Everlasting Series: Princess and the Vampire (GxG)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Elliana

The minute that I had entered the room, the room fell into hushed silence. The council members were all already seated. Sebastian sent me a chilling smirk from one end of the long table as I took my seat at the other end. General Issac cleared his throat after a moment of silence. "Now that we are all present, prince and princess, please begin."

Sebastian stood up and looked around the room with a deceitful and fake smile. "As everyone is aware, my father's reign is nearing its end and by the next summer, the next leader will ascend to the throne."

"Which would be me." I spoke in a hardened tone.

Sebastian bowed his head at me slightly. "As my sister has kindly reminded us, she currently holds the position of heir apparent." He uttered in a tone that matched my own. "While I have the utmost respect for my father, I must question his decision on the matter at hand. Although I know that the final decision lies with him, I hope that through sincerely demonstrating my intentions, I may gain the support of the council and persuade my father to reconsider the matter."

I stood up as well. "And why is it that you question father's decision?"

Sebastian smirked coldly at me. "Well, my dear sister, as much as I greatly admire your persistence and talents, I cannot allow my love for you to cloud my opinion on the matter."

I sneered. "Your love for me? Is that why you attempted to kill me a millennia ago and threaten me at every chance?"

Quiet whispers filled the room. Sebastian was only taken aback for a minute before the smile returned to his face. He lowered his head slightly, as if he could feel shame for his actions. "You are correct in that I have done you wrong, sister, but I was also under the impression that I would be forgiven after I served my punishment, as mother had explained to you that I had been magically influenced by a daemon."

"You're a liar." I hissed. "You were by no means under any influence when you kidnapped me, nor when you tortured me in Daemonia."

Whispers filled the room again. "I understand now that you are still upset with me, sister. I was foolish to believe that you had forgiven your big brother. Pardon my words, but how would you have been able to be certain that I was not under any influence? You were merely six at the time." Sebastian pointed out, making me grit my teeth in annoyance.

"You seem to forget that I had gained my powers already. I could tell." The room went silent at my words and several council members shared looks of doubt, whether at Sebastian or I, I wouldn't know.

Sebastian waves this off as if it were an irritable fly. "Freak occurrence. Caelestis royals do not gain their powers until they are twelve. You were stressed and in shock. In addition to triggering the onset of your magic, it would likely cloud your judgment as well."

"You-"

General Albert stood up. "I apologize for the interruption, your highnesses, but now that we have heard from both sides regarding the event of the kidnapping, we will take that into consideration. There is no need to escalate the situation. Please allow the meeting to commence and discuss other matters."

"Yes, what can you both offer to Cael?" General Kendrick spoke.

I was the first to break the glare between Sebastian and I and sat back down. Sebastian mirrored my actions.

Before I could speak, Sebastian once again interrupted me. "If my sister ascends to the throne, she will be the first female in a line of rulers that have been only men."

I narrowed my eyes as he said the one thing that I had been expecting. "It is exactly for this reason that I will exceed your expectations. A female has never been given the opportunity to rule, not because there is evidence that she is incompetent, but because of tradition. I have demonstrated my abilities in training and I will continue to demonstrate my abilities in my reign."