What She Did

Chapter Ten

^For the awesome cover!

She never wanted to leave the warmth of his strong arms. Her insecurity seemed to diffuse into the air, leaving behind an incandescent confidence.

She opened her eyes slowly, hesitant to speak. She drew back, looking him straight into the eye pleadingly. 

"No one is to know of this. I'm Sheila and I can't back out now," She choked. "Until this kingdom falls I'll never be satisfied."

Skiel opened his mouth. Shae clapped a hand over it.

"Don't say a thing. Don't make me change my mind. Be happy, don't keep hating." She gave a watery smile. "You don't know what the Chryso did."

"Close your eyes." Shae continued. "Don't open them."

Skiel felt Shae's breath near his ear.

"We all know that Chryso was the elder of the two twins," Shae whispered softly. "But not all know that Coleka was a year elder."

Skiel's eyes flew open.

"Do you understand now?" Tears were streaming down Shae's face. "Keep it a secret."

He saw her figure dashing across the grassy lawn, seemingly small and insignificant.

She pushed the mask on forcefully, tears free falling. They slid down her face and the wind pushed it off her chin, landing softly sideways onto the grass as she turned round the corner of the rose bushes.

She bumped into someone. 

Her eyes shot up at the person. 

Coleka.

"Take off your mask, you b*tch." Coleka's eyes flared ferociously, possibly in a bid to hide the red tinge.

"Did you hear what I say?!" 

She raised her hand, swiftly slapping the mask out of place to reveal the mystery behind it.

"You're not dead."

"You don't say." Sheila adjusted the mask back to its proper positioning. She forced her numb legs to advance forward; away from Coleka.

She didn't follow. She just kept looking at her from the distance.

*

"Because of Sheila, the King can get more rest." The Chryso Queen smiled at Sheila approvingly at the dining table. Coleka, and this other prince called Everett had already finished their meal.

Sheila acknowledged her praise by giving a dazzling smile. Her insides were twisting with guilt. Secretly, given the authority, she had moved defences, resources and supplies to her own Kingdom the past couple weeks. Hidden in the layers of her gown, was one of the accounts. She desperately needed it covered up by nightfall.

She had done and covered up everything to near-perfection. She used to do the accounts for King Xeno, and could point out mistakes with ease. Now that she had a hand in covering up, she found out that she wasn't too bad.

"So, when will your public marriage be held?" The Queen said brightly.

Sheila resisted the urge to look down.

She had been using many reasons to avoid Lukas, who was recently hanging around her like a lost pathetic puppy of a prince.

Great. She would call him PPP for now.

A butler walked up towards them and bent ninety degrees. 

"The King and Queen, there is an important guest who requests your honour to grace them with your presences."

They looked at each other before getting out of their seats. 

"Hey, Lukas. Am I Sheila or Sadie to you?" Sheila finally plucked up enough courage to ask the question that had been bothering her for a long, long time. She took a sip of warm milk.

"I know you're not Sadie." Lukas disclosed to her after a pause, joining her at the balcony. "She was my childhood friend, and I loved her."

The milk in her mouth seemed to curdle.

"But what's more important than her is you." Lukas turned her and said straight to her face. "Remember that I'm not loving you as a fragment of the past, but you as you are now."

His words woke her stirring conscience.

She didn't know why. Guilt? Shame? Was she touched? She just hugged him. 

"Crown Prince Lukas, they request your presence as well."  The butler entered the dining hall again.  Sheila watched his back as he walked out of the door, rather eagerly. Looking down, she strained her ears for the sound of the door closing.

Bam.

She whipped out the accounting book. And a quill with a little capsule of ink.

"Gowns have amazing hiding capacity." She thought to herself.

A shadow- no, two, fell on the pages of the book.