The Dragon Queen Selection Chapter 29

LIRA

The grand hall was alive with whispers, every girl buzzing with anticipation and dread as we filed into our seats. The marble floors gleamed beneath the sweep of our gowns, and the high ceiling seemed to swallow the nervous energy in the air.

I slid into the seat beside Lady Elora, who gave me a polite nod. She looked calm, composed, far more than I felt. I forced myself to keep my back straight, but inside, my stomach twisted like a coiled rope.

I spent all my night studying the thick leather bound book that Prince Evander had given me, but it was of no use. The words were big and cumbersome and I could barely make sense of what the book was saying.

At the front, Dragon Queen Seraphina sat on her throne, her expression sharp as ever. Beside her stood Lord High Chancellor Norwood, a tall, severe man holding a stack of parchment like they were weapons.

“Today,” Norwood announced, his voice ringing through the chamber, “we begin the next round of challenges. You will each be tested on your ability to negotiate, to resolve conflict, and to conduct yourself as a diplomat. These are not mere exercises. They will decide whether you can one day wear the crown.”

My heart sank. Diplomacy. Negotiation. Conflict resolution. Those were words that didn’t belong to me. They belonged to girls like Calista, who had been trained for this from the moment they could walk. Girls who knew how to stand tall and say the perfect thing.

Me? I was drowning before I even began.

Lady Calista’s name was called first. She rose with the kind of grace that made the rest of us look like fumbling children. Her scenario was a trade dispute between two provinces.

I watched as she glided forward, her voice smooth, her arguments polished. She spoke as if she had rehearsed every possible response, charming the advisors with her confidence. She knew exactly when to pause, when to smile, when to tilt her head.

Before she had even finished, applause broke out across the room.

“She’s too good,” I muttered under my breath.

Elora gave me a quick, sidelong glance, but said nothing.

Then Amara spoke, and Lenora, and Juliette and finally, it was my turn.

The parchment was handed to me, and I tried to steady my shaking hands. I walked to the center of the hall, every step echoing against the floor, my heartbeat pounding louder than the whispers behind me.

The scenario was simple enough to understand, a border conflict between two feuding lords. But my mind went blank the second the words left Norwood’s mouth.

“I would suggest… um, perhaps dividing the land?” My voice wavered, thin and weak.

The advisors exchanged glances. One of them raised an eyebrow. “And what would you say to the lord who claims this division would weaken his defenses against outside threats?”

My mouth opened. Closed. My brain scrambled for an answer, but nothing came. I could feel the silence stretching, heavy and humiliating.

The whispers began almost immediately.

“She’s hopeless,” Lady Saphira said, her voice loud enough to carry across the room.

Laughter followed, soft but cruel.

“She won’t last another week,” Lady Evadne added, her tone dripping with disdain.

Another whisper cut sharper than the rest: “Without the prince to help her, she’s definitely going to fail.”

Heat burned my cheeks. My throat closed up. They weren’t wrong. Even with Evander’s book, I was unarmed. I felt like a fraud standing here, exposed under the Queen’s piercing gaze.

I swallowed hard and forced myself to speak again, though my words came out broken. “Perhaps… if one lord was offered compensation in resources rather than land… then...”

But my voice faltered. My confidence was already gone.

I could feel the Queen’s eyes drilling into me, sharp and unreadable. I couldn’t tell if she was measuring me… or already deciding I wasn’t worth the trouble.

.................................

That evening, after hours of frustration and failure, I retreated to the library. My hands shook as I pulled book after book from the shelves, diplomacy, trade agreements and border treaties. Words swam before my eyes, but I forced myself to keep reading. My performance in the challenge replayed over and over in my head like a cruel echo.

I pressed my palms against my temples, trying to will the headache away.

“Burning the midnight oil?”

I jumped, snapping my head up. Standing in the doorway was Evander, leaning casually against the frame, his expression gentler than usual.

“What do you want?” I asked, sharper than I intended.

His smile faltered, but he pushed off the frame and walked toward me. “Relax. I’m not here to scold you. I… just thought you might need company.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “I made a fool of myself today. I’m out of my league, and everyone knows it.” I slammed a book shut and pushed it away. “You should’ve seen their faces. They might as well have laughed out loud.”

Evander’s eyes softened. He pulled out the chair across from me and sat down. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be there today. I was sent on an assignment for my father, otherwise…” He hesitated, then sighed. “Otherwise, I would have helped you prepare."

The apology caught me off guard. I blinked at him. “You don’t have to apologize. It’s not your job to help me."

My mind drifted to what he said the night before, how he told me he didn't want me to leave and just left. I wondered what that meant. Why did he want me in the competition?

“No,” he admitted quietly, “but I don’t like seeing you struggle. Especially when I know you can do better.” He reached across the table, tapping one of the books I had open. “You’re burying yourself in too much at once. Start smaller. Look here.” He flipped the book open to a section marked with ribbon. “Study how the crown resolved disputes over the Riverlands fifty years ago. History repeats itself more often than people think.”

I frowned, following his finger across the text. “So… learn from precedent?”

“Exactly,” he said, smiling faintly. “And don’t try to memorize speeches like Calista. That’s her weapon, not yours. You…” He paused, studying me for a moment. “You’re good at reading people. Use that. "

Something in my chest eased at his words, “You make it sound simple.”

“It isn’t,” Evander admitted, leaning back in his chair, “but you’re not hopeless, Lira. You just need the right tools.”

A small, reluctant smile tugged at my lips. “Thanks. For this.”

His gaze lingered on me, warm and steady.

Heat crept up my neck, and I quickly looked back at the book to avoid his eyes. “Well, don’t get used to me failing. I’ll be ready next time.”

He chuckled softly, rising from his chair. “That’s the spirit.”

As he walked away, the ache of humiliation from earlier began to fade, replaced by a spark of determination. Maybe I wasn’t as doomed as I thought.

Not yet.