Chapter 18 : Disdain of a Mother
Finally, Queen Selena fell silent after her outburst, her chest heaving with the force of rage. And the room becomes deathly silent only the sound of the heavy breathing of Queen Selena and a sigh can be heard from Princess Aurelia. Princess Aurelia could only stand there while lowering her head, which allowed her to hide her true expression, and she could only wait for what her mother had to say next.
But instead of saying more words, the Queen simply turned away from Aurelia, dismissing her with a wave of her hand as if she were nothing more than a nuisance. Princess Aurelia felt at that time she was really treated like an unwanted burden and guessed she was right because, in the next moment, her mother proved it.
"Leave from my sight, I cannot bear to look at you any longer." Queen Selena commanded coldly to Princess Aurelia, there was clear disdain in her voice for her.
And Aurelia didn't need to be told twice, she bowed towards her mother which didn't get any response at all, but she didn't care and just walked away from there. Her heart was already heavy with the painful words that her mother said to her without any sympathy or warmth that a mother carries toward their child.
As Princess Aurelia reached the door, her heart dropped to her stomach when she heard the cold, steely voice of Queen Selena sliced once more.
"Wait," the Queen commanded once again. With that same tone of hers which had lost none of its sharpness, Aurelia could feel that there was something else now—something more calculating and sinister. And her gut feeling was telling her that whatever will be the next word of Queen Selena could never be in her favor.
Aurelia was frozen in her place, her hand was just inches away from the door handle. She didn't dare to turn around, didn't dare to face her mother again, but she knew that she had no choice. Slowly, she turned to look at the Queen, her heart pounding even louder in her chest.
Queen Selena's gaze was fixed on her, and there was a gleam in her eyes that sent a shiver down Aurelia's spine. The Queen rose from her throne and took a step toward her. her expression was unreadable and it made only more miserable for Aurelia.
"There is another reason, why I summoned you here," Selena began with her icy voice and continued, "We have received word of an upcoming diplomatic visit from the neighboring kingdom. And I have found out from my resource that their Crown Prince will be among the delegation."
Aurelia felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as Queen Selena continued. She had already known of this visit, as it was on the talk of everyone present in the palace. But the way her mother was looking at her now, she knew this was about more than just diplomacy.
"You are going to engage him," Queen Selena said her eyes narrowing at Princess Aurelia. "Make him see you as a suitable bride. Lure him into your trap, Aurelia. Do something beneficial for your mother—just this once."