Chapter Seven

Kieran adjusted his suit in the mirror, his sharp glaze studying his reflection in the mirror with quiet satisfaction. His maroon suit sat perfectly on his built frame, his hair tousled just enough to look effortlessly composed. the smirk on his lips was subtle, but it deepened as the voice on the phone spoke again.

"So, you really got her to sign the contract? Wow" Micheal's voice boomed through the phone, laced with disbelief. Kieran barely acknowledged it.

He smirked, straightening his tie. "Well she had to, the poor girl."

A scoff came from the other end. "You sound like you actually care, Kieran."

He chuckled, his voice devoid of amusement. "Save your sarcasm, Micheal."

Kieran turned, his gaze falling on the massive painting of Elara's father hanging in his room. The old King's eyes seemed to bore him..... and mocked him.

Micheal sighed. "I'm just saying…. Take it easy on her."

Kieran's jaw tightened. Easy?

His fingers curled into a loose fist as he studied the painting. 

"Why should I?" he whispered. "It is a poor situation for her... but it is a win for me."

"This is only the beginning," he murmured, more to himself than anyone else.

Kieran ended the call, with a quiet finality, glaring coldly at the portrait.

"I'll make sure they all pay."

********************

"Your Highness!"

Elara blinked, her thoughts snapping back to the present as Lady Seraphina's firm voice cut through the air.

"I sincerely apologize, Lady Seraphina. Please carry on." Elara forced a polite smile.

 She sat in the training hall, in front of an enormous board covered in diagrams and notes and for the fourth time in the past hour she had been pulled out of her thoughts by Lady Seraphina.

Seraphina let out a quiet sigh, placing the book on the table before walking up to her.

"What seems to be the problem, Your Highness?" 

 Elara knew she was not pleased, but she couldn't help it. Her mind echoed with the same realization over and over: She was now truly married to Kieran Blake.

The ink on the contract barely dried, but it already felt like she was being bound by iron chains. Well with a personality like Kieran's, it was bound to be so. However a critical mistake surfaced, she had not told him to stay silent about it. 

What if he's already told someone?

She couldn't exactly explain this to Seraphina, so she inhaled deeply instead. "I just have some concerns about a few things."

Seraphina raised a brow. "But the issue of Mr. Blake attending the training has been sorted out far more easily than we expected. What else could be the matter?"

Elara shifted. "I just don't want Mr. Blake to cause a scene in these next few days."

Seraphina's eyes softened, but her voice remained firm."That should not take prominence over these lessons, Your Highness. You can only focus on one thing at a time."

Elara nodded, the weight still resting heavily on her chest. "You're right. Please continue."

For the next hour, Seraphina covered the finer points of public interactions between the royal couples: the positioning of power, the weight of perception, the necessity of unity.

"A marriage such as yours must be seen as unwavering. If there is any hesitation or sign of discord, the nobles home and abroad will seize and make use of it cruelly. you both are not to make decisions without the other knowing, are not to speak about sensitive topics unless with prior approval from each other and you are not to stutter as well. You are the representation of each other. Hence, how you present yourself will reflect on him, and vice versa." 

By the time the lesson ended, Elara's head pounded with all the new information she had to absorb. And yet, Seraphina was not done.

"Now that we have covered the basics, you both will receive an assignment."

Elara's shoulder tensed. "An assignment?"

"It will be an exercise," Seraphina clarified, her stance unwavering. "In two days you will be attending your first meetings as a couple. The most important, however, is the meeting with the nobles."

"So you will having a public walk with Mr. Blake tomorrow morning as a trial." she finished, and Elara groaned.

"This is starting to sound like Astoria Noble Academy all over again." she sighed in exasperation as she recalled her High school. 

Seraphina's lips twitched as she forced down a smile. "If it helps you take it seriously, then think of it as that then, Your Highness."

And now she regretted not telling him to not reveal anything about it to anyone before they were separated.

"You will practice public familiarity: the way you should acknowledge each other, how you move together, how to respond when someone addresses you both." she listed, crossing her arms with a firm expression.

"These may seem insignificant, but they mean EVERYTHING in court politics."

Elara pulse quickened at the seriousness of her tone. "And what happens if we fail this exercise, Lady Seraphina?"

Seraphina gave a pointed look. "Failure is not an option here, Your Highness."

Before Seraphina could speak further, the doors to the training hall were swung open. Romanus stepped inside, his expression unusually tense. 

Elara straightened immediately.

"Your Highness," he said with a slight bow, his tone measured. "Pardon my interruption, but there are visitors who have requested to see you urgently."

Elara frowned, her eyes narrowing. "Did you inform them that I will not be in office today?"

"I did," Romanus confirmed. "but they insisted that you would want to see them."

Elara curled her fists, as she knew there were only two people who would dare commit such an insolence. Inhaling slowly, she rose from her seat calmly with a neutral expression. Seraphina took a step back, understanding the spoken shift in her demeanor.

"I am afraid I will meet with you in the evening again, Lady Seraphina."

She turned to Romanus, her pulse quickening. "Take me to them."