks, moss-covered trees, dirt-stained grass, and by the lordsoutside. Twelve fucking days, across the fucking freezing forest and snowy desert. And she tells me now. Now! That she knows a teleportation spell. I could wring her neck. I reallywilldo it.

"I thought it would be fun to explore our surroundings." She shrugged her shoulders without a care in the world.

Has she gone mad?

"Besides, the view was nice. But then I got tired of walking. So I decided it was in our best interest if I told you guys about the teleportation spell. Plus, I really wanna sleep in a bed. And it's cold."

The view? What view?! I see trees, trees, trees, and some more bloody snow-covered trees! Perhaps she meant the pile of animal dung or infested carcasses lining the snow-laden floor. Does she mean the frozen stream filled with insects and two-eyed freaks? Possibly the twigs being constantly thrown at us from every branch alive!

"Everetta." I started calmly trying to control the twitching at the corner of my right eye.

Everetta smiled, turning towards me without a clue as to what she had done.

How great for her.

“Yes, Eli?" Her smile would make even a baby look sinful.

My right eye twitched some more.

Taking a deep breath in. I tried my best to not tear her head off.

"When did you first learn this magic?"

*Twitch twitch*

She paused, placing a finger on her left cheek, "Hmm, not sure. Maybe two days after we saved Luna. I don't know, why you didn't ask me earlier?” Everetta beamed at me as if I was the one in the wrong.

That was it, I was going to kill her. I'm going to drown her in some disease-infected stream! No matter how I may feel about her, nothing was worth trudging through avalanches of dirt.

"Wait, what?" Luna deadpanned, taking the words right out my mouth as my left eye began to twitch along with my right. Her head slowly turned towards Everetta, her eyes burning in a fiery heat enough to melt the snow around her.

Everetta nodded affirming her previous statement, oblivious to the tension in the air.

Clearing my throat I smiled trying my best to simply breathe.

"So let me get this straight, you let us walk through miles upon miles, with little to no sleep, on the ground, where wild beasts, and shadows who might be spies for my elder brother, in a field where we could be killed, for a littlesightseeing?" It was like her mouth couldn’t close. Luna stood there, the snow almost to her waist as Everetta nodded emphatically.

I couldn't stop what was coming next. No, let me rephrase that. Ididn'twant to stop what was coming next.

Taking a deep breath in and out, Luna launched herself across the gap between her and Everetta, her claws lunging for the fragile skin on the other girl's neck. And perhaps I really would have let my most hated enemy kill one of the few people I care about in this world if only she wasn't the only one to be able to cast a teleportation spell.

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