Princess Of The Skulls - Chapter 29: Chapter 29
You are reading Princess Of The Skulls, Chapter 29: Chapter 29. Read more chapters of Princess Of The Skulls.
The seamstresses fussed around me like carrion birds, pinning and tucking the midnight blue silk that would serve as my wedding gown. Each stitch felt like a chain being forged, binding me to a fate I'd never chosen. The irony wasn't lost on me—here I stood, the , being dressed like a doll for slaughter.
"Hold still, Your Highness," Madame Corvina murmured through pins clenched between her teeth. "The beadwork must lie perfectly flat, or the whole effect will be ruined."
Effect. As if this wedding were mere theater instead of a political execution. I caught my reflection in the mirror—pale skin against dark fabric, my mother's sapphire necklace at my throat like a collar. Beautiful and deadly, just as I'd been trained to be.
"The prince arrived this morning," Lydia said from her perch by the window, her voice carefully neutral.
My childhood friend had grown distant since the betrothal announcement, jealousy eating at her like acid. "The servants are all aflutter about how handsome he is."
"Handsome men make the most dangerous enemies," I replied, thinking of Kael's sharp cheekbones and predatory smile. "Beauty is just another weapon."
Lydia's laugh held no warmth. "How romantic. I'm sure Prince Aldric will be charmed by such sentiment."
The door opened without ceremony, and my father strode in, dismissing the seamstresses with a gesture.
They scattered like mice, leaving us alone with the weight of unspoken truths hanging in the air.
"You look like your mother," he said, and something in his voice made my skin crawl. "She wore blue the night she died."
"Did she know?" The question escaped before I could stop it. "When you had her killed, did she know why?"
His hand struck my cheek with the crack of breaking bone. The force of it sent me stumbling, warm blood trickling from my split lip. Lydia gasped, but I felt only cold satisfaction. Finally, a reaction that proved my suspicions weren't madness.
"Careful, daughter." His voice was winter itself. "Dead women tell no tales, but they leave behind such interesting daughters."
The threat was clear. I straightened, meeting his gaze with the defiance he'd beaten into me since childhood. "The dead tell me plenty, Father. Mother's skull speaks quite loudly these days."
Something flickered in his eyes—fear, perhaps, or calculation. "Then you know why this marriage must happen. The Thornfield alliance is the only thing standing between our kingdom and chaos."
"Chaos you created when you had Lord Cassius murder my mother."
"Your mother discovered things she shouldn't have. Ancient secrets that could have destroyed both kingdoms." He moved closer, his presence filling the room like smoke. "The skull relics aren't just communication tools, Seraphina. They're prisons. And some of the inmates are growing restless."
My blood turned to ice. The skulls had been speaking more frequently lately, their whispers growing urgent and strange. "What are you talking about?"
"The wedding will complete an ancient binding. Your blood combined with Thornfield magic will strengthen the seals that keep the old gods locked away." His smile was cold as winter dawn. "You're not just marrying for politics, daughter. You're marrying to save the world."
Before I could respond, a commotion erupted in the courtyard below. Shouts of alarm, the ring of steel on steel. I rushed to the window to see guards surrounding a figure in black—Kael, fighting his way through a dozen men with lethal grace.
"Your assassin friend is persistent," my father observed, joining me at the window. "Perhaps it's time to end this distraction once and for all."
"No." The word came out sharper than intended. "He's my concern."
"Is he now?" Father's gaze was calculating. "How interesting. The princess of skulls develops a soft spot for the enemy's blade."
In the courtyard, Kael had fought his way to the center fountain, his dual daggers dancing through the guards like death itself. But there were too many of them, and I could see exhaustion beginning to slow his movements.
"Let me handle this," I said, already moving toward the door. "As a show of good faith to my future husband. I'll capture his father's assassin personally."
Father's laugh followed me down the corridor like the echo of funeral bells. "By all means, daughter. But
Remember—some games have higher stakes than others."
I descended to the courtyard with murder in my heart and silk swirling around my ankles like liquid shadow.
"Hold still, Your Highness," Madame Corvina murmured through pins clenched between her teeth. "The beadwork must lie perfectly flat, or the whole effect will be ruined."
Effect. As if this wedding were mere theater instead of a political execution. I caught my reflection in the mirror—pale skin against dark fabric, my mother's sapphire necklace at my throat like a collar. Beautiful and deadly, just as I'd been trained to be.
"The prince arrived this morning," Lydia said from her perch by the window, her voice carefully neutral.
My childhood friend had grown distant since the betrothal announcement, jealousy eating at her like acid. "The servants are all aflutter about how handsome he is."
"Handsome men make the most dangerous enemies," I replied, thinking of Kael's sharp cheekbones and predatory smile. "Beauty is just another weapon."
Lydia's laugh held no warmth. "How romantic. I'm sure Prince Aldric will be charmed by such sentiment."
The door opened without ceremony, and my father strode in, dismissing the seamstresses with a gesture.
They scattered like mice, leaving us alone with the weight of unspoken truths hanging in the air.
"You look like your mother," he said, and something in his voice made my skin crawl. "She wore blue the night she died."
"Did she know?" The question escaped before I could stop it. "When you had her killed, did she know why?"
His hand struck my cheek with the crack of breaking bone. The force of it sent me stumbling, warm blood trickling from my split lip. Lydia gasped, but I felt only cold satisfaction. Finally, a reaction that proved my suspicions weren't madness.
"Careful, daughter." His voice was winter itself. "Dead women tell no tales, but they leave behind such interesting daughters."
The threat was clear. I straightened, meeting his gaze with the defiance he'd beaten into me since childhood. "The dead tell me plenty, Father. Mother's skull speaks quite loudly these days."
Something flickered in his eyes—fear, perhaps, or calculation. "Then you know why this marriage must happen. The Thornfield alliance is the only thing standing between our kingdom and chaos."
"Chaos you created when you had Lord Cassius murder my mother."
"Your mother discovered things she shouldn't have. Ancient secrets that could have destroyed both kingdoms." He moved closer, his presence filling the room like smoke. "The skull relics aren't just communication tools, Seraphina. They're prisons. And some of the inmates are growing restless."
My blood turned to ice. The skulls had been speaking more frequently lately, their whispers growing urgent and strange. "What are you talking about?"
"The wedding will complete an ancient binding. Your blood combined with Thornfield magic will strengthen the seals that keep the old gods locked away." His smile was cold as winter dawn. "You're not just marrying for politics, daughter. You're marrying to save the world."
Before I could respond, a commotion erupted in the courtyard below. Shouts of alarm, the ring of steel on steel. I rushed to the window to see guards surrounding a figure in black—Kael, fighting his way through a dozen men with lethal grace.
"Your assassin friend is persistent," my father observed, joining me at the window. "Perhaps it's time to end this distraction once and for all."
"No." The word came out sharper than intended. "He's my concern."
"Is he now?" Father's gaze was calculating. "How interesting. The princess of skulls develops a soft spot for the enemy's blade."
In the courtyard, Kael had fought his way to the center fountain, his dual daggers dancing through the guards like death itself. But there were too many of them, and I could see exhaustion beginning to slow his movements.
"Let me handle this," I said, already moving toward the door. "As a show of good faith to my future husband. I'll capture his father's assassin personally."
Father's laugh followed me down the corridor like the echo of funeral bells. "By all means, daughter. But
Remember—some games have higher stakes than others."
I descended to the courtyard with murder in my heart and silk swirling around my ankles like liquid shadow.
End of Princess Of The Skulls Chapter 29. Continue reading Chapter 30 or return to Princess Of The Skulls book page.