76. The Stubborn White Dragon

The dining room was just as huge as the one used in the bridal selection with similar decor but now, it seemed much more larger because only a few were going to be sitting here. She could not believe that The Icy Queen that had tormented her in her stay at The Bridal Selection had somewhat become a less wicked person and would now be her mother in law. And The King.....

Reya still shivered at the thought of sitting close to such a fearful man. But then she thought of Aidan, and she thought of Armani and somehow, the fear was abated.

Gathering her skirts woven by the finest, glittering pink silk, she walked across floors of gold illuminated by the bright daylight seeping through the tear drop windows to stand before The King and his Queen.

“Good morning your majesty, your highnesses,” she bowed.

The King acknowledged her presence with a simple nod and look to the eyes. The Queen allowed herself a small, acknowledging smile. Reya glanced away and sat beside Aidan. Across her sat The brooding Lord of The Sea.

He hadn’t slept well, she realized, spotting those atrocious red swelling underneath his eyes. Perhaps he’d really been thinking about her confession to him yesterday.

Sooner than she expected the table was filling up with food. Her stomach grumbled at the sight of the roasted chicken buttered with spices doused in oil. Gravy sauces with sliced, cheesy potatoes lay in heaps and there was a small tree with varying cupcakes garnished with colorful icing. Reya was so hungry, having barfed every single thing she ate yesterday.

Her sudden appetites should not deceive her. She was bound to throw it up sooner or later. And so Reya simply helped herself with a small serving of the spicy chicken and buttery mushroom gravy sauce.

The door opened and a figure, slender and tall slithered into the dining room. A beautiful silver tiara sat on her graying blonde hair and she dressed in the finest moon silver robes, covering her body modestly.

Reya immediately recognized her face and could not believe just how stupid she was for not realizing it earlier.

Back in the days when she was struggling to find the Queen’s gambit, she remembered a woman had emerged from the shadows and ensured she went down the hall she strongly assumed was where the Queen’s exclusive club lay.

“Dowager Queen Jocelyn,” The Queen greeted her mother in law.

“Good morning,” she greeted everyone cheerily, walking towards the table and seating herself directly across Queen Aprilina.

“How was your night?” King Erik leaned in to kiss her cheek.

“There’s hardly anything that could excite this old woman,” she chuckled with a shrug.

“But I suppose it was fine,”

And with that, the table was silent again.

Reya’s plate was already empty while everyone dined. She noticed that the only chatty people were the respective Queens. The Princes were choosing to be silent, for reasons best known to them.

Reya was certain they must have fought- again. Gods, it was so tiring.

“You should eat more,” Prince Aidan said, placing his hand over hers.

Reya let herself be amused at the difference in size between their hands. While his were surprisingly callused, huge and tanned by the sun and his mother’s genes, Reya’s hand was far smaller, fitting under his like a child. Her skin had paled from being confined to a room for so long but hopefully, she would regain back the vibrance of her Golden brown skin.

“I am satisfied with what I’ve had, thank you,” she rejected the offer sweetly.

Aidan’s mouth twisted disapprovingly, his blue and hazel eyes shooting towards her plate.

“I’m still recovering. I get sick with too much food sometimes,” she explained meekly.

“How about fruits?” He said, bringing an assortment of pomegranates and grapes towards her.

“You said coconuts were your favorite, but they’re not really here right now,” he added earnestly.

“Thank you,” Reya beamed honestly at him, pleasantly surprised that he remembered that those were her favorite fruits.

A small smile played at his lips, one that made him look boyish and vibrant as she popped a grape into her mouth. His gaze fell to her fruits and his thick eyelashes, a darker blonde than the hair on his head kissed his cheeks.

The Prince was so handsome, she thought. She didn’t need her dragon intensifying the bond between them to acknowledge his smooth and golden beauty, the perfect arch of his eyebrows, the smooth, long arc of his nose and the dark pink and full lips that sat underneath it.

“There are coconut trees on my beach. If you want, I can send for them,” Prince Armani added, causing Reya to blink and look up at him.

The colder Prince did look earnest, but one look into the Golden flecks in his eyes told her that he was jealous of her interaction with Prince Aidan. She had almost forgotten how possessive Golden dragons were.

“I’d love that, thank you,” she let a small smile grace her lips.

One brief look at Aidan showed her the scowl on his face.

Reya ignored both men and went on gobbling down her fruit.

The First Prince started toying with her hand, flicking his long fingers over her nails

“I want to show you something in the city,” he told her, ignoring his brother.

“Would you like to come with me?”

“She told you she was sick, Aidan,” The Lord of The Sea retorted.

Just great.

“My mate has a voice, Sea Lord,” Aidan’s voice was cool but his different colored eyes sparked with hatred.

“And if she has a problem, she can tell me. Wouldn’t you, sweetheart?” He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to it.

“Uh I-“

“She complained of sickness and you want her to enter a carriage? What she needs is a walk, Aidan. Not something that will make her heave the little she is trying to put into her stomach,” Armani said bitterly, his cold eyes hardening.

“My mate already used her voice, but you don’t seem to care for whatever her opinion is,”

“Stop it, both of you,” Reya scowled at both men, unhappy at their stupid banter.

The King cleared his throat and Reya sat up, withdrawing her hand from Aidan’s clutch.

A small triumphant smirk played at the Lord of The Sea’s mouth. Reya rolled her eyes at the cunning War Lord.

“Lady Reya,” The King said, his electric blue eyes fixating on the white dragon shifter.

“I have called you to our breakfast table in concerns of your marriage. The Oracle has done a great thing by proving your bond is true and her conditions was to ensure that you get engaged to your mates,”

“No,” The Princes chorused, causing Reya’s stomach to lurch.

“It cannot be done. I refuse to share my mate. I brought the Oracle. I will fulfill her terms and put a ring on Reya’s finger,” Aidan declared.

“You made your choice the moment you let her die in that selection, Aidan. You had so many weeks to do so but you were so obsessed with trying to have a hand on the mines in The Blue dragon clan and was flirting away with Lady Bethanie- who is now betrothed to our cousin. You had your chance and you lost it. I got my chance and I claimed her,”

“Watch it,” Prince Aidan’s body radiated burning fury. His voice was a cold growl, a violent mixture of fury and animalistic instincts that told Reya he was upset.

“I’ll have you know I am The Lord of The Mines. There is no mine in the Blue dragon clan that will ever pique my interest because I have more mines than any other man in the entire realm. Stop accusing me baselessly,” he snapped, tone frigid with cold fury.

Reya simply blinked in shock. She wasn’t even aware that Aidan had a title asides being First Grade Prince. Aidan had mines? Aidan was called Lord of The Mines?

“You’ve always been greedy, brother. If I had two mines and you had Ten, you would still strive to acquire mine. Forgive me for following the pattern of your habits to judge you which in my line of thought, is calling a spade, a spade,” The Lord of The Sea said coolly before lifting his cup and sipping on some ambrosia.

“Your arguments are baseless, Sea Lord. The Sea is your turf and The Land is mine. But as it is, not all of the sea belongs to you. The same goes for me. I’m content with what I have. Reya is mine, you can keep digging your fishy fingers under Lady Danielle’s skirts,”

Just when Reya was certain a flood of water will come pouring into the room to choke Aidan to death, There was a loud slam on the table.

“For God sake!” The Queen snarled, the vines on her face glowing with a bright and angry red.

“What is wrong with the both of you? Clearly, no one is better than the other. If you keep digging up your faults, even the man with lesser faults will not be worthy of marrying Lady Reya because your flaws are too hard to ignore! The Oracle has made it clear. She wants engagement rings on her finger. You know how she is, she is the priests of the gods. If she prays to any one of them to afflict you then you’re all gone. So choose wisely. Your pride is not an option, I shall like to remind you,” The Queen added.

King Erik was noticeably silent, choosing not to involve himself in the matter. And Reya remembered why.

The Queen had two mates and The Dragon King had found him unworthy of her so he killed him. If by any mistake one of the men was any less than the other, then the stronger one would kill the weaker one.

“Prince Aidan, Prince Armani,” Reya sat up, addressing both of them.

The Princes turned towards her, attention readily focused on their mate, the only thing those two idiots had in common.

“One of you will marry me, is that not?” She asked coyly, batting her eyelashes.

“Of course,” Prince Armani answered quickly, as though he had already decided her life.

As though it were not up for debate.

Reya had to bite back her anger and continue being a sweetheart.

“And so how are we going to do this exactly? How will I know which one of you will be my future husband?” She inquired.

Aidan, the sharper one was already watching her suspiciously, already knowing that sweet Reya was a devious Reya. She was about to do something very mischievous or in this case, throw a sudden bombshell.

“You will choose, since my brother and I cannot make a decision,” Aidan said, deciding to fall for her bait.

Clearly, he was trying to figure out what she was up to.

“And do you agree with that, Sovereign War Commander? Do you think it is best I make a decision,”

Prince Armani had already caught on to her suspicious behavior, those dark eyes flickering back and forth with caution.

“...Yes,” he delayed his answer, deciding that he too could not figure her out.

“Perfect. I have already made my decision,” she declared vibrantly, silencing the entire table.

Even The Dowager Queen was gaping at her.

“And what is your decision, Lady Reya?” The Queen asked, a small impish smile playing on her lips.

Clearly, she was already certain of Reya’s response.

“I will marry none of them,” she announced, tilting her chin stubbornly.

King Erik coughed and immediately hid his mouth behind his Golden goblet.

“None?” Dowager Queen Jocelyn repeated, not quite believing it.

“None,” she answered smoothly, popping a pomegranate into her mouth.

And while she chewed, she noticed that everyone was looking at her expectantly, perhaps anticipating an explanation.

“I will marry none of them,” Reya repeated after swallowing.

“I am not a breeding mare that the topic of my marriage should be discussed like I am being sized for an auction. You both do not respect my wishes and I do not think I can marry a man that will marry me just to spite his brother,” her voice hardened considerably.

“What?” Prince Aidan exclaimed.

“Reya... I am not choosing to marry you because I want to spite my brother. I want to marry you, I just don’t want to share you with him,”

“Finally we agree on something,” Armani remarked darkly, rolling his eyes.

“It matters all the same to me,” she insisted, glaring at both men.

“If I wanted to choose you both, you would argue my head off and I am too stressed, too tired to argue my case with any one of you. The mating season is on and I am deciding to expand my options as the most eligible bachelorette in the entire kingdom, possessing the most coveted *Asynkritos* necklace,”

“What? What are you saying?” The Lord of The Sea asked, his eyes darkening considerably.

“I’m saying you’re not the only one with options. I am a free woman. I am not obligated to marry any one of you under the pretense of a treaty or alliance. You are becoming burdens to me, headaches that I cannot thwart no matter the amount of drugs I can ingest,” she spat acidly.

“Reya I don’t understand-“

“You better!” She snapped at Aidan.

“I am rejecting both of you. As a white dragon, I have found you both unfit to mate with. I have constantly been attacked, been inconvenienced in court and in my normal life because I share a mate bond with you. If I choose to step away from your Royal lives and take for instance, mate with the Alpha’s heir of The Blue dragon clan-“

The Princes growled, their eyes flashing dangerously at the prospect of their mate going off to find another male- a lesser male to mate with.

“-as I was saying before you so rudely interrupted. I will find another man to mate with. I am a free woman and I can do whatsoever I please. If I mate with a clansman, I doubt I would be attacked so constantly,” her voice hardened.

“You all have been in your heads lately, and I am giving you a taste of what goes in my own mind. I refused to let Prince Aidan take me to his mother the day he found me because I decided that being a Princess was not for me so Prince Armani, you can stop attacking your brother over that,” she glared pointedly at him.

“And if I am to bear with your petty fights everyday, then I would rather part ways with the crown. You can hold another selection or whatever bright idea comes to your mind, Prince Aidan. But I will not marry either of you. No one will force me. Even if I die rejecting you, I wouldn’t mind it. I have nothing in this world to lose anyway,” her voice cracked but she quickly sipped her drink and averted her gaze.

“You are saying you will not mate with either Prince, Lady Reya?” The King ask, tilting his head to the side.

“Yes,” she answered, pressing her lips together impertinently.

“Unless they can learn to coexist in a relationship with you?... You’re saying you will not marry any if you can’t marry both?” The Wise King deduced, having read in between the lines of her previous heated rant,

“I shall not like to settle. They must learn to treat me better or keep being arrogant. And I don’t have all the time in the world. I am Eight and Twenty, I’m growing old. I will look into my line of suitors,” she rose her chin into the air, glaring condescendingly at both men.

A loud bubble of laughter left Queen Jocelyn’s mouth.

“Oh, Children of these days,” she chortled, hiding her laughter in a handkerchief,

“I can’t believe it! Would you look at that Ret?”

The Queen was sporting a smile of her own, digging into her meal.

At first she seemed so bothered at her son’s fighting, but now she was certain that Reya could handle the impossible Princes.

“I shall begin on Prince Reagan and Lady Bethanie’s wedding. For now, I shall see into the construction of my hospital,” and with that, Reya stormed away from two gaping Princes.

“That one? She has to be your successor. I don’t see any other woman being Queen,” Queen Jocelyn laughed.