Chapter 35
(Lily’s POV)
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I could still feel the sting of Celeste’s greeting echoing in my ears. “Hello Lily, I have come to stay too.”
The dining room had gone from warm to freezing the moment she spewed those words.
I stood awkwardly beside Zelda, trying to steady my breath. The Queen on the other hand, was still beaming fom ear to ear. She softly gestured for us to sit.
Celeste sat beside Zion, her arm brushing against his. He didn’t look at her, but he didn’t move away either. Something in my chest tightened.
“I heard you were in the palace,” Celeste said sweetly, turning slightly toward me. “And since we’re on a short break, I decided to come here… you know, to spend time with you as we used to when we were kids. It’s been long.”
Queen Eden nodded approvingly, clearly impressed by Celeste’s supposed thoughtfulness but I saw through her act. Every smile, every innocent word was laced with venom.
She wasn’t done… she plastered a fake smile on her face, and subtly tilted her head “So, Lily, how was school like for you? were you among the cool ones or the outcast?.. And if you made friends, how long did it take you to befriend them?”
My hand clenched under the table.
Celeste was f’cking testing my limits. She was my bully, and knew what she and her minions had done to me before Dev, Aria and Tobe came along.
Moreso, I hadn’t forgotten the attempted kidnapping she orchestrated months ago. Ravena and Vaelith growled quietly, we loathed her.
Heat prickled down my spine.
Zelda looked over at me and blinked. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw mine, red and glowing.
I pushed back from the table, chair scraping the marble floor. “Excuse me.”
“Lily?” the Queen asked softly, dropping her cutleries. She was concerned.
Zion stood. “I’ll go with her.”
The Queen hesitated, then nodded. But when he arrived at my door, I was already pacing, and when he knocked, I lashed out at him.
“Go away!”
“Lily-”
“I said leave, Zion!”
He opened the door anyway, and the moment I saw him, all the pain and heart ache kept spilled out.
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12:46 Wed, Jul 30
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Chapter 35
“You claim you loved me all these time… And while I was being torn apart in school, humiliated by her your GIRLFRIEND where were you?”
Zion’s face darkened with guilt.
“You were around tolerating and applauding her.” I spat angrily “And you know what I think, you both deserve each other.”
That was a low blow.
I saw the flicker of pain flash through his eyes before he nodded slowly and turned away.
“Zion, wait…”
But he was gone.
Arrrgh. I slammed the door shut and locked it.
The bed caught me when I collapsed onto it, chest heaving with sobs I hadn’t planned.
The rest of the day passed like a blur. I ignored Zelda’s knocks, the dinner call, and the sound of footsteps beyond the door.
No one forced their way in, and for that I was grateful. I needed to be alone.
Finally, I gave reins to sleep and and saw myself drowning in a large ocean. I was screaming for help when the blue expanse of water suddenly turned thick, and was boiling. A molten pool of fire. The flames weren’t just hot, they were choking, like smoke made of tar. My lungs screamed. The heat clung to me like claws.
Then I saw her.
A replica of me standing on the other side, just hovering over the molten of fire. She stared right into my soul.
She looked evil, but worse still, she was the older version of me. I woke up with a frightened gasp.
I couldn’t sleep after that, and when morning came, a maid came to knock at my door. “Lady Lily, I was sent to tell you that breakfast is served.”
“Thank you,” I mumbled before standing up to freshen up. I stood before the mirror, and looked a complete shadow of myself unlike the previous day. My hair was tangled, my skin was pale and my eyebags were dark and big.
I brushed my teeth, had a quick bath and dressed quietly before going downstairs.
“Good morning,” I murmured to the royal family.
Zelda waved, the Queen smiled, and the King nodded.
Celeste’s smile stretched slowly. “I had the most restful night,” she said, not looking at me. “All thanks to my boyfriend.”
Zion sat silent beside her, and stabbed a piece of beef angrily. The fork scraped loudly against the plate.
Just as the King opened his mouth to speak to me, the butler entered.
He leaned in and whispered into the King’s ears. The King smiled. “Oh, that’s amazing. Let my nephew come in.”
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12:46 Wed, Jul 30
Chapter 35
Zion visibly tensed.
And then Lucien stepped in, flanked by two guards and a maid carrying his bags.
My lips parted.
Lucien… is the King’s nephew?
That means… He’s Zion’s cousin.
My world shifted again.
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