The Dragon Queen Selection Chapter 144

LIRA

Elora's face went white.

"You're lying."

"I never lie." Calista sat back, clearly delighted. "It's not official yet, of course. But the Queen is very interested in the Dorne family. Your wealth. Your influence. Your lands." She laughed. "She said you would make a fine Princess for Evander. Even though..." she paused for effect "... she thinks you would make a poor queen for Cassian."

Elora stood.

Her chair scraped against the floor.

"I will never accept such a match," she said.

Calista raised an eyebrow. "Never? A chance to be a princess?"

"Never."

"And why not? Prince Evander is handsome. Kind. Devoted." Her eyes flicked to me. "At least, he was devoted to some people."

Elora's hands were shaking.

I could see it from where I sat, the tremor in her fingers, the tension in her jaw.

"Because I refuse to be sold like cattle," Elora said. "Because I refuse to be someone's second choice. Because unlike you, I deserve more than to be married off to a man who is in love with someone else."

Calista's smile faltered.

Just slightly.

Just for a moment.

Then she laughed again, louder this time, more brittle.

"Good luck with that," she said. "The world doesn't care what you deserve. You take what you get." 

She stood.

Smoothed her dress.

And looked down at me.

"Enjoy your last days in the palace, Lady Lira," she said. "Soon you'll be back in that crumbling old Vale castle. Where you belong."

She walked away.

The doors closed behind her.

And the silence returned.

\-—————————

Elora was at my side in an instant.

"Lira. Lira, are you all right?"

I blinked. "What?"

"Calista. What she said. About Evander. About the Queen." Elora's hands gripped my shoulders. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

"You're not fine. You're pale. You're shaking."

I looked down at my hands.

She was right.

I was shaking.

'Lira'. Luna said softly. 'Talk to her. She is worried about you.' 

I took a breath.

Forced myself to focus.

"Elora," I said. "I don't care."

"What?"

"I don't care about Evander. I don't care about the Queen. I don't care about Calista or any of it."

Elora stared at me.

"You don't mean that."

"I do."

"Lira..." 

"Elora, listen to me." I took her hands. "Do not reject the marriage proposal for my sake. Evander is a good man. He would be kind to you. He would..." 

"I don't want him!"

"Elora..." 

"I don't want him." She pulled her hands free. "I don't want a man who wouldn't be totally devoted to me. I don't want to be someone's consolation prize. I don't want to spend my life wondering if he's thinking about you when he looks at me."

Her voice cracked.

"Don't ask me to do that, Lira. Please."

I looked at her, at the tears brimming in her eyes, the stubborn set of her jaw, the way she held herself like she was bracing for a blow.

"Okay," I said quietly. "I won't."

Elora nodded.

Swallowed.

Straightened her shoulders.

"Stay strong," she said. "The Selection isn't over. And even if it were..." She managed a small smile. "There will be a host of suitors waiting for you after this. Men who will see your worth. Who will love you for who you are."

If only she knew, I thought.

If only she knew who I really was.

"I don't care about that either," I said.

"Lira..." 

"I have a headache." I stood. "I'm going to bed."

"Lira."

I didn't look back.

\-——————————-

My room was dark.

I had pulled the curtains closed, blown out the candles, and crawled into bed without changing my clothes. Luna curled on my chest, her warmth seeping through the fabric of my dress.

'You are thinking very loudly', she said.

"I'm trying not to."

'It is not working.' 

I laughed—a hollow, broken sound.

"No. It's not."

'Tell me what is wrong.'

"Everything."

'That is not specific.' 

I stared at the ceiling.

The canopy, actually. The bed had a canopy. Dark wood, velvet curtains, tassels that swayed gently in the breeze from the window.

"Luna," I said. "What if I told Cassian the truth?"

Luna was quiet for a moment.

'The truth about what?' 

"Everything. Who I really am. What they did to my father. Why I came here. About Veyraxis. About the attack." I swallowed. "About Callum."

'You want to tell him.'

"I don't know what I want."

'You do. You are just afraid to admit it.' 

I closed my eyes.

"What would happen if I told him?"

'He would be angry.' 

"Yes."

'He would feel betrayed.'

"Yes."

'He might never trust you again.' 

"I know."

'And yet you are still considering it.' 

"Yes."

Luna crawled higher, pressing her head against my jaw.

'Why?' 

Because I was tired.

Tired of lying. Tired of pretending. Tired of looking at Cassian's face and knowing that everything between us was built on a foundation of sand.

Because somewhere along the way, between the forged letters and the beautiful dresses and the moments I couldn't take back, I had stopped wanting revenge.

I had started wanting him.

And I couldn't have both.

"Because I don't want to burn," I whispered.

Luna was silent.

Then... 

'Then tell him.' 

"Just like that?"

Just like that. Before the ball. Before the attack. Before it is too late.

"What if he turns me in?"

Then I will burn the palace down myself.

I laughed, a real laugh, startled out of me.

"You're the size of a..." 

'Do not say it.' 

"A Rodent."

'I will set your pillow on fire.' 

"You already singed my sleeve."

'That was a warning.' 

'I held her close, pressing my lips to her tiny head.' 

"What would I do without you?"

'Be very bored. And also dead.'

"Probably."

I lay there in the darkness, Luna warm against my chest, and thought about Cassian.

About the way he looked at me when he thought I wasn't watching.

About the way he said my name, Lira, like it meant something.

About the way he had held me in his arms and asked me to choose him.

I didn't choose him, I thought. Not then.

But maybe... 

Maybe I can choose him now.

———————————-

I made my decision before the sun had fully risen.

Tell him. 

Tell Cassian everything.

Before the ball. Before the attack. 

Before it's too late.

Luna had been curled against my chest, her silver eyes half-closed, her warmth seeping through my nightgown.

She stirred when I sat up, her mind brushing against mine.

'Are you sure about this?'

"No," I admitted. "But I'm not sure about everything else. And that's the problem."

'What if he reports you to the King?'

"Then I'll face the consequences."

'What if he does not believe you?'

"Then I'll make him believe me."

'What if—'

"Luna." I lifted her to eye level. "I need you to stop asking questions and start being supportive."She blinked at me.

'I am supportive. I am very supportive. I am the most supportive dragon who has ever lived.'

"You're the *only* dragon hatchling I've ever met."

'That is irrelevant.'

I laughed, a small, shaky sound. and pressed a kiss to her tiny head.

"I'll be back soon."

'You had better be. I don't want to hide for too long today.'

I dressed quickly, a simple gown, unadorned, nothing that would attract attention. I pinned my hair back, splashed water on my face, and stared at myself in the mirror.

Lira Sutton.

*Pretender.*

*Liar.*

"For a girl about to confess everything to a prince who might have her executed. You look terrible," I told my reflection.

My reflection didn't argue.

\---------------------------------

The corridors were busy.

Servants rushed past with armloads of linens. Guards stood at attention, their faces carefully blank. Courtiers lingered in doorways, gossiping behind gloved hands.

I walked with purpose, head high, heart pounding.

Cassian's quarters.

I'll go to Cassian's quarters.

He'll be there. He has to be there.

The guards outside his door recognized me. Their expressions flickered, surprise, wariness, something I couldn't name.

"Lady Lira," one of them said. "His Highness is not here."

"Where is he?"

"I don't know, my lady."

"Well, do you know where he might be?"

The guards exchanged glances.

"I'm sorry, my lady. We're not at liberty to discuss the Prince's movements. We would suggest that you leave.”