Celeste's life is far from the enchanting fairy tale one might expect from a princess. Her father, a ruthless and self-absorbed king, leaves a trail of death and destruction in his wake. To seal alliances and maintain his power, he arranges for Cele...
In an unexpected movement, I release Diana's hair, causing her to fall to the ground and barely catch herself.
With my hands folded behind my back, I walk back to the desk and take a seat in the office chair where my mother once sat. I pick up the folder of papers, which Alisha had given me earlier, from the desk and open it.
'Are you coming or do I have to wait here all day?' I ask the kneeling woman on the floor, her hair completely disheveled, her eyes bloodshot from tears. Clumsily, she pushes herself up, stands straight, and walks toward me like a frightened deer.
As soon as the slightest sound behind the door becomes audible, I swing the door open and push Elien, Diana's husband, into the office.
At the sight of her husband, Diana's eyes light up, but as soon as she realizes who is entering behind him, she takes a step back.
'Thank the gods, you're okay. Are you okay?' Galen starts to ramble as soon as he sees his terrified wife standing there.
"Y-yes... do what they say... please." I don't even need to look away from my papers to know that Galen's face speaks confusion.
'Sit, now,' my voice echoes through the small office. The door closes again, and Elien, with slow steps, a bloodied knife clutched in his right hand, stands beside me.
The two compliant sheep sit as quickly as they can on the two chairs. Diana has her hands in her lap, trying to make herself as small as possible. Galen tries to appear braver than he ever was.
My eyes break away from the papers, straight into Galen's brown-green eyes.
'Where is the king?' The man looks at me, surprised.
'I don't know,' he confidently states.
He's not lying.
'How can the king disappear without the head of the Dawn knowing anything about it?' My pen taps on the stack of papers beside me as I continue to stare the man down.
'I didn't see him leave.'
He's lying.
'Nonsense, you're lying,' with those words, his right index finger twists and breaks in multiple places the next moment. With a loud groan of pain, he grabs his finger and looks at me in total disbelief. My gaze doesn't change, remaining neutral.
'I'm not going to repeat the question, so if I were you, I'd answer it honestly if you want to keep your hand,' my calm voice rings out.
Galen never liked me, just like the rest of the Dawn. Galen was never the worst, we ignored each other. But the look I get from the man now tells me I have a new enemy. Exactly what I wanted. Yet, horror and aggression aren't the only things I see. Surprise and pain have also marked his face. A surprise that I can be proud of.
'You're going to kill me anyway,' the man bites at me with the little courage he has left.
A smile forms on my lips as I look at the stack of papers and remove the top one.
'On the contrary. I'm about to make you the most powerful man in the country.' Both of them fall silent immediately and look at me as if they're seeing water burn. 'But to do that, I first need to know where my dear father is.'
Animals do nothing without reward, except out of fear. People are no different. Give them a reward after filling them with fear and they'll do anything you want.
'You're joking?' Galen asks incredulously. Slowly, I place the paper in front of him on the desk. The paper on which his name is listed as my regent. The paper that makes him king.
In total amazement, Galen and Diana stare at the paper, barely comprehending what they see.
'Why?' Diana asks breathlessly as she doesn't look up from the paper, absorbing the letters for the fourth time.
I lean back in the chair.
'First, information about my father.' Galen's eyes shoot up, flying from the paper to me, to Diana, and back to the paper.
'He left last night, he didn't give a reason. Even Franders wasn't aware of where he was going and how long he would be gone. Initially, we thought you were found and he was going to the dungeons, until they started emptying his office. We asked the guards who were doing it where they were going, but their tongues had been cut out. The guards we sent after them, we haven't seen them since. All I know is that they headed toward Livas with three wagons full of supplies and food, six horses, and without flags.'
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