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There are two things that agonizes me the most.

Boring court meetings.

And Zander Hellion's infuriating face.

Those are also the exact two things I am to face in a matter of minutes.

Every full moon marking the end of a month, we have a meeting where all the kings and queens from the five kingdoms of Ancientriova gather to discuss the arising disputes in our kingdoms. These meetings take place in the castle of Raveria, the capital kingdom out of the five. The ruler of Raveria, Valerian Kingston, is our High king.

We are all ruling over our own kingdoms without his interference though. But when their's a union trouble, we seek his aid and advise in the matter. And these meetings once a month is where we gather to discuss. Me being the queen of one of these kingdoms, Seagill, the Sea Kingdom, I'm obliged to attend too. Which is a true pain.

As my feet padded against the woodsy flooring of the long hallways of the Raverian castle, the arrays of crystal chandeliers placed at a feet intervals from one another hanging from the high ceilings above my head, cast a warm yellowish glow.

Different tapestries and frames embedded in golds and bronzes, paintings of the High King, Valerian Kingston's late mother and his little family consisting of his wife, his two twin children and his step-mother adorned the walls. There were no pictures of his father, for viable reasons. That man need not be remembered.

While Valerian didn't have a particularly great birth family to reminisce, mine had been truly wonderful. Not that I had any of them left anymore. Well, maybe one of them, a sister, but I rather not speak about her.

"What are you ruminating on about?" The said High King, Valerian Kingston, my brother from another mother and father too, speaks.

Before you think otherwise, no we're not step siblings. We're best friends, or more like, as Valerian quotes, I'm his sister who he never asked for. And he's the brother I never asked for either.

"I'm preparing myself for an hour of painful torture called boredom. Stop bothering me, crow." I huff, walking like a zombie dragging it's feet.

My long cerulean blue dress-the same colour of my eyes and hair-that reached my ankles didn't help a tad bit in effortless walking.

Dresses are a hassle. I could happily walk naked if people didn't mind. But the guttural sad immortal people always mind.

"You just don't want to show yourself in front of the demon king." Valerian's nonchalant tone brings my attention back to dear earth.

I glare at him.

Beside the High King, his wife, my another lovely best friend, Kaitlyn snickers, "Stop bothering her, Val."

Valerian's eyes softens when he glances her way and he passes her a smile but when they turn to me, they're blank.

I roll my eyes. I did not ask for your organs, dear crow. You need not behave like a brute twenty-four seven but than you are one.

"I'm just stating facts." Valerian shrugs, making my glare harden at his stupid sculpted face.

"Is that how you speak to your elders?" I rebuke, with a maddening rage.

I was born an hour prior to Valerian and I take great pride in it.

The High King just gives me a blank stare with his cold forest green eyes, "Yes."

Before I can go on a debate on how he should show me my much needed respect, my steps come to a sudden halt.

There walking from the other end of the long hallways, was none other than Zander Hellion. The now demon king. My mate.

He was dressed in a black velvet tunic with bronze embroidery, the kind of formal dress every royal wear for the meetings. His messy inky hair fell over his forehead covering half of those stormy clouds before the rain kind of grey eyes. I don't think I've seen a time when he makes an effort to brush away those hair.

Zander's eyes were crinkled as he chatted with the vampire king, Kane Lazarus, all laughs and teasing but when he spots me, his grey eyes turn stony.

The guilt hits me before anything else. I couldn't even blame him for hating me. He had a solid reason to despise.

While I could stop his accusations, I can't because. . .I had my reasons. And it wasn't like my reasons would make him hate me less. If anything, it'd just add fuel to the fire.

So all I could do was hate him back. With the same intensity as he did. No matter how insensible it seemed.

Narrowing my eyes into slits, I pass Zander a glare as venomous as his before storming off towards the meeting hall.

Where to my greatest demise, I will have to sit through an hour in his presence nonetheless.

And I can't even run then.