Page 73 of Royal Lies

I made my way down the hall toward Everetta's roo. I pounded on this lords-forsaken door for the hundredth time now. "Everetta, answer the door right this instant!" I was nearly to my wits' end. I've had enough of her silence. For lords sake, it's been five days. I've been at this nonsense every morning and evening since I recovered. Doesn't she know how time-consuming and hassling it was for me to do this? I know she was awake today, her energy was different. Fainter in a way. It should worry me but perhaps she managed to restrain some of her magic now that she has awakened.

"Everetta! Everetta!" I gritted my teeth, only barely managing to hold in the boiling rage rising to the surface. This had gone on for long enough.

"Everetta, I swear if you do not open this door—" I began, as a delicate hand perched against my fist.

"Brother," the princess said, her cold calm ice-blue eyes cocked a brow at me.

I gritted my teeth as I took in a deep breath. "Princess Snow, greetings. I wasn’t expecting to see you up so early," I cleared my throat a bit bashfully at my actions. Red was creeping into my cheeks. It was a bit improper of me to be so loud in the morning. But it wasn't my fault; she was, that girl was—ugh!Why won't she just open the door?!I can clearly sense her in there. If she did I wouldn't have been so humiliated.

The little Princess of Wolves shook her head, sighing as if she knew something I didn't, "Brother, I believe that's enough. Besides, some of our guests have arrived early. I do believe it is best for us at the moment to hurry and go greet them, while the king is still resting," Ah, yes, Winter Court balls occurred at the crack of dawn and ended at the last chimes of midnight. With a breakfast/meeting ball in the morning, a duel in the evening, and dinner at night.

"Yes, of course," I blinked, agreeing automatically, understanding that to be the new king I must first gain the favor of the fae and nobles. Greeting them before the king could help boost my image, show that the king trusted me more, or that I might be challenging the king.

“You really aren't the brightest in the realm, are you,dearestelder brother?" She tossed out of nowhere, passing me with her head held high as ifshewould own this entire realm one day. What the bloody hell did that mean? How was I an idiot?Iagreed with her, did I not?We both knew what it meant to greetthe guests in place of the king, right? What other meaning was I missing?

What the bleeding crap was going on? As my head scrambled trying to figure out this new situation my feet automatically carried me towards the large iced crystal gates to the ballroom. Well, whatever. I was no idiot. I'm sure she only stated that purely because she detested me as her brother.

I was greeting the new arrivals, a bit too early if you ask me as I got lost in my thoughts. Smiling and waving on autopilot. Midway through, the king eventually came in, a bit odd if you ask me. Just how long did he plan to wait before coming in, and why did he seem so confused? Was the party not set for this early? Grand balls normally are. Yet nearly all the guests have arrived decorating the room in colorful shades of blue and white and the king finally deems it fit to grant us his presence. Even odder the king was merely sitting atop his throne on his designated balcony over seeing the dance. Surely he noticed what I was doing by the entrance but he made no move to stop or even take the position from me.What was going on?

First Everetta and Lucarious, now this. I mean seriously why was this party happening? Because I sure as shadows don't buy this nonsense of a “welcomeparty” for us. We've been here far too long to have a welcoming party only now. When we arrived all we had to greet us was a hostile meeting with the not-so-jovial king. If you could even callthata meeting.

I turned to the smirking bastard walking up to me, but all I got was a mere grinning of his teeth. Did the guy's teeth just shimmer or was I hallucinating with all this stress over Everetta? Oh, and the king, needless to say, he was fuming at my audacity to greet the guests in his stead. But the little princess managed to help soothe things over, claiming she had asked me as it would help show the kingdom's alliance with the Dracool Kingdom.Perhaps she was the reason my stolen duty wasn't stripped from me yet.

It must have been nearing one in the afternoon when a sudden burst of energy popped into the room. Yet, it makes no sense; how was she here, how when she was still in her—

"You really aren't the brightest in the kingdom, are you,dearestelder brother?" My little sister's words repeated over and over in my head as a chilling horror coursed through my body.

I tried to process the whole scene before me.

The screams were certainly not helping; yes, there was blood, oh my lords how horrifying. Your bloody Wolves for lords sake, pull your pants together.

Confused by the sight before me, I focused on the energy coming from her room. I frowned; it was her yet, here she was, golden hair and all. So how was she here and also in her room?

No-wait, that power.

She wouldn't dare.

Oh, but she would.

Thepasther would most definitely defy me in such a dramatic manner.

She used that spell.

Shepromisedme she wouldn't ever use it not after-

Sure it was in the past but still, a promise was a promise. That one little spell she used once devastated the entire realm. True it was on a much larger scale but it was the same spell, I just know it.

It takes some energy, but if done correctly, you could replicate a mass of energy that replicated your own. This energy ball would then act as a decoy, representing the same amount of energy its owner emits. But to do that it takes nearly half your magic, thus creating an illusion of two exact beings of the same mass and power at the same time.

Daughter of a bloody damned bitch!

"You really aren't the brightest in the kingdom..." Those words kept replaying as the damned pieces clicked in my mind. The shadows, the decrease in their numbers, the reason she never answered her fucking door. She was never there.Shewas never in this bloody castle!

How dare she deceive me!

"Everetta, just how long have you been away?" I gritted through my teeth, nearly fuming with the amount of anger I was holding in. How long has she been doing this stupid stunt?!

How could she not tell me? Even a fool could tell she was unhinged—Oh lords just look at her hair waving in the air like a bloody loon, golden eyes bursting with so much light you might as well be looking into the sun, such a disgrace.Could she not throw a tantrum for once in her life? Can't she just listen to me for once in her damned life?!Now look at what she's done, she's ruinedmyball! True it might be just for show but it was a welcoming party for me and she was interrupting it!

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