The Claimed: Rashika's Resistance

Chapter 2: The Coupling

Princess Paranila clapped her hands together with a gasp. "Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. And how do you feel?"

Standing in the doorway to the dining room, I tugged at the fabric clinging to my thighs and shifted my shoulders to loosen the lace weaving down my back. "If I am pretending to be a potato farmer, shouldn't I look more like one?"

"Ha!" The princess slapped the table in front of her and tipped her head back in a snort. "No potato farmer would attend the Coupling looking like a potato farmer. Don't you agree, Queen Romalda?"

Beside her, Queen Romalda straightened with a crackle of decrepit bones, but the bold wooden chair still devoured her frail frame. She spoke with the smooth sibilance of longstanding noble ancestry. "I should trust your judgement on matters of seduction, Paranila."

"Well, I suppose I did seduce your son." She giggled, and her burgeoning breasts jiggled in time to her tinkling laughter. When she caught Queen's ruched lips, her laughter petered out, and she turned her attention back to me.

"I am so excited for you, Epsa—going on your first big outing!" She sighed and twisted a lock of curly black hair around one finger. "Seeing you in that gown reminds me of when I last wore it. I may not have had the woman's body then that I do now, but I was so young and free."

I raised my eyebrows. "I believe we are the same age, Your Highness."

She propped her elbows on the table before her, set her chin on her hands, and flashed me a saccharine smile. "We are, sweet Epsa, but age is not everything. Isn't that right, Queen Romalda?"

When Queen Romalda leveled Paranila with an icy, motionless stare, the stark contrast between them shone clearer than ever. Skeletal versus voluptuous, cold versus warm, white frizz versus black waves. The rich ebony of their skin proved the only commonality.

Finally, the Queen's head cocked, and her lips ticked up slightly in the corners. "Indeed, Princess. Now if you wouldn't mind, I would like a moment alone with Epsa. As her mother figure, I should provide guidance before she embarks on this momentous occasion."

A strangled gulp escaped me before I stifled my reaction. A mother figure? I had given up yearning for that long ago. Still, a fragile hope sparked in my chest.

"Oh." Paranila sucked her supple lower lip between her teeth as her gaze flitted between us. "Oh, yes, I... of course, Queen Romalda."

She rose from her chair and sauntered toward me, generous hips swaying. I shifted to allow her to pass by, but she stopped in the entryway and leaned toward me.

"You look truly irresistible, Epsa." Her giddy whisper tickled my ear. "You'll do great." Then she cupped the back of my neck and pressed a wet kiss to my cheek.

I fisted my hands to resist wiping away the slobber. "Thank you, Your Highness."

Princess Paranila sidled past me, and I shuffled forward and dropped into the chair beside Queen Romalda.

The Queen slipped a hand down to fumble with a pouch strung to her hips and drew out a glass vial. With trembling fingers, she unscrewed the cap of the vial and tipped some of the clear liquid into her chalice. Clear droplets trickled into amber prak.

I folded my hands on the table before me and spoke in a carefully measured tone. "That must be twice the recommended dose, Your Majesty."

"Good. Then I'll fall asleep twice as fast."

I bit my lip over a protest and watched her tilt the chalice in a circle, swirling the liquid. As she drew the chalice to her lips, I cleared my throat.