Page 42 of A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash

Mal hesitated. There were many whispered theories—some claimed the gods had altered tradition, others that it was a warning of calamity yet to come. And some… some spoke of curses.

‘No, your majesty.’

The queen regarded her for a lingering moment, then exhaled lightly, as though the conversation had tired her. ‘We ought to return. It is impolite to withhold our company from the court. And I feel a headache coming on.’

As she turned, her silken skirts rustling, Mal’s gaze fell upon the rose at her feet—ripped from its stem, crushed within the queen’s grasp.

Broken. Twisted.

A warning.

Mal did not need the gods to tell her what it meant. For in that moment, she realised her fate. She, too, was a rose in the queen’s garden.

And one day, she would beplucked.

…

Alina had always loathed these extravagant affairs. They sent the queen into weeks of hysteria, fretting over the most trivial details—details no one truly noticed. The king, as always, busied himself with drinking and regaling the court with embellished tales of his youth. And the guests? Every single one of them spent the evening scrutinizing her, their eyes raking over every inch of her as though she were the main spectacle.

The young ladies, in particular, would await the next festivity with bated breath, eager to see what Alina would wear—because, of course, she was expected to outdo herself each time. Not a single golden strand of hair could be out of place, lest whispers and snickers rise behind her back. Every gem adorning her neck and fingers was polished for days beforehand, ensuring they gleamed as brilliantly as the sun itself.

Tonight, however, all of that had changed.

For the first time, no one paid any mind to the golden gown she wore, despite the exquisite dragons embroidered into its fabric, each one encrusted with jewels. No one whispered about how dazzling she looked beneath the candlelight or how perfectly her attire complemented her delicate features.

Every gaze—every pair of sharp, prying eyes—was fixed upon the wyverian princess.

Alina’s blood simmered.

She had always despised the attention, the relentless scrutiny, the pressure of perfection. And yet… what was she without it?Nothing. Her brother was to be king, despite wanting no part of it. And as for her? No one had ever asked what she wanted. Her future had been carved out for her since birth—she would marry a wealthy nobleman, be swept away to live in his estate, and slowly fade into obscurity. Yes, she wouldstill attend the grand feasts, the lavish balls, the endless festivities. But she would always be just that. A princess.

And even if Ash bore no heirs, the crown would never pass to her. It would be handed to one of her sons, as though she herself were nothing more than a vessel, as though her own ability to rule was never worth considering.

Alina was good for one thing—parading in exquisite gowns, her beauty the most envied in the land. Whatever she wore became the height of fashion, her presence dictating trends, her every whim shaping the way the noblewomen dressed. They longed to resemble her, to mirror her elegance. They envied her. But what was there to envy? She did nothing for her kingdom beyond setting the fashion of the court. The women changed their hairstyles on a whim, depending on Alina’s mood.

Shewasbeautiful.

And yet, she was so much more.

Her thoughts were disrupted when her gaze caught movement—a shadow slipping through a hallway.

The wyverian prince, Kai.

Alina watched as he disappeared through a doorway, vanishing into the depths of the castle.

A fleeting moment of hesitation gripped her. If she left the feast, her mother would be furious. But did it truly matter? The queen was nowhere to be seen, and the king was lost in laughter, surrounded by his closest friends as he retold yet another tiresome story no one truly cared for.

So, without another thought, Alina followed.

She trailed the wyverian prince down a set of narrow, spiraling stairs, ones clearly meant for servants. The air grew cooler as they descended, and the deeper they went, the more unease crept into her chest.

Then, suddenly, realisation struck.

They were headed towards the dragon caves beneath the castle.

Alina stopped in her tracks. She was not permitted down there without supervision. Only the dragon handlers were allowed to approach the beasts.

And yet, despite the warning voice in her head, she took another step forward.

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