Queen of lords, p.22
Queen of Lords, page 22
“Lordes come in doubles. When they connect together like a mold, that means it’s infected. When one shows up it means more will come, which is why it’s called an infestation. But it only happens when the Lordes are summoned by a human, not god- or nature-summoned,” Ray answered. “When they merge, they are known as a Genpaku Lorde.”
“So who the hell is summoning these things?” Tenia asked.
Their eyes locked, and Ray could sense the concern reflected in Kale’s gaze. He furrowed his eyebrows and stared at Ray, reading his younger brother like a book. “Who? You have an idea…”
“I need more evidence before I tell you who I suspect.”
“I assume it’s someone in the Luark… or family…” Kale sighed and turned away. “Sentia, it looks like you’re perfectly fine. Your sugar levels are low, though, so you might want to eat something.”
I shook my head, “I’m scared to…”
“I’ll see if the elder can get some honey water. That should help until you’re ready to eat.”
Kale stood, and Tenia patted my back. “We’ll be back with some nutrients. Hold on, okay?” I nodded weakly, watching them leave.
I was so tired. I laid my head in Ray’s lap as he stroked my face. “You did so good.” I hummed in reply, closing my eyes and listening to the sounds of nature and children playing before I ended up drifting off completely.
I groggily sat up, blinking away the remnants of sleep from my eyes and trying to shake away the drowsiness. Sitting in the corner of the room, Ruella absentmindedly picked at her nails, lost in her own thoughts. I was on a large, white, fluffy bed. The room was spacious and looked to be for nobles. I sat up and looked to the side to see the honey water that was supposed to be fetched for me. I drank a little of it and put it down.
“This might actually bump you up from Clown,” I heard her say.
An annoyed sigh pushed its way out of me. “He will always find something wrong to keep me at the bottom. Like for example, if I punched you again and broke your nose.”
Ruella laughed. “You are getting feistier and feistier. I like it. It means you’re growing up.”
“Does it? I feel like it means I’ve stooped to the lowest of levels… yours.”
“My level wins bets,” she assured me. “Sentia, I promise you, you will not be queen.”
But I’m not here to be queen. I am here to beat your motherfucking ass for hurting an innocent woman, and more importantly, hurting Ray.
“All in due time,” Ray spoke as he suddenly walked through the door. He immediately went up to me and checked my forehead, then pushed the water on the side table into my hands. “Drink more.” I obeyed without another word.
“Aww, how sweet? It’s nice to know you treat your pet so well,” Ruella retorted. “Just remember Ray, at the end of the day, your father is going to be the deciding factor for the end of the competition this year.
Ray sat on the edge of the bed, a smirk on his face, before whispering, “You want me, is that it? You want to have my children and be the queen?” She folded her arms and nodded silently. Ray stood up and walked over to her, his fingers gently tucking strands of hair behind her ears as he pulled her closer. I would’ve been jealous had I not sensed the hostility in his presence.
“You’ve already had the rest of my brothers… You’ll never have Kale, so I’m last on your list. When Claud was the crown prince, I bet it was nice. You already had enough chemistry and then, boom, the youngest brother took his title from him. That must have sucked, didn’t it? Not being able to control that idiot anymore.” She glared at him, and he just smirked. “Look at you,” he gripped the back of her hair and forced her to look into his eyes, “you think you could actually win, huh? You think you know me better than Sentia? You may be right, after all, she doesn’t know how dark, how evil, and how monstrous I can be… you on the other hand…” He smirked and pushed her away. Her heavy breathing and the anxious expression on her face were both clear signs of her nerves, something I had never witnessed in her before. In my eyes, Ray was devoid of any of the malevolence or wickedness I’d witnessed in his family. He was driven by a desire for justice, just like me, and we found solace in our shared purpose. However, in this moment, my eyes were drawn to a flicker of something entirely new. Just like when I saw the past and Ray looked at Nella, there was a familiar glint in his eyes that I had yet to experience. However, this time, there was something different about it.
“You both have a lot of work to do when we get back. You both have to make it to the end of the year, five more months. In winter, one of you will be married to me, and the other will remain my concubine. All I can say is that you’ll need to fight like hell.” He snapped his fingers. “Now let’s go. We solved the problem here, so now we need to do damage control. That’ll require us to go back home and explain to Father what happened while dispersing those who can help fix the damage done to the village. In short terms: politics.”
When we left the inn, we were greeted by the carriages outside. Kale listened intently as the head of the village offered a heartfelt apology.
“I am so sorry, your highness, but I am too old for such a long journey. I wish to send an envoy of mine. Would that be okay?” she ushered.
He patted her hand. “That’s fine. As long as you trust this envoy to navigate politics, then it should be alright.”
She nodded sagely. “She has been with us for a while and was heavily taught our ways. She helps me out more than I could thank her for. So, I hope you can accept her. She knows Luark very well.” She looked behind her and gestured. “Ferna, come.”
My blood ran cold.
As Ray briefly glanced in my direction, I averted my eyes, unable to meet his gaze. Instead, my attention was captured by Ferna’s joyful approach, each step resonating with an infectious energy. Ray’s body welcomely loomed in front of me, blocking my view of the scene. I glanced up at him, and he leaned down, his warm breath tickling my ear as he whispered.
“You are strong, yes?” When I did not respond, he demanded, “Nod your head.”
I nodded slowly.
“Show her and the rest of your village that you are not to be messed with. Get your revenge by being everything they don’t want you to be. Alive. Strong. Resilient. Fight like hell, and become Sentia Luark, Queen of Luark. The queen of queens.”
The road seemed to stretch on endlessly, making the journey feel never-ending. But with just those words, I felt an overwhelming readiness to engage in battle. I knew that this road was going to be rough; the potholes and cracks were impossible to ignore. With only five months remaining, I was determined to eliminate Ruella, seek revenge on Nial and Claud, and transform myself into a soldier worthy of the crown prince’s admiration.
“Yes, your majesty.”
I will say it until I believe it.
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Feara W, Queen of Lords
