Ashley had hated history in school, but she loved Victorian period dramas, so she knew how to appeal to Emma. She had to make her an offer that would make friendship with the princess seem like a good idea.
“How would you like a promotion,” Ashley asked, unable to hide the excitement in her gaze as she spoke. Ashley hoped that she would be able to convince Emma that this was for the best, that she wanted nothing more than to be by Ashley’s side forever. Much to Ashley’s pleasure, Emma blinked in surprise, her whole face seeming to light up at the possibility of something more.
“But a promotion? What would there be to be promoted to, my lady?” Emma stuttered out, practically trembling at the very thought of somehow usurping someone in the power structure. But, in time, Ashley would get a little bit more comfortable with that.
“My lady-in-waiting,” Ashley said, and she could see that Emma was a genuinely good person, considering the way she parted her lips to argue with Ashley. She probably wanted to remind Ashley that she already had a lady’s maid or something of the sort, but Ashley didn’t let her.
“Please?” Ashley asked with an innocent smile, trying to entice the woman into saying yes, and because Emma seemed to be a sensible woman, she nodded in agreement.
“I guess I could do that,” Emma said, and turned to leave.
“Whoa there, hold your horses. Where are you going? I’ve got questions for you, my new friend.” Emma went still, her eyes going wide in worry.
“Are you a shifter?” Ashley asked, cutting to the chase. It would be great if Emma was a shifter. And if she wasn’t,then Ashley would still be able to learn the local customs and etiquette from her.
Emma, however, didn’t immediately pick up on what Ashley was up to. Instead, she frowned. It was clear that she was arguing with herself over whether it was a good idea to disclose that information. After a second, however, she heaved a heavy sigh.
“I’m not, Princess,” she said quietly, “well, I am, but I’m not able to shift, you see. I’m not good for much, really.”
“All of the nobles are shifters, some are just more powerful than others, Princess,” Emma added helpfully after another second, almost like she pitied Ashley for the things she didn’t know. Ashley could only nod in response, glad that she had found someone who was willing to talk.
“And I’m guessing that most of the nobles in this area are all related to me in some way,” Ashley said after a moment. Emma nodded tentatively, still shy beyond belief but eager to please the princess.
“A few of them were bestowed with the order of the dragon with the Opal stone as a thank you and passed it through their lineage, which I know a majority of the servants here are hoping will someday happen to them. But many of the villagers and the servants who live here are human, and they don’t hope to move beyond their stations,” Emma said, not needing to clarify exactly what she was saying. Ashley knew that there was a separate world that she had existed in until she was brought here where dragons were actually real and in charge of just about everything.
“You know, I was raised in the human world. Actually, I was living in Tennessee, where people don’t exactly think that shifters exist and royalty lives overseas, nowhere near us common folk,” Ashley admitted, hating how vulnerable she felt at that moment, even though she knew that vulnerabilitywas good. Especially when you were trying to make friends, it showed that you cared about what other people thought. “I don’t exactly know what’s going on in this world or around this castle, you know, so I would really appreciate it if you would help me.”
The moment that she said that Emma’s whole face changed, her features softening and a sort of pity showing across them as she looked at the other woman, very obviously realizing how vulnerable Ashley was at that moment.
Emma gave a little nod as she motioned for Ashley to walk further into the bedchamber. Ashley couldn’t ignore how Emma looked back towards the door, as if afraid someone might listen there. And no doubt someone would, so they’d just have to speak quietly.
Ashley sat on her large, overly plush bed, unable to ignore how her dress floofed around her. The dress made it hard to sit, walking would be a challenge, and she longed for her old jeans and sweaters. But Ashley’s complaints about her current wardrobe would have to wait until another day. She was eager to hear what Emma had to tell her. Especially since Emma seemed to be unbiased. Ashley thought about Alexander and the way he’d stared up at that portrait in the portrait gallery. It made her certain that she couldn’t trust him completely. And then there was that whole disappearing act. Could you trust someone that could vanish in the blink of an eye?
“What do you already know?” Emma asked as she paced in front of Ashley, clearly not wanting to waste time.
“Obviously, your brother has told you quite a bit. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be in the castle to begin with. He’s very secretive about things, but rumor has it that he’s trying to keep you away from the other dragon Clans for the time being. At least until your debut ball when you will fulfill your rite of passage and formally connect yourself to the House of Opal…” Emma began,acting like formally connecting yourself to a House of anything was normal. Immediately, Ashley felt like she had to interrupt.
“Formally connect myself?” Ashley asked, and she couldn’t ignore how Emma looked surprised to be interrupted so early. She stared at Ashley, seeming to need to process the fact that Ashley didn’t even know about the whole being-connected-to-a-house-gem thing. Immediately, Emma stopped in her tracks, turning around to face her lady entirely.
“Well, as a member of the Opal lineage, you need to strengthen your dragon by connecting with the gem. Especially since you, who rumor has it, was born with a weak magic unlike your brother’s. The gem controls everything, it gives you your power and allows you to shift into your dragon form,” Emma said, very clearly stunned by the fact that Ashley’s brother hadn’t chosen to mention that fact. Oh, Ashley could just picture exactly how the whole connecting with her gem would go. Terribly. After all, her brother had said that she had been tossed away by their father because of her low magic.
What was the chance that she would actually be able to connect with the gem if she had low magic? Would she be able to shift into her dragon form? Obviously, there were consequences in dragon society for not being able to do such things. If there wasn’t her father would never have gotten rid of her.
Immediately, Ashley was afraid of what might happen if she couldn’t connect with the gem. But Emma seemed confident that she would be able to do it. Hadn’t Emma said that in the past, her ancestors had turned people who were loyal to them into dragons?
Ashley clammed up and allowed Emma to keep talking. She folded her hands in her lap as she sat on her bed, unwilling to interrupt Emma as she explained every facet of dragon society. After a few minutes of Emma explaining the complicated social hierarchy, however, Ashley had to stop her.
“You wouldn’t happen to know who my brother has chosen as a mate for me, would you?” Ashley asked. Emma’s body froze again, and her eyes darted to Ashley’s. Her mouth hung open for a second before she looked around, as though realizing the situation she was actually in for the first time.
“He was supposed to be there tonight, but for some reason, he didn’t show up,” Emma said, and the second that she said that Ashley knew who her brother had chosen for her. The Diamond King.
Everything that Alexander had told her came back to Ashley then. If this Diamond King was as Alexander claimed, then it was very possible that he likely would have wanted Ashley either way, so he could have power over her brother.
Although she now knew exactly who she was meant to be mated with, Ashley couldn’t help but be angry at her brother. She didn’t know this man. They’d had an opportunity to meet tonight and he’d declined. That now felt like an insult, making her angrier.
“I hate men so much right now,” Ashley mumbled, but Emma didn’t hear her, which was probably for the best.
She’d suspected that this Diamond King the maids and Elliot had been talking about was her mate, but the idea still didn’t appeal to her. All she wanted to do, really, was fall back on her bed and fantasize about Alexander. His face was imprinted on her mind, his full lips and his expressive eyes making her pulse race all over again. Every time she thought of him, her skin tingled. She wanted him more than she had ever wanted anything in this world. Even if he was using her for his own gains.
