The Dragon Queen Selection Chapter 40

LIRA

The banquet hall glowed with golden light. Every surface gleamed, polished marble floors, jewel-bright chandeliers, and long tables heavy with silverware and crystal goblets. Nobles from across the kingdom filled the seats, their gowns and coats glittering like constellations.

But all eyes were fixed on the stage.

Calista stood at its center, her hair crowned with jewels, her gown a shimmer of scarlet and gold. She embodied the Dragon Queen Seraphina herself, regal and fierce, her every gesture radiating command. Evadne and Amara flanked her, delivering their lines with practiced precision, their magic lacing the air with flickers of flame and smoke.

I stood backstage with Isla, adjusting the great painted backdrop for the final scene. “A little higher,” I whispered, tugging the rope.

Isla grunted, pulling alongside me. “She’s eating this up, isn’t she? Just look at her.”

I glanced through the curtain. Calista’s voice rang through the hall, smooth and commanding: “I am Seraphina, Queen of Fire, Mother of Dragons. And as long as breath fills my lungs, this kingdom shall burn brighter than any flame!”

A hush swept over the audience, followed by thunderous applause. Even the Queen leaned forward in her seat, a faint smile curving her lips.

I sighed, releasing the rope as the scene ended. “She’ll never let us forget this.”

Isla smirked. “We’ll never hear the end of it.”

The curtain fell, the crowd erupted, and Calista basked in the glow of their admiration. She had performed brilliantly, there was no denying it. Even I felt the shiver of awe she commanded on stage.

Backstage was a whirlwind after that, girls rushing to change into their ball gowns, props being hauled away, instructors congratulating us for pulling it off. I slipped away quietly, clutching the gown Elora had lent me.

In my chambers, I hurried into the dress. It was softer, finer than anything I had ever worn, pale blue silk that shimmered like water under moonlight. Elora had even insisted on lending me a few of her jewels, a delicate necklace and matching earrings that caught the light when I moved.

For a moment, I hardly recognized the girl staring back from the mirror.

I stepped into the corridor, smoothing the skirts nervously, and almost collided with him.

“Lira.”

My breath caught. Prince Evander stood there, dressed in deep navy velvet embroidered with silver thread, his dark hair falling across his forehead. In that moment, he was so handsome. I realised with shock that I had missed him. His eyes widened as he took me in, lingering in silence.

“You look…” He shook his head slightly, a crooked smile tugging at his lips. “You look beautiful.”

Heat rose to my cheeks. “It’s not mine, it’s Lady Elora's dress. She insisted I wear it.”

“Then thank her for me,” Evander said softly. His gaze held mine, steady and warm. “Because right now, I can’t look away.”

For a heartbeat, I forgot about the banquet, the competition, everything. It was just him.

“I thought you were still away,” I managed finally.

“I returned this afternoon. My assignment was longer than expected,” he said. “I traveled south, there’s unrest near the border, and I was sent to oversee negotiations with one of the merchant guilds. Tedious work, but necessary.”

“You must be exhausted,” I murmured.

“I was,” he admitted, his smile deepening, “but then I saw you, and suddenly I’m not.”

My heart stuttered. I wanted to ask him more, about his travels, about what he had seen, about secret chamber the dragon had told me he might be the key to finding the truth. But the sound of voices drifted closer down the corridor, and Evander’s expression turned guarded.

“We should probably leave,” he said reluctantly.

“I know.” My voice was quiet, but heavy with disappointment.

He glanced toward the voices, then back at me. “But I’ll find you again. Soon.”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

He stepped closer, just enough that I could feel the warmth of him, then lowered his voice. “Remember, some things are worth the risk, Lira.”

And then he was gone, slipping down a side passage, leaving me breathless in the empty hall.

When I finally entered the ballroom, the noise was deafening. Everyone buzzed with excitement, all of it circling back to Calista’s performance.

“She was magnificent!” one noblewoman gushed.

“A star on stage,” another whispered. “Why go through the entire Dragon Queen Selection? Give her the crown already!"

The other girls didn’t look nearly as pleased. Amara folded her arms, her expression sour. “Funny how the entire play seemed designed to elevate her. All the glory for Calista, none for the rest of us. Even when we all worked just as hard."

Vivienne plucked irritably at strings on her dark yellow gown. “It was clever staging. Annoying, but clever. The instructors made sure the entire show centered on her."

“I don’t see the problem,” Calista said sweetly, though her eyes gleamed with triumph. “The performance was a success. It was all for the Queen. And isn’t that what matters?”

“Yes, for you,” Amara muttered.

The murmurs spread, jealousy simmering like a storm beneath the surface. But despite Calista’s triumph, I noticed one detail that made her frown: Prince Cassian had not approached her, not once since the curtain fell. I thought he was not in the banquet, until I spotted him across the ballroom, how he stood apart from the rest of the men in the crowd with his height. He spoke briefly with nobles and laughed with a knight or two, but his gaze never strayed in Calista’s direction. I wondered if he had even watched the performance at all.

I barely saw him or Prince Evander in the audience.

She hid her frustration well, but I caught the stiffness in her smile.

Soon, the instructors ushered us away from the grand hall. We weren't allowed to socialise too long with the other nobles. They believed some parents used it as an avenue to exchange information to their children in the Selection. We followed down a corridor lit by candles until we entered a private dining hall prepared especially for us. The long table glittered with gold plates and crystal goblets, the air heavy with the scent of roasted meats and sugared fruit.

And then, the doors opened.

We rose to our feet as the Queen entered, her gown deep crimson embroidered with dragons, her presence filling the room like fire itself.

Every girl’s face lit up at once. To dine with the Queen herself, it was the moment we had been waiting for.

My heart pounded as she took her place at the head of the table.