Volume 3

Alice opened her mouth while nodding her head. Alice quickly made her way to the queen, her eyes never leaving the queen's own gaze. She seemed captivated by her own reflection, as if she couldn't bear to look away. She fixed her hair and everything to make them look flawless so people wouldn't see a tiny mistake in her look. Then, she twirled while her gaze remained fixed on the mirror.

"Your Majesty, I don't mean to interrupt you. Dakota Greece wants to see you." Hearing that name from her mouth made her stop twirling. She slowly lowered her arms and turned to face the messenger, her expression grave and serious. "Ask her to come here."

Alice nodded and rushed toward the door. She stopped and said. "Come in." Alice opened the door wide for Dakota to enter the room. As she entered the room, the queen fixed a golden crown on her head. She whispered, "I want everything to be perfect!"

Alice walked past Dakota and headed for the queen. "Let me help you with this." She said as she touched the golden crown and instantly placed it correctly on her head. "Thank you, Alice." Said the queen. Alice replied with a smile. Dakota walked towards them and stopped near the white couch. The queen noticed her presence in the mirror.

"Your majesty, is there something you want to tell me? " She asked. She watched Alice put on white pearl earrings on each side of her ears. After she put them on the queen's earrings, she looked at Alice, raised her hand, and waved, telling her to depart the room. Alice nodded and cleaned her stuff before leaving the room. Dakota's eyes stayed fixed on Alice's back until she disappeared. The queen then spoke, her voice strong and clear, emphasizing her words as she said, "Yes, I do have something to say."

"Dakota, do you think I'm the most beautiful of all queens?" she asked. Dakota raised her left brow as she wondered why the queen asked that question suddenly. She paused for a moment and then said, "No one can be more beautiful than you, Your Majesty." It was clear to her that the queen was more beautiful than any of the other queens. It was her blonde hair, hazel eyes, pale skin, and sweet, fond voice that made her stand out. "Your beauty transcends the limits of what I can describe," Dakota added with a gentle smile. Her response was not just a mere compliment, but a sincere gesture of appreciation that left the queen feeling truly special.

'It's true', she thought, 'that no one can rival my beauty and my loyal subject Dakota knows it.' The queen smiled and thanked her for her kindness. She returned to look in the mirror, admiring her look. She then glanced at the crown atop her head, feeling a sense of power and pride. She was the queen and no one could take that away from her. She was the most beautiful and powerful woman in the kingdom. She covered her mouth with her hand and giggled.

Then, she returned to Dakota and thanked her again. Dakota replied to the queen with a small nod. "I think people at the ballroom are waiting for me. We shall leave now before the event starts soon." said the queen. Dakota nodded in agreement. The queen and Dakota walked back to the ballroom together. Dakota curtsied and the queen smiled. The queen gave one last wave before entering the ballroom.

The queen danced gracefully with her son, and everyone in the ballroom was in awe of her beauty. Dakota watched with admiration as the queen twirled with her son, her elegant dress swirling around them. She moved with such elegance and poise that it was as if she had been dancing for years. The crowd was captivated by her every move, and stood there in admiration, not daring to move an inch as the royal family gracefully swayed around the room. Everyone applauded the queen when the music stopped.

Suddenly, shards of glass flew across the room, littering the floor. Shock and confusion quickly engulfed the room as the glass shattered and the music was replaced with the sound of a gun firing. The queen gasped and looked around, wondering what was going on. "What's happening?!" She shouted. Her voice echoed throughout the ballroom, but no one replied to her. This is because everyone scrambled to exit the building in panic, unsure of the source of the gunshot or what repercussions it would bring. "No, my night... My beautiful night!" She muttered. Her breath began pounding rapidly as her rage began to grow widely until the veins on her forehead appeared.

"Your majesty!" She shouted as she pushed people out of her way while looking for the queen.

"Miss Dakota!" Dakota turned toward a voice who called her name. "Escort these people to the exit door now!" Dakota paused and lifted her head to see if the queen was around here. Sadly, she couldn't see her. She turned her head back to the man and quickly jumped into action, leading the visitors to the exit door. "Follow me, everyone!" The group moved quickly, but safely. Dakota brought them to the doorway opened by the guards. "Come this way, please!" They complied and followed her in panic. Dakota stopped at one of the guards and said. "Follow them and make sure they arrive at their home safely." The guard nodded and swiftly followed the group of visitors. Dakota watched them leave the building until they disappeared from view. She then returned to find the queen.

She ran back to the ballroom and it was empty. Then, she ran to the queen's room. She saw two guards standing outside the queen's room, knowing the queen was staying inside. She felt relieved and worried at the same time, fearing that she might be injured by the shattered windows. She walked to the guards and asked if the queen was alright. The guards couldn't respond to her question, knowing that the queen was not alright. She stepped closer to the door and knocked.

The door opened and she saw a tall man standing in front of her. He looked intimidating and worried at the same time. She nervously asked if the queen was alright. The man simply shook his head and said, "I'm afraid not." She bowed her head in sorrow. 'The night should end mesmerizing but not in this way...' The man invited her in to see the queen. As she stepped inside the room, she saw broken glasses everywhere on the floor. She covered her mouth in shock as her eyes grew wide, watching the queen infuriated by what had just happened. The queen's voice filled the room with anger, and the man quickly tried to calm her down. "Mother, please," he pleaded, "your blood pressure will rise until it becomes dangerous for you to breathe if you can't control your anger."

She brushed his hands off her and turned around. "This night was supposed to be a beautiful night but someone ruined it!" She shouted. "I had been wasting my time showing how stunning I was to the people, how graceful and elegant I was that no one could compete with my look!" Her rage-filled voice echoed in the room. "Now it was destroyed, everything was destroyed!" She exclaimed in rage. Her eyes welled up with tears. The rest of the people in that room stood silent, afraid to speak or move even an inch.

That night was a very awful night to witness for everyone, especially for the queen. Her sorrow was palpable, a quiet despair that had engulfed the entire room. Her heart was shattered into pieces. All her hopes and dreams were dashed in an instant. Her people had been so excited for her and had come out in droves, only for them to witness this tragedy unfold before them, a tragedy that had robbed her of her joy and replaced it with pain and anguish.

Dakota left the room and returned to the empty ballroom. She entered the room and stopped. Taking in the sight of the destruction before her, Dakota couldn't help but feel despair. An elegant ballroom became a disaster. The night that was supposed to be mesmerizing became a nightmare. She looked at the maids and butlers who cleaned the mess. She decided to join them to help them clean. She pulled the gloves out of her pocket and wore them. She walked toward the shattered window glass on the floor and carefully dropped her knee. She started cleaning up the glass piece by piece. It was a tedious and tiring task, but she knew it was necessary.

While she cleaned the mess, she noticed something on the floor. She frowned. She bent down, picking up the object with curiosity. It was a feather painted black and its hollow shaft white. Examining it further, she realized it was a crow's feather. She held the feather in her hands. She was sure it had been left intentionally - and it gave her a chill. She carefully inserted the black feather into her pocket to analyze it before standing up and cleaning the place.