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Chapter Fourteen

❂Of Truest Heart❂

Lady Cassia

I felt the flames twisting around my ankles, singeing my slacks to where they no longer dangled below my feet. Luckily, as the inferno licked upward, it didn't touch my feet. Sparing them for future use. My pants grew dangerously close to my skin, and the tears that streaked my face evaporated before they even reached my chin.

Witch. That was what these kids were branding me. The red hair, the blue eyes rimmed with gold. To them it screamed witchcraft. To me, it screamed illiteracy, abandonment, hatred.

I tried. I tried so hard to remain strong. To keep from crying out. But the fear surpassed my will and I screamed.

"Lady Cassia."

I snapped out of the daze and my gaze interlocked with Prince Logan's, "Your Highness." I stuttered, my voice raspy from hardly ever using it in the orphanage.

He stared at my face in concern, "Are you alright?"

No. "Yes, why do you ask?"

The prince raised one of his eyebrows, even though it was nearly impossible to see behind the mask and the hat. "You're crying." He pointed out.

I wiped my hands across my cheeks, and sure enough they were damp. Lying would do me no good, but I couldn't tell him the full truth either. "Just remembering the orphanage." I willed him to stop asking questions, but fate was never on my side. Never.

"And you're crying?"

Please stop with the questions. Please. Please. Please. "Wasn't the best part of my life," I shrugged.

Logan narrowed his eyes, but didn't protest any further. "Lady Cassia, I was going to take Lady Clare and some other girl's horseback riding Tuesday afternoon, would you care to join?"

The corner of my lips tiled upward and I nodded. Logan extended his hand to me and with a chuckle, dragged me onto the dance floor.

"Your Highness, I don't know how-"

The prince bend down and leaned towards my year, "If you don't know how to dance. Just keep your eyes on mine and let me lead." He whispered.

And I did. My Queen of Hearts dress swayed as he twisted me around and in all honesty, I didn't care if I was sent home, I got a glimpse of what it was like to be a princess, and it couldn't have made me any happier.

Prince Logan danced with me until the song was over, when he led me back over to the array of food, complaining about how he hadn't had a bite to eat all night long. I suppressed a laugh that would've left me snorting, and smiled, amusement twinkling in my eyes.

I stared awkwardly at a plate of mouthwatering meat, and he chuckled, "That's a steak."

Lady Eris

Stroking the fuzzy head of my cat, Chocola, I pressed the ringing phone against my ear. "This is Eris Von Justice."

"Dear sister, why does it sound like you are all alone while there is a party going on?" Galaxy, my brother and probably the best detective in Illea, inquired.

Chocola meowed, and Galaxy laughed through the phone. "I stand corrected. I see you managed to smuggle Chocolate into the castle."

I frowned, how many times did I have to tell him? "Her name is Chocola, not Chocolate, you Galactic prick. And I'm not at the party because I'm not in the castle to seduce Prince Logan while wearing some absurd costume."

"Mhm…" He mumbled, not believing my words, "That's not what the Illean Weekly says."

My jaw slacked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well you're tied for third as the crowd favorite with Elia Starr, behind Sawyer McAlister in second, and Aaliyah Sultani as the winner. You're in front of Sara Adel, Aenwyn Le Croix, Nia Chauhan, and Depotess Circe Michaelides. Not in that precise order though."

I gulped, "You're kidding me right?"

I could practically see Galaxy's eyebrows furrow, "No, apparently catching villains bodes well for popularity in a competition for the prince's hand in marriage."

I snickered, "What did you want anyways?"

"We had a breach. The Royal Seal was stolen."

"Galaxy Von Justice, don't give me that shit! Don't tell me something like that wasn't guarded." I rubbed my temple, this wasn't good. Not at all.

"The thief had inside information."

I fell back onto my pillow and groaned, "Well that's irrelevant now. Who took the damn thing?"

"Someone has a dirty mouth tonight. You kiss mom with that?"

"No. Because Mom and Dad are dead. Who. Took. The. Seal." This was seriously starting to piss me off and that stupid star I call my brother is joking around.

"We don't know. All the guards have been busy keeping you all safe."

"We?"

"Commander Adkins informed me of the breach." David Adkins had been the commander for the security in the palace for as long as and probably longer than I've had my job as a detective.

"Any idea where it is now?" Chocola hopped onto my bed and curled up on my stomach.

"According to a fisherman in the outskirts of Angeles, the thief threw it into the Six Color River."

"And?"

"We're on our way right now."

"I'll meet you there in fifteen minutes at the road junction."

Galaxy sighed, "Eris, no. Let us do this. You need to stay with the Selection and try not to get hurt more than anything."

"Galaxy, you've told me all my life how important this seal is. If I can't come with you I at least want to know what makes this lump of jade so important."

"There's an ancient law that no one can ascend the throne without it. And before you say anything, I know. It's a stupid law. If you have any questions go ask the very first king of Illea."

"Then you better retrieve that thing as quickly as hell allows it. Some Royal will notice sooner or later, and if they do, things will get ugly. And fast."

Lady Lilith

I tugged at the fringed sleeves of my undead bride costume. Apparently Logan was not getting the memo of the whole bride thing, but could I blame him? He had 31 other girls bowing down at his feet, plus politicians who wanted his favor for when he became king.

So try as I might, I could not bring myself to be bitter about the situation. It was a good effort, but one that ultimately failed.

I ambled over to the bathroom in order to get my act together. Plus I needed to pee.

After said business was completed, I twisted the faucet. It blubbered, and sputtered, and spat out a red, clumpy liquid. "What the hell…" I mumbled. I was not one who often cursed, but I think this situation permits.

I swung open the bottom cabinet door that revealed the pipes and could not contain my gasp at the dead rabbit impaled by the plumbing system. Without giving it a second glance, I slammed the door shut and spun on my heels.

Right in my face stood a shorter man. His face was coated white and twisted, a crooked-toothed smile painted on, and puffs of curly red hair were stitched into the corners of the temples to the top of the ears.

My eyes widened as they locked on the steak knife dripping in red gore. My feet recoiled and I hit the back of the sink counter top.

The clown took a step forward. Then burst out laughing in a childish tone. He pulled his second face off, revealing a red-faced Prince Brooks.

I froze, "Your highness?"

"Lady….face…priceless…" He gasped between laughs.

One of my eyebrows disappeared in my hairline, "You planning on cleaning that plumbing system or is a maid given that task, darling?"

He inhaled deeply a few times until he regained composure. "The fake blood will wash out soon enough. It should be fine, but if it isn't the staff will take care of it."

"Okay, now that we have gotten past that, might I ask why you are in the girl's bathroom?"

Prince Brooks shrugged, "You were my first target for Prank Season Selection style, and I have to say, it worked so well on you."

I narrowed my eyes, "I am as clever as the devil and twice as pretty. Do not try to play me again, darling. You may be a prince, but I believe your brother would not be too happy to find out his little brother was pranking girls in his Selection who did not appreciate, nor want to be a 'target' of yours."

Brooks frowned, but I was already pushing past him, politely, and returning to the party.

IM SORRY THIS CHAPTER IS SHORTER, I MAY TRY TO MAKE THE NEXT ONE LONGER BUT IT'S LATE AND IVE GONE TOO LONG WITHOUT UPDATING.

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