The True Queen- Book Two

Excerpt from Chapter Three - New Version ( Read for Free)

Chapter Three became available to read for free today. Here is a small excerpt from that chapter for you to enjoy! To read more, head over to my Patreon!!

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"What do we do now?" Shae finally asked. Fallon and Illyana shared a look. They'd known since they were nine and ten that they would not survive the Queen's Trial. They were going to give their lives in place of one of their sisters living. But now, after what Kristoff had promised and what he was capable of, they weren't so sure.

"I'll kill him," Fallon whispered. Rayana sat up quickly, and Cordelia gasped.

"You can't do that," Illyana said.

"Why can't I?" Fallon asked, her eyes hardening. "I don't care if I get tortured and executed. At least Em gets put in his place, and one of us gets to live a long and peaceful life with a man who respects us. He'll be gone, and you'll be safe."

"No," Illyana said. "If you murder Vivelle's golden boy, it will only fuel the idea of Dulavelle women's madness."

"Does that even matter anymore?" Fallon asked. "Is that our problem? All but one of us will be dead anyway."

"Yes, it matters," Rayana replied with a sharp hiss. "It's been 300 years since Orianna. The people have forgotten; they're just holding onto tradition and entertainment. If you murder their future king, it will serve as a reminder, and it will reinforce the idea that they are right to have the Queen's Trials."

"What if we made it an accident? Shae and her potions..."

"It's not worth the risk," Illyana replied. "And no one would believe it is an accident. Especially since everyone knows how talented Shae is with poisons and potions. She will be suspected immediately."

Fallon growled in frustration.

"He wants Illyana," Cordelia said. "Let's not pretend we don't know what this means."

"What does it mean?" Shae asked, her voice distant as she fiddled with her dark blonde hair.

Cordelia stood up and began pacing. "Kristoff has been obsessed with Illyana since the moment he laid eyes on her."

Illyana's face pulled into a look of disgust, and Fallon retched, making Shae laugh.

"If he doesn't get her and gets one of us instead, he will make our lives miserable and probably kill us the moment he gets a son or two anyway." Cordelia's dark green eyes fell on Illyana's, and she couldn't read the emotion behind them.

"Kristoff loves you. This kingdom loves you. There isn't anything that you're not good at." Her tone spiked with hints of frustration and jealousy. Illyana looked down, ashamed.

"She's the firstborn, and the god blessed. None of us ever stood a chance. Illyana is going to win the trial, and we'll be sacrificed or put into hibernation..."

They all shudder at that thought. Though all the princesses who don't win get sacrificed, or more accurately, executed for the crimes of the Mad Queen, the princess who comes second gets put into a drug and magic-induced coma. She's the backup plan. Only to be woken if the winning queen either can't have children or dies before she can have them. Of course, if the queen does have healthy children, the back-up princess is then executed, like the others were.

"We're going to die," Cordelia whispered.