Chapter 44 Chapter 44

Chapter 44 Chapter 44
Liora’s POV 

My eyes remained trained on her, despite the disappointment written all over her face. 

“What was that?” She asked, from where she sat opposite me in the carriage. 
I closed my eyes briefly and steadied my breathing. It's okay, Liora. The worst part is over, you can handle this. 
The moment my eyes opened again and met hers, I almost swallowed my own tongue. 
“I’m not sure what you mean, mother. What is-”  
She cut me off sharply, “Do not play mind games with me, Liora. You know exactly what I mean”

I swallowed nervously.
“I just dealt with the situation”

“By being a nuisance and exchanging words with the Dravon kid?” She asked, her tone accusing. 

I sighed, “That is not the-” 

She cut me off again. Seriously, what was it with these adults and cutting us off every time?
“I am not asking for excuses, Liora. You were supposed to behave yourself. Act like the Crown Princess you are supposed to be. But what did you do instead? You embraced, embodied and became chaos yourself. What excuse could you even possibly have?”

“I was not trying to make an excuse, mother. I just-”

Guess what? Yup, she cut me off again!

“I am so disappointed in you! You keep proving to me over and over again why you are not fit to be queen. Maybe I would simply just have to break tradition and use one of you brothers instead. Because I will not, I refuse to have a successor who cannot handle the gravity of the throne, who cannot carry the crown without falling.”

Wow. Just wow.
Her words knocked my breath right out of me. 
My eyes met with hers.
Did she even ever feel guilty when she said things like that? The look on her face gave nothing away. Stubborn and stoic as ever.

I stayed quiet, making sure she was done this time. 

“Can I talk now?” I asked softly, and she pursed her lips in response.

“Everyone knows we hate each other. That is how it has always been, mother. You know this. If I was all quiet and cordial with my responses, I would still be in that room being interrogated. It was intentional. I planned to show everyone just how much I hated him. It wasn’t so hard, because I really do hate him. I just had to amplify it, so we could end the entire thing.” I explained.

She stayed quiet, obviously at a loss for words.
Did she realize she had an unnecessary outburst? Would she apologize?
I almost scoffed at my own thoughts. That was almost as bad as asking her to bow to Lord Dravon. 

“But nothing I do is ever enough for you, is it?” I started, pausing to see her reaction.
As expected, nothing. I could not see anything, I did not even bother anymore at that point.

“Fine, I’m used to that anyway. But I will ask you this. What is your excuse?” I asked, and she raised a solid brow in question. 

I crossed my arms over my thighs “I had a reason for being the way I was. What was yours? Isn’t a queen supposed to be all calm and proper?”       

And there it was… the eye twitch. 
She was angry… clearly, but I did not even care. 

“Are you saying I am not proper?” She asked, and I bowed my head slightly.

“No, mother. You are. But I’m saying you were not proper back there,” I said, as I raised my head back, my eyes meeting hers. 

Oh, she was livid. 

“Liora, I am your mother. You will not talk to me that way,” she said, as her eye twitched again. 

My hands curled into fists. She could blow this carriage up for all I cared, but I was determined to say my piece.
“But it’s true. Mother, you taught me to challenge things that I feel are unfair or wrong, you taught me to stand up to anything, anyone, and fear nobody. You said that’s what a true queen does. You also told me to be quick on my feet and stand on decisions that I make. And I'm doing just that, so I don’t know why you are so mad about it” 

I was so angry, and I just kept talking. Over talking… saying things I shouldn't. 
“You could have been more level headed about the entire thing, but you almost blew the entire building up, all because you were in the same room with your enemy. As a queen, don't you have to face so many enemies? I just feel like you preach one thing, and do another. Should you not lead by-”

I could not complete my statement. Not because I chickened out, or got emotional. 
But because I was completely caught off guard.
One minute, I was talking, and the next minute, my ears were ringing.
She slapped me. 

My hand cradled my cheek as I looked at her in shock. 
My mother and I never got along, but she had never raised her hand at me before. Never. 
So, I did not even know what to say or how to feel.

Tears welled up in my eyes so fast, and my throat hung with words that just would not come out.

I searched her face for any hint of regret. There was none. As usual. If she did regret it, I wouldn't even know.

“You slapped me” I said, my voice barely a whisper, as I finally broke past the lump in my throat. 
It was honestly more of a statement than a question.

“Who are you to lecture me?” She asked, and I blinked back tears that threatened to fall.

“I was not lecturing you… I was talking to you… Like mothers and daughters do. Am I even your daughter?” I asked, my eyes trained on hers. 

For a split second, her eyes softened and I held my breath softly, waiting, watching…

But that was all it was… A split second. 

I hung my head, as my shoulders sagged in defeat. 

At that very moment, every hope, every maybes that I had, regarding our relationship, went right down the drain. 
It wasn’t just about power for her… she hated me. She hated every single thing I did, every thing I said, every single thing…
My own mother hated me.