Chapter 12: Dino Queen

Shelly's PoV

Damien chuckled at my reaction. "Yeah, I figured you might prefer more casual stuff, so I asked her to get you some jeans and shirts. I hope you don't mind."

My eyes widened at his ability to pick stuff up with just a glance.

"No, no, not at all. Thank you. That was very considerate of you," I said, smiling. Only our parents were ever this considerate with us.

He grinned like a kid. "No problem. I'm just trying to be a good host. That said, if you ever want to pick your own clothes, just tell Zara. I'll give you a credit card to use. Feel free to buy whatever you want. Just keep it under a million."

I gawked at him. "A million dollars?"

Damien grinned. "Yeah. That should be enough for some new clothes and other essentials. Right?"

My eyes widened even further. I couldn't believe how generous he was. But, at the same time, I felt a bit uncomfortable taking advantage of his wealth. "Uh, no, that's way too much. I don't need that much money."

"Nonsense," Damien said. "You're my guest. And, besides, you can always pay me back. Remember, you're each heirs to more than a billion dollars. I think you can afford to buy yourself some nice things. Oh, and if you need some extra spending money, just ask me."

I shook my head. "No, no. That's not right. I don't want to take advantage of your generosity."

Damien frowned and folded his arms. "Well, you're going to be a part of this family, so you're going to have to start acting like it. We're not exactly the most humble people, Shelly."

I sighed. He had a point. But still, it was a little overwhelming. "Fine. Thank you for your generosity. But please, don't go overboard. I don't need much."

"Of course." He sighed as he glanced at Toren who had already put on his new shirt while we talked. "That said, Toren's clothes might draw some eyes. We should try to get him to wear some black clothes for the funeral."

I sighed. "That's gonna be easier said than done. He didn't like anything in the closet."

He hummed and smiled at Toren. "Hey, buddy. Would you wear those black pants and vest over your new shirt?"

Toren hummed, then grinned. "Okay!"

"Great," Damien said and clapped. "You're gonna look like a dino king."

Toren squealed. "Rawr!"

I blinked. "Huh? Why is he listening to you? He never listens to me that easily when it comes to his clothes."

Damien chuckled and winked. "Because I'm a cool dino guy. That's why. Right, little bro?"

"Right!" Toren shouted.

Damien grinned and walked to the closet. He took out a pair of black pants and a small black vest. "Here, Toren. Put these on."

Toren put them on, his dinosaur shirt barely visible under the vest.

"Look at you, Toren!" Damien cheered. "You're like a little t-rex."

Toren giggled and spun around. "I king!"

"Rawr!" Damien roared, grinning.

"Rawr!" Toren roared back.

I watched as they both roared at each other, a smile creeping on my lips. I couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Damien had managed to get Toren to listen to him in just a few minutes. Maybe it was because he was a dino guy, too. Or maybe he just had a knack for dealing with kids. I didn't know, but I was grateful. Maybe I could learn a thing or two from him. I really needed a break sometimes.

Damien looked at me. "Meanwhile, Shelly is a dino queen."

I blushed. "What?"

He winked. "You're the sister of a king, so you're a queen. A dino queen. Right, Toren?"

"Right!" Toren said, nodding. "Sis is queen!"

I bit my lip as I felt my cheeks heat up. I wasn't sure I could handle being called a dino queen. I was just Shelly. "That would make me a dino princess, not a queen. Toren is the king, so I'm the princess."

Damien shook his head. "Nah, you're the queen. The dino king's sister. Right, Toren?"

"Right!" Toren said, grinning.

I sighed and shook my head. There was no use arguing with them. They were both crazy. "Okay, whatever. Let's just go eat breakfast. I'm hungry."

"Me too," Damien said, humming as he walked out. His lips curled into a smirk. "Ready to meet the rest of the family?"

My eyes widened. "W-what?"

He chuckled. "They're all in the dining room."

"Uh, on second thought, no. I actually ordered for some mac and cheese to be brought here. I'm gonna stay here and eat with Toren."

Damien laughed. "Relax, it's not like they're gonna bite. You can't avoid them forever. Come on, you'll be fine."

I bit my lip, then sighed. He was right. I couldn't hide from them. I had to face them eventually, but not now. "I will see them at the funeral. Right now I just want to eat with my brother."

Damien hummed, then nodded. "Okay, that's fine. I was planning to introduce you at the funeral anyway because some of our relatives are pretty intimidating. But, I think you're going to be okay. Just stay strong, and don't let them push you around. Oh, and avoid getting into an argument with Cassian. He's a jerk."

I nodded. "Okay, I can do that." I paused. "Cassian is your cousin, right?"

Damien sighed. "He's the cousin of my late father. My grandpa is the oldest son of Alistair Veyron de Luthaine, your grandfather."

"Is that why you're the favorite to be the heir? Because you're related to his oldest son?"

"Probably. Grandpa Alfonse isn't interested in being the head anymore. He's too old and has retired from the public view, so I'm the next best thing. Still, I think he might like to see his grandson become the next head."

"I see," I said, feeling a bit nervous. "Do you think I can become the head?"

Damien's eyes lit up. "Of course you can! But it will take a lot of political manuvering. That's why you need to keep your guard up. The others are going to try to get rid of you."

I bit my lip.

"For now, try to be a dainty young lady. Play soft, hide your edge, and don't show off. Don't let them know how capable you are. Let them underestimate you and your ability to survive. Once we have enough support, we'll strike back at all of those who hurt you. How does that sound?"

I blinked. He sounded like a villainous politician.

"Um, I don't know. That sounds a little underhanded."

Damien grinned. "That's how politics is, Shelly. It's not all sunshine and rainbows. You have to be cunning and ruthless. But, if you don't want to do that, I'll do it for you."

I gulped. He said it so casually, but he sounded dead serious. I didn't like the idea of being underhanded, but I also didn't want to get trampled on by the rest of the family. Maybe it was better to take a page from his book. "Okay, let's do it your way. But please don't go overboard."

Damien grinned. "I won't. I'll just do enough to keep you two safe."

I nodded. "Thanks, Damien."

Damien grinned and patted Toren on the head. "Anything for my new little bro."

Toren giggled and hugged him.

"Alright," Damien said, stretching. "I'll leave you two to it. I have to go deal with the rest of the family." He sighed. "I rather eat dino mac and cheese with you two than eat with them."

Toren giggled. "Mac and cheese!"

Damien grinned and ruffled Toren's hair. "Exactly, buddy. Have fun, okay? I'll see you both later." He walked out the door.

Toren grinned at me. "Damien cool."

I nodded, smiling. "He is, isn't he?"

Damien was a weird person, but I was glad he was on our side. Something told me I wouldn't want him as my enemy. He was very clever and knew how to manipulate people. It was scary, but it was also reassuring. As long as he was on our side, we would be fine. Probably. Maybe.