Lucas breaks the gaze immediately after only a few seconds. I continue walking around the ballroom, making my way through the laughter. I talk to many people, all with polite smiles, small chit chat. But for some reason, my mind keeps wandering back to Ace, and the way that Lucas was looking at me. I try to forget about them momentarily throwing myself into conversations, but I can't help it I begin wondering if this is a cruel joke. Have I gone insane? Am I asleep? My brain is in a frenzy. I'm scared, confused, and alone. I want to find a way out. 

"Eleonora," I hear someone say, I refrain from correcting them to Eleanor but spin on my heel to begin talking aimlessly about the kingdom under my rule. I'm surprised to see that it's Christopher.

"I'm sorry I can't talk to you right now," I say furrowing my eyebrows and begin walking away before him grabbing my arm.

"Are you going to eliminate me?" He asks, his eyes pleading with me to keep him. I slowly look down at his hand on my arm and he quickly let's go. 

"I just don't see a future for us," I say. "There is no intense connection between us," I continue shortly. I can't explain it but his eyes don't gleam, sparkle, or glow like other vampires' eyes. There's nothing pulling me towards him. "Besides, I don't plan on being here for long," I say. I cover my mouth instantly realizing my mistake. 

"What do you mean you're not going to be here for long?" He asks me raising an eyebrow. 

"I mean- I uh..." I stutter trying to find the right words to salvage this situation. 

"If you mean you want to escape I can help you. Tell Ilya you want to go on a date with me. We can sort out the details then." He says clutching his glass before walking away. I go back towards my throne and spot Ilya flirting with one of the men from that awful car ride here.

"Ilya I'm ready to go now," I say looking around the room.

"As you wish your majesty." He says bowing before leading me through the crowds and up the stairs. We walk back to my room in silence, and I can't help but think about how soft Aces' lips felt on my hand. What is wrong with me? Why am I thinking about him when I should be thinking about my escape? 

"Had a good night?" Ilya asks breaking the silence. I nod my head and feel myself blush. My mind goes back to Ace and his kindness in all this chaos. He lets me into my room and gives a slight nod at the guards outside my door before leaving. I go to bed in bliss that night thinking about Christophers' offer to help me escape. For the first time since I've gotten here, I feel good knowing that I might be able to make a friend to possibly help me make sense of all this. Or even maybe escape. I can't believe it's only been two days. 

I wake up with a smile on my face and spot a floral arrangement on my vanity. I get up and admire the flowers, there are red and white roses with babys breath popping out from each side. I take in the scent and notice a little note card attached to one of the petals.

These roses reminded me of your beauty ~ Ace

My heart flutters, and I throw myself onto the bed and put the card against my chest. Before I can snap my self out of it I hear the door open and look up to see that Ilya has let himself in. He looks at me out of breath.

"The Queen has requested an audience for you." He says in between breaths. "Now!" He shouts. My handmaids come in and begin working right away, they brush out my hair before braiding it, and do my makeup, Serena hands me an under the knee blue sundress with large buttons starting from the top all the way to the bottom of the dress in a straight line. Before I know it Ilya is dragging me towards an area of the castle that I haven't seen before. We come in front of a door both of us standing in silence.

"You need to be prepared. She's very sick right now." He says sadly. 

"I saw her yesterday. Why didn't she want an 'audience' with me then?" I ask annoyed.

"That was a show... Frankly, I don't know why the queen does what she does but here we are." He babbles nervously. After a long pause of silence "You ready?" He asks. I nod my head and the golden door are pushed open for me by a pair of guards, I hold my breath and begin walking in the room. I see a frail woman in a large wooden bed surrounded by herbs and people. I walk over to the foot of her bed fidgeting with my fingers. She looks up at me and gasps.

"Eleonora." Her voice sounds just as frail as she looks. I have so many questions but I try and refrain from them and be there for the women who apparently gave birth to me. "You look so different." She says holding out a bony hand. I walk over and take her hand in mine. "Leave us." She commands weakly.

"What's happened to you?" I ask looking at her worried.

"I was poisoned. Someone believed I shouldn't be ruling." She laughs weakly. "There is no cure... At least not yet" She says looking away. I notice that she and I look very similar, with the pale skin and the chestnut straight hair, and we almost have the same face shape. We sit in silence for a while. Neither one of us daring to say a word.

"Why did you leave me?" I ask finally, surprised that the words even came out of my mouth. I didn't think I would end up believing any of this nonsense. But the resemblance is uncanny. 

"Because I was afraid something like what's happened to me would happen to you." She says and strokes my arm. Even though it is eerie how frail, skinny and weak she looks. It is still comforting in a strange way.

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