The Shattered Crown (A Caraval Fanfic)

A Worried Sister

Just then, Tella heard a knock on the door. She quickly crammed the paper into her shoe and scrambled to open the door. Scarlett stormed in.

"Tella, what is this?" she questioned. Scarlett wore an irritated expression and held a Prince of Hearts cars in one hand. Tella then vaguely remembered knocking on her sister's door earlier and barging in when there was no answer. She didn't remember holding the card, though.

"Tella, what are you doing with Jacks?" Scarlett asked with a mix of concern and exasperation.

"Nothing, Scar, one of the maids must have left it there," Tella said with an equal amount of annoyance.

At this, Scarlett calmed. "Okay, just be careful," she said before leaving the room.

Tella knew that somehow it was her who had put the card in her sister's room. She just wished Jacks had never complicated anything with the letter and she could live a blissful life with Legend. But Jacks didn't work that way.

Tella sat in her room for an hour, sulking. Scarlett came in to check on her every 15 minutes. That wasn't what bothered her. What bothered her was that she had ever thought about seeing Jacks. Tella couldn't.

Or at least, she shouldn't.

Her sister came back in, pulling her from her thoughts. "Are you ready?" she asked, her voice gentle.

"Ready for what?" Tella huffed.

"The dinner before our wedding. You, me, Legend, and Julian. Remember?"

Of course Tella remembered, although she was hoping to forget. More sophistication and properness and blah, blah, blah. She instantly regretted thinking that and felt a surge of guilt.

  Tella quickly threw on a dress - the gorgeous yellow one Legend had given her - and walked to the royal dining room, where servants were waiting, holding platters of delicious-looking food.

  She sat down next to Legend and smiled.  See, this is what life was about.  She loved Legend and she loved Scarlett.  Tella tried to stop thinking about the letter.  Maybe it had nothing to do with her.  Maybe he wanted to tell her he found his new true love.

  But that would never happen, and she knew it.  There was only one person in the world who could make his heart beat again, and it was her.

  But what if he truly loves me? Tella thought.

  At this point, Scarlett, Julian, and Legend were all looking at her with concern in their eyes.  She realized she had been zoning off and had missed the entire first course.

  Tella took a deep breath and tried to start eating.  But deep inside her, she knew that somehow, someway, Jacks would haunt her dreams that night.