Ryden's POV

I was unable to sleep all night. Today is the first day we are going to have breakfast together, and I am also going to hear how my goddess lived while in the human realm. My mood kept alternating between the joy of getting to know her more and the fear that she might have been through so much hurt that I might lose control and go on a killing spree.

The knock from a servant informing me that breakfast is ready was just the distraction I needed and had been waiting for. I rush to get ready and then head downstairs to the table, only to see that Tarin and Rian were already there. I sit beside Tarin.

"Seems like two princes couldn't sleep last night," I say in a mocking tone.

"Your eye bags aren't any better, Dragonian prince," Rian retorts.

"I guess we were all anxious about the things we might hear today. No need to start a fight about it," Tarin smooths things over.

Me and Rian are like fire and ice. We have no business being close to one another, and we make no effort to try and bridge that gap. I just can't seem to tolerate him.

"Annoying shadow."

"Useless dragon wannabe."

"Ohh, you do not want to go there, Mr. Second Prince."

"I think I just did, Mr. Abandoned Castaway Prince."

As those words leave his mouth, we both can't control our natural energy seeping out. We were just about to cross over and tear each other apart when Tarin roars while hitting the table.

"ENOUGH!! You are both adults, not children, yet you guys keep acting like toddlers fighting over an irrelevant toy childish and pointless. Will the both of you behave? What if Miri came downstairs and saw you all acting like this? She would lose all form of respect for the both of you, 'cause I know I do whenever I witness it. And by the sheer amount of time you guys fight, you can already guess I have no respect for either of you. So behave before I make you."

Tarin always gets so angry and scolds us like this when we fight at the dining table but ignores us when it's anywhere else. I'm starting to believe it's not about the fight but more about the food. But the threat of Miri is enough to get us to behave.

And just as we sit, everyone comes in and then lastly is Miri and Alira.

The food is served, and we enjoy our meal. By the end of this meal, I learned something new about my goddess: she truly is the Shadow Princess they all share an appetite.

After the meal, we move to the private throne room for the impending conversation. Even though they were hesitant at first, they were finally able to voice out their thoughts about Alira and get her story. Her story was really heartbreaking, and she had gone through so much.

But during her story, I noticed how all the princes and even the king clenched their teeth and hands when she mentioned her initial hatred and how she wanted to kill Miri at first, and how their first battle ended with Miri having several injuries that she inflicted. But not one of them dared say a word, 'cause we can all tell how much Miri values Alira. No one wants to be the first to be hated by their baby sister.

So these hard-headed princes all behave themselves. It's actually quite amusing to watch.

But then the moment we all dreaded came Miri started her story. She seemed to have her own fair share of hardships but was relatively loved. But there was an unmistakable break in her voice when she spoke about the incident that took her parents, and I could tell she was hiding something as if she wasn't lying, but she did omit a part of her story. But if she doesn't want to speak, we have no reason to make her speak.

She concludes her story and then asks about the incident of her kidnapping. She learns about the eye distinction that humans were not supposed to know of but that made me think. Humans are unaware of this information, but it sounds like her parents knew and even had a lot of information humans shouldn't have. Her adoptive parents may not be as simple as we might think.

The king announced his departure, and I was told to escort the girls for shopping. I generally hate the mall, so I know Tarin might be doing this to punish me but he doesn't know he's doing me a favor, actually.

We set out for the mall that is owned by the royal family, and Alira goes crazy selecting outfits that she thinks will look good on Miri, and even picking out some for herself.

Me and Miri sit down on the lounge chair of the boutique watching Alira, and then she starts to speak with me.

"I want to ask you something, it might be personal. Hope you don't mind."

"I won't," I answered a bit too quickly.

"My father said the deeper the shade of the eye, the more power. On the coliseum day, I noticed that your eyes are deeper than even that of the king’s, meaning you must be powerful. So if you have such amazing power, why were you sent as a royal hostage and not one of your brothers?"

I laugh a bit at her question.

"Well, that is true, I am more powerful than them, but I was still given. Well, I am the child born of the unloved queen, while my elder brothers are the children born of his lovely mistress. How could I take priority over them?"

I was expecting pity, but instead in a straight voice she says,

"So then the Dragonian king is a foolish man who prioritizes personal feelings over the growth of his kingdom. No wonder the Dragonian empire is still so weak."

"Yeah, he is a useless king. Do you have any other questions?" I say while hiding my smile.

"The Dragonian empire is said to have inherited the blood of the dragon, but there is no record of the dragon dying. So what exactly happened there?"

"Well, history says that the dragon, after sharing its power and grace, went into hibernation and has not been seen in ages. But there is a myth that when his most favored child is in danger, he shall return to the empire to protect his own. But that is a myth, with the dragon never being seen again. Well, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, I ask you questions. It is only fair to reciprocate."

"In all you said, you never spoke about the group home or how the person in charge treated you or how school was."

"Ohh," she laughs.

"Well, the woman in charge of the group home made food and made sure we had clothes on our backs, but apart from that left us alone. The children all did their own things and had who they found as friends among each other and kept to our own cliques. And as for school, me and Alira are beautiful girls with several admirers. Who would bully us?"

Well, this girl really is confident. But before I can say anything more, Alira calls on her to try out the clothes she narrowed down for her. She gets up and disappears to the back of the room as I watch her.

"You know, Prince Ryden—"

"Just Ryden, please," I corrected Alira.

"Alright, Ryden. You know that the way you are staring at her now, if you stare at her that way while she is eating, you might make an enemy out of her," she says with a laugh before running off, leaving me completely confused. What the hell was she talking about?

Well, before I could understand and figure it out, I hear Miri's voice.

"Ali, this dress is perfect!"

I look up to see my gorgeous goddess in the most beautiful dark purple dress. It was a cross-shoulder dress with a high slit on the skirt and the top was made out of purple diamonds. It sparkled, and it went perfectly with her silver hair so radiant. And I'm guessing Alira thought the same.

"Girl, you look gorgeous! Alright then, how about we match styles, but I will get a blue color, but with the same design. What do you think?" Alira asks.

"That would be so perfect! Then we can pick out shoes and some other daily necessities we might need," Miri responds, matching her friend’s energy.

The day goes by with Alira dragging us from store to store, picking out an array of clothes, shoes, bags, and skin care products that would fit their vibe whatever that might mean.

And then finally we went to the food court to get ice cream before leaving, and that was the most Miri’s eyes had lit up since coming here.

Alira bought three ice cups of ice cream, one was a mix of chocolate and strawberry, the other was vanilla and strawberry, and the last was chocolate and vanilla. She put the three on the table and asked Miri to choose, but she brushed her off saying she was okay with anything. But she kept staring intently at the chocolate and strawberry mix, and with a laugh, Alira gave it to her.

"Miri can lie and detect a lie in a heartbeat, but when it comes to food, her eyes always betray her. And she's so greedy, she gets defensive whenever someone tries to touch her food."

"Well, my mother said a sign of a sincere person is when they can't help but subconsciously watch what they eat. And I hate when people touch my food. There is nothing wrong in that," she retorts back, and pulls her ice cream closer to her and shoots a death glare at both me and Alira.

But she simply smirks and gives me a knowing glance, and that’s when her previous statement clicks. Oh heavenly... was I that obvious about my feelings for her, or is this girl just that sharp?

I avert my eyes and clear my throat.

"It's getting dark. Let's return to the castle. I’d rather not have your brothers skin me alive."

She nods, and they both get up to start leaving.

And before long, we reach the castle where we are ambushed by adult Shadow who have been acting like children for a while now.

"Did you girls find good dresses? Can we see?" Lior asks, way too excited only to get slapped in the head by Fenn.

"The girls must be tired. Let them rest. We shall see it tomorrow either way."

"Exactly, allow the girls to rest. Tomorrow I’m sure they will be the most beautiful in the ball," Malric supports, which earns a slight laugh from both girls as they simply say good night and walk off.

Then the attackers turn on me.

"Hey, did anything happen today?" Aeren asks.

"Yeah, I just learnt that the gluttonic nature of the Shadow royal family might be hereditary and that no one can doubt her lineage. She really is your sister."

"What in heaven's name do you mean by that?" Renn asks with a very dark expression.

"Are you trying to call my sister a glutton?" he adds.

"It's a compliment. Her healthy appetite is really cute," I say as I start to walk away, leaving them to their pointless arguments.

I can't wait for tomorrow. She is really going to be the center of the show.