I will not let anyone have the satisfaction of seeing me affected. I will never let anybody see me as the boy they once looked down on again.
But I couldn't lie to my self about how the Red's comment shook me. Is the mask I'm wearing already becoming a part of me? Or was it already a part of me, hidden away because I cared for a Red? Do I even care for the Reds? Or do I just care for her?
"Maven," my mother whispers. I turned to her, wiping my face of doubts.
"Do you need anything, mother?"
She walks directly to me, trying to figure out what I was thinking. I stand my ground, never giving away.
"You're stronger than I thought," she says, still trying to penetrate. I can't help but laugh. Even my mother is weak now compared to me. She flinches at the echoes of my laughter, not really sure of what it means. I slip a thought by letting her think that it's a laugh for a joke, and not sarcasm.
"I knew you would always turn out to be someone better than Coriane's boy," her eyes sparkled, still amused with her victory of killing the first queen even though she has been dead for a long time now.
I grimaced. "You really think so, mother?" If she believed in what I could do, then why did she always try to control me?
She smiled, even her perfect teeth's glow was deadly. It did not mean joy, it meant control. And just by that, I knew. I knew that her only belief in me resided on the fact that as her son, I could be her only pawn.
"Of course, son. You are me," she holds my shoulders tight, gazing up. She is seeing the King in me, I am no longer the boy she raised, I stand taller now. I am the Silver King she wanted me to be.
Yes, mother. I am you in so many ways. "I am my mother's son," I tell her.
Satisfied, she nods. "Any plans on taking that little lightning girl of ours?" She says, straightening the sleeves of my collar. "Or perhaps we should just let them come, those dogs. They will be the ones who'll be walking in surrender. Much better isn't it?" She smiles again, her eyes widening. "Perhaps we should start with the list, shall we?"
She chuckled, and I nodded. I knew she would prefer it this way. I try not to make myself think of my private plans while she is still in the room.
"Yes, of course. That would be fun wouldn't it? I want to lead it myself," I answer.
"No. You are King, you belong here. Let the others do our bidding. That Ptolemus is disposable enough," she questions me. I must think fast before she sees my real intentions.
"But you can stay here instead. I deserve to have them on my hands," I say, trying to make her see my point.
She does not hesitate anymore. I know that she would love to have the throne by herself.
I let her see it that way, and she left me alone again. I try to recall the list, and wonder if Mare is already on track. I always need to be ahead of her.
I plan my next trip to see her, but first, I have to know if she's still in Tuck.
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A/N: First of all, thank you so much for 1k reads wow! You guys are too much for me. Here's a chapter for you, and I know that it's just a short one compared to the other chapters but it's just the way I write. I feel like if I add too many words on a scene that's just meant to be short, it'll just ruin the whole plot. I hope you understand.
BUT. There are more chapters to come, and all I can just say is, "Watch out." ;)
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