Novel-novel oleh Dhaemmah

DIANAThe ache in my chest refused to ease. It only got worse.I couldn't just sit here anymore. I couldn't sit under the suffocating weight of those eyes while the court played their petty political games around me.Trying to maintain every ounce of my etiquette training, I rose to my feet."Your Highness?" Sarah’s voice immediately drifted from behind me. Beside her, Mina looked at me with worry. "What's wrong? Are you unwell?"I turned to them, forcing a smile on my face. "I am going back to the palace. I feel lightheaded.""We will accompany you, Princess," Mina said quickly, already reaching to gather her skirt to follow me."No," I countered, my voice soft but unyielding. I placed my hand on Mina’s arm to stop her. "Stay. Both of you. Enjoy the competition."They blinked at me in surprise."We have been locked away in Volkar for over a month," I murmured. "You both could use a little fun. Consider it an order."Before they could protest further, I walked to the center of the pa

DIANAWe enjoyed the view for a while before another thought occurred to me."What about Prince Cassian?"Aeris arched an eyebrow. "What about him?""He doesn't seem interested either.""No.""Why?""Because he's different." He answered.I frowned. "Different how?""The same way the Princess is."I tilted my head to the back, saying, "The Princess?"He looked at me and answered, "You haven't met her."I shook my head. "I didn't even know there was a Princess.""There is." He nodded. "The King's only daughter."My curiosity immediately piqued. "Where is she?"He pointed vaguely southward. "Several thousand miles away."That wasn't helpful, but I waited. Eventually he sighed. "She's in the Water Kingdom."My eyes widened. "The merfolk?""Yeah. She's married to the Crown Prince." He looked at me. "Exactly like you."I sat up in my chair. I'd never even heard of a princess and I'd spent years reading about the Dragon kingdom. Yet there was still so much I didn't know.The crowd erupted in

DIANAAeris.He was standing casually by the pillar at my side with his arms crossed. He looked far too amused for someone who had just appeared out of nowhere in a crowded stadium.“Aeris!” I exhaled, relief hitting me so fast it almost embarrassed me. “What are you doing here?”He gave me a lazy grin. "I merely came to check if you were still among the living or if you had already been eaten alive by these palace predators. Though looking at you now, it seems my worries were unnecessary."A radiant smile spread across my face. I was happy to see a familiar face in this nest of vipers that I instinctively reached my hand out to grab his hand, then I caught myself.Unnecessary physical contact between a man and woman who were not married was considered highly inappropriate and shameful. Aeris laughed, shaking his head. "Oh, please do not embarrass yourself further, Your Highness."I frowned. “I wasn’t-”“You were,” he interrupted me with grin. “There's no need to worry about the cou

DIANAThe competition started.The targets were placed at distances that would have been impossible for an ordinary human archer. But these were dragons.The stadium was soon filled with sounds of arrows shattering the bullseyes.The crowd roared with every perfect strike. It was actually quite entertaining.I watched attentively, realizing why the dragon kingdom has remained the supreme kingdom of the realm for centuries. This wasn't just a game, it was a demonstration of their strength."They are trying quite hard to impress today, aren't they?"The voice came from my left.I glanced over and saw Prince Roderick leaning back in his chair, swirling the wine in his hand. He wasn't looking at me, but his arrogant smirk made it perfectly clear who the comment was directed at."Though I suppose to a human, even the most basic military drill must look like a miracle." He added.Lyra chuckled beside him as she tilted her head to watch my reaction.I kept my gaze fixed on the field, refusi

DIANAThe next morning arrived far too soon.After my bath, I sat on the cushion before the vanity mirror.Because of the disaster at the royal breakfast yesterday, Sarah had practically sworn never to allow such an oversight happen again.I watched through the mirror as they packed my hair at the back of my head with pins. By the time they finally finished, the hairstyle looked beautiful, yet it was surprisingly comfortable.After a quick breakfast, a servant arrived to escort us to the archery grounds.The further we walked through the palace, the more crowded the corridors became. Everyone seemed to be heading in the same direction. Nobles, servants guards, ladies in elaborate gowns and children racing after their parents.When we finally got outside, a stadium stretched out endlessly before us. Thousands upon thousands of people filled the stands.Banners bearing various dragon emblem fluttered in the wind. Vendors moved through the crowds, selling food, while children sat on the

DIANABefore anyone could speak again, the First Prince's wife finally looked directly at me. It was the first time she had shown any genuine interest in my existence since I entered the room.Her gaze swept over me with judgement."You have been in the Dragon Kingdom for over a month, have you not?" she asked, her voice dripping with fake sweetness.I looked back at her, keeping my posture straight. "Yes?""Then have you learned nothing of our customs, Princess?" She shot back.I blinked. What an incredibly odd question. "I beg your pardon?"The woman opened her mouth to deliver what I was certain would be another jibe, but the Queen spoke first."Lyra."She immediately lowered her head, her arrogant demeanor vanishing in an instant. "Your Majesty.""Be gentle." The Queen said, her gazed fixed on me, "The poor girl has barely been alive long enough to equal even half the age of anyone seated at this table."Roderick released mocking laugh, clearly enjoying the sight of me being chas

AVA“We get the certificate.”There it was again.I released a heavy breath, looking away for a second before facing him.“Lucien.”“I’m serious,” he said like this was the most logical thing in the world. “It ends all of this.”“All of what?” I asked.“This,” he gestured between us. “The distance. The arguments. The uncertainty.”I shook my head. "That doesn’t fix anything.”“It does,” he insisted. “It makes it stamped.”“And that’s exactly the problem,” I shot back. “You’re trying to make something stamp that we haven’t even figured out yet.”His jaw clenched. "I’ve figured it out.”“Of course you have,” I muttered.He didn’t miss it. “What is that supposed to mean?”“It means you always decide things on your own and expect me to just… fall in line,” I said. “Like this...this certificate thing. You didn’t even talk to me about it, you just decided it’s what we should do.”“I’m telling you now.”“That’s not the same as asking me.”“You’re making it more complicated than it needs to b

AVAThe planner gathered her things and left with a bright smile.Sera clapped her hands, her excitement still very much alive. “Well, that was lovely,” she said. “Next, we’ll need to arrange food and cake tasting.”I shook my head gently. “I’m not really interested in that. You can handle it for us.”She paused. “Are you sure, dear?”I nodded. “Yes.”She stared at me, then smiled. “Alright then. I’ll make sure it’s perfect.”I knew she would. She had exquisite taste which I could trust at anytime.“And fittings,” she continued. “Do you have a designer in mind for your dress?”A small smile touched my lips. “Stella will design it.”Sera’s eyes lit up. “Oh, that’s wonderful. That makes it even more special.”I nodded. “It does.”“Any outfit changes?” she asked.I shrugged. “I’ll go with any designer you recommend.”That seemed to please her even more.“Oh, I have just the person in mind,” she said, already mentally planning.Then she turned to Lucien. “And you,” she said, placing her h

AVASaturday came quickly.I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing.I groaned, dragging the pillow over my head, but it didn’t help.The ringing continued relentlessly so I blindly reached for the phone.I squinted at the screen and immediately sat up.Mother.I cleared my throat and answered.“Hello… good morning, ma’am.”Her voice came through warm and bright as always. “Good morning, darling. How are you?”I rubbed my eyes before replying. “I’m fine. You?”“I’m very well,” she answered sweetly. Then without missing a beat, she continued, “So, what time should we expect you?”I froze. “Ex-expect me?”“Yes, dear. You’re coming over, remember?”My stomach dropped.Oh no. The meeting with the planner, I had completely forgotten.“I-" I started, then stopped because I didn’t even have a proper excuse. I still haven't heard from Lucien.“Lucien is already here,” Sera muttered casually.My head snapped up. “He’s what?”“He's here, at the estate,” she clarified. “He arrived earlier this

AVA The moment we got outside, I stopped completely. Right there, parked in front of the building was a car and not just any car, but a car with a big bow sitting perfectly on top of it like something straight out of a movie. My breath caught. “What is that?” Stella froze too. “Oh my days." I knew that car. It was a lilac Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet. My lips parted. “No way…” I turned to Michael, still trying to process what I was seeing. “This isn’t-" “It’s yours, ma’am,” he said calmly. My eyes widened. “Mine?” He nodded, then extended an envelope to me. “The boss asked that you read this.” My fingers felt unsteady as I took it and opened it. There was a note in Lucien's handwriting. "For acing the race." My heart fluttered. He remembered. "You like to win. I like to reward what’s mine when she does. Enjoy the ride." I let out a breathless laugh. That was so...him, yet sweet. I shook my head as I lowered the note. Stella grabbed my arm. "Ava??”

AVASeraphina’s voice stayed bright, bubbling with excitement as she wrapped things up.“You and Lucien must come home this weekend,” she said. “We need to meet with the event planner and really go through everything. There’s so much to decide.”My grip tightened on the couch. This weekend?I forced my voice to stay calm. “Yes, ma’am.”“Good,” she said warmly. “We’ll make it perfect, I promise.”“Thank you,” I whispered.“Alright, dear. Take care.”“You too.”The call ended.I released the laugh I had been holding in.Stella glanced at me. “Okay, that didn’t sound so good.”I shook my head slowly, still laughing. “I don’t even know where he is. I don’t know when he’s coming back....I don’t even know if he’ll be back before the weekend.”I looked down at my hands. “And he’s already telling his parents we agreed on the wedding timeline.”My laugh faded. “After everything that happened.”I swallowed, then looked at Stella. “Do you think I’m making the right decision?”She didn’t answer.

AVA I shook my head, exhausted. “It’s just… everything,” I whispered. “We keep arguing. Every single time and it’s like no matter what I say, it’s wrong.” “He wanted us to get married immediately. Not the wedding, the certificate, like right now.” Stella blinked. “What?” I let out a hollow laugh. “And when I said no, it became another problem. I just… I don’t know how to deal with him.” My voice dropped. “I’m scared that no matter what I do… I’ll keep getting it wrong.” I wiped at my face again, but the tears kept coming. “And then last night…” I trailed off, shaking my head as I didn't even know where to begin. Stella tightened her arm around me. “What happened?” I let out a shaky breath. “He came home really late....like… past 2 a.m. He smelled like alcohol, Stella and his hands...” I swallowed, my chest tightening again at the memory. “His hands were bleeding.” Stella’s brows pulled together. “What?” “I don’t even know what he did,” I continued. “He wouldn’t tell me any