Chapter 27: Forest Visitors
What could go wrong with an almost perfect plan, with everything settled, actors and actresses properly oriented, a horde of engrossed witnesses from different places, and the best acting skills that even the characters in this plotted façade could feel the tremor as I wept murderously like a jealous queen who doesn't want to share her king?
I even heard the unexpected bombing around the hall— an action to support how a queen who grew up with everything on a silver platter without sharing even the smallest portion of it couldn't accept her situation— sharing her husband.
Between the tears that expertly glided down my cheeks, with my curtains of hair partly hiding my expression, I couldn't help but grin in triumph because I knew that everything was moving according to my plan, now with my brother's answer. The bomb—it was Dastan who received and answered my message.
Everything was perfect, even with the veil in front of Tres's face and his shaking voice, I knew that he could feel it— my murderous intent. From the side of my eyes, I saw how Juniper took a step back, covering her face, horrified by the situation. But the most fascinating and irritating at the same time was how Kreios and the rest of the other Viardellons were looking abducted, conflicted, or let's say a little bit scared with pity in their eyes as they watched Tres getting trampled— forgetting the little script that they had to save the imposter king from the clutches of the savage queen.
If my twin was around, he'd be in the dark corner, shaking his head in disbelief yet his hands were slowly clapping, proud and happy that he could finally watch me breaking off the shell that I had tried to cover for hundreds of years.
This might be the biggest scandal I ever had as Harper Gazellian, now as a queen in her madness and jealousy, and I couldn't be happier.
I thought it would continue to go on smoothly, but the sudden shift of the situation was too unpredictable— not just for the audience but for myself as a new addition to this orchestrated drama had an unexpected appearance.
Livius... a friend I thought I would never see again, now with a declaration that turned me into real madness.
"I am one of Atlas' minions."
Saglit bumalik ang alaala ko simula nang magsimulang magmartsa si Juniper patungo kay Tres, at agad iyong bumalik habang nakatulala ako sa lalaking nasa harapan ko sa mga oras na ito.
Handa na sana akong makinig sa iba pang mga salitang magmumula sa kanya. I could give him hours to explain what happened to him during those years that I thought I gave him freedom, but the mere sound of that demon's name in his mouth felt like all the surging emotions I had during the past few months started exploding— that I couldn't see anything but blood.
Everything at first was confusion but now was total anger.
I was beside him, but it felt like time slowed as I turned my gaze toward him, my eyes widening, burning, and sharpening. I heard my knuckles crack as my nails grew harshly, like claws. My fangs bared, and my ears began ringing—searing with that thin, painful sound as if I had gone deaf.
I could kill him right at this moment as my chest began to tighten as if my heart could literally jump from my body— unable to contain all the emotions.
The sudden memories of us together, when we were kids, the laughter, the smile, our clasped hands as we ran together, his back in front of me, and the whole colors of Sartorias with my innocence and little adventures when I was a young princess with him, started to have that crack like playing images in the mirror—crawling, spreading until it shattered into tiny little pieces. Everything got blurry, and all I could see was Finn's cold body inside Zen's thick ice.
