Royal Reboot: Level up, Your Majesty!

Chapter 39: Queen vs. The Game She Shouldn’t Win

Queen vs. The Game She Shouldn't Win

Eydis had never paid much attention to her dorm room. It was a space, functional and unremarkable. Roughly the size of her bed back in her realm. Nothing worth describing. Certainly nothing worth remembering.

Sharing it with Astra had changed it. Charged it. The air felt heavier. Closer. Close enough to make her throat feel too tight. Suffocating.

If Eydis were honest with herself, “suffocating” wasn’t quite the word. Her gaze jumped from one object to another, looking to escape the magnetic pull of Astra’s gaze. The view of the car park through the window, the unused desks, the musty old rug that offended her royal, the warm, golden light that barely lit the room…

But it was just enough light to highlight Astra’s face. 

Dark, smouldering eyes like ruby embers, a high, elegant nose, and the soft curve of her… parted lips. 

Eydis froze, caught herself staring. Caught staring. Again. And it became painfully clear when Astra’s breath caught, the subtle movement pulling Eydis’s gaze back to those piercing eyes.

So much for distraction. 

Her impulsive words to Astra rang in her mind.

"Is that an offer, Astra?"

It had been meant as a playful tease, but it sounded more like a confession, rolling off her tongue like a caress. 

How could she possibly take it back, pretend it was just another one of her games?

Astra hadn’t moved. Her eyes were locked on Eydis, seemingly oblivious to the lock of moonlight-coloured hair that fell across her eyes. Eydis's fingers twitched with the urge to reach out, to brush the impossibility soft strands aside, to feel them slipping through her fingers.

She lost the battle before it began.

Blame it on her perfectionism. Blame it on the closeness. On Astra’s scent. On the lingering fever. On magical interference.

She could think of a hundred excuses, a thousand justifications. Anything but…

She hadn’t dared to finish the thought.

Her fingers reached, brushing the strands aside. The shock hit instantly, and she jerked her hand away.

A fragmented memory flashed before her eyes: a hand, her hand, tangled in hair like night. 

The sensation was distant, dreamlike. Not Astra’s. Someone else’s. Another time. Another life.

The thought landed hard. Envy and Cerberus’s memories were tethered to her own, limited to what she chose to reveal. If she lost a memory, so did they.

That was why, when their bond was broken, they reverted to raw instinct and guided only by the craving of their Sins.

And given her obsession with control, it was entirely plausible. She erased what she could not contain. That had always been her way.

“Eydis.”

Astra’s voice pulled her back. Her eyes searched Eydis’s face, looking for something. An answer. A reason for the sudden distance. 

When nothing came, her expression shifted.

“Is that really what you think this is?” Astra asked. “Or is it just another one of your riddles? Another… game?”

Her voice caught on the last word.

And suddenly, Eydis saw it. The realisation that she was not in control, that some unknown force was manipulating her mind, hit her like a splash of ice water.

But more than that, there was Astra; the tension on her face sent an unexpected guilt through Eydis.

She had to get away.

Eydis stepped back, putting space between them. The warmth between them evaporated, replaced by a cold that mirrored the frosty look in Astra’s eyes.

"A little playful banter is a perfectly acceptable way to pass the time, don't you think?" Eydis replied lightly, too lightly.

"Past the time?" Astra’s voice was flat, distant. “A game to you, was it?”

She turned away, walked to her bed, and focused intently on a shopping bag. Her fingers lingered on a gown’s delicate fabric, as if the answer might be sewn into its seams. The words that followed were barely audible.

“Of course,” Astra muttered under her breath.

Eydis had to admit, that one landed squarely on her chin. Eydis said nothing for a beat, her eyes scanning the cluttered bags, searching for a way to diffuse the tension. Then, she remembered it. Why she was here in the first place.

“Similar to how you cope through retail therapy,” she said. “Tell me, Astra, are you planning a siege on my wardrobe next?”

Astra didn’t look at her, but the tension in her shoulders eased.

“It’s not what you think.”

“I wouldn’t mind a siege,” Eydis replied, glancing at the closet. “Though I can’t promise your clothes would be returned in the same condition.”

Astra looked up sharply. “Are you saying you want to wear my clothes?”

Then her voice dipped. "Not that I'm inclined to share."

But you did. Is it a riddle? A challenge? 

The temptation to tease and provoke was strong, but Eydis kept that thought to herself. 

She still had a job to do, so she couldn’t afford to get sidetracked again. 

“Possessive, are we?” Eydis asked. “Odd, considering you shop like you’re dressing an army.”

“I am,” Astra enunciated the word, just enough to suggest she didn’t mean the clothes. “I couldn’t decide.”

Eydis felt her pulse quicken, but she deflected. “Decide on what? I could help. My taste is impeccable, as you’ve probably noticed.”

“Oh, I’ve noticed.” Astra glanced at the bunny pajamas in Eydis’s laundry basket.

“Precisely.” Eydis smirked, enjoying Astra’s subtle glint mischief a little too much. “Flawless taste is no match for a tight budget. Especially when living with someone who charges interest and fees.”

“It’s called dry cleaning. And therapy fees for your midnight monologues.” Astra lifted out an array of evening gowns in every colour and cut imaginable. “Help me choose, then.”

“Fancy gowns? What’s the occasion? A royal wedding?” Eydis kept her tone light. “Or a party I wasn’t invited to?”

"A black-tie event. Just for context."

Eydis scanned the lineup. Several dresses appeared to have a strained relationship with the concept of fabric. There was a daring red creation with a neckline that plunged down to depths she hadn't even known existed. Another, a gold lamé piece, barely had a back at all.

She frowned, unaware of Astra’s amused smile, too distracted by the thought of Astra wearing one of these scandalous things in the presence of that smug reptile, Blackwood. The idea was unacceptable. Unthinkable.

Possibly infuriating.

“Planning to change every five minutes,” Eydis asked, “or are you aiming to cause a scene on arrival?”

Astra’s lips twitched. “You think I’m a scene?”

Obviously. Eydis gave a soft chuckle. “I admire the subtlety of your bait.”

"I can’t help it," Astra admitted sheepishly. “I just find them beautiful.”

Cute.

“Then there’s nothing wrong with wanting them,” Eydis admitted.

“Maybe.” 

Eydis, missing the weight behind those words, was already absorbed in the search. A pale lavender gown with an off-the-shoulder neckline and asymmetrical hem caught her eyes. The fabric was soft, smooth as water.

She held it up against Astra. "This would look absolutely sinful on you."

And not too revealing.

“It would?” Astra searched her face for teasing.

“Maybe pair it with a purple gem,” Eydis suggested. “Ask your partner to match with a pocket square.”

“Pocket square? I don’t think she’d wear that.”

“So it’s a girl, then.”

Astra nodded. “It’s not a date.”

“Naturally,” Eydis reached for a pair of strappy silver heels, missing the way Astra’s jaw tensed. “Now, these…”

They kept sorting through the pile, but Eydis had already planned ahead. Astra would be attending with Athena. And if Athena was going, Theo wouldn’t be far behind.

Which meant Theo would need a plus-one.

Who better than the Queen of Shadows?

She smiled to herself. Theo was predictable. Chivalrous, gullible, always eager to rescue someone who didn’t need rescuing. Especially when that someone was charming and mildly tragic.

Crashing the gala wouldn’t take much. A smile here, a compliment there, and Theo would be begging to escort her.

Besides, every event needed its complication. She just happened to come dressed for the role.