A Wicked Game [The Crown Saga II] (Under Editing)

Toxic Dispute

"Aren't you excited?"

Faye combed the same section of my hair for the third time before finally assembling it into a braided crown on top of my head.

I sighed and leaned back into the chair. "Super excited," I muttered.

No. I was utterly terrified.

I hadn't been sleeping at all last night, kept awake by countless scenarios unraveled by my vivid mind. I didn't know what would happen if—or rather when—the king found out about this.

Would I be doomed to spend the rest of my miserable life in the dungeons? The king was an all-powerful man. He could make that happen. And what about my family? What would happen to them?

Faye chuckled. "That's just the nerves talking," she said as if she had any idea about what was really going on behind the scenes. "You'll be fine. I know it. What do you suppose he has in store for you?"

I glanced at the clover-shaded cloak hanging by the door as Faye tightened the wool dress around my waist.

"The outdoors, I guess," I said and shrugged. "The clothes definitely give that little detail away, but if he takes me fish—"

Air was squeezed from my lungs as Faye tightened the lace a smidge too much.

"Faye," I gasped, fighting to keep the air still left in my lungs in place. "I know I'm not as excited about this date as you need me to be, but I would still like to live past it."

"Uh, sorry!" she said, loosening the back again until I could breathe. "I guess I'm a little nervous on your behalf. Many eligible girls our age would probably kill to get the opportunity to go on a date with Heliac's golden crown prince."

Her cheeks turned bright red when she noticed me staring at her with a faint smile painted on my face. "N-not me, though!" she quickly added, hiding her blushing cheeks in her sleeve. "The trials and the academies terrify me. I couldn't do it even if I were Iridis."

"That's not true, Faye," I said as she tied the final knot to keep my bodice in place. "You'd have been an amazing Iridis. I bet you would've won the entire thing in a couple of weeks."

Another pink tinge crept over her freckled cheeks before she turned around to retrieve two pairs of different-colored leather gloves. "Black or brown?" she asked, as if I had any idea which would be the better option.

I stared at them, grimacing. The color was the only difference between them.

Faye chuckled and tossed the black pair back in the pile. "I would suggest the brown gloves. They pair well with the green cloak and match the shade of your hair."

I sighed, relieved. "Alright. I choose the brown ones."

The smile of pride on Faye's face made my chest fill with a calm flush of warmth. She was good at this. She should be pursuing a career in fashion instead of slaving away as a maid for me.

"It's almost noon!" Faye squealed, rushing over to retrieve the leather boots that matched the gloves on my table. "I bet he'll be here soon. I can't believe you're going on an actual date with the crown prince!"

I groaned and wrinkled the bridge of my nose. I really didn't want to go after what happened yesterday.

That overwhelming surge of joy and adrenaline... The magic that arose when our powers clashed... It terrified me.

I had repeated the Dance of a Warrior after Caiden had left me. I'd done everything right—flexing, breathing, stretching... But something had felt off.

The perfect hurricanes I'd summoned during our duet had turned into unreliable storms in my solo, and I'd almost lost my balance several times.

It really terrified me.