Power and The Queen

Chapter Forty - Seven

Dinner with the royal family was not something Cora was trained for. If she knew she would reach this point in her life, she would have listened to her mother's ladylike teachings.

There was still so much about becoming a woman she did not know. What if she was punished because she lacked proper manners?

Pushing the thought aside, Cora walked into the dining hall as she tried to recall the few tricks Devka taught her. As soon as she entered the hall, she met the gaze of her brother Barun, who was dressed in his princely attire.

She had not expected to see him here, but his presence made her feel relaxed. Lida and Logan accompanied Barun, and Cora made sure to maintain minimal eye contact with him to avoid suspicion.

As she walked to her seat, she realised that Barun's presence may be a double-edge sword. She was relaxed from seeing familiar faces, but at the same time, she trembled in fear of being found out.

Luckily, her seat was a good distance away from Barun. In here, he wasn't her brother. He was the Prince of Dabrack and a Knight of Trevillia.

After a short while, the arrival of the Prince of Trevillia was announced. Cora looked up immediately and turned to the door. Prince Zachary's gaze found hers immediately.

His first reaction was shock because he had no knowledge of this. The only reason he was here tonight was because his mother insisted he eat dinner with them.

Prince Zachary suspected this was his mother's doing as well. He could only imagine how nervous Cora must be. When he considered this, he smiled at her, as if reassuring her that everything would go smoothly.

However, the smile fell from prince Zachary's face when he saw Barun and his two companions seated at the dinner table. It seems he too had not expected to see them here.

He made his way to his designated set while wondering about his mother's intentions. There was no way she knew of their relationship already. They had been very careful.

The princess Sophia noticed the interaction between her brother and Cora and the sight left a bitter taste in her mouth. If she wasn't afraid of her mother, she would have found some excuse to not be here tonight.

However, with the presence of a prince from another kingdom, she could not dare withdraw her presence. Queen Artemis would ensure that she was here even if she was on her deathbed.

Cora tried to remain calm as the servants arranged all sorts of delicacies on the table. The aroma of it filled the air and there was not one dish Cora recognised. It was obvious how different the Royal family was from every common person in Trevillia.

Although the food looked delicious, Cora did not have her appetite because of the tension in the room. How would she give advice to the king in court when she couldn't even survive a simple dinner?

Just when she was nearly out of breath from worrying, the arrival of the Queen was announced. Everyone in the hall stood up to welcome her, just like Devka told her.

As the Queen made her way to the head of the table, Cora noticed there were a few more officials seated at the table. They all waited until Queen Artemis sat down before taking their seats.

The power this woman had over everyone in the hall was choking. Cora could feel the powerful aura flow from the queen to every corner of the dining hall.

Queen Artemis knew the face of everyone here. She invited them for different reasons. Now that she saw the girl her husband had chosen as an adviser, there was nothing special. She looked like a normal girl from Trevillia, dressed in fancy clothes.