Chapter Seventeen

Cheryl made her way to her fathers office with her usual guard hot in her trail, shooting worried and confused glances at each other behind her back yet she did not notice or she just chose to pay them no mind. She was far too busy clenching and unclenching her fists that were at her sides trying to calm down her nerves.

She came into a sudden halt outside of the kings office, causing the others toalmsot bump onto her and onto each other. The girl stood there frozen before she smoothed her skirt with her slightly trembling hands with quick movements. If she was being honest she was just buying time to think and get her head straight.

The others pet her do her thing understanding the anxiety of a child spending time with their estranged, and just recently discovered father.

Giving a last smooth at her dress she stood straight, taking a deep breath. Elijah fixed the black bow of the dress on the lower back of the otherwise white dress and Cheryl gave him s thankful smile.

In usual Cheryl fashion she would have usually opened the doors to make a grand entrance that would ensure her the attention of the room. It was easier to get attention this way than just making a comment. Surprisingly, enough she knocked on the door with her fist.

Silence.

Cheryl pulled on her tongue piercing trying to hide her annoyance at being left unacknowledged by the vampire ruler. Still, she rolled her shoulders back getting rid of the stiffness and raised her fist to knock again. But she did not have time to do so, since when the moment came for her fist to bang on the door, it opened and three tall, black wearing figures stood in front of the company of five.

Purple eyes went wide at the sight of them, in front of her and she stood there, frozen as the men behind her bowed their heads and moved to the side, signalling her with a nudge on the embow to do the same. And of course she wanted to follow, bow her head so as to not be face to face with the veiled women, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. Her feet remained unmoving no matter how much her brain screamed the order, and her eyes remained on the women. She wondered how she might have looked at the moment, wide eyed and frozen, frightful and pathetic.

Finally, James had had enough of her being an antelope in headlights and he pulled her to his side, keeping his hand wrapped around her forearm while looking at her from the corner of his eye. How she grasped her trembling hands in front of her, taking no more that a second to compose herself, bowing her head like the others. Once she did, the women moved in sync, three sets of footsteps echoed like one when they walked passed them and the girl watched their long black skirts.

She silently waited for the steps to stop reaching her ears before looking up once more, plastering on a wide smile, though kinda shy as she walked inside the office seemingly brushing off the incident with the three black clad women and not really caring who they were, what they meant to the crown. The men hurriedly followed her.

Cheryl found her father seatting on the desk surrounded by piles of papers and focusing over a specific one with a black and white pictured that she tried to make out but when he realized someone had walked in he closed it immidiately and directed a glare at the intruder. Yet when he recognized her his hostile expression and annoyance melted away in favor of a smile that widened when he took in her appearance. The dress she was wearing, he could recognize it, it was one of the many he had chosen to supply her wardrobe with. If he was thinking like a King he would have recognized this as a strategy an enemy would have used to get in his good graces.

But at the moment he wasn't thinking like a King, or a father. If Cheryl had to guess she would have said he was thinking as an owner, and Cheryl was like a pretty toy or a pet, that he could play dress up with. And that angered her, but she could swallow her pride and keep the smile intact.

"Hello, Cher" he greeted the girl pleasantly, ignoring the vampires that stood behind her

"Hello" she said shyly, fidgeting with the black ribbon on her waist.

"Something I can help you with child?"

"I have some questions I wish to have answered" she said

"Well, I'm sure you can find any information you want in the library or if you find it to be too much for you, you can always ask your assigned guardians" he offered, gesturing to four behind her with his left hand. The move got the girls attention, since in his hand there was a big silver ring with the King's seal on it. It was weird how this seal could make everything so powerful and important without the ring having any special qualities just by itself.

Cheryl has always thought rings looked good on her, especially important and powerful ones.

"Perhaps" she continued "you could consider helping me out?"

The man stared at the girl in the white and black dress for a few seconds, then waved his hand and the four men slammed their foot on the ground, turned around and walked out making sure to close the doors behind them.

Cheryl didn't even flinch, nor did she break eye contact to look at her guardians for confirmation and reassuarance. She didn't care about them at the moment, she had her target and she was looking straight at it, ready for everything. And she sure as hell refused to be the one to break their starring contest first.

The King looked at the chair that stood at the side of his office, he pointed his chin at it "Take a seat"

Cheryl pushed back the smile that started to creep on her face and did as she was told.

"Do go on"

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Thank you for reading so far, if you liked this story please add it to your library, or comment and vote. That would mean the world to me and again thank you so much for reading, it means a lot.