Daniella's hair was styled in voluminous, large curls designed to obscure the bandage on her face until she was ready to reveal it.
The look was undeniably beautiful. She had grown weary of her maid pulling her hair into the intricate, coiled styles typically favored by the court, opting instead for a style akin to a "blowout" from her previous world.
She and her maids started toward the breakfast hall. Daniella's gaze was fixed on her goal: she had plans for Eric today. She would ensure he was punished.
The guards stiffened, their eyes widening as Daniella came into view. She always looked unconventional, but there was something particularly eye-catching about her new attire. She wore a men's blazer, cinched tight at the waist, that fell all the way to her ankles. Six equally spaced black onyx stones held the jacket closed. With each graceful step, they caught glimpses of her toned calves. They were stunned a maiden could look so alluring in a blazer.
She pushed open the grand doors, a predatory smile cresting her lips as she entered the breakfast hall.
Lola, walking a respectful distance behind, noticed the way the castle's men seemed caught in a trance, their eyes glued to Daniella. As much as Lola internally felt her princess was dressed inappropriately, the effect was admirable. She secretly longed to radiate power as her princess did.
"I have a feeling the Princess is bringing a storm with her today," Ida whispered to her fellow maids as they discreetly took their place with the other servants lining the wall.
"She only smiles like that when she's up to something," Josephine hummed in agreement.
Daniella strode across the polished floor toward the glass partition, the barrier that kept the fresh ocean breeze from ruffling her hair. The curls needed to stay perfect; even a slight movement could expose the bandage her maids had applied the morning after her sunrise meeting with Jasper.
"Every day there's something new about you!" Deacon's dark, hollow eyes met Daniella's in the glass reflection. He stood a few paces behind her, taking his time to assess her from head to toe. He still couldn't pinpoint what was so colossal about this woman. In a room full of spectacular beauties, she seemed to shine, and he could not understand the source of her light.
"I did not know I had your assessing eyes upon me, Prince Deacon," Daniella said, turning smoothly to offer him a polite, shallow bow.
His easy smile graced his lips. It seemed she was not as clueless as he wanted to believe.
He wondered if she had noticed his shadows following her, or if Jasper had made her aware. "A woman with so much mystery," he mused, leaning slightly closer. "Who could look away?"
"I would not look too closely," she replied, her smile pleasant and kind—the picture of naive grace. "As they say, those who stare for too long may lose their eyes."
Deacon threw his head back and chuckled, unable to believe that someone like her would have the gall to threaten him. It was a spectacular joke. "Do you think just because—"
"Good morning, Princess Daniella." Landon's voice was firm as he and Fox approached. The two seemed far more closely acquainted than in previous days.
Fox, walking stiffly, tried to hide her resentment toward Daniella. She had been enjoying a good conversation with Landon, but upon noticing Deacon's rising animosity, Landon had inserted himself to give Daniella an out. Fox did not want her future King to focus his eyes on any other princess, not now when she intended to be his Queen.
"We were still talking!" Deacon spat, his voice sharp, looking up at Landon, who was far taller than him. "We do not need the entertainment of mutts!"
Daniella watched as Fox's formerly unenthusiastic eyes turned cold and lethal.
Frost began to visibly accumulate on her skin as her eyes narrowed on Deacon. To Daniella, it looked like Fox had chosen her Prince and was staking her claim.
"Unfortunately, Prince Deacon, others do require my attention," Daniella said, tipping her head barely an inch—the barest minimum requirement of etiquette. She then turned to Landon and Fox. "You two make a fine couple. I look forward to hearing your good news." She gave Landon a bow and a subtle wink toward Fox, acknowledging her achievement.
Jasper was not yet in the breakfast hall, but Daniella spotted Miguel speaking animatedly to three princesses. For once, he was actually opening his mouth. Daniella had meant to use him as a distraction, but seeing as he was busy, she made a quick detour toward her waiting maids.
The three maids curtsied in chorus to their polite princess, quickly making sure she was still presentable. The large oak doors to the breakfast hall opened once more, revealing Prince Eric and his parents, along with Prince Jasper and his parents. With their entry, all of the rulers were now in attendance.
As if the room had been paused, the conversations died and the laughs silenced. Everyone stopped and lowered their bodies to give a polite bow to the supreme King and Queen.
As Daniella lifted her head and straightened from her bow, Jasper was suddenly at her side. His assessing eyes glided over her form, as if he genuinely feared she would be injured or damaged in the short time since they parted. What could truly go wrong in just a few hours? she thought.
"After breakfast, the tongue thing," he stated boldly, resting his large, possessive palm on her lower back.
This had been all she had heard since leaving his chambers that morning, and she was not eager to hear any more of it. "You're being annoying!" she retorted, a playful smile twitching at the corner of her lips.
"I will relent for now," he said, holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender. He then leaned in, his lips close to her ear, and mumbled, "Your talents have made me eager for a wedding night. Between your tongue thing, and my cock buried deep in your asshole. It will be a fine wedding."
"To think others would ponder over what food we should eat or what colors we would wear. But not you! You wish me to think about what you will do to my ass?" she teased, crossing her arms firmly underneath her full breasts.
"I do not wish to overstep. I will leave the planning to you. I will worry about the... Small details," he smirked. His palms moved to her waist, acting as if he was smoothing out her garment when in reality he was just gripping her possessively. He was making his own plans, ones that had nothing to do with wedding schemes.
"Always the gentleman!" She laughed, rolling her eyes dramatically before leading him toward their seats at the table.
With his smirk still fully in place, he pulled out her chair and helped her into her seat before settling down next to her.
The meal started off with light chatter around the room. This time, however, it wasn't a frenzy of princesses vying for a Prince's attention. Fox spoke exclusively to Landon, and he seemed just as interested. Belle and Ashley both spoke freely to Miguel, having seemingly broken through his conversational barrier. Jaden and Heather sat next to a silent Eric, who seemed utterly uninterested in speaking a single word. Even Linden was immersed in conversation.
"Princess Daniella, how was your tea with my Queen?" King Elderon asked, his voice booming slightly over the dining room.
Daniella watched Eric and his mother share a quick, conspiratorial glance—an obvious sign of their collusion. "How kind of you to inquire. I was unable to—" Before Daniella could finish her sentence, the Queen cut her off sharply.
"The Princess ignored my summons," Queen Aurelia announced, her voice dripping with royal indignation. "I wonder where a mere princess gets the bravery to believe she is above a Queen's command?" She stared directly at Daniella, daring the little princess to refuse her words.
"You did not attend the Queen's tea?" Now the King understood why his wife had been tight-lipped. King Elderon could not let this go unpunished.
Daniella knew she couldn't lob accusations against the Crown so easily; she needed to be far more subtle. "I apologize, Your Majesties," she began, bowing her head slightly. "I was not well yesterday. I was eager to have tea with Her Majesty."
"Even a dying woman would crawl when invited to sit at the table of royalty," the King declared, the red in his eyes glowing brightly. His gaze stayed glued to Daniella's form, a look of malice crossing his normally relaxed features.
"Of course, Your Majesty," Daniella replied, and with a calculated, smooth movement, she tucked the voluminous curl on the right side of her face behind her ear, exposing the large white bandage on her cheek.
A chorus of sharp gasps at the table was all the proof she needed: they had seen the bandage.
"My goodness, what has happened to your face, Princess Daniella?" Queen Griselda, Deacon's mother, spoke up, the first to bring up the glaring injury. "Is this what kept you from the Queen's tea?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. It was an... unfortunate incident." Daniella made sure to stumble over her words, a noticeable difference from her usual poised delivery.
"Incident? What kind of incident? Did some vicious bandits get into the castle?" Bella asked. Though she was no longer in competition with Daniella, it wouldn't hurt to stir the pot and show a few cracks in the "adorable and perfect" couple everyone imagined.
"You are not quite wrong," Daniella said, her tone suddenly ominous. Her calculated pause guaranteed more questions.
"Someone part of the palace, then?" Landon pressed, leaning forward slightly. "If someone has harmed you, be clear about it, Princess Daniella."
"It was odd," Daniella recounted. "A butler came to bring me for what I believed to be the Queen's tea. I was locked in a dark, windowless room, and I found myself alone with a vicious man." Daniella made sure to stare pointedly at Eric as she said "vicious man."
"What did he want?" one princess asked, her eyes immediately drifting toward Eric with suspicion.
"Must we talk of such dark things? It is ruining my digestion," Queen Aurelia said in a clipped tone, hoping to abruptly end this farce.
Jasper, who had remained utterly silent beside Daniella, slowly rested his large hand over hers on the table. "A Princess is attacked in your kingdom, under your roof, and you lack curiosity?" he asked, his voice full of mockery. "Should we all fear resting our heads here at night, in a palace so unsecured?" He then gave a small, encouraging nod to Daniella to carry on.
"As women, we all know what it's like," Daniella continued, her voice soft but carrying. "When we say no to a man, they sometimes hear what they prefer. My cheek was damaged because of my lack of compliance. Some men are savages, no better than the greatest enemies—a kin to the trolls." She rested her free hand over the one Jasper was holding. "It is best when we can tell the gentlemen from the barbarians."
The princesses at the table all looked pained, nodding as if they understood Daniella completely. Jaden felt the vague weariness she sometimes gleaned in Eric's presence now fully illuminated. Without even realizing it, she subconsciously began to lean away from Eric at the table.. Heather frowned, staring hard at Eric's handsome face. Was she unknowingly chasing a man just like her father: a vicious brute who knew how to smile in mixed company?
Daniella stabbed her fork into her fruit and took a slow, satisfying bite. Eric had gravely underestimated her. She had just effectively taken him off the market.
"My experience is no excuse, Your Majesties," Daniella concluded, meeting the King's eyes. "I would submit myself to any punishment you deem fit. As you say, even a dying woman would drag herself to the seat of royalty." Daniella's eyes briefly shifted to the other princesses, the simple warning hanging unspoken in the air: Did you want to be that woman?
Author's note:
I'm going to try to do a good amount of chapters this week. I've been working out of town. And my internet is garbage. When I work up in the boonies. Enjoy the chapter.