Page 57 of A Clash of Embers

I sat back in the chair and looked around the room trying to find a memory, a thought. Anything about her. Lilibeth.

No way.

"Leo's sister?" I asked them and they both smiled.

"You could say that," my mother said.

"How-how do you two know any of this?" I asked them and my mother tapped Colette on the leg. Colette nodded almost in agreement with what she would do or say.

"Because, Clara, I am not just Colette."

I pinched my brows together looking at her as if the answer would jump off of her face.

With a wave of her hand, similar to what Theo had done, she revealed her true self with glowing resemblance to me. I felt my heart pounding in my chest.

She smirked and spoke softly, “Your entire life, I watched you grow into the woman you were meant to be. I kept a close eye on you for a reason. Yes, I am your grandmother, and I am Colette, but that’s not my true identity. In Darthium, I am Colette Morgan. I am in this form only to help destroy Athiana from within. I am a goddess just like you, an Enythius, but...” She stood and walked towards me kneeling in front of me and placing her hand upon my cheek.

"You need to read this.Fully. You need to understandwhoI am. Whoallof us are. From there you can make the decision of how you will participate in this war. But tonight, we celebrateyou and we will keep this locked away for you to read later. Only our blood can open this table and you are welcome anytime."

Colette leaned forward and kissed my forehead softly and whispered, "I am so proud of you."

She took the book from my hands and placed it inside the table, showing me how to lock it back in place. The three of us stood together to walk out of the study, and I realized that I had done exactly what my father asked me to do. Stay close to Ev and find Colette. I had done it. I knew I had made him proud too. Tonight, I would be displayed as the Princess of Bolzana and I wouldn’t disappoint them.

The gown they wanted me to wear was absolutely ridiculous.

"No. There's no way I'm wearing this. It's awful."

My mother sighed, "Clara, put the damn thing on and stop your complaining."

I grumbled under my breath and she pinched me. "Ow! That hurt."

"Good. Now put the dress on."

After the initial shock of the dress wore off, I realized that it wasn't half bad. The overwhelming amount of flowers was the part that I was thrown off by, the off-the-shoulder sleeves I could deal with. My mother proceeded to crown me with flowers, weaving them into the braid that she had done within a few minutes.

As I stepped into the hallway, I instantly became self-conscious about what Ev would think. I knew that deep in my heart he was it for me, but it didn't make it any easier. He was a monster. He was the man of nightmares.

"Whelp. Here I go."

When I stepped into the ballroom, I was overwhelmed by the feelings around me. In the past there was always disgust laced within the feelings I would get entering a room, but here… there was none. No disgust, only admiration.

I continued my walk toward where my mother stood near the emblem of a doe. The doe was designed into the floor of the ballroom and draped with flowers to signify royalty and grace. Nature was respected here, that I knew deep in my bones. The witches of Bolzana ensured that nature was balanced and precariously taken care of in this world and I appreciated that.

My mother's voice echoed off the walls in the ballroom, not one person moved or spoke, only listened. "Tonight, we celebrate Princess Clara. We welcome her home. Over the next few weeks, I will be training Clara on the traditions and guidelines of our great region of Bolzana, and our city of Elistayre. By the end of the training, she will be named Clara Artesia, Queen of Bolzana, The Doyen of the Witches."

The cheers rang out across the room and applauded my mother's declaration. I, however, stood there with fear tattooed across my face. We hadn't discussed this and I wasnotprepared.

I rapidly searched the room for a pair of green eyes that I knew well, and when I landed on him, he was smiling and clapping for me. No one around him was scared. No one even budged. He looked at me with such wonder and I wanted to break in those walls to find the truth. All of the truth.

"To begin our festivities, we will start with a dance with our classical Bolzana violinists. Grab a partner and let's dance!"

I watched his eyes trace my face and stopped on my lips.

Are you gonna stare at my lips all day, or are you going to dance with me?

He smirked and pulled his hands out of his pocket.

I think I'll do both.

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