Chapter 204 Long live
Chapter 204 Long live
LIRA
The secret chamber felt smaller after Cassian left.
I sat on the edge of the cot, my hands clasped in my lap, staring at the closed door. The silence pressed in around me, heavy and suffocating. I could still hear the echoes of his voice, the raw grief that had cracked through his words like thunder. How he cried in my arms.
My father is dead.
Prince Sargon of Norwyn killed him. From Veyraxis's back.
I pressed my palms against my eyes.
The King is dead.
The man who had ordered my father's execution. The man who had destroyed my family. The man who had built his throne on lies and blood and the suffering of innocents.
He was finally gone.
I should have felt something. Relief, perhaps. Justice maybe. The satisfaction of knowing that the universe had somehow balanced the scales.
But all I felt was hollow.
Because Cassian was grieving. And I didn’t want to see him in pain.
And now the weight of the crown had fallen on his shoulders before he was ready.
Because the man I loved was going to be the King of Aurelia, and I did not know what that meant for us.
I rose from the cot and crossed to the small mirror that hung on the wall. My reflection stared back at me, I looked tired.
You are not the same person who walked into this palace months ago, I thought. You are not the same person who wanted revenge.
Months ago I would have rejoiced at the King’s death. Danced even. I would have called it retribution.
But I couldn’t even imagine feeling happy about it, not when Cassian was hurt.
\---
I left the secret chamber and made my way back to my own rooms. Cassian had told me I could go back now.
The corridors were eerily quiet. The usual bustle of servants and courtiers was absent, replaced by a heavy, watchful silence. Guards stood at every corner, their faces grim, their hands resting on their swords.
No one spoke to me.
No one looked at me.
I was a ghost, moving through a palace that had become a tomb.
When I reached my chambers, Felicity was inside my chambers. Her face was pale, her hands trembling.
"My lady," she said. "I was so worried. I did not know you had come back. I thought…”
"I am fine." I took her hands. "I am fine, Felicity. The tour ended early. I was on my way back when I heard the news."
"Really?"
"Yes." I squeezed her hands. "I just arrived…”
She nodded, though she did not look convinced.
"Prince Cassian…” She stopped. "King Cassian, I mean, he sent word. There is to be a coronation tonight. In the great hall. He asked that you attend."
I felt my chest tighten.
A coronation.
He is going to be crowned already? His father was not even in his grave yet and they were already moving to crown him.
"Of course," I said. "I will be there."
\---
Felicity helped me prepare.
She chose a gown of deep blue silk, simple but elegant, the color of twilight and shadows. She brushed my hair until it shone and pinned it back from my face, leaving a few loose curls to frame my cheeks.
"You look beautiful, my lady," she said.
I looked at my reflection. I looked appropriate enough.
"Thank you, Felicity," I said.
She curtsied and left.
I stood alone in my chambers, staring at my reflection, and thought about everything that had happened.
Honestly I didn’t know how I was still alive despite everything that had happened. I walked out of my chambers.
\---
I did not make it far.
Calista appeared at the end of the corridor like a specter, she was wearing a demure black gown. Her face was twisted with fury, her eyes blazing with barely contained rage.
"You," she spat.
I stopped.
"Lady Calista."
"You are supposed to be dead." She stalked toward me, her heels clicking against the stone. "You were supposed to be dead, and yet here you are. You are like a roach that won’t die."
"Calista…”
"Do not speak to me." She grabbed my arm, her sharp nails digging into my skin. "Do you have any idea how much I loathe you? How much I hate seeing you walking down these halls like you own them?
"Let go of me."
"Cassian is the King now. He is the King, and I am supposed to be his Queen. I have worked for this. I have earned this. And you, you are nothing but a thorn in my flesh that refuses to go away. Why won’t you just die or leave and let me live in peace!”
"Let go of me," I said again. My voice was calm, steady, cold. "I will not warn you again Calista.”
Calista's grip tightened. Her fingers dug deep enough to draw blood.
"You think you frighten me? You think you can stand there and pretend you are better than me because he fancies you?"
"No." I met her eyes. "I do not have to pretend that I’m better than you. I am better than you."
She went still, I dragged my arm away from her, her fingers had left bloody imprints on my skin.
"Calista, you have spent your entire life scheming and plotting and manipulating your way to the throne. You have hurt people. You have destroyed lives. You have done terrible things in the name of ambition."
"Lira…”
"You do not scare me." I pulled my arm free. "You have never scared me. I am not even the least bit worried about your miserable existence when Cassian himself doesn’t care anyway!“
Calista stared at me.
I walked past her.
\---
The great hall was dark.
Torches blazed along the walls, casting flickering shadows across the marble floor. A handful of nobles had gathered near the dais, Lord Gareth, Lord Dorne, the members of the council. Their faces were pale, their expressions somber.
I stayed at the back of the hall, hidden in the shadows.
The doors at the far end of the hall swung open.
Cassian walked in.
He was wearing a simple tunic of black and gold, his dark hair swept back from his face. His eyes were red-rimmed, his jaw tight, but his posture was straight. Proud. Regal.
Behind him walked his mother, her face pale, her eyes dry. She looked like she had aged a decade in a single day.
Behind her walked Evander, his expression unreadable. Aveline, her face streaked with tears.
The priest of Aurelia stood on the dais, his hands clasped before him, a crown resting on a velvet cushion.
Cassian knelt before him.
The priest raised the crown above Cassian's head.
"By the authority vested in me by the gods and the people of Aurelia," he intoned, "I crown thee Cassian Valemont, King of Aurelia, Lord of Dragons, Protector of the Realm."
The crown settled on Cassian's brow.
He rose.
And we all bowed.
And I watched the man I loved become the King of Aurelia.