To anyone who would have seen her, Levana was a vision of serenity
in her ethereal red wedding gown and the sheer gold veil that fell
to her wrists.
She sat on the settee in her guest quarters, posture perfect, her
hands folded in her lap.
Except they were not folded at all, but rather balled into angry fists.
Each one held a wedding band. One that she had worn for far too
many years, that she had once believed would bring her love and
happiness, but had only ever brought her pain.
The other was supposed to bring her, not the love of a blind,
selfish husband, but the love of an entire planet.
She should have been wearing it now.
Everything had been going so well.
She had been moments away from walking down that aisle.
Moments away.
She should have been married.
She should have been reciting the vows that would make
her empress.
When she found out who was responsible for this delay,
she would torment their fragile mind until they were a
drooling pathetic idiot, terrified of the sight
of their own hands.
A knock cut through the fantasy.
Levana shifted her eyes toward the door.
"Enter."
One of her guards entered first, escorting Konn Torin, the
young emperor's annoying, perpetually present adviser.
She glared at him through her gold veil, though she knew
he couldn't see it.
"Your Illustrious Majesty," he said, bowing deeply.
The addition of a new adjective combine with the bow
slightly lower than usual made the hair prickle on the
back of her neck.
"I must apologize most severely for the delay, and for the
news I have to impact to you.
We have been forced, I'm afraid, to postpone the marriage
ceremony."
"I do beg your pardon."
He straightened but kept his gaze respectfully on the floor.
"His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Kaito, has been kidnapped.
He was taken from his personal quarters and smuggled onto
an untraceable spaceship."
Her fingers curled around the wedding bands.
"By whom?"
"Linh Cinder, Your Majesty.
The cyborg fugitive from the ball Along with multiple
YOU ARE READING
Cress
Teen FictionTheir best hope lies with Cress, a girl trapped on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she's being force to work for Queen Levana, and she...
