Chapter 369: How it ended.
The night stretched long, glittering with scandal and laughter; the perfect recipe for every party thrown by a noble, depending on who you asked. It was almost cake cutting time. Sienna and Elias’s families, and princess Lina had all changed into their third outfits of the evening.
Elias had been resistant, but Lina had made the preparations for everyone.
Sienna was in a simple white dress, covered by a thick white fur, the golden pearl crown still glowing on her head. Ali, was in a yellow dress that sparkled as if it had been stitched straight from starlight. Elias and Eli wore black tailored suits embroidered with seven tail fox insignias on the back, in silver.
At the moment, Sienna was in the lounge, sitting across from the queen mother, the former king, the reigning king and queen and a cluster of royals whose eyes refused to leave her crown.
Elias sat beside her, tense, his family gathered around or behind him and Sienna. Lord Grace Twindell had squeezed himself into the gathering. All their faces were tight with tension, the silence in the room was suffocating, broken only by the faint sound of laughter and moving feet outside the lounge.
Finally, the queen mother spoke. Her voice was sharp, brittle, yet commanding.
"You," she hissed, pointing at Sienna, "have the audacity to wear my jewels--my royal jewels! My crown, bracelets, the rings, earrings. Do you think yourself above me?"
"No, she doesn’t." Jess replied.
"I definitely don’t want to be above you, but also not below you." Sienna muttered.
The royals gasped.
The queen mother huffed. "You...you are lunatic." She screamed loudly.
Sienna leaned back, her expression unreadable. She said to the queen, confidently, "If you had not stopped all my attempts to dangle young women before the former king as potential wives, I would not have taken things this far. You humiliated me first, and all I wanted was for you to get a tiny taste of your own medicine. It’s not like your husband was going to cheat anyway. I have been sending women to my father-in-law for months now and yet my mother-in-law is firmly holding on to her position. But fingers crossed..."
"Sienna." The queen yelled. "Filter, dear. Filter."
Despite the looks of shock around her, Sienna shrugged. "Life’s too short to fake things like love and friendship. If you have a grudge, work it out and move on after getting an apology."
Murmurs rose in the room, whispers of her boldness.
The former king, seated with regal calm, raised a hand to silence the murmurs. His eyes narrowed, studying Sienna with a mixture of curiosity and amusement. "Tell me, child," he said, his voice deep and deliberate, "did you plan this entire party simply to parade these jewels? Was this your revenge against my wife? You did insist that she attend the party at all cost."
"No." Jess blurted loudly. "No..no." She added softly.
Sienna lips curved into a sly smile. "Yes," she admitted without hesitation. "My husband is not a fan of big parties. I have a smaller celebration planned for the two of us, away from this noise after the party is over. I planned this for revenge. Every detail. Every shimmer of fox lantern and I have enjoyed it."
The room froze. Gasps rose, royals and Veythar’s exchanged horrified glances, and Cadelaria nearly fainted from the brazenness of her confession.
But the former king did not scowl. Instead, he laughed--a booming, hearty laugh that filled the room.
"You injected three million into this party just to make my mother faint!" Lina screeched.
Sienna smiled gleefully. "I have the recording of that moment." She looked at the queen mother, soaking in the woman’s glare. "My pictures in that golden pearl crown will live on forever in history, beside hers, because only the two of us have ever worn it."
The queen mother put her hand over her chest, her eyes reddening slightly.
"Now you know how it feels when something you value is taken away by another." Sienna told the queen mother, in a cold voice. "Next time you tell me to divorce my husband and extend your reach into my marriage, be prepared for something worse."
The queen mother turned her sharp, angry eyes on Cadelaria. Then she pointed to Sienna. "Arrest her, arrest this lowly bitch. I am the queen mother, even if you think I offended you, it gives you no right to disrespect me."
"So that’s my crime." Sienna rolled her eyes. "Disrespect? I borrowed these things from Lina and I have evidence. Even if you sue me, you will lose. And I will record your losing moment."
Not one guard moved. Not a single person reacted, because this was beyond their understanding.
The former king burst into laughter again, shocking everyone. "Shameless. Brave. Petty," he declared, rising to his feet. "I like you, Sienna. You are exactly what we all need for a rude awakening. I was not aware that my wife tried to force the matriarch of the fox tribe divorce." He gave his wife a strong look of disapproval. "It won’t happen again. Thank you for not bringing it to the royal council or spreading word on BeastNet." He tilted his head, "Or suing her and dragging the royal family into a political scandal."
Sienna nodded. "I would ask for an apology from her, but I am sure I am not getting one." She removed all of the queen mother’s jewels from her body and placed them on the table. Then, she looked at the former king with a small smile, "I will apologize to you however, as you have never wronged me. You bought these earrings for your wife. You mentioned in an interview how they are one of the most personal gifts you have ever given to her. I should not have used them in my scheme. In exchange for borrowing them, I will send you a package every month of all my fruits and food products free, for a year."
A lot of people in the room wanted to mock her for her offer, especially the nobles.
The former extended his hand across the table. Sienna, unflinching, rose and took it. Their handshake sealed the moment, transforming scandal into something of a budding friendship. The tension dissolved into murmurs of astonishment, and even the king nodded in approval. He still shook his head at the absurdity of it all.
"Grace, walk with me." The former king said to Lord Grace Twindell. "Given our closeness, I am wondering why I am only hearing news of your son’s second marriage now! I am Chase’s godfather after all."
Grace Twindell nodded at Sienna and followed the king.
After the royals left, everyone collapsed where they were. Some on the floor, and some in chairs. Sienna’s scheme could have ended a lot differently. Thankfully, the former king had found it funny. Either that, or he had weighed his options and decided not to antagonize Elias and Grace at the same time over a feud his own wife started.
"Next time..." Sienna started.
Grandma Jess interjected quickly, "There is no next time."
Elias closed his eyes for a moment, thinking of the leopard analogy again. He was sure there would be a next time.