Page 33 of Crown of Hearts
Memories of his name and the kingdom being mentioned resurfaced. “Oh, right.”
I crossed my arms. “I don’t know anything about him. He’d be a complete stranger. And even though there is technically peace between Argon and Norrandale, I heard the war was pretty devastating. Something about going to a kingdom that’s as good as Norrandale’s enemy feels wrong.”
“What are you going to do then, Your Majesty?”
“I don’t know.” I had my elbows perched atop the dressing table and hid my head in my hands. “This feels so humiliating.”
“Don’t think of it as humiliation.” Anesta tried to sound optimistic.
“Then what should I think of it as?” I peered through my fingers and met her gaze in the mirror.
She pursed her lips for a moment. “Think of it as an opportunity.”
“An opportunity?”
“Yes,” she said. “So that the two of you will have the time to get to know each other better. He said you could stay here as a guest, didn’t he?” She finished my hair and put the brush down.
“Somehow my world seemed a lot easier when I knew a whole lot less,” I muttered to myself, standing up. I paced across the room before falling back onto the bed, my feet dangling off the edge. “We need a proper plan. I am not going to beg Cai.”
“No, we do not beg, Your Majesty,” Anesta agreed.
“And I am not crawling back home empty-handed with my tail between my legs.”
“Of course not. You’re Queen of Everness and we do not accept defeat,” she encouraged, taking a seat next to me.
“We just need to make Cai aware that this is the best decision for him and his kingdom.” I looked up at the ceiling, momentarily biting the inside of my cheek. “Surely it cannot be that difficult.”
“Surely not, Your Majesty.”
There was a light knock on the door, and for a moment my heart leaped. It could be Cai, coming to apologise for the mistake he’d made. But even I knew I would not be so lucky.
“Come in.” The doors opened, and a smile quickly stretched across my face as I jumped up from the bed. “Cordelia!”
She let out a laugh and wrapped her arms around me. “I missed you so much!”
I pulled back to look at her. “I missed you too! You look so well.”
Her expression and sense of self were warmer and calmer than I had seen them before, and though I hated to admit it, I could see that living here had done much good for Cordelia.
“Oh, where are my manners?” She curtsied and dramatically said, “Queen Elara.”
I let out a chuckle. “Don’t tease.”
Anesta stepped forwards and I introduced them. “Cordelia, this is Anesta, my current lady-in-waiting. Anesta, this is Cordelia, my previous lady-in-waiting, I guess you could say.”
“I’ve heard so much about you,” Anesta told Cordelia.
“She’s a handful, isn’t she?” Cordelia gestured with her head to me and Anesta laughed. “I can’t believe you’re really here.” Cordelia looked back at me.
“Well, it’s not exactly under the best of circumstances.”
“What do you mean?”
“Things haven’t settled in Everness. There is a lot of opposition to my reign, and I need a strong alliance now more than ever.”
Her eyes widened.
“But, unfortunately, Cai isn’t exactly eager to unite the two kingdoms.”
