The Ice Queen of Lessaenes (Book 5)

A Visitor

Saralee's age: 15

Keilee's age: 18

Airel's age: 13

Armetorius's age: 20

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"Tomorrow's the big day, huh?" Armetorius chuckled, walking up to me as I stood on the balcony, watching people scurry around the city like ants.

"What? Keilee's coronation?" I snorted. "She's lucky I deigned to accept the invitation."

"Hey, hey," Armetorius put his hand on my shoulder. "I know how badly you want to be Queen, but there's nothing you can do about it. Think about how lucky you are to be a princess!"

"I don't want to be Queen! Well, I do, but mainly, I just don't want Keilee to be Queen! We are at war, and I know she's going to make us lose! All she cares about is parties and clothes!"

Note from Queen Saralee: Come on, me, stop whining and think!

"Come on, how can you be so sure of that?" Armetorius shrugged. "I've known you guys since we were little kids. Princess Keilee may be a bit...self-absorbed, but she has good intentions."

"Good intentions for what?" I spat. "Her hair?"

"This dress is still way too big!" I heard my sister screech from the room next door. "There is no way I'm wearing this baggy thing in front of Fenorel Soren!"

"But Your Highness, it's 1000 duvats worth of Sevuran Silk, imported from Kilaenas! The fitting of the dress was another 500 duvats, and the accessories are 250! Would you really throw away 1750 duvats for this?" Came a maid's cry of protest.

"I'll spend as many duvats as I want, thank you! It's my money, not yours, so why do you even care?" Keilee sneered.

I care because those are 1750 duvats that could be put to good use. Like, for example, the war effort! Keilee didn't care about Lessaenes at all! Here she was in the middle of a war wasting money on stupid dresses! My Aura began to act up, sensing my rage. 

I didn't have to take suppressants anymore because the doctors had deemed me "old enough to control my Aural impulses," but sometimes it felt good to let my emotions out in the form of Aura. 

"I'll be back," I quickly told Armetorius, before dashing off, following the sound of Keilee's voice.

"Now this is what I'm talking about!" She squealed as I entered the spacious dressing room. She was holding a pale green gown with dashes of pink. "It's gorgeous! I'm going to go try it on! Oh, hey, Sara," she waved when she noticed me at the door.

"Maral here finally got me a dress worthy of the soon to be Queen of Lessaenes," Keilee explained.

"Don't you think that's a bit too extravagant? Don't you want to save the best dress for your coronation?" I raised an eyebrow. 

"There's no such thing as too extravagant for a queen, and my coronation dress is going to be even better!"

I rolled my eyes as she picked disgustedly at the fabric of the red dress she was already wearing. 

"This old thing is not to my taste," she gestured to the red dress. "You can have it if you want. Fenorel Soren's visiting from Rhena today, all the girls in Glaisse are going to look their best!" She winked as she happily waltzed out the door to change into her gorgeous new dress.

"Oh, and," she said over her shoulder. "Fenorel has a little sister, Dolores, so she can be Chief Soren when he's King. So the Sorens will still have an heir, that won't be a problem," Keilee winked.

"Um...how can you already be planning that far ahead?" I hissed. "You've only met him, like twice."

"Look at this," she gestured to her face. "Could any guy reject this?"

"No, they couldn't" I shrugged. "What can I say? Guys these days seem to like beautiful idiots."

"You...ugh!"

I looked at her discarded red dress questioningly when she roughly slid it under the door. The silk was smooth and lovely, and I really liked the sequined neckline, but I didn't want to wear something my sister had thrown away. Especially something she had purposefully wrinkled. 

Even though she was going to be Queen, I was much smarter and more mature than her, and I wasn't about to let her forget that. I was going to get my own dress, and it was going to be so much better.

Not that I cared about Fenorel Soren, the most famous and admired guy in the Lessaenite Empire, seeing me in it.

No, I didn't care about that at all.

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The picture on this chapter is Keilee's dress!