She was to look for a husband. Instead, she found a King.
-♞-
Princess Mikayla is the only heir in Aurelian who had survived the War of the Four Kingdoms.
After her family was brutally murdered by the other creatures in the realm in the struggle fo...
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chapter sixteen
THE MORNINGS AFTER MY ARRIVAL, Christian would me to my own devices whilst he attended a series of meetings with his advisors.
He'd then travel out to nearby towns and listen to the grievances of his people. That usually took almost all day.
I admired his involvement in his kingdom; maybe because I wasn't in mine as much as I wanted. With my nobles keeping me hidden and shielded, I barely could meet, let alone listen, to my people. I wanted to change that.
But first, I needed to control my magic.
Thankfully, my visit to Crescent was helping as I hadn't had a freak attack... yet. One could only hope it would stay like that forever but, with my luck, I knew that wouldn't be the case.
On the third day, when I woke up, Genevieve helped me bathe and dress before taking me to the dining room where a banquet of food was set. It was lonely having breakfast alone, so after a couple of bites I decided to look for Jasper or Cayden.
Genevieve insisted on keeping me company, but I wanted to explore the castle whilst I was free. Eventually, she let me go and I disappeared down the corridors, allowing myself to get lost in the beauty of the architecture with no destination in mind.
A kaleidoscope of colors spilled into the foyers as the sunlight broke past the stained glass windows. Beyond them were fields of white sheets and trees as far as the eye could see. The ceilings were so high and the walls were a cool stoned grey.
Hanging chandeliers lit my path as I disappeared further into the west wing. Christian didn't tell me what was down here but I suspected he didn't want me to look.
My curiosity would be the death of me, I suppose.
Unlike the main section of the castle, the west wing was much colder as if life hadn't touched it for many months. Not a soul in sight or a whisper breathed. It was eerily yet peacefully quiet.
There weren't many rooms and the ones I passed were entirely empty. Not a single piece of furniture to reduce the desolate space. I frowned, closing the fifth door I had opened, and continued down the hallway.
Eventually, as I turned the corner, I saw an arched door that ended my path.
I stopped, wondering whether I should pursue it, wondering whether I should turn away. Then, my magic tingled with excitement and my fingertips glowed.
Something past those doors made my magic switch on. I glanced behind me, checking that I wasn't followed or seen before I reached for the door.
I expected more resistance as I turned the handle, but a click suggested that it wasn't locked. It opened with a soft creak and I peered through the cracks, inspecting the room for any sign of life.
