Chapter 204-Hidden intentions

Chapter 204: 204-Hidden intentions

Behind them, Varitreya remained rooted to the spot, still holding the flower crown she had made.

She watched her mother escort Addessa toward the carriage, then looked at the others being gathered around them.

Her stomach dropped. "Mother?"

Velanora turned toward her. Varitreya tried to keep her expression composed, but confusion had already crept into her eyes.

"What is Mommy doing?"

Velanora glanced toward the carriage, then back at her daughter. A knowing smile touched her lips.

"Giving you a chance to crown your mates," she said with a warm smile.

The flower crown nearly slipped from Varitreya’s hands and for a moment, she forgot how to breathe.

"Wh-what?"

Velanora stepped closer, lowering her voice so the attendants could not overhear. "You heard me, darling."

Varitreya stared at her mother. She knew? Her mother knew about the zing? the inexplicable pull that had connected her to Maisa, Lumi, Zolani, and Addessa. She knew that what Varitreya had tried to hide was not a simple attraction to one person but a five-way bond that had drawn four young women into the orbit of the royal heir.

A bond that had left Varitreya confused, terrified, and increasingly unable to pretend her heart belonged to only one of them.

And now her mother was smiling as though she had discovered the most delightful secret in the world.

"How?" Varitreya whispered.

Velanora raised an eyebrow. "Darling, I am the Queen. You cannot expect to keep every secret from me."

"Mother!"

"What? Did you think your mother would fail to notice her daughter falling in love?"

Varitreya’s face turned scarlet. "I am not..."

"Four times over?"

"Mom!"

Velanora laughed softly and touched her daughter’s cheek.

"Don’t worry, my dear. Even though you didn’t tell me, I found out. And I am not unhappy about it."

Varitreya searched her mother’s face for any trace of disapproval. When there was none, only affection and a hint of amusement that made Varitreya want to disappear into the river.

"You aren’t angry?"

"Why would I be angry?" Velanora asked, holding back from being emotional. "You’re my daughter, I am not angry at all."

"Because there are four of them and their bloods..."

"And?"

"Because one of them is a redblood," she led with the blood that weighed heavily against her chest.

Velanora’s smile faded slightly, not with displeasure but with seriousness.

"Maisa is far more than the blood that runs through her veins. You should know that better than anyone."

Varitreya lowered her eyes. She did know but she was surprised that her mother knew that. Especially since her mother always got mad every time she got too close to Maisa.

However, she had seen Maisa’s strength, her stubbornness, her hidden tenderness, and the terrible loneliness she carried behind her guarded expression. She had watched the girl struggle against a world that judged her before she could even speak.

And she had felt the pull between them, even when Maisa’s bond had been numb and the connection seemed to vanish into silence.

Velanora lifted Varitreya’s chin. "You do not need to be ashamed of whom your heart chooses. Nor should you spend your life hiding from a bond you were never meant to control."

"But what if they don’t all feel the same way?"

"Then you can take time to learn what they feel and nurture what already exists," she encouraged. "Love cannot be commanded, even by a princess."

Her mother paused, then added with a small smile, "But it can certainly be given room to grow."

Varitreya glanced toward the carriage again. Her mates were climbing inside, each wearing a different expression of confusion.

Addessa looked as though she was trying to determine whether she had accidentally committed a crime. Lumi was already studying the royal attendants for clues. Zolani seemed entirely too pleased by the situation, while Maisa watched everything with a guarded, unreadable gaze.

Varitreya’s heart twisted. She wanted to be with them. She wanted to know what the bond meant, what it would become, and whether the warmth she sometimes felt when they were near could ever become something real.

But wanting something did not make her brave enough to reach for it, especially in a judgey society they lived in.

Velanora seemed to read the hesitation on her face. "I’ll make arrangements for you to spend time together," she promised. "No court obligations, no interruptions, and no need to spend the entire Week of Hearts pretending you are merely classmates. Just love as the week demands."

Varitreya’s eyes widened. "You’re going to arrange that?"

"Of course."

"Mother, you can’t simply..."

"I can. I’m the Queen."

Varitreya closed her eyes. That was the problem with having a mother who ruled an entire nation. There was no point arguing when she had already decided that her daughter’s romantic life required royal intervention.

Velanora kissed her forehead. "Go and join them, darling. Celebrate the Week of Hearts properly. Let yourself be happy for once."

Varitreya looked down at the flower crown still in her hands. She had made it for her mother.

Yet now, as she watched Maisa disappear into the carriage, she wondered whether the crown should have belonged to someone else or whether, one day, she might make another one for the woman who had already begun to change her life.

She swallowed, then hurried after the others. Velanora watched her go, a quiet smile settling upon her face.

Kheamossa approached her, slipping an arm around her waist. "You told her?"

"Just the parts she needed to hear."

"And?"

"She looked as though she might faint," Velanora drew a deep breath.

Kheamossa laughed. "Poor Vari."

"She’ll survive. She’s our daughter."

"Your confidence is astonishing," Kheamossa agreed, she too had faith that Varitreya won’t blame them when she loses her crown and her child. "She’ll see our side of things and understand why we did what we did."

"Naturally."

Velanora drew her close, pressing a kiss to her temple as the royal carriages began to move.

Ahead of them lay the palace, the Week of Hearts, and the five young women whose bond could reshape the supernatural world.

Beyond that waited the hunters, the Everheart–Siseli alliance, and the ancient compass that could lead them to the true heart.

Velanora’s smile remained, but her gaze grew distant. The crown would soon pass to Maisa, the flower of fate would bloom and if the old prophecies were correct, the age of human dominance would finally come to an end.

She looked at Kheamossa, whose hand rested comfortably in hers.

"When the week of Hearts is over," Velanora murmured, "the world will be different."

Kheamossa leaned against her. "Let us enjoy one last night before it changes."

Velanora kissed her hand. "Gladly, my love."

Above them, the fireworks continued to bloom, painting the night in white and silver.

Because before the week was over, the vampires would have to decide what kind of world they wanted to leave behind.

And Velanora had already made her choice.

If the price of their survival was her throne, she would surrender it willingly.

If her daughter and her four mates were the key to making it happen, then the Queen would see to it that they had every opportunity to become what fate intended even if she had to play matchmaker herself.