Chapter 24: Not Chloe

Kira slipped out of Derek’s bedroom, her fingers already flying across the screen of her phone as she typed:

I married a monster.

She knew her phone had been tampered with, cloned, hacked, whatever they had done to it during the twenty-four hours Derek had kept it from her. She had sworn to herself she wouldn’t contact Jessica or anyone from her study group until she found a safe, unmonitored way to talk to them. But right now, she just needed to talk to her best friend.

Jessica’s reply came in under five seconds.

Jessica:

Oh, my goddess, Kira!

A string of crying emojis followed.

Jessica:

You scared the hell out of me. It’s been almost a week since I freaking heard from you! You didn’t return any of my calls or texts.

Kira’s thumbs hovered.

Sorry

.

Three dots appeared. Disappeared. Reappeared.

Jessica:

Sorry? Is that all you’ve got to say?

Kira started typing that Jessica wouldn’t understand, but another message popped up first.

Jessica:

How the hell are you?! I need to call you right now to confirm this is really you.

A small smile tugged at Kira’s lips as her phone began to buzz with Jessica’s incoming call. She swiped to the answer button and pressed the phone to her ear.

"Kira?" Jessica’s voice burst through, thick with worry.

"It’s me, girl."

Jessica let out a dramatic sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. I heard about you and the King’s visit to Moonfang the other day. Tell me about this monster. Does he hurt you?"

"No," Kira said quickly. "At least, not in the way you think. It’s just... I feel so alone here. No familiar faces, no one to talk to." For the first time since she had arrived, she let her voice crack a little, letting the vulnerability slip through.

Jessica sighed softly on the other end. "I’m so sorry, babe. I wish I could do something about it. But I’m glad you’re safe."

"Yeah," Kira agreed. "I miss you and the campus so much."

"We miss you more, Ki," Jessica said, her voice gentle now. "Why haven’t you come to campus since Monday? I thought you both agreed this marriage wouldn’t affect your studies?"

"I did. But he found out about the whip marks and demanded I heal before leaving the mansion. I’ll be on campus today, though. I’ll talk to you properly when I get there."

"I can’t wait to see you. I love you."

"Love you too. Bye."

Kira ended the call and headed for the stairs, only to nearly collide with a striking redhead stepping into the corridor. The same one from the wedding reception, the one who had given her that sharp, suspicious glare.

The two women sized each other up for a moment with mutual and immediate hostility. Kira saw an older, accomplished woman who clearly held real power in Dravengard; she hadn’t missed the way the other women had been fawning over her at the wedding reception. Ruby, on the other hand, saw a stunningly beautiful girl who looked barely legal, a sight that made her feel suddenly old. Each woman saw in the other exactly what she feared most, and in this first moment of meeting, Kira could tell they were not going to be friends."

Another door swung open behind Kira, followed by the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Oh, Your Highness."

Kira turned to find Kai smiling at her. She remembered his dazzling charm from the reception and returned a genuine smile. "Hey, Kai."

"I see you’ve met Ruby Veyle, Head of—"

"I’ll introduce myself," Ruby cut in sharply, then turned to Kira with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "I’m Ruby, Head of Welfare and Chairwoman of Women’s Affairs in Dravengard. Welcome to our home."

Kira caught the subtle emphasis on our immediately. Ruby wasn’t just introducing herself; she was marking her territory, telling Kira that she didn’t belong here. She mentally underlined Ruby’s name and filed it under dangerous.

"Well, while some people are so keen to introduce themselves, you certainly don’t need one, Your Highness," Kai said, winking at her and completely ignoring Ruby’s glare. "You’re the most important woman in Dravengard right now, and we shouldn’t keep you standing in the hallway." He held out his hand. "Come, I’ll take you downstairs for breakfast. Everyone’s waiting to meet you properly."

Kira let out a quiet sigh of relief. It was like Kai had read her mind; the last thing she wanted was to spend another second under Ruby’s scrutiny. She quickly slipped her hand into his and gave a small nod. As they walked away, she could feel Ruby’s stare drilling into her back.

When Kai led her into the breakfast room, Kira froze for a second, her steps faltering. The round table was more crowded than she had expected: Declan, Connor, and a few gammas. Nana and another middle-aged woman were setting the table. The moment they stepped in, the conversation died, and every pair of eyes turned toward her and Kai.

"The queen is here!" Nana announced with delight as she spotted them.

Kira was suddenly very glad Kai was beside her. Everyone rose to their feet and bowed. Nana hurried over and gently detached Kira’s hand from Kai’s, while Kai gave an exaggerated bow and moved away.

"Oh, look at you," Nana cooed. "Such a rare beauty. I can’t wait to hold you and Derek’s gorgeous pups!"

Kira’s stomach twisted hard at the word pups, but she smiled anyway. If only Nana knew the whole thing was a lie; she felt like a total fraud. Her eyes met Declan’s across the table, and he gave her that stiff look, like he could see straight through her. His gaze didn’t exactly unsettle her, but there was something in them that said he didn’t trust her.

Nana peered behind her. "Where’s your husband? Why was Kai bringing you down?"

"Uh... he had something to take care of and asked me to go ahead."

Nana nodded, pleased, and guided her to the table. Kira noticed Nana’s eyes briefly flick to her neck, clearly searching for Derek’s mark. Her stomach churned. Why was there so much scrutiny on this marriage?

What has her life become?

She exchanged quiet greetings with the men around the table. Connor pulled out a chair for her. Declan only gave her a curt nod and nothing more.

"Good morning, Your Highness," the middle-aged woman said warmly as she set a cup in front of her. "I’m Ishita, the cook. Welcome to Dravengard."

"Thank you," Kira replied with a genuine smile.

Ishita had just finished pouring coffee when Derek strode in, dressed sharply in a dark suit, Ruby right behind him. Ishita greeted them and bowed.

Derek’s gaze flicked to Kira for a brief second as greetings filled the room. She focused on her coffee, pretending not to notice him. He took the seat beside her, while Ruby sat opposite.

"Drek, you haven’t marked her yet?" Nana blurted the second they were seated. "Does that mean you haven’t consummated the marriage yet?"

Kira’s coffee went down the wrong way, and she coughed violently, spluttering as Nana rushed to hand her a napkin.

"Are you okay, dear?" Nana asked.

Kira nodded, wiping her mouth, mortified. She glanced at Derek. He infuriatingly looked completely composed, as if none of this fazed him. The only sign of anything was his hand pausing for just a fraction.

She couldn’t help worrying about what would happen now that Derek knew her real identity. Would he expose her, or keep playing along and trap her in the Chloe pretence for a whole year?

Derek cleared his throat calmly. "The queen hasn’t been feeling well. I didn’t want to impose."

Kira bit her lip to keep from laughing. Why did he always talk so formally?

"Oh, Chlo, my dear," Nana said, reaching over to squeeze Kira’s hand gently. "You must have been exhausted from all of this."

Kira smiled, unsure what to say.

"Her name is not Chloe, Nana," Ruby said abruptly, causing every eye to turn towards her.

Ruby’s malicious gaze fixed on Kira, and it said everything:

imposter, fraud, you don’t belong here.

Kira could swear she saw a faint smirk curling Ruby’s lip. Her heart raced as the entire table fell deathly silent.