Words and Worlds Apart: Lamb of Serpents

Chapter 14-Secrets Over Tea -

If Luke hated one thing, it would be listening to royal drama. "She did this" and "He did that" and "She looked at me weird!" ugh. It made him want to rip out his ears. Luke was glad he didn't have any siblings. Luke was an only child, the sole heir to the Asterian throne. His mother had passed in childbirth, and growing up he had little friends. The classic stereotype. Yet here he was, somehow sitting in the garden, drinking tea with the princess of Draconia. "...Lucas Asteria, yes?" Valeria spoke calmly as if talking about the weather or news with a random small sip of tea every now and then. "Yes, that's me.' Luke tried to smile, it looked like he was being held hostage while being painted. "I apologize for my father's actions the other day, he gets in quite the mood." Valeria sighed. Yesterday, Lucas had mentioned the prince, but it had ended with the emperor shifting into his true form. It wasn't pretty."It's fine, your highness...I shouldn't have confronted him anyways-" Lucas started before Valeria cut him off "No. You were right for challenging him, especially in regards to my brother." Lucas paused. "...excuse me?" Lucas tilted his head slightly in confusion. "I will tell you about my brother. Tell you the things that need to be said, and heard." Valeria nodded, her eyes filled with a cold determination. It was a tempting offer, to learn about that annoying dragon from his own blood. To find out what Nico would never say, even if it felt wrong. But what if Valeria was using him? What if everything she said was a lie to cover the truth Lucas was desperate to reveal? Valeria was strange, quiet, and calm, yet her eyes were much deeper, her stature was practiced and calculated. Like a snake preparing to strike. Lucas took the chance.

"Please do." Lucas finally responded, his awkward demeanor slowly fading, his eyes narrowing. He was determined to reveal the 'curse', to see if the prophecy was real. He wanted to learn everything he could about the black-haired dragon shifter. The corners of Valeria's lips started to twitch up in a satisfied, eager smile. "Very well." she took a deep breath. "It all started at the dawn of our existence when you humans were mere apes. All dragons have some sort of power more on the supernatural side, but back then, all dragons had powers beyond understanding. Nothing we have now comes close to what our race had back then." Valeria took another sip. Lucas took that as a chance to get some words in "I'm sorry, Your Highness, I...uh, am kind of behind on all of this- dragonshifters have powers?" Lucas sputtered, Valeria gave him a tiny, amused smirk. "You poor thing, did you, the Prince of Asteria, really come to a neighboring kingdom with not a clue as to their abilities?" Lucas' face flushed with embarrassment "I mean, I-" Regardless of Valeria's cold gaze and suspicious aura, she was quite beautiful, far more than any human woman Lucas had ever met. Perhaps even more than his own mother (for which he is very sorry to admit). "It's fine. I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. Of course, you wouldn't know much about a race that's been considered fiction for centuries now." A mysterious, almost excited look flashed in Valeria's eyes like a fox cornering a rabbit. "It's a shame, I was looking forward to finding someone...

                                            "Who loves the study of the flesh as much as I do."

"Spooky"- Spoon