Conquered

Chapter 23 - One step ahead

NOT EDITED

Chapter 23 - One step ahead

Aria
"You are a genius. How did you put this together so fast?"

I took a sip of my champagne.

"Hmph, well I did have some help. This handsome fellow taught me everything I needed to know about palace life."

"Is that so? He sounds like a nice fellow."

"He is."

"You did a fantastic job organizing this in a week."

"Well, we need to break the bond as soon as possible. So this needed to be done. There's still the problem of Vivianna though. I'm still figuring out how to get rid of her."

"I'm sure you have something up your sleeves."

"I do. Come on. It's time to introduce Eva to the kingdom. I hate speeches."

He smiled.

"Keep it simple. That's all you need to do."

I nodded and we took to the centre of the room.

"Maybe you should go check on her. She might be nervous."

"Is that sisterly concern I hear?"

"Vivianna isn't here. What if she's off threatening her?"

"It's not like threatening her will make a difference. Besides she wouldn't dare ruin this, not if she wants to continue being queen."

I trusted his words.

"May I have your attention please? Now I know all of you are wondering what exactly this party gathering is for. No, it's not to introduce me as king Zane's mate. You already know that I am, and won't be ready for an induction ceremony into the Bruudan clan as yet. So you can all stop holding your breaths. Tonight is a special occasion for me and those I hold dear to my heart. Tonight, you will all gain a princess, and I will gain another sister. Allow me to introduce to you, Princess Evangeline Miran, my sister."

The band started playing as the door opened and Eli walked in with Eva on his arms. She had on a white princess gown. Diamond earrings adorned her earlobes, and a diamond bracelet was around her wrist. I looked from her to Eli. He was just as stunning in a black suit with a black shirt underneath. Everything was black. His hair was combed to perfection with a little flopping carelessly over one eye. Ying and yang. They made a perfect picture. I had to admit how good they looked together.

He walked her in and brought her to stand beside me before taking his spot beside Zane. The music stopped. Eva gave them a bow and they applauded.

"I hope you will all be good to my new sister. You'll have a chance to greet princess Evangeline later on tonight. Now it's time for the princess to have her first official dance."

We'd decided that Zane would be the one to dance with Eva, but Elijah stepped forward, beating him to it. Zane only smiled. I did too in amusement at Eli's behaviour. The music started up again and everyone made way for them. They waltz expertly in the middle of the dance floor. Evangeline was even better at it than me. How could that be?

"Eli taught her."

"What?"

"Whenever we would have our lessons as children, Elijah would always bring Evangeline along. I don't know why I didn't remember before. He's always been fascinated by her even as a child. They would sneak out and practice thinking no one knew what they were doing."

"But you knew."

"It's my duty to know where my brother is at all times."

I said nothing more. Our attention was once again captivated by Eli and Eva on the dance floor. I noticed that Vivianna had finally joined us. She was green with envy. I could practically feel it from where I was.