The Royal Curse

Twenty Seven - Greenhouse Guavas

Valarya de Mertaire

The Entorrean tabloids, once again, made it to the island. Kace Holland constantly gave the media something to work with; whether it was Nicholyn not being the legitimate heir to the throne, King Lius's impromptue beheading, or his quick removal of Princess Senna from the grand Emerald City—Entorre City.

If conditions were normal, I would pity Princess Senna. After all, Kace kicking her out must've been a massive blow to her Kandosian ego. Conditions, however, were not normal. Her brother set fire and killed my sister.

She deserved every bit of humiliation Kace probably gave her. I'd pay to be a fly in the room.

The Entorrean tabloids did not only cover the latest Holland drama, but they've seemed to grow internationally. Because now I was staring at a particularly interesting headline, and I didn't know whether to tear the paper up or throw it at Dialynne, who sat in front of me on a limestone bench.

Thaeleck's Line of Succession Alters: Princess Diana Becomes the Crowned Princess Amidst Princess Valarya's Disappearance

"I suppose this means an alliance between us would be futile," Dialynne stated, crossing her legs. "Heartbreaking, really."

"They cannot just..." I reread the headline over and over, my face heating each pass I made. And it wasn't heating because of the nearby hot spring. "They couldn't possibly make her..." I placed the tabloid on my lap and let out a hot breath. The room was stuffy and meant to help people relax, yet my body only tensed as I uncontrollably glanced back to it.

"You left after your arranged marriage to Ilias. Or Prince Thresan. Whatever he is," Rysdan said as he paced back and forth, his boots splashing droplets of water in my direction. "And I bet they didn't like a fifth of the palace toppling because of it." In the hot spring pool behind him, it overflowed into a greater pool that some of Dialynne's women now sat in staring at us.

I shot them a glare. "Maybe they shouldn't have forced me." The marriage to Ilias. Thresan. Whoever he was--was a sham to begin with. Silence fell over the room. The women in the back corner of the room who had been using the hot spring water to paint now started whispering amongst themselves. "Can't you tell the people in here to get out, Dialynne? They're staring."

"It's not everyday the sheltered Princess of Thaeleck is in Valenciya," she mused, sending a gracious smile in the women's directions.

Rubbing my temples, I made a pointed look toward the double glass doors. Rysdan scrunched his brows, though I could hardly tell if it was because he noticed my hint or if his patience was being tested. Again. Gathering a fist-full of my linen dress that was now soaked in what Dialynne called "the first waters on this planet"—as if water wasn't mostly recycled, anyway—,I walked through the glass doors and into the greenhouse.

Before I could make sense of exactly where I was in this rather maximalist building, metal boomed from behind. I spun just in time to catch Rysdan, ironclad, barreling into the hot spring pool. How the hell—

Whatever.

Green bulbs protruded from the branch that I accidentally walked into. In a poor attempt to swat it away, I knocked the green ball-looking thing across my vision.

"Ouch."

"I'm so sorry!" Covering my mouth with a hand, I rushed over to woman I smacked the fruit into. In one hand she held the lemon-looking thing, the other an infant. She rhythmically bounced the infant against her chest to get him to calm his crying. "I didn't mean to hit you with that. I'm very lost."