Queen of Summer's Ice (Book 2)

Chapter 37

     He instantly sprung out of his seat and started patting the flames away. My daughter's lips snarled, while her brothers stare was unapologetic to the spring prince. In the relationship between the twins, he was the one to calm Ivory, but in this act, he didn't. I knew he wanted to see Clovis punished, so instead of stopping his sister, he watched as the flames caught onto the spring prince's clothes.

     Clovis though, was the only one at the table who was afraid. Alagan was trying to hide his laughter by facing the opposite way, my master of spies and master of coins continued to eat their foods, undisturbed. Zinnia watched like a proud Aunt at Ivory using her ability, Ray rolled his eyes and he let out a frustrating breath from his flared nostrils. Yana and Aunt Palma were the only ones who reached for their waters to get rid of the flames, but all of this lasted less than five seconds as I didn't even need my hands to evaporate my daughters flames.

     She instantly looked at me, as if I betrayed her. I stood and grabbed her hands and gently placed a kiss on her knuckles. My navy blue dress wrinkled at the hips as I bend down place my mouth by Ivory's ears. I whispered for her to stop immediately, and that she had to apologize for ruining dinner.

      Her brown eyes rounded in hurt as she looked at me. "But-"

     "But I am proud of how much you've been practicing," I whispered even quieter to her. She heard though, and that was enough to calm her down. She even smirked, just a bit, as if she knew that I was proud of her, but couldn't voice it. Not here. Not in front of him.

     Standing back to my full height I brushed a piece of blonde hair behind my daughters ears, a signal for her to apologize. Which she did, she looked at everyones eyes except the outsider.

     "Don't be sorry sweetie," Zinnia said, "That was the most entertaining thing that's happened this week."

     "Zinnia," Ray scolded.

     "And your aim was near perfect," Yana added.

     This time, Alagan couldn't hide his giggles behind fake coughing. Which caused everyone at the table to follow along.

     "Is everyone going to attack me at this castle?" Clovis finally said. He didn't sound as angry as I thought he would have. Maybe it was because he wasn't in his own home, or maybe because he wasn't actually hurt. The layer of fire never even burned through his jacket.

     Ruby came for the kids since they had stood up to go to their rooms, not even bothering to finish their meals fully, when I asked, "Who else has?"

     Ruby, the head chef, froze just a bit as Clovis looked at her, around the table, and then back to me. "Well," he said, "a fair amount of people in this room have at least threatened me."

     "Care to tell me who?"

     "Besides your children?" He said as he sat down.

     Ivory stood with her shoulders back, and her lips in a snarl as if she would attack again. But Ruby had gotten both of my children's hands and tried to rush out of the room.

     "You're chef had some words," Ruby stopped in her spot near the door. The older plump woman looked worried, not because Clovis was in the room, but worried as she looked at me.

     "Ruby?" I asked, shocked.

     "I only told him to...be careful, your highness." Her pale face had turned as red as her name. Never would I have thought she would threaten a royal from another season, for my sake. We had never been on civil terms as I grew up under my mothers thumb. I was vile to the main chef, would torment her to make sure everyone in this house left me alone. I didn't know which one of them were loyal to my mother out of fear, or money, so I kept everyone at a distant. Because anyone who had gotten close to me, well, she would torment - kill.