CHAPTER 5 - THE UGLY LYCAN QUEEN

--REINE--

The girl staring back at me was not me.

The left side of my face was covered in thick, twisted scars.

They stretched from my forehead to my jaw, red and uneven like melted skin. The scars pulled at the corner of my mouth, leaving it crooked.

My cheek no longer had its soft shape.

An eyebrow was gone.

Even my hair no longer grew near my temple. Only scarred skin remained.

My fingers shook as I touched my face.

It didn't feel like my skin.

Some parts were numb.

Others burned.

I tried to smile.

I couldn't.

One side of my lips barely moved.

Tears blurred my vision.

I wasn't looking at Reine anymore.

I was looking at a disfigured stranger.

A girl who had paid the price of loving the wrong man.

Of trusting the wrong sister.

As the last tear slid down my cheek and I closed my eyes again, water splattered onto my lap.

My eyes shot open, wide.

What...?

I glanced at Eren and Mother in confusion.

They didn't look confused.

They looked horrified.

Was it my face?

"Reine," Cain whispered. "You... something just happened."

I blinked. "What?"

"Water... it... reacted to your emotions, it seemed. What's going on?"

I frowned.

Water reacting to my emotions?

That was ridiculous.

"We saw it," Eren said softly. "The moment you touched the mirror, the water rippled in the glass. When you saw yourself, the glass shattered."

I glanced down and he was right. There were shards and pieces of glass scattered on the floor.

"And the water rose and danced around you," Cain added. "We all saw it, Reine."

My heart pounded in my chest, and the figure I'd encountered flashed before my eyes.

Had I been granted an ability?

"When the time comes, you must pay."

This life I'd been granted had a purpose.

Somehow, I knew it in my heart that I would know what it was very soon.

I took a deep breath, then looked around.

I was home.

In Nymore.

Among people who loved me.

My gaze fixed on the scroll Cain held.

"What does it say?" I asked, extending my hand for it.

"I don't think you should read it, my dear," Mother said in alarm. "It is extremely disheartening."

I smiled.

"Nothing can hurt me anymore. Brother. The scroll."

Cain hesitated a moment before handing it to me.

I unfurled it, and allowed my eyes to take in the words.

His writing.

The writing I'd once kissed.

"Former Queen Reine was executed for treason after conspiring against the Crown. Her sister Emerald witnessed her treachery firsthand, and will be crowned as my lawful Queen in two days. The rulers of Nymore may show their regret and support by attending the ceremony."

A chuckle left my mouth.

The audacity.

"Reine," Cain said softly, bending closer. "Give me the order."

I raised my remaining brow, even though it hurt to.

"I'm not your queen, Cain. I was Warhill's."

His face didn't change.

"You will always be the Queen of Nymore," he declared.

My heart raced.

Not out of fear.

But disbelief.

I'd left.

I'd given everything up.

"You say that because you're my brother, Cain. Because you never cared for ruling. You can't crown me queen again without the approval of your subjects. They're the ones who should decide."

Mother and Cain exchanged a glance.

Eren cleared his throat, earning our attention.

"I am a subject of Nymore, one who has lived under the rule of King Dewitt, the Queen Mother, Prince Cain, and Your Majesty, Queen Reine," he announced, before dropping to his knees. "With all due respect to them, the only sovereign I wish to kneel before is you, My Queen."

My heart stuttered in my chest, breath almost catching.

How could he...?

Still?

"And if my support holds any value, I will have you know that I will walk whichever road you choose. Without question, without fear. That is my pledge to you."

He pressed a hand to his chest, closed his eyes and bowed his head, almost deep enough for it to touch the ground.

My throat burned, and a tear slipped down my cheek.

I glanced at Cain, and there was only a proud smile on his face.

No shock. No contempt.

I looked at Mother.

She smiled at Eren like he'd hung the moon.

They all wanted this.

I sniffed, wiping away my tear and finally placing my feet on the floor.

Taking a deep breath, I stood up, holding my head high.

I touched Eren's shoulder.

"You may rise."

And he did, at once, with a smile on his face.

Our gazes locked for a short moment, before he lowered his again.

I walked past him and Mother, to the large window in the corner of the room.

It looked over almost the entirety of Nymore--the forests, the rivers, the waterfalls.

In the distance, I could see the golden spires of Warhill Palace, shining under the orange evening sun.

My jaw tightened with determination, hands tightly gripping the windowsill.

They thought they had buried Queen Reine.

They never stopped to wonder what would rise in her place.

Now...

They would be the ones to pay the price.

My glassy eyes shifted to the stream in our gardens.

The water rippled uncharacteristically.

I extended a hand towards it.

And just like I had imagined, a hundred drops of water rose to kiss my fingers.

For the first time with this new life, a smile stretched across my disfigured lips.

A genuine, heartfelt smile.

Warhill had no idea what was coming.

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