Chapter 130

Raven’s pov;

The clinking of cutlery was the only tha by stopping the room from being in total silence. It was too loud, too sharp and too deliberate. It felt as though every bite Princess Ellie took was a performance for everyone to see…whoever it was as it was just she and I in the dining room for a late breakfast.

After my interaction with Tate, I thought of just going to train while I organized my thought, but she had invited me to dine with her, stating that ‘she didn’t eat alone.’

I almost laughed at that. The same Ellie that always ate alone in her room, never welcome in the kings presence.

I sat across from her, my fingers curling around my teacup as I forced myself to sip the now cold jasmine tea, instead of flinging the porcelain across the table.

“You’ve barely eaten, Raven,” she leaned close. “Queen,” her eyes lit up in mischief amd I smiled slowly. Of course, there was no way I could stay with Ellie without her saying something so annoying.

“I must say,” she drawled, her spoon stirring lazily through the cream in her bowl. She wanted so badly for me to react, but I knew better.  “Grok is not such a bad place. The  cooks here try their best, although… the porridge here is rather coarse, don’t you think?”

I breathed in through my nose, pretending to busy myself with a slice of bread.

Ignore her. Just ignore her and she’d stop trying to provoke you and leave instead.

How wrong I was!

She continued speaking, her tone, but her eyes gleaming with that familiar Belgravian sharpness. “I’m sure you understand what I mean. A pig would never know how dirty it is until it’s left what it knows to be a home.”

I inhaled deeply. She was calling the people of Grok pigs. “Prin…”

“Ofcourse, “ she started speaking again, totally ignoring me and cutting my words. “perhaps coarse porridge is the trend here. The people are used to… rougher things.”

My grip on the bread tightened. “The people,” I said slowly, “have survived famine, war, and more betrayal than you could dream of, Princess. If they eat coarser bread, it is because they’ve earned every bite.”

She froze for a moment, her spoon still on her hand. For a moment, she looked almost surprised. Then she smiled, it looked sweet, but I knew her better. “Oh, how passionate you are. Almost like a real queen already.” She tilted her head and then leaned closer.  “Careful, it could be taken away from you  anytime.”

I set down my teacup with a small clink. “Thank you for the words of advice, princess, but you should know that Passion builds kingdoms and I ndifference destroys them.”

Her lips parted, then curved upward again. She enjoyed this…waiting for me to snap so that it would cause another problem between Grok and Belgravia.

“Well,” she said after a long pause, leaning back in her chair with a dainty sigh, “since we are speaking of kingdoms… I have a request.”

My stomach tightened. “A request?” This wasn’t good!4

“Yes.” She folded her hands neatly and leaned back onto her seat. “I would like to have dinner with the council members. All of them. It would be a  chance to thank them for their… generous hospitality before I leave.”

The way she said “hospitality” made me roll my eyes mentally.

“Dinner with the council?” I repeated, keeping my tone neutral. That seemed like a trap, whatever she’s planning, I worked to her standing.

“Indeed. A gathering of the kingdom’s most powerful men and woman,” she smiled, placing a meat filled fork into her mouth before chewing slowly. “You wouldn’t deny me, would you? After all, my father expects a report.”

Liar!

I gave her a polite smile, careful, measured. “I will discuss it with Liam.”

Her eyes narrowed, just slightly. “Of course. Discuss away, but you know it has to be tonight as I have to leave in two days…..”

By the time I returned to my room, my head ached. I wanted nothing more than a moment of peace. Instead, I opened the door to find someone already waiting inside.

Her back was turned to me, but I was almost certain that it was her.

Annalise.

I cleared my throat and she turned around and smiled, moving towards the edge of the bed and sitting on it.

“You have a talent,” I said dryly, shutting the door behind me, “for appearing uninvited, everywhere.”

Her gaze flicked toward me, sharp and assessing, as though she wanted to see if she could trust me. “And you have a talent for ignoring warnings.”

I frowned. “Warnings?”

She rose and that was when I noticed that for once since I’d known her, her face was stripped of that sly amusement she often wore. There was something heavier there—urgency.

“Be wary of Princess Ellie,” she said.

I let out a bitter laughter. “That’s hardly new advice. I’ve been wary since the day she stepped foot in this palace.”

Annalise shook her head. “Not wary enough.”

I crossed my arms. “Then enlighten me. Why should I be more cautious than I already am? What do you know?”

Her lips pressed into a thin line. “Some things, I can’t say. You know, there are some words more dangerous spoken than held.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “So you came here to give me riddles?”

She was quiet for a while and then she smiled, but it was a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.   “Raven,” she said quietly, “there are games within games here. Princess Ellie… She is not merely a spoiled princess. If you treat her like one, you will lose.”

I studied her face, as though I could see if she was being serious. Annalise was no friend of mine, but I couldn’t dispute the fact that she had been useful to me in the past, but I still couldn’t trust her.

“Why are you telling  me this?” I asked finally.

“Because,” she whispered, stepping closer, “I don’t want her to win. If Joanna should take control, then I’m afraid that we’d have even more bigger worries.”