𝐖𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 ➵ 𝓙𝓪𝓬𝓪𝓮𝓻𝔂𝓼 𝓥𝓮𝓵𝓪𝓻𝔂𝓸𝓷

𝟑 | 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬

The rest of the evening, Saera and Jace did not speak to one another. Aemond would occasionally ask his betrothed a question which she would answer as concisely as possible, trying to hide her annoyance and irritation by forcing a smile onto her beautiful face. Jace, however, could not bring himself to conceal his distain, wearing it on his face incredibly obviously. Saera noticed the handsome boy's dark expression, his jaw clenched as he picked at his food all but uninterested. His bad attitude satisfied her, letting her know how well she could get under his skin.

"Jacaerys, stop glaring at your food and eat it," Saera heard Daemon say, making her smirk. Jace sighed at his step-father's words and began to force himself to eat, the angry expression still on his face.

"Could you snap out of it?" Luke asked Jace who ignored his little brother and everyone until it was time to leave the hall.

As soon as everyone began to retire, Jace roughly pushed himself out of his seat and was ready to storm out and back to his chambers, but his mother calling his name stopped him in his tracks. He turned around and saw Rhaenyra approaching him, an unimpressed look on her face. She stopped in front of Jace, her eyes noticing his tense shoulders and sharpened features.

"Lady Saera!" Rhaenyra then kindly called on the white-haired girl who was about to be escorted by Aemond to her chambers. Saera looked over, first looking at Jace and then his mother. Jace looked at Rhaenyra with wide eyes, unsure of what his mother was doing. "Could you come here for a second, darling?" Saera heard Rhaenyra's words, pulling her hand softly from Aemond's and approaching both Rhaenyra and Jace, a remarkably innocent expression on her beautiful face now. Her arrogant smile and cocky attitude were neatly tucked away now, hidden so well that you would never suspect they existed.

"Princess Rhaenyra," Saera nodded gracefully at Rhaenyra, bowing her head in respect. Jace was both in awe and horrified by how well the petite girl hid her true nature.

Rhaenyra had remembered Saera's mother vaguely, having met Aeyla a few times on visits she had taken from the Vale to the capital while pregnant with Saera's younger sister, the beauty only around a decade older than Rhaenyra herself at the time. Daemon had told Rhaenyra stories of his little sister, recalling fond memories of their youth, the two closer in age than Daemon and Viserys who had been much older than his two siblings. Aeyla Targaryen had a kind heart and a gentle soul.

"Jacaerys, I would like you to apologise to Saera for cutting her cheek and behaving in a manner that I would consider unbefitting of a boy with your name and your title," Rhaenyra said to Jace, who felt his blood boil in his veins. As Rhaenyra looked at Jace expectantly, Jace watched an amused grin snake its' way onto Saera's face.

"Mother, but she-" Jace tried to protest but Rhaenyra held her hand up, signalling for Jace to stop talking which he reluctantly did, clenching his jaw and trying to resist the urge to roll his eyes at what Rhaenyra had asked of him. When Rhaenyra turned to look back at Saera, the girl instantly dropped her satisfied smirk and replaced it with a sweet expectant smile. Jace glared at Saera, making a move towards her. He could see the girl trying to hide how entertained she was by his mother forcing him to apologise.

"I am sorry for cutting you today, Lady Saera. I also apologise if I have treated you in any way that could be perceived as disrespect." Jace forced out the apology, his muscles tense as he pushed the words out as best he could. He didn't mean any of them. He continued to glare at her coldly.

"Accidents happen all the time when training, my prince. The fault is not yours." Saera responded to Jace, blinking up at him with her large blue eyes. He felt the rage continue to bubble and grow inside him. She was just so irritating, and now she was getting her way once again.