Princess of Life and Blood

Selene

My bed chamber looked out on the city. My sister and brother had both chosen rooms that had beautiful views of lush, rolling hills and gardens but I had wanted to be able to wake up and see my people. I liked seeing the town square filled with people and the children playing on the outskirts of town.

My brother teased me that I was the true heir, my sister said I was just creepy.

This fixation with the people stemmed from my innate sensitivity. I couldn't eat meat because I felt too guilty, I couldn't ignore a snide remark from a snake-eyed noble, I couldn't bear to be judged.

At an early age, I had been faced with the harsh reality. I would always be judged, someone would always make an obnoxious comment, an animal would always die. So I learned to deal with it. I had layered herself with defenses, built a fortress around my weak heart. I refused to let anything break through the stone walls that protected me from the rest of the world.

I liked to start my day in the solitude of the morning room. I woke up early so I could soak up the sun's rays without company.

But one morning, I walked in to find my mother seated in the big armchair in the center of the room.

"Lena, come here, my sweet." Empress Liora called. I approached my mother,

surprised to see her still home.

"Good morning, Mother." I kissed her cheek. "I didn't expect to see you today."

"I've had a terrible migraine so I decided to stay behind. Your father is going with Lord Kallux to Ostera. I will admit, it was going to be a terribly uneventful trip so I do not mind staying back much." Liora was not a sickly woman, yet she always seemed to fall ill before a trip to Ostera. I suspected it was due to her former dalliance with the Duke of Ostera.

"Then you can go to Cassia's concert! Oh, she will be so happy!" My sister had been extremely disappointed when she had found out that her performance at the Royal Conservatory overlapped with our parent's trip to Ostera, even with me and our older brother, Julian, there to cheer her on.

"That is wonderful! Go tell your sister, I'll finish up here." Liora gestured at her half-finished embroidery.

I didn't wait another minute, I walked as fast as I could while still appearing elegant and graceful until I was out of sight of my mother. Then, I sprinted out to the gazebo where I knew I'd find my sister rehearsing. The powerful notes of the cello confirmed it.

Cassia was my twin sister but we couldn't be more different. Cassia was focused and reserved while I was easily distracted and charming. We even looked different, I was fair with golden blonde hair, porcelain skin, and purple eyes while Cass had jet black hair, hazel eyes and olive skin. Both of us had delicate features that we inherited from our mother but Cass was tall, like our father and Julian, our brother.

Few people knew of my purple eyes. Mother had me wear blue contacts for as long as I could remember.

Somehow, Cass and I were the best of friends. I often said that we completed each other, like yin and yang. Cass said that she was stuck with me and she'd accepted that fact a long time ago.

"Cass, Mother is staying behind to see you play!" I exclaimed, editing my mother's reason for staying a tiny bit. It would make my sister so happy to think that our mother didn't attend an important diplomatic meeting just to see her perform.

"Don't tease me, Selene." Cassia barely glanced up from the sheet music. She was playing a complicated piece by Maximillion Crepin, Bellona's most famous composer.