Chapter 268: Chapter 268

268 Chapter 268 : Amethyst

When Eira materialized in her room, she was smiling from ear to ear. Her last birthdays were always filled with extravagant gifts, fancy balls, and elegant luncheons. But none of them had ever made her quite as happy as spending a few minutes speaking to Elric over a glass of wine.

The princess twirled around joyfully, ready to throw herself on her bed, when she saw her mother sitting on it and looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

“You seem awfully happy this morning,” Melissa spoke with a suspicious tone. “Where did you run off to? You didn’t want to join us for breakfast this morning because I thought you were still upset about what happened at the ball. But it seems you’re in a much higher spirits now, care to share the joy?”

“Umm..” Eira shifted uncomfortably across the room and settled down on the chair adjacent to her window. “I went out,” she responded flatly. “There has been a lot going on, so I decided to treat myself to a glass of wine.”

Melissa stood up and walked slowly towards her daughter, “I wasn’t even aware are you started drinking...”

“with all the bombshell secrets in this family, how could I not?”

Melissa sighed, was this how her sweet little girl was going to disappear? Because of that lycan Elric? Eira had always been sweet, kind, and respectful, but ever since she came across a Elric, she had become sarcastic, and a little rude. Couldn’t she see that that man was turning her into something she was not?

“I worry about you Eira,” Melissa spoke. “You have changed, and I don’t think it’s in a good way.”

Melissa stood from her seat and looked into her mother’s eyes. “Because I am able to speak for myself now, and to demand the truth and answers from you and father, you worry that I have changed?”

.....

“I worry because you now speak out of turn,” Melissa responded, trying hard to keep her voice mellow. “You are sarcastic and rude, can you not see that? This man you insist on spending time with is turning you into something else. A princess should never behave in such a way.”

“So what you’re saying is a princess we just lie down and take whatever is thrown her way? I should not stand up for what I believe is right because I am a princess?”

“What do you know of what is right?!” Melissa fired back. “You are a child Eira, our child, and you live under our roof. And as long as you live under our roof you will follow our rules. We as your parents care for you, and we know what’s best for you, so regardless of what you think is right, you have to follow what we say because it is for your own good.”

Ha!” Eira chuckled and sat back down. “Just because you’re adults does not mean you are free of all error. Age does not mean you cannot be corrected mother.”

“You dare speak to me in such a tone?” Melissa questioned her daughter.

“I mean no disrespect, but it would be nice if you listened to me as well.”

Melissa took a deep breath and calmed herself down, there was no use bickering with her daughter over a man who would be out of the picture soon enough. Eira needed to learn that it was not always possible to get her way.

“Lunch will be served in an hour,” Melissa spoke calmly. “Dress nice and be there, everyone is waiting to wish you a happy birthday. And on top of that, your father has something very important to tell you.”

The red haired princess leaned back on the chair and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Do I make myself clear Eira?” her mother asked in a firm tone.

“Yes queen Melissa, crystal...”

*

Alpha Edron looked up as the curtains of his tent opened and his general walked in. The man took a knee in front of the the silver haired man before announcing the arrival of his guests.

“Alpha, the two men have arrived,” he announced, “they claim to be the brothers of the prince, shall I let them in?”

The alpha nodded and the general walked back out to call in Clovis and Jeffrey. Edron was astonished to see how greatly Clovis resembled his son, even though brothers from different parents, the resemblance was uncanny.

The alpha stood up and extended his hand to the two men who shook it.

“Thank you for meeting with us,” Clovis spoke first.

“How could I not, you said you know a way for me to meet my son.”

“We believe we do,” Clovis responded before pointing at the small stools. “May we?”

“Go right ahead,” the alpha replied. He took his seat and waited for his guests to do the same.

“You see, it may seem that Elric does not want to be found,” Clovis explained.

“But the fact of the matter is that he is alive and out there?” Edron asked.

“He is, I saw him with my own two eyes,” Clovis responded. “It would appear he has gotten accustomed to his life of solitude and hiding. But I am sure all of us here can agree that we cannot let one of our own to continue with an existence like that. Elric has duties that he has left unattended to for too long.”

“And you say you have a way to convince him to give up this life he has chosen?” Edron asked Clovis skeptically. “How exactly do you plan on doing that?”

Clovis and Jeffrey looked at each other before turning back to look at the alpha.

“Eira,” Jeffrey answered.

“Eira? What is that?”

“Eira is the only person we believe can get our troublesome lycan to do about almost anything,” Jeffrey responded.

“We did not want to involve her in this for various reasons,” Clovis added on. “But we seem to be getting a little desperate, and if we can convince Eira this is what’s best for Elric, I have a feeling she would be more than willing to help.”

“I see,” Edron spoke thoughtfully. Was this Eira the person who his son had imprinted on? Because knowing how stubborn Elric was, this Eira person has to be someone pretty important. “Alright then, I’ll leave the rest to the two of you, I do hope your plan succeed.”

“We have faith that we will..”

*

Eira looked at her reflection in the mirror puffed out some air.

“What is the matter Eira?” Maria asked the redhead. “Do you not like the dress? We can find another one if you like.”

“The dress is fine Maria thank you,” Eira mumbled.

The woman tightened the bow in Eira’s hair and turned her around. Now facing her, Maria gave the redhead a small smile. “What’s bothering you princess? Today is such a special day, you shouldn’t look so downcast on your birthday.”

Eira sighed, “I just had a bit of a disagreement with my mother,” the princess explained. “Sometimes I feel like her and father deliberately don’t listen to me, like they want to control every aspect of my life and I can never have a say. It’s frustrating, I want to be free to make my own decisions, if I’m going to make mistakes, I want the freedom to make them and learn from them.”

The nosferatu woman cupped Eira’s face in her hands, “sweetie you know your parents love you very much, don’t you?”

“I do but-”

“Well, then you should trust the choices they make on your behalf,” Maria explained. “They wouldn’t want you making a mistake you can’t come back from.”

Eira sighed for the hundredth time that day. No one truly understood and honestly she was tired of trying to make them understand.

“Now come,” Maria spoke with beaming smile, “everyone is waiting for you.”

The princess walked slowly following Maria to the the dining area. All she wanted was to have another chat and drink with Elric, for some odd reason, she had become quite fond of him. She found his presence very soothing and refreshing.

When the two entered the dining hall, the people within stood up and gave the princess welcoming smiles. “Happy birthday princess Eira Burchard!” Everyone spoke in unison.

Eira smiled and nodded in appreciation before taking a seat on her father’s left hand. The rest of the guests at the table sat down and before long everyone began eating.

The red haired princess spent most of the time stirring her food and glancing at all the people around, once in a while returning a smile to whoever smiled at her.

“I got you something,” her father spoke with an expression that Eira could not pinpoint. He placed a small box on the table and slid it towards Eira. “It’s from your mother and I.”

Eira picked up the small box and looked at it skeptically. Usually her parents would gift her with gifts that couldn’t fit through the palace door. She had received carriages filled with exotic perfumes, rare white horses, and even small pieces of land in her name. So getting something that fit in a tiny box was perplexing, she couldn’t even begin to guess what it was.

“Open it,” Gareth encouraged his daughter.

Eira opened the box and found golden necklace with an amethyst stone hanging from it.

“It’s beautiful,” Eira mumbled while stirring at the necklace in awe.

“Not as being as you are princess,” Gareth responded. “This necklace should remind you of how special and important you are to your mother and I. And how lucky anyone will be to have you.”

Eira looked up at her father with a questioning gaze, what did he mean by ‘anyone would be lucky to have her.’

“Princess,” Gareth continued, “I think it’s time you found a suitor, and settled down.”