She looked at the heroine who was in the first princess seat.
Ava sat like she belonged there. Spine straight, hands folded neatly, blue hair falling in perfect waves over her shoulders. The seat was carved gold, meant for Chloe. But Ava wore it like it was hers by birthright.
The woman looked innocent, like someone who did not know she had done something wrong. Too innocent. The kind that made people want to shield her and crush anyone who spoke against her.
She even had the nerve to smile sweetly like a blooming flower.
The smile didn't reach her eyes. Chloe saw it.
The gasps from mers couldn't be ignored.
And as for her, they just snickered to her direction.
Everyone was looking at her with amused expression ready to watch a drama with a guaranteed win.
Chloe's mouth curved coldly.
The murmurs started again. Or maybe they didn't stop.
"she thinks she is already a ruler just because of her status?"a woman snickered.
"Red eyes, red hair. Cursed, I tell you. Even the queen keeps her at arm's length."
"look at those mers. Five of them. All illegitimate. Dome with unknown status. What kind of princess parades that around?"
Maybe they thought as always, she will quarrel while throwing her weight around like a fool and at the end of everything, she will fail miserably.
She let them think it. Let them get comfortable.
She smirked when she saw a halflifetime hatred seeping from Ava's eyes while the innocence was still etched on her face.
The contradiction was almost funny. Hatred so deep it bled through the mask, but the mask stayed on.
Without giving anyone a reason to question her words, she used action.
Talking gave them something to twist. Action left no room for debate.
She said in the sweetest tone possible while gently holding Ava hand "second sister, you seem to have sat in the wrong position."
The words were soft. Polite. The grip on Ava's hand was not.
She didn't give Ava time to think, she helped her stand up forcefully when she saw Ava reluctance in getting up.
Ava stumbled, caught herself, but Chloe didn't let go.
Effortlessly, she moved the heroine to her designated place and helped her sit in a forcefully way while still keeping her smile.
Seeing the reluctant expression and the need to make a scene from her face, she threatened in a voice only they could hear.
" Do you bet with your own reputation that I won't announce your quirk?"
Ava's eyes widened. Just for a second.
She continued when she saw Ava's confusion, " your quirk of being ridden in your sim2, I never said it is bad but who knows?"
The words were light. The meaning was not.
In this world, private preferences stayed private. Once public, you became the enemy of everyone.
Chloe smiled meaningfully when she saw the heroine beautiful face turn dark.
' knowing your enemy' has always been her strongest point.
To her, everyone has the right to any relationship. Some people are into different tendencies like submission, violent tendencies. She didn't care. People were allowed their ugliness in private.
She looked at the shocked guests in amusement.
The guest didn't expect the ending to be this short right? But what can they do when they are just expectators.
Spectators never interfered until blood was drawn.
The queen had a frown on her face, her mouth moved like she wanted to say something but in the end she did not voice her thoughts.
Chloe went to sit down while eating a l gum she had sneaked from her space.
Murmurs trailed her like a smoke but she didn't give a damn.
"Let's welcome the king." A sharp voice was heard followed by messy footsteps.
Everybody stood up including the queen who hurriedly went to lend a hand to the leading mer.
The murmurs changed instantly. No snickers now. Only reverence, edged with fear.
"The King."
"He hasn't shown in public for years."
"I heard because of the first princess, he was bedridden all this year's."
"What a bane. Even to her own parents?"
"Look at the guards. All Dragon guards."
She craned her neck while straining her eyes and looking at the middle aged mer.
His long hair was black with a tinge of red at the end, his phoenix eyes were red.
He had long legs, with mer attendants following him closely.
His posture commanded the room without trying.
Chloe looked at the lights and the clicks accompanniied with reporters trying to interrogate him before they were shoved aside. Flashbulbs. Shouts. Questions about how he had been, about her.
Chloe clicked her tongue in annoyance, she thought she had a grand entrance walking through the red carpet but she didn't see even a paparazzi. Of course not. The king outranked her.
Chloe stood up hurriedly, her heart skipping a beat, the longing became apparent, she felt her eyes wetting.
Papa, she called inwardly, the man stood still for seconds before directly looking at her.
She couldn't mistake the happiness and longing which she saw in his eye, the restrained love was obvious.
He walked up to where she was while people greeted him in respect.
As he passed, the murmurs turned to whispers of awe.
"He's not stopping for the Queen first."
"He's going straight to her."
He parted her on the head and with a sigh that hold different emotions, he said, " it's been hard on you, you barely passed through." His doting tone, made her forego all her restraint.
"Pa." She cried his name while nuzzling in his warm embrace. A parent embrace. The one thing she had been longing for in all her lifetimes.
She smiled warmly, even if all the people hates her, mock her and betray her, she knew that this warm embrace will never abandon her. She nussled her tear before breaking free from his embrace.
She looked at the queen who stood there in a crestfallen way she snorted while mocking her inwardly.
_Look at mother, behaving as if she granted me animosity by allowing me to hug my own father, what a tyrant._
She saw the queen raise her eyebrows slightly before smiling, the king looked embarrassed while feigning a cough before he left with the queen to his seat.
"Have you heard it, Bree" the queen asked the king.
"Heard you farting?"the king asked back.
"Chloe's inner voice. Just like in the scriptures, the future will be made known to those who wholeheartedly supports her." The queen replied embarrassed at how she thought it was silent but the scent wasn't.
"I felt it, the future changing from the pattern it had created. But I didn't expect to hear her voice, she seems not to know about it." The king said.
" Should we follow with our plan or with their plan?"
The king looked at Chloe for a few seconds before he replied, " let it be for now, she seems to have forgotten everything."
As the banquet continued, Chloe became bored. The music was too loud. The conversations too fake. The food sat untouched on her plate.
She popped balloons from her mouth while looking at the crowd.
Her eyes scanned them keenly, she looked at the people who had dyed their hair red and she face palmed.
They were brats from nobles who are used to do as they wished, they have been supporting her to the throne as their future queen.
Her eyes roamed to the left and right prime minister side who supports the heroine before they stopped to the neutral supporters. She squinted her eyes to ensure she didn't see it wrong.
Their on the priestess side, who wore full white, sat a man whom she thought had died.
He was wearing a white shirt and trouser with a white hood draped on it, his hair was white and even his irises, just like on Earth.
Those beautiful thick eyebrows of his were squinted in a frown.
When their eyes met, she couldn't mistake him for any other person at all.
He was the damn priest.