A Dance Of Crowns & Thrones | Book I

Chapter 5 | Free Will Exists, Right?

Exiting the aging, hidden passageways that their servants used to move quickly through the palace, the girls arrived at the base of Princess Seraphina's wing. They silently ascended the porcelain marble stairs and were greeted by her guards.

Both guards pushed open the doors, unfazed by how Princess Seraphina had been dressed; they looked at her with short smiles. Both men knew she had been up to mischief again, especially with how Madison's stern features had presented.

"Bruce, Pierre, thank you both." Sera beamed her radiant smile at the guards, who then closed the doors behind her and Madison.

The enormous room blared with light, and Madison sat on her grey swivel chair, observing as Sera entered her closet.  She was searching for a new outfit for the upcoming dinner event that evening, hosted by her mother for a select group of elites from the inner circle.

Attendance was compulsory at this stage, or so she was told earlier that morning at breakfast.

Madison fidgeted with the hem of her beige dress, tapping her foot as she impatiently for Seraphina to return from her closet, where she could be heard singing.

Her rendition of a popular love song echoed throughout the room, making Madison's ears bleed with its off-key, out-of-tune performance. The once joyful ballad has now been transformed into a musical disaster that Madison wouldn't wish on her worst enemy.

"I'll need these as well, oh... shit... no... Mads, where are the Valentino shoes I love? You know, the ones with the laces and... never mind, found them! What are you doing behind my pumps, silly Valentinos... damn... Whhyyyyy is there a scratch? ...Ohhhh! That's right!"

Madison observed as Seraphina resumed her singing, pacing back and forth in the closet while collecting her clothes to pack for their trip to the planet Mein tomorrow. However, the singing was abruptly replaced by a burst of swearing, as clothes were being thrown around, shoes were being dropped and kicked, and Seraphina muttered something along the lines of the inability to find anything of what she needed.

"I need to go back to Dolce," Seraphina exclaimed, her annoyance palpable. "None of these clothes are any good. They're from last year's spring collection."

"Seraphina," Madison's voice rose over her own, echoing the room concerned.

"-I actually despise packing; who thinks it's a good idea," ignoring her cousin as she returned to choose a dress from the wardrobe.

"-Sera?"

"-you know, it would be easier just to pop back, grab what I need and keep going instead of packing. That is the one useful thing I've found with my powers. No travel time."

"-Christ almighty," Madison gave up with a groan at the woman who continued singing and ridiculously talking to herself.

If not fifteen minutes of her continued dreadful singing, Sera emerged with more dresses; and threw them on the bed for one of her handmaidens to pack for her that night, then returned to her wardrobe.

Frustrated with the repetitive task, Seraphina slowed down and began cursing louder, her irritation growing. This prompted Madison to stand up from where she was sitting and move to the bed to inspect the clothes that were laid out for packing. While Seraphina was still deciding on her clothes, Madison had discarded the ones she didn't like and thrown them onto a nearby chair to be rehung.

"Just think," Madison said, trying to plant a thought in Sera's mind. "Tomorrow at this time, you'll have already met with Zachariah and his father, Karon. What a perfect match the two of you will make."