The Shared Room

She'd gotten to him. It was undeniable.

It wasn't a huge victory, of course.

The prince of Sidera wasn't someone she was going to defeat or change with one slap.

But it still mattered to her.

For a moment, just one brief, fleeting instant...

She'd been able to show her defiance. She'd shown that she was not just some weak, pathetic little girl who would sit idly and take everything thrown her way.

That felt good.

But she knew that was a fleeting feeling.

It wasn't a great victory, some turning point that would change everything.

It was a vent for her volcano of pain, frustration, grief and anger.

Not even all of it was directed at Donncahd - after all, she was in this position because of the real Princess Airie.

But in the end he was the one who'd kill her, not Airie.

Even so, she was just venting steam, not actually fixing anything.