Queen of Blood and Roses

ncess Lila whenever she had to go out for work. She

no idea what Ara did or how much danger it

he only place in the castle the two could call her own, gifted by Count Thorn when they both tur

king a blue flower from a shrub and placing

away from a shrub she had bee

's plenty of work to be done in the castle if he insists on you having a job. Besides, it's not like you have to pay for your stay here. H

icent estate certainly had the means to feed and house twi

on them without being noticed. But there was no need to say what the two of them were thinking. They were one of the few l

th the tiniest scissors Ara had ever seen. Sometimes, it was easy to forget she was a princess. With her blonde hair tied into a messy bun and her water-stained apron, she

teased her. "Besides, I'm not going to the brothels. It's a bal

he sometimes asked her about it, and Ara tried to give her a good description of the people, the buildings, and the atmos

ying with the Hova," Princess Lila sa

almost fifteen years living in a gilded cage. Of the two, Ara couldn't decide who had it worse. Princess Lila, who wasn't

most of their lives. But Princess Lila was still a princess, and by birth, an enemy to the emperor. She was spared t

title held no importance now. Her only value was being Princ

. She couldn't, even if she wanted to. The collar didn't let her disobey a direct order fro

numerous brothels he owned in the city. Granted, she was good with numbers

nd the story had stuck. It was easier to maintain one constant story than to come up with different ideas to excuse her long nightly abse

d Princess Lila's ears. Or Rena's. Of the two, Rena knowing scared her the most. She feared that if the

r tug on her collar, the magical l

't he?" Lila said, loo

ways seemed to know when the collar influenced Ara's moods or b

d let anyone do that to L

, almost whispering the last words. The two were almost at the age where Fae magic manifested its first signs, and it was clear Lila's powers

st an invisible leash that tethered her to Count Thorn: it was also a m

me in the kingdom of Starfall, where Princess Lila would now be of age to start looking for a mate and attending balls and doing all sorts of princess things with

rinking Hova wouldn't rule the continent.

world that no longer existed. Ara's mother had been Queen Helenya's right hand, which was why they were being raised together in the palace. And it was a

ancient home, even if a Hova ruled there now. And Ara was destined to be her right hand, just as her mother had

ll they

t, and Ara gave Lila a quick kiss on t

king glass gate behind her. She stopped before closing it entire

from across the green and

hated what she did and who she had become in order to protect her, it was all worth it. If it m

receiving her orders from Count Thorn. She only hoped it would be an easy night without so much b