"But with the support of our family, all of that could be Aldric’s," Elena said, her eyes shining with excitement.
Juan jerked back as if her daughter had struck her, though physically was untouched. However, Elena’s words were a slap on the face, and real fear washed over her, realizing the extent of her daughter’s fixation.
It wasn’t just the fear of what Queen Maeve would do upon realizing she was harboring a relative in her palace who was not interested in her son but the dark Fae prince. However, it was the realization she was already thinking of using her family’s influence for the doomed prince. She wanted them dead.
Her lips trembled, "You would commit treason?"
"I think you are abusing that word, mother," Elena said as she stood up, walked over to the mirror, and began to check herself out.
She continued, insensitive to her mother’s feelings, "Aldric is a prince and a strong contender for the throne. While you Fae wouldn’t admit it, he’s far stronger than Valerie. You say Prince Theodore has a messy private life but Aldric’s record is clean. Nor is he a philanderer like his brother Andre," Elena looked at her from over her shoulder and smirked," You can trust him with my life. "
"Elena!" Juan screamed her name out of frustration, veins bulging in her neck and face. Her hands were shaking, her eyes wide as she stared at the daughter she couldn’t recognize anymore.
This can’t be her daughter. This was not her daughter. Elena was stubborn, but she wouldn’t bring her this heartbreak.
With shaky legs, Juan approached the stranger in front of her, leaving just a little space between them. She looked up, her eyes searching, as if trying to recognize something she had no idea about. There was a desperation in her gaze, a yearning for familiarity, something to grasp onto. She sought reassurance that she wasn’t losing her mind, that this was indeed her thoughtful daughter standing before her.
"Who are you?" She whispered, a lump in her throat.
Elena was lost in her own reflection, initially oblivious to her mother’s words, and the fact that Juan hadn’t spoken aloud.
With her voice still trembling, the Fae repeated, "Who are you?"
Elena heard it this time but she took the question lightly. Fluffing her hair, she chuckled, "What are you talking about, mother?"
But Juan steadied herself and asked fiercely this time, "Who are you?!"
Elena stopped what she was doing entirely and turned to face her mother. There was a guarded look in her eyes like that of an apex predator who sensed a mole hiding amongst her younglings.
"Mother, what are you —" She tried to reach for her but Juan jerked away from her, and that made her face tighten with a frown.
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