Chapter 232: Dance Till Dawn
Chapter 231: Dance Till Dawn
Lyria’s POV
The Queen’s gaze did not waver.
"Do you mean," she asked slowly, "that I ought to summon Duke Aurelgrave?"
I did not answer.
Jacinta scoffed then.
"Mother, she should be punished," she said. "We ought not even be speaking with her, nor asking her questions and entertaining her lies. She is a demon. The spawn of a demon too. She has forgotten her place and her position entirely. She does not even deserve to be called a princess, especially not after what her mother did."
The Queen raised a hand, silencing Jacinta.
"Calm yourself," she said.
Jacinta fell silent, though her eyes remained fixed upon me with undisguised hatred.
The Queen turned back to me.
"Tell me," she said, "do you wish to learn to dance?"
I bowed.
"D-Duke Aurelgrave c-considered it important to teach me," I said, "so as not to d-disgrace the royal family at any b-ball that may come."
I did not answer her question, and I thought she would point it out, but she did no such thing.
Instead, she chuckled.
It was a soft sound, devoid of warmth.
"Your existence," she said, "is already a disgrace."
She tilted her head, studying me as one might study an insect.
"The Princess is correct, however. You deserve to be punished for what has occurred."
I said nothing to that.
Jacinta chose that moment to step forward.
"Let the demon stand upon the broken porcelain," she said, "until morning."
The Queen considered this.
"That is a good idea," she said. "But I cannot have dear Lyria—" she spoke the words with obvious disgust, "—disgracing us during the ball. The suitors would notice if she limped. They would ask questions."
She paused.
"But since she wishes to dance, she shall dance."
I wondered what punishment would be given to me this time.
And honestly, was learning to dance supposed to attract this much disgust and attention from people who despised my very existence?
"I am being merciful," the Queen continued, snapping me out of my thoughts. "I would not wish for you to disgrace the royal family, after all. But since you wish to dance, you shall dance until dawn."
She smiled as though delighted by whatever thought had crossed her mind.
"And if you do not," she added, "the punishment shall be given to your mother instead. Your foolish mother requires our assistance to recover, does she not? It would be a shame if that assistance were to... cease."
Jacinta chuckled in delight.
If only I were powerful enough to strike them both across the face.
Numerous times.
Until blood poured from their mouths and they understood even a fraction of the pain they so eagerly sought to inflict upon me.
I kept my face blank as the Queen spoke, refusing to let her see how deeply her words affected me.
The Queen turned toward the corner where Diana, Sally, and Theresa still knelt.
"You three," she said, "take her to the music room where she danced with Duke Aurelgrave. Your task is to watch her dance. You are not to leave until I send word. No one is to go."
She paused.
"After all," she added, "she needs to learn to dance properly. We would not want her to disgrace the royal family."
Jacinta chuckled again.
"Yes," she said. "And I shall also keep watch over her."
She turned to me then.
"Do not think that just because the punishment appears light that you may do whatever you wish."
Light?
The punishment neither appeared light nor sounded light, especially given the fact that I was still bleeding from the sole of my foot.
I did not say anything, though.
There was no need.
Just then, the door opened.
The King walked in.
And once more, my mind centred upon the fact that he was so close.
So close that I could kill him.
I could take the knife I kept hidden and drive it into his chest before anyone could stop me. I could watch the light fade from his eyes the way it had faded from Patricia’s. The way—
I shook my head and forced the thought away.
I could not.
I was wolf-less compared to them.
One misstep and it would be me who died instead.
I could not afford to act upon my anger now.
And so I forced my breathing to steady.
Now was not the time to act.
I was powerless, after all.
The King walked past me, his gaze fixed upon me.
His eyes swept slowly over my body, and then he licked his lips.
It was a small movement.
Almost imperceptible.
But I saw it.
And it unsettled me.
Did this man realise I was his daughter?
Why did he...?
I paused then, Glenda’s words ringing in my ears.
The King’s new obsession was me.
Surely that could not have been what she meant.
Surely it was not the interest I saw in the King’s eyes.
It could not be.
Could it?
I kept my expression blank as I bowed to him, just as the maids did.
"Your Majesty," I said.
He did not respond.
He continued walking toward the Queen, and then he spoke.
"What filth is doing in this chamber?" he asked.
The Queen chuckled as though he had told the most amusing joke imaginable.
"The filth," she said, her gaze settling upon me, "was just leaving."
I did not need to be told twice.
I straightened, turned, and walked toward the door.
The maids scrambled to their feet and followed behind me, their footsteps soft against the polished floor.
I stepped into the corridor.
Even then, I noticed the King’s gaze remained upon me.
It did not waver.
Not even for a moment.
I almost grew angry.
Almost allowed my emotions to show.
But instead I kept my shoulders straight and my expression blank.
As I walked with the maids toward the music room, I made a silent decision.
I was never going anywhere without my knife.
And perhaps it was time to acquire a second one.
