The Selection: Bride Of The Dark Dragon
Chapter 68

MIRA

Derrien lets go of me quickly and walks to the door, unlocking it with a wave of his hand on the way. Disappointment spreads all over my heart. What has all this been for just now if he is just going to give me away so easily? Am I still just a toy for him to play with when the prince is not there? I truly want to cry, but I would not let myself to humiliate myself in that way. Not in front of those two.

Dargen marches into the room furiously and looks at me as if he is going to kill me here and now. Oh, gods! This is the end.

“What the chaos is my favourite doing in your room, Derwood?” he spits at his cousin but moves forward to me without waiting for a reply, grabbing me by my arm and pulling me out of the room.

“She is working for the Emperor!” Derrien voice makes both me and Dargen freeze. What did he just say?

“I beg your pardon?” the Crown Prince’s mouth opens in surprise but Derrien gets some kind of paper out of the pocket of his coat and hands it to the prince. Ryden lets go of me and I rub the hand in the place where he’s been holding me. He reads the paper carefully and whatever he sees there does not make him happy. At all. I look up at Derrien and he winks at me. That cheeky…gerdian. He could have told me but he didn’t on purpose.

“Since when is she helping with the investigation?” Dargen throws the paper back to Derrien and he carefully folds it and hides it back in his inner pocket.

“Since she arrived,” he answers calmly, “She was the roommate of the second murdered girl. You’ve been there.”

“And what does it have to do with anything?” Ryden rolls his eyes.

“Nothing, but after I escorted her to the room to gather her things, she discovered a clue. And even studied it later, doing better discoveries than our mages. She proved to be a specialist in human magic hence I made sure she takes part. And I was not mistaken. She helped us to replace out the truth about artifacts and she was the one searching for the girls’ rooms.”

“You made my future empress go through other women’s belongings? Are you serious?” Dargen grits through his teeth.

“She is not an empress yet, the two of you are not even engaged. Besides, as you can see, the Emperor gave permission for her to work and she is at my disposal any time I need her.”

“Is that why you’ve been spending so much time together?” the Crown Prince is looking at me suddenly and here I am… Completely lost and have no idea how to reply. Obviously, saying yes would be the right answer. But what would Derrien say if I hurt him again? However, taking a quick glance at him I see him nodding in agreement.

“Yes, your Highness,” I say carefully and the prince’s face lightens up.

“Good then, let’s go then,” he grabs me by my hand and starts pulling me behind him again.

“What in the words she is working now don’t you understand, your Highness?” Derrien appears before us in his dark flames.

“You are not expecting my almost fiancée to work for you at night, do you?” Dargen growls.

“I actually do,” Rien smirks, “If we want to be done by the Ball of Portals.”

“Isn’t it solved?” Ryden chuckles, “That girl down in the dungeons confessed rather easily.”

“You mean while you were torturing her? I am afraid, your Highness, it is not enough to prove that she is guilty. Some details… do not match here. And lady Freyn’s help would be really greatly appreciated.”

Dargen does not let me go and doesn’t say anything. I can tell he doesn’t like any of this.

“Should I mention the Emperor’s order you’ve just read?” Derwood raises a brow.

“Of course not!” the prince says finally and releases me, “But I want you to be done by the Portal Ball.”

“I intend to,” Derrien bows respectfully.

“Mira,” Ryden turns to me and takes my hand again, this time just for a k**s. But he turns my wrist up and k****s it with passion. This is beyond intimate in both our worlds! “I am proud of you, my princess. Can’t wait for all this to be over and for us to finally have time to…”

A fireball flies across the prince’s head and he is lucky he was leaning at the time.

“What the chaos, Derwood?!” he shouts.

“There was a fly,” the other gerdian clearly lies, “Hate those creatures.”

For a second the two of them just stare at each other as if they are playing a game who is going to break first. But when Rien’s eyes flash with dark magic just for a second, Dargen turns away.

“Get to work then,” he throws back at his cousin, “Mira, I’ll see you soon…”

“Your Highness”, I curtsy.

As soon as the door closes I exhale loudly and raise, “And why exactly you didn’t tell me before that you have Emperor’s order about me working for you?”

“Because I wasn’t sure it would be needed. Believe it or not, but I can be offended too,” he snorts.

“Oh, I believe that someone with an ego as huge as yours could be offended easily!” I roll my eyes, “No surprises there!”

“You staying here tonight,” he suddenly declares, orders even.

“No, I am not!” I shake my head, “I don’t’ think it’s…”

“Appropriate?” he chuckles, “We’ve done things far more inappropriate than simply sleeping in the same room!”

Oh, so he means that I just sleep in here… Nothing else… Can’t say whether I am relieved or disappointed.

“Why can’t I sleep in my own room?” the question slips off my tongue before I manage to bite it.

“Because as soon as you are there alone, you would have a visitor who would want to do inappropriate things to you,” he answers nonchalantly.

Gods, he is right, isn’t he? I hate it when he is right.

“Alright!” I give up, “But I am not sleeping in the same bed with you.”

“That’s quite alright,” he smiles and a pillow flows to my face, “Sleep on the sofa then.”

What? Is he serious?

“You sleep on the sofa!” I throw the pillow back at him but he slices it to piece with magic. Hundreds and hundreds of white feathers are flying around us as if it was snowing. With feathers.

“Look at what YOU have done!” we both say in unison and… start laughing.