The Elven King's Consort

Chapter 10: Something Left Behind

Maylyn rushed over to me in a fit of worry as I entered through the castle doors and grabbed my hands, squeezing them those dark eyes of hers cloudy with held-back tears.

"I can't believe that brute arrested you out of speculation!"

"Call down, Maylyn. You know he had to do this. Kaiden was his right-hand man and the general of all those a pointed under his majesty to protect the kingdom. And I was the last person with him. It's a shame, though, to die such a way and right before the engagement party."

"I'm so sorry, Nadalia. You must be torn to pieces with grief."

But I wasn't. I tried to search through my insides for any sort of feelings of sorrow, but there were none. Was something wrong with me? Pushing off my sister gently, I walked in the direction of my room, remaining silent while she raced behind me, trying not to fall behind.

"It's a mess in there, Nadalia," she said, raising and shaking her hands about and those dark eyebrows knitting together glaring.

I didn't respond only kept walking, rounding the corners and passing by curious eyes. It was only to be expected. Why would they search with ease and caution through someone's belongings when that person was a potential murderer? The way they stared at me as I left told me enough. I was now their enemy until the actual individual who killed off Kaiden was found and put to justice. But I didn't care what Demetri's people thought of or how they looked at me. I was accustomed to being treated in such ways and forced to remember forever, eyes filled not with pity but of hate. Being a half-blood, there were those, not many, who considered my sister and I unworthy of ruling this kingdom. Humans and vampires are a separate species. Therefore, they should remain that way in ALL aspects. But my mother and father were fated and bonded, breaking that long cycle of what one would have deemed ' normalcy' for all those centuries.

The maids and servants watched me in disdain. Did they suspect me, too? Well, it didn't matter. They couldn't do anything about whether I was the culprit or not. My authority and rule is absolute. I could have everyone fired and replaced within the hour if I wanted to. But I wouldn't act so harshly. The title of the reckless, hot-headed princess was like a scar across my back that burned and ich. A time when I took it out on anyone and everyone because I was deemed sickly and useless by rumors of those that really didn't matter but somehow found themselves sown into my heart so deeply it took YEARS to pluck out each of their forced stitch and decarding the decayed stinking remnants, finally moving on.

My room in the furthest wing came into view. The door was swung wide open with documents fluttering about the outside of the hallway leading a trail within. An annoyed grunt escaped my mouth subconsciously when I took in the devastation they had left my room in. The tables and chairs moved about. Some paint spilling over the side of the desk onto the carpeted floor, broken tools and glass, the bed carved and split open the size of a body, all my pillows emptied, forming an almost tempting mound of feathers ready to be jumped in snug in a corner, my vanity smeared with spilled powdered pink blush and oils I'd received on my birthday, and broken glass from the handheld mirror my mother gave me on the day of my coming of age ceremony.

My hands rested on my hips, and I shook my head, sighing away a breath I didn't realize I was holding from the built-up anger bubbling within the pit of my belly. Rubbing one of my temples, I took a step in, careful not to step on anything slippery or broken. The desk where I kept the documents was my first stop. Nothing was left behind on it except the spilled ink and quil I used to write with.

Maylyn walked around with her hands flying about her body, trying to balance herself while watching the ground, careful not to step on anything. I rolled my eyes at her dramatic pose.