Page 93 of A Clash of Stars

“I’m glad Evander and I can stay here for a little while. I have been so worried about the two of you,” I choked out instead of what I was genuinely thinking, which was a lot of questions.

Chapter 28

Entering the castle, I was swept up in the overwhelming scent of home. The warm smell of eucalyptus and mint overwhelmed my senses and calmed my nerves. In the entryway, my favorite flowers were placed in a large crystal vase filled with berries and blush carnations.

My love for blush carnations came from when I was a child. I knew it was my mother’s favorite, so I adopted them as my own favorite.

When I was little, I would venture off to the field of these beautiful light pink flowers, and I would pick them and create flower crowns to wear for the entire day, only to be forced to take them off when it was time to battle and sleep. My mother would always look to make arrangements for my favorite flowers during crucial moments in my life, and I guess this was one of those moments.

“Mother, thank you so much for my beautiful arrangement. You know they are my absolute favorite.” I smiled at her. Her warmth was encompassing, like it could reach out and embrace you, giving you the most incredible peace. She was the one who held our family together, making it possible for us to have a happy and fulfilled life. Her name was embodied in me, Queen Claire of Artesia. She wore that name so well. Everyone loved my mother, and I had never met anyone who disliked her in my entire life.

Her sweet voice responded, “Nothing but the best for my daughter.”

She hugged me again, and this time, I felt relieved.

“Come with me. I want to show you to your new room.” She directed at Evander and me. “I needed a place for the two of you to be more equipped for grandchildren.”

Evander and I locked our eyes when the words grandchildren came out of my mother’s mouth. We hadn’t even talked about children, even though that was why we were married. To give the King of Aster a child to sacrifice for “the greater good.”

“We will be sure to give you as many as possible, Queen Claire,” Evander’s sultry voice responded to her. I gave him a side-eyed look, and he knew exactly what I would’ve said if it were just us.

Liar.

It’s only a lie if it doesn’t come to fruition, Clara.

He smirked at me then my attention went back to my mother.

She led us to the room I had grown up in, and my eyebrows furrowed at her as I considered all the possibilities of changes that could have happened. “Before you ask, yes, I changed your room, and I think you’ll like it.”

I smiled at her. “Anything you do is always fantastic.” I kissed my mother’s cheek as she opened the door.

I was shocked at how different it was when I walked into my old bedroom. The white and gold contrast was what I had always wanted for my room, and my mother never really had time to do that for me. I immediately ran in and jumped on the bed. I saw the awkward smile that my mother shared with Evander.

“Well, I will leave you two to rest. Dinner will be served in about an hour. I look forward to seeing you there. And Clara, I hope you love your room. I remembered what you told me about your dream room… and I wanted to make sure that happened.”

After she left the room, Evander began to take off his shirt.

“Whoa there. What are you doing?” I said to him,

Evander smirked, “I’m going to take a shower. Is that alright with you, princess?”

He continued walking to the bathroom while taking off his clothes. My eyes couldn’t look away from the chiseled abs.

“Well, well… Are we going to square off again?” He smirked. Then he waited at the door and questioned me smugly, “You could always join me?”

I considered it, then I thought I wasn’t quite ready for that. “Maybe another time, Ev.”

“Very well. I’ll be out soon,” he said in the sweetest voice I had ever heard. Was Evander even sweet? He had always been so cruel, teasing me. Yet here I was. His princess. His wife.

He came out of the bathroom in his full black suit that always looked so damn good. I couldn’t keep my eyes off him, and he knew it.

“Well, darling, are you going to get ready, or will I have to get you dressed myself?” he barked out his command at me.

I rolled my eyes, “I’ll get dressed when and how I want.” My eyes flickered to his as I smirked and continued talking, “So, what is our plan for this evening at dinner? Is there anything I should prepare for?”

He turned to look out of my floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked the grounds of my home. Without looking at me, his sultry voice floated to me, “Just play along with me, Clara Bear. It’ll be fun, trust me.”

I wanted to believe him, but I never knew what to expect. He was a hot head, and to be completely honest, that was one thing about him that I loved. Nothing would stop him from getting what he wanted, and he would make sure you knew it.

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