Crown Of Chaos

Chapter 21

DECLAN'S POV
I roll my stiff neck before rising from my chair.
Running a kingdom is not easy, and to be honest, it can be challenging too.
There was so much paperwork, so much signing, and so many meetings with my advisors and members of the court that I didn't really have time for myself.
Life seemed even more busy, especially with the bride selection coming up.
There will be about 10 candidates, and I needed to make sure they all had a room and were comfortable during their stay.
I sigh at the thought of it all.
Do I want a wife?
No.
But Madoc insisted I needed one.
I stride down the hallway, acknowledging the hardworking goblins who nodded their heads at me.
I couldn't help but notice how peaceful they looked.
After I crowned myself King, all the servants of the Valorian palace seemed a bit jittery and nervous as they worked.
They acted as if those strange masked men would ambush our palace again.
But after seeing what I was capable of, they slowly relaxed and let down their guard.
Till this day, I haven't been able to identify those men. Were they rebels? Were they from another kingdom? I did not know. And I'm annoyed that I don't know.
But I was relieved that they've left us alone.
I walked down the stairs before finding the room I was looking for.
The secret room which was hidden in the throne room's walls.
I smile slightly as I feel my way around the wall. Searching for the smooth "bricks."
Once I find it, I push it open and step inside.
When father was king, he never cared to decorate this room.
So I did it myself.
I made this room my own private study, a place where I needed to sort out my thoughts or simply just get away from everyone.
I pulled a matchbox out of my pocket and lit up a couple of candles.
There isn't really a point in doing that because my powers gave me the ability to see in the dark, but Orden always scolds me for sitting in a dark room.
He calls me a miserable bat, and I really don't feel like being called that today.
Orden may be a very old man, but he is very intelligent.
He has the power to blink, which means he can teleport anywhere at anytime.
He is my most trusted advisor and is my right hand.
After the riot, he looked after me. Trained me. Taught me how to run a kingdom.
He has always been there for me, and to be honest, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him.
If he hadn't urged me to put on that crown 7 years ago, Valoria would have never existed.
I grab a wine from the cupboard and sit down on the sofa with it.
I plan to drink all my thoughts away.
Thoughts of the bride selection, thoughts of my deceased parents, thoughts of running the kingdom.
I take a swig out of the bottle. The wine tasted sweet and strong on my tongue.
I then repeat the same words my father used to say when he was in his downs.
"Drink first, worry later."
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RUBY'S POV
"Don't worry about me, mother; I'll be fine." I sigh as my stepmother cups my face in her hands and kisses me gently on the cheek.
"You be careful while traveling, ok?"
I force a smile and nod.
I loved my stepmother, but she has never really cared for me or my well-being.
Every time Edward puts me through something hard, she always turns a blind eye to it and ignores my feelings. She has never been there for me.
It was always so strange for me to see her act like this.
"Oh! And don't forget what I taught you. Always-"
"Curtsy before his highness and smile. I know mother." I interrupt.
The woman just smiled at me as she took a step back to admire my dress, which she made for me personally.
"Now give me a quick twirl. I want to see how beautiful my daughter looks before she travels to another country." She grins.
I huff before twirling around for her.
The dress she made was beautiful; it was a deep royal blue covered with pretty lace patterns and pearls. The skirt of the dress stretched out around my waist. It was more of a ball gown rather than just a simple dress.
Moppy did my hair this morning. She pulled my black hair into an elegant bun at the nape of my neck and decorated it with a matching blue flower.
On the top of my head was my small golden tiara, which represented my royal status.
I have only worn this tiara once since it was so uncomfortable to wear.
"My daughter looks splendid. Just splendid!" She exclaimed as she clapped her hands together in delight.
I smile in return. I didn't really know what to say.
"Wait here, ok? Let me go get your father."
I swallow. "Sure."
I watch as my stepmother hurried away and exists in my room before I collapse onto the side of my bed.
I felt sorry for her. She thinks I'm going out to go and get married, but in reality, I'm going out to yet again to shed blood for her husband's sake.
I sigh.
The dress felt itchy on my skin, and I wanted nothing more than to rip it off me.
The corset that Stepmother tied, on felt far too tight, and it was a struggle to breathe.
Suddenly the door burst open, and Moppy rushed in.
She gasped once she saw me; her hand flew to her heart as if it were melting.
"Ruby, you look beautiful." She said as she walked up to me and gave me a tight embrace.
Moppy was the only one who referred to me by my real name. And I loved it when she said it. It was like a hidden reminder of who I really was; it felt comforting in some way.
"Thank you, Moppy." I reply.
Moppy then suddenly reached into her apron pocket.
"I brought something for you." She said as she pulled out a lovely necklace and held it out for me to take.
I gasped as I took it from her soft green hands.
The necklace was beautiful. It's golden chain was thin and seemed to sparkle in my palm. The deep emerald green pendant was shaped in a small oval, covered in what looked like golden vines.
"Moppy, I love it," I breathed out as I held it to my chest.
"Can you help me out it on?"
Moppy grins, "Sure, honey."
She then takes the necklace from my hands and clasps it on.
"Have a look," she says as she gestures for me to look in the mirror.
I walked towards it and smiled at my reflection.
It was so pretty, and it didn't seem to clash with my blue dress at all.
Instead, it completed the entire look.
"It looks perfect on you." Moppy grins
I turn to face her. "I'll miss you so much, Moppy." I say.
My voice was shaking, and my eyes were threatening to shed tears.
Moppy pulls me in for another hug. "I'll miss you too."
She then grabs my shoulder and pulls me away from her "whatever you do. Stay alive, ok?"
I nod. "I promise I'll come back soon."
Our special moment is then interrupted when both Edward and stepmother walk in. Their arms linked in a loving way.
Moppy excuses herself before throwing me one more glance and shuffling out towards the door.
"You look stunning, Eloise." Edward says as he unlinks his arm from stepmother and stands before me.
He looked fresh today, more enthusiastic as usual.
He has a stupid smile on his face, and I know he's acting like this for the show.
He tries his best to make it look like we have a good relationship in front of his wife, but both he and I knew that it was the complete opposite.
I plaster a fake smile on my face. "Thanks."
He then turns to stepmother. "If you'll excuse us for a bit, my dear, I would like to have some quality time before our girl is shipped away."
I almost scoff at his choice of words.
Quality time?
He's very creative.
Stepmother nods cluelessly before heading out.
I shuffle my feet nervously as the door slams shut behind her trapping me and this monster in my room alone.
"Where's your knife?" He asks suddenly.
I walk over to the side of my bed and pull the weapon out from underneath a pillow.
"Here."
I hold the knife in my hand. The hilt is so familiar in my palm.
I stiffen when Edward suddenly reaches for my arm, which was holding the blade.
"On the wedding night." He starts as he moves to stand behind me. His chest almost pressing into my back and his arm hovering over the top of mine.
His fingers then calloused my wrist as he angled the tip of the blade straight.
"Make sure you get him in his heart." He imitated as he suddenly flicked my wrist upwards, making the knife stand up straight in my hand.
"That's the first step to this mission after all." He almost whispered.
I swallow. I feel so disgusted by this man that I might puke.
Edward slowly lets go of my arm before standing in front of me again.
"Do you understand?"
I nod. My hand is slightly shaking as I continue to hold the knife upwards.
"Understood."
A grin then spreads across his face.
"Good."
And that was all he said before he spun on his heels and walked out towards the door.
"Oh, and remember. Your mother's life and your fight, you so dearly want, depend on your performance."
He opens the door.
"Play well."
It then slams shut.