Page 83 of Ella's Masquerade
My lips twitched. I almost asked if that meant I could light the bitch on fire, but the ceremony began with crowning the Winter King and Winter Queen.
I really didn’t understand the human obsession with these sorts of titles, but I supposed living in a real royal family skewed my view a bit.
Ella received her crown first and did an excellent job of acting shocked and dismayed, while in her mind she ridiculed the stupid tradition. “As I already have a tiara,” she said, glancing at me, “I’ll just hold this for now until Tray can help me fix my hair.”
“You were already a princess to me, darling,” I replied, loud enough for everyone to hear.
Ryan snorted.
Other people sighed.
The administrators smiled.
Ella returned to my side, her excitement contagious. Her thoughts were underlined with a hint of nerves, reminiscent of past hurts, but she followed each concern with a justification.
Tray won’t hurt me. He’s my mate. This will be fine. Ryan’s going down.
I didn’t reply, preparing myself for the speech I was about to make.
When the administrators called my name, announcing me as Winter King, I glanced at them and ignored their silly crown. It was a cheap plastic knockoff very unlike the tiara I’d placed on Ella earlier tonight. She didn’t know—because I’d hidden it from her—but it was actually a family heirloom interlaced with fae magic.
Her eyes widened as I revealed that to her in my thoughts.
You’re a princess now,I reminded her.Never forget it.
Fairy Guardian,she returned, causing my lips to twitch as I took the microphone.
“Wow. Winter King.” I pretended to ponder that for a moment. “I can’t imagine a more ridiculous title, to be honest. Why the hell would I want to be Winter King of this dreadful place?” My focus shifted to the shocked administrators. “I mean, the things you all allow to happen here is just mind-blowing. Allow me to demonstrate.”
I removed the microphone from the stand before they could take it from me and stepped to the side so I could see both Ella and Ryan.
The latter grinned triumphantly.
Ella, however, held a regal stance that would make my mother—and likely hers as well—proud.
“You know, babe”—I purposely picked a nickname I never used for Ella—“it’s been an interesting few months. All these games.” I shook my head. “I mean, honestly, I’m shocked you fell for it all. You actually think I’d want you? When I can have her?”
Ella flinched, even though I wasn’t talking to her but to Ryan. The words were just too reminiscent of Dash’s speech all those years ago, as I assumed the resulting gasps from the crowd were, too.
“While you’ve been ensnared in my web, I’ve carefully dismantled every facet of your life. All for the promise of bedding you, which is something I never wanted to do.”
“Mr. Nacht,” a feminine voice interjected. Professor Montgomery stood on the side of the stage, her expression livid. “Give me that microphone right now.”
“No, I’m not done.” And there was no way she’d be able to take this from me now. “And while I appreciate you finally growing a conscience and truly standing up for your student, you’re about three years too late. Because let’s be honest, all your previous attempts haven’t been all that successful.” She was also protecting the wrong girl.
Ryan chuckled, the sound vile and cruel. “Keep going,” she encouraged.
“Oh, I intend to.” I smiled brilliantly at her. “When you approached me about seducing your stepsister and asking me to break her heart publicly, I couldn’t have been happier. Because you single-handedly gave me the power to destroy you instead.”
A pin could have dropped at that pronouncement.
And Ryan’s mouth fell open.
Way to dive right in,Ella said into my mind.
No time like the present, I returned.
“You know, I wondered how someone could be so vicious as to offer herself… Oh, wait, no. You promised me a threesome between you and Carmen, right? Yeah, hard pass, sweetheart. Ella satisfies me in ways neither of you could ever begin to comprehend. But back to what I was saying—I tried to figure out how someone could be so cruel to another person, let alone a family member.” I reached into my pocket to pull out my phone. “However, after some digging with Ella, we figured it out.”
